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them safe. Abuse in families typically finds a focus on one family member and leaves the other members alone. This can leave the victim feeling somehow responsible and complicit, as though he or she must have done something to invite or cause such treatment. These survivors hide in society among the rest of us! never talking about what was done out of embarrassment or fear of public condemnation. How, then, do we combat the “better aborted than abused” argument? If the abused children cannot find the strength and courage to speak out for the value of their own lives, how can anyone else?
Someone must be willing to do it, so I will.
My name is Rebecca and I was one of those abused children. I spent more nights than I can remember sleeping under the hanging clothes in my closet out of fear for what might be coming in through my bedroom door. It was horrible and frightening and took many years to forgive…but never once in all those years did I think I would have been better off if I had never been born. Even that dark afternoon when I truly believed that suicide was my only escape, the idea of never having been was unimaginably worse.
You see, I am what abused children look like when we’re all grown up. The vast majority of us reach adulthood and go on to lead lives that look like the lives of most everyone else. We learn to live beyond the pain of what was done to us, work towards forgiving those who hurt us, and we get on with the business of living.
There is a lie in the “better off dead” argument that presupposes that human beings are nothing more than the sum of our experiences, that the pain of today must be escaped at any cost lest we create human beings who are ruined. Such thinking disregards the beauty and strength of the human soul. We are capable of so much more than this point of view gives us credit for. There is grace in being able to walk through the valley of the shadow of death and emerge on the other side a still whole person. It is an amazing gift, but not an uncommon one.
There are more of us out here in the regular world than the “exception” crowd is willing to acknowledge. We live wonderfully uneventful and ordinary lives, and know more than most the value of just being. So the next time that someone says in your hearing that those of us who lived through frightening and abusive childhoods should never have been, please let that person know that the truth is that to have been murdered before we even had the chance to live would have been even worse than being abused.
If that doesn’t convince people that their hateful rhetoric is wrong, send them to see me. Let them see the life my husband and I have built together and the family we have created. Let them hear the peals of laughter that pour out of our house and see the quiet love that wraps around us all. Let them look me in the eye and tell me that we would all have been better off if I had never existed — if this family had never been. Let them have the courage of their convictions to come over here, look me in the eye, and say it to my face.
Originally published at Ignitum Today.CHARLES BARKLEY: Well, I agreed with the verdict. I feel sorry that young kid got killed. But they didn't have enough evidence to charge him. Something clearly went wrong that night. Clearly something went wrong. I feel bad for anybody who loses a kid, but if you looked at the case and you don't make it -- there was some racial profiling, no question about it. But something happened that changed the dynamic of that night, and I know -- that's probably not a popular opinion among most people but just looking at the evidence I agreed with the verdict.
I just feel bad because I don't like when race gets out in the media because I don't think the media has a pure heart, as I call it. There are very few people have a pure heart when it comes to race. Racism is wrong in any, shape, form -- a lot of black people are racist too. I think sometimes when people talk about racism, they say only white people are racist. There are a lot of black people who are racist. I don't like when it gets out there in the media because I don't think the media has clean hands.
MARIA BARTIROMO, CNBC: I'm glad you made that point.
BARKLEY: Obviously I feel sorry that young kid got killed but just judging by the evidence, I don't think that guy should have went to jail the rest of his life. Something happened bad that night, obviously.
BARTIROMO: I like what the juror said, they both should have walked away. And if there is a shadow of a doubt, there is a shadow of a doubt.
BARKLEY: And let me tell you, Mr. Zimmerman was wrong to pursue -- he was racial profiling. I think Trayvon Martin, God rest his soul, I think he did flip the switch and started beating the hell out of Mr. Zimmerman. But it was just a bad situation. And like I said, the main thing I feel bad for, it gives every black and white person who is racist a platform to vent their ignorance.
That's the thing that bothers me the most because I watched this trial closely and I watch all these people are television talking about it. A lot of people have a hidden agenda. You know, they want their racist views, whether they are white or black --
BARTIROMO: The bias comes out.
BARKLEY: The bias, it definitely comes out. It was a bad situation, we all lost. And I feel bad for his parents. You don't ever want to see anybody lose a kid. (CNBC Closing Bell, July 18, 2013)I use Django signals a lot in my professional work, mostly to create specialized tables that track events in the ecosystem of social networking sites that I build. For example, if I make a post on a social networking site, that causes an event that creates a signal. That signal will be heard by, for example: (1) a reward mechanism, which might give me a badge/acheivement/sticker/shiny rock/whatever to acknowledge my place in the social network heirarchy, (2) a news mechanism, to look up who my friends are and tell them what I’m doing, (3) a logging mechanism, which will be of interest to my investors, (4) a social media mechanism, which will analyze my relationships with other social networking sites and ping them, among (5, 6, 7) whatever else you can think of.
These are all unique, filtered views of an action I just took that might serve me as agents of attention, reputation, and illumination.
As I’ve been working in this space, I’ve learned three very important rules for Django:
(1) Any Django application (not project, application) that builds its tables via signals and business logic rulesets must only and ever build its tables via signals and rulesets. It must not have its own views for doing so. It’s CUD is signals. Only the R in CRUD may have views for the signal-built application.
(2) When dumping data for your project, never dump data from the signal-based applications. When you want to reload this data (after the appropriate mangling/filtering/whatever), the objects in your ecosystem models will send out the appropriate signals to build those tables for you. (Signal senders in your views that alter data? Shame on you!)
(3) As a consequence of (2), your signal-built data tables must take their dates from their instances. Otherwise, the signal-built tables become disordered with respect to the events they’re expected to monitor.
Of course there are exceptions to these rules, but this is a very solid way to think about doing signal-based development.Hagerstown, Md., - Officials with the City of Hagerstown said jay walking on North Burhans Boulevard, between the intersections of West Franklin Street and Salem Avenue, is becoming a problem.
“We counted a 12 hour period and we found we had over 700 people cross the street and of that only about 20 percent of them were actually crossing at a crosswalk the rest of them were crossing mid-block, cutting through cars,” said Rodney Tissue, City Engineer.
The city decided to try to make the crosswalk more prominent. City officials say they’re planning in increasing pedestrian signal time, installing signs that alert drivers to be aware of pedestrians and are going to distribute more flyers to local businesses about pedestrian safety.
“We're just trying to educate the folks to try and do the right thing and use the crosswalks,” said Tissue.
Tissue said that the high volume of traffic has caused some accidents.
“In five years [there have]been nine accidents, eight involved pedestrians and one involved a bicycle and that's fairly high for pedestrian accidents in an area like that,” said Tissue.
The city also says they will also be asking for more auxiliary police to be in the area to help manage traffic.New titles on the marquee include action-thriller 'American Assassin' and Darren Aronofsky's'mother!,' starring Jennifer Lawrence and Javier Bardem.
Watch out — It will remain a terrifying force in its second weekend.
The film adaptation of Stephen King's novel is expected to win the frame with $50 million-plus after scaring up a record-shattering $123.4 million debut last weekend. The horror film, from Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema, has become a water-cooler sensation, amassing nearly $151.5 million in its first seven days as it prepares to top the $200 million mark by the conclusion of this weekend.
It, which cost $35 million to make, is well on its way to scoring a lifetime domestic total north of $300 million and becoming one of the top-grossing horror films of all time, even when adjusting for inflation.
New entries mother! and American Assassin are expected to do much more modest business, with projected openings in the $12 million-$15 million range (no one is sure how much It will cannibalize other films). Marc Forster's All I See Is You, starring Blake Lively and Jason Clarke, was also set to open nationwide Friday, but Open Road Films pulled the pic earlier this week and has set a new release date of Oct. 27.
With the summer season over, the marquee isn't so family-friendly, considering It, mother! and American Assassin are all rated R.
From filmmaker Darren Aronofsky and Paramount, mother! stars Jennifer Lawrence, Javier Bardem, Ed Harris and Michelle Pfeiffer. The psychological horror-thriller made its world premiere earlier this month at the Venice Film Festival before screening at the Toronto International Film Festival.
The mysterious story revolves around a married couple named Mother (Lawrence) and Him (Bardem), whose tranquil existence is tested when two strangers — Man (Harris) and Woman (Pfeiffer) — show up at their country Victorian home.
In December 2010, Aronofsky's awards darling Black Swan likewise debuted to modest numbers on its way to earning $104 million domestically and $329 million globally, as well as winning Natalie Portman the Oscar for best actress.
Director Michael Cuesta's action-thriller American Assassin stars Dylan O'Brien as a CIA operative who teams with a veteran agent (Michael Keaton) to stop terrorists from starting a world war. The CBS Films and Lionsgate release also features Sanaa Lathan, Shiva Negar and Taylor Kitsch.
Comps for American Assassin include such action pics as 2914's John Wick, which debuted to $14 million, and 2011's The Mechanic ($11 million). The movie is based on late author Vince Flynn's novel of the same name.
New offerings at the specialty box office include Mike White's Brad's Status, starring Ben Stiller, Michael Sheen, Jenna Fischer, Luke Wilson and Austin Abrams. The dramedy, about an anxious father who takes his son on a tour of New England colleges, marks the second release from Megan Ellison's Annapurna Pictures. Brad's Status premiered at TIFF last weekend and will open in four theaters in New York and Los Angeles.
Sept. 14, 11 a.m. Updated with Wednesday grosses for It.When gender politics treats individuals as pawns in a political game
Updated
When someone says "you can't be sexist towards a man", what they are really suggesting is that individual experience is irrelevant to larger political interests. That's a troubling mindset, writes Claire Lehmann.
Identity politics, particularly gender politics, has become so pervasive in some quarters it is almost a substitute for religion. And like religion, it seems to anesthetise some of the critical faculties of its most ardent followers.
This week Amy Stockwell of Mamamia argued that there's no such thing as reverse sexism. She said:
You can't be sexist towards a man. Sexism towards men (or reverse-sexism) simply does not exist.
She went on to say that one "might be cruel to a man", or one "might be insensitive", but that even if one were:
... This doesn't mean men are missing out - they are just competing fairly with everyone else in a way that they haven't had to in the past. That's a good thing. It's a sign that things are slowly edging towards equality. It means that we're heading towards a place where both men and women share power. It means we're starting to end discrimination against women - and that's good for everyone.
"That's a good thing" refers to men being treated cruelly or insensitively. That's a good thing that people are treated badly.
Before we look at the merits of Stockwell's philosophy, we first need to understand the context from which the statements sprang. She launched her argument after an incident in which the sports reporter Mel McLaughlin offered to buy cricketer Mark Waugh a drink during a live TV interview.
For some, this incident was an example of delicious irony. On January 4, some two weeks prior, the Jamaican cricketer Chris Gayle asked McLaughlin out for a drink while being interviewed on live TV: "So hopefully we can win this game and we can have a drink after," he said, which was then followed with the infamous, "Don't blush, baby."
These two remarks, which were broadcast on live TV, made Gayle an instant candidate for a public flogging. And flogged he was. First he was declared to be "inappropriate" (the catchcry of hand-wringers who can't bring themselves to say that something was actually "bad" or immoral). Then he was fined $10,000. His comments were then tied to domestic violence in The Age, and over at the ABC Religion & Ethics website, Melinda Tankard Reist even linked the comments to underage sexual activity.
After the mushroom cloud of outrage subsided, some commentators came to Gayle's defence. The defence was not that Gayle's behaviour was acceptable - it wasn't. But that the response was disproportionate.
One could easily interpret the act of McLaughlin asking Waugh out for a drink as an inside joke referencing the whole debacle, shared between herself and the cricket community. McLaughlin appeared to be making light of herself and her role, sending a subtle, but unmistakable message to the army of hand-wringers: I can look after myself.
But back to questions of gender politics. One of the best things about the rights movements of the twentieth century (second wave feminism, civil rights, gay rights) was the celebration of the individual. Under the umbrella of liberalism, it didn't matter if you were straight or gay, man or woman, black or white.
We all deserved equal treatment under the law, and equal opportunity to exercise our talents, simply by virtue of our shared humanity.
The political goals of feminism have been mapped out, and pesky characters with all their individual differences and feelings need to step out of the way.
Within liberalism - of the classical kind - individualism triumphs over group identity. This simple yet powerful idea was what Martin Luther King was getting at when he said that what really mattered was the content of a person's character, not the colour of their skin.
The Left was once a proponent of individualism in the '60s and '70s. It celebrated self-determination, and freedom from oppressive, outdated social orthodoxies. However, a leftie today is more likely to enforce social orthodoxy than question it.
When Stockwell says "you can't be sexist towards a man" what she is really suggesting is that individual experience is irrelevant to larger political interests. A man is a member of a privileged group in society, women are not, a man's feelings are irrelevant, case closed.
And even if a woman feels as though she is not actually oppressed, and even if a man feels as though he is, these feelings, or internal experiences, simply do not matter. The woman in question may be suffering from "internalised misogyny"; the man in question simply has "victim-envy". The political goals of feminism have been mapped out, and pesky characters with all their individual differences and feelings need to step out of the way.
Stockwell does not even consider that the perspective of Waugh - who some were claiming was the victim of sexism - could be important to her argument. Likewise, many who were baying for Gayle's metaphoric lynching also appeared uninterested in McLaughlin's thoughts or feelings on the matter. This is despite a clear articulation early on that she had accepted Gayle's apology, and that she thought it was time to move on.
Yet the problem with modern gender politics goes far beyond dismissals of Mel McLaughlin or Mark Waugh's subjective experiences. Ultimately this approach - the undermining of individual difference and personal sovereignty in the hope of achieving political ends - is counter-productive.
It becomes sexist in its mission to fight sexism. It creates stereotypes in order to fight stereotypes. It becomes exactly what it professes to hate. It essentialises and reduces individual adults to mere pawns in a larger political game.
Claire Lehmann is a freelance writer and editor of Quillette Magazine. Follow her on Twitter: @clairlemon.
Topics: women, feminism, discrimination
First postedThe Great Canadian Baking Show has arrived on CBC. The culinary competition series is based on an overseas cousin called The Great British Baking Show. This edition is hosted by Schitt's Creek star Dan Levy and British actor Julia Chan. Like all new series it was subject to critical review, one of which left a bad taste in my mouth. Just to be clear, as a freelance writer for CBC Life I have no stake or care in how this show fares. As a gay man, I am very much concerned about this particular review.
John Doyle of The Globe and Mail is well known for his acerbic take on TV criticism in Canada but I dare say he crossed the line with a half-baked attempt at humour (pun intended) that comes across as clearly homophobic. After setting the tone with a few shots at the show's take on reality baking, he sets his sites on Dan, calling him an "inexplicable" choice as host. Perhaps he's forgotten about Levy's pre-acting days on MTV Live. He certainly didn't take the time to examine Dan's long love affair with baked goods as documented on social media. Alas, those opinions are just that and they are fair game. This next quote, is not.
"Into the judging roles defined in Britain by Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood, CBC welcomes Vancouver pastry chef Bruno Feldeisen and Montrealer Rochelle Adonis. Neither is what anyone would call a natural in the reality-TV racket. Both are a tad stiff and nervous and little wonder — at any moment, they know they might be swarmed by the feyness of Levy...."
Swarmed by feyness? I've experienced a lot of homophobia in my life and this most definitely set off my radar. It set off Dan's too; shortly after the article was posted Levy let his feelings be known posting this statement on Instagram and Facebook.
Dan's focus in his statement is dead on and he's no stranger to LGBTQ issues. He's out and proud and his character on Schitt's Creek made TV history identifying as pansexual. Instead of wasting time trading insults or validating his masculinity he calls out the homophobia for what it is and draws a line in the sand when it comes to criticizing someone's unrelated and immutable mannerisms in a television critique.
When it comes to homophobia I'm a big believer in education versus retaliation. So, in the name of understanding, here's why this is a toxic thing to say and why it should be offensive to a broader audience than gay men. "'Fey" is hurled at a man with an intent to insult, how? By suggesting that a man is feminine. It implies that to be feminine is shameful, undesirable, unacceptable, weak and less than. This is where the problem grows to encompass a much larger target: Why is being feminine an insult?
Obviously it is not, but in a highly patriarchal society masculinity is the unspoken top prize. So, if a man who is bequeathed with an assumed masculinity at birth is perceived to have forsaken that manliness, it can be interpreted as an incomprehensible and loathsome act. When I see derogatory descriptors used like this, I see roots that lead to misogyny, plain and simple. The word 'fey' is not alone in being co-opted into an antigay sentiment with ties to women. In North America the most famous gay slur "f****t" has roots that stretch as far back as the 16th century. Older widowed or impoverished women were often referred to as "faggot gatherers", referring to their need to gather sticks and wood to sell for income. Homosexuality is often derided due to perceived femininity and forsaken masculine values and so this term may have evolved from that. A term for hating women supplanted onto gay men.
It is as if we are saying "how dare you act like a woman!?". What a troubling sentiment that compounds such a seemingly one dimensional slur. Add to that decades of turning it into an insult directed at a specific minority group and you can see why it holds such power.
The delivery can drasticly amplify the sting too. Mr. Doyle's choice of verb is telling: "swarmed". Is being approached by a man you perceive to be feminine really akin to an onslaught of bees?
With such deep and complex implications I have a feeling it's going to take a long time for the word fey and many like it to lose their power. "Insults" like these can trigger traumatic memories in many gay men or cause them in the first place. Its hostile and isolating delivery throughout history has turned what should be a positive (femininity!) into a negative.
Change has to start somewhere and an apology would be a good start.
Ryan E. Thompson is a Toronto-based television producer and writer specializing in LGBT issues and entertainment.By Steve Tawa
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — The federal stimulus package that increased funding for food stamps since the financial collapse in 2009, expired Friday. That has resulted in across-the-board 5% reductions (read related story). But Pennsylvania U-S Senator Bob Casey is pushing to extend the increased funding levels for another year.
Senator Casey says the cuts may not seem like much – $29 less a month for a family of 3 or $36 less for a family of 4, but the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program – or SNAP – allows struggling families to keep food on the table.
“There’s no guarantee, but we have a shot,” Casey says. “When it passes, it will reach back retroactively, so people don’t have an adverse hit.”
Drexel University Associate Professor Mariana Chilton says most families that receive SNAP benefits already run out of money for food by the third week of each month.:
“This cut will have disastrous affects,” she says. “The fact that we’re dealing with a farm bill with the threat of even more cuts is unacceptable and un-American.”
Chilton says there’s a misconception about who receives food stamp benefits.
“A lot of people think people on SNAP are not working,” she says. “Actually, 80% of the families with children that are on SNAP are working.”
Among them, Tianna Gaines-Turner of Philadelphia’s Frankford section, who has three children – 6-year old twins and a nine year old.
“What do you say to a young child who wants seconds?” says Gaines-Turner. “What do you say to a mother who struggles every day, just to make ends meet? Our children are the future. They have a right to adequate and nutritional foods.”
The SNAP benefit reductions affect 457,000 Philadelphians and 1.8-million Pennsylvanians.My dear girls,
I thought I'd write to you a while after the World Cup final - just putting some distance between us and that emotional day. I still find myself halfway between rejoicing and heartbreak. You must be feeling this yourself - the joy of making the final balanced by the thought that you were so near and yet so far. For Mithali and Jhulan, history repeated itself. I too relived the emotions we felt in 2005 when we missed our opportunity in Centurion. Even today we all remember it and talk about it and feel bad.
But apart from the result, I must say, there really is no comparison between 2017 and 2005. Your performance has given all of us in cricket so much optimism and positivity. You have grabbed the country's attention.
I know you all must have been surprised by the huge turnouts that greeted you back home in India, and by the affection and fanfare you received. You have been showered with rewards, and rightly so, for you have brought pride to the country. The next step now is to make sure you do whatever it takes to keep winning and hold on to the faith, affection and adulation showered on you.
This was an unforgettable World Cup for me, though I wasn't playing. The fact that I witnessed a capacity crowd for a women's cricket match at Lord's, and more so that I was able to commentate on India's biggest women's cricket game so far. I figured out quickly that I would need to be detached while calling the game. Being busy all morning before the start of play helped, but afterwards, I realised defeat still tastes the same. It was emotional and humbling.
When you pulled yourself out of the slump of two defeats, against South Africa and Australia, and played New Zealand with determination, I remember feeling as though it was the start of our World Cup.
"Along with your rewards will come more responsibility. Youngsters in India will look up to you. Girls, many of them, will be keen to follow in your footsteps"
I was elated at seeing you come out of that slightly quiet dressing room with sheer focus, showing character, getting your heads sorted and just playing cricket. I was happy that you played teams, not nations with big cricketing reputations.
When I stuck my neck out and backed India to beat Australia in the semi-final, when just over a week earlier you had received a drubbing in Bristol, I wasn't being brave. Not many, I think, believed me - including, a few in the dressing room perhaps.
I just felt that it would be a good day for India and the reason was my belief in you and the spark you showed against New Zealand. The way you played gave me belief, and left me happy - and relieved that the match had gone India's way.
In the semi-final, I finished my commentary stints early in the first half. Harmanpreet Kaur was in the groove and timing the ball well, ready to make an impact. The media box was packed, and the adjacent rooms seemed more full than usual. I moved from one room to the other, trying to find the right place to enjoy what was happening on the ground before my eyes. Maybe it was because I was fidgety or nervous, or maybe I didn't want to miss a second of the Harmanpreet show. It was a knock played with a stamp of authority.
Well batted, Harman. Not only because the occasion was a big one but for the sheer domination that you showed, the conviction in your body language, and your ability to create an authoritative presence. It was simply stunning.
I knew the target made for a tall ask for Australia, but deep down I feared they would get there. The way they went about their chase showed why they are six-time world champions. Not for a moment did they give up the fight, nor did they look out of control for long. They consistently put pressure on the bowlers, and the class of Alex Blackwell kept pulling them towards the target. The relief and jubilation from Deepti Sharma when she took the last wicket was plain for all to see.
The India women's squad at a felicitation function in Mumbai in 2005. Anjum Chopra sits in the back row, fifth from left AFP
The generations of teams that will follow you all will always remember this victory. As I look back at the final and what happened and why, I will say again, as you must have heard me say before: preparation is the key.
I think all of you know fitness remains a concern. I hope it becomes the most crucial point of your planning for the future. You can only become better and stronger if you train harder. A strong body helps strengthen the mind too, and gives you the confidence to handle different and difficult situations. It helps conquer nerves and provide the strength to handle yourself better.
Finals of tournaments are always more to do with the mind. Both teams have crossed similar hurdles to get there, but the one that is better prepared to handle the occasion emerges the winner.
By now all of you will also have heard analyses from friends, family and others, and views of what the world saw on TV, but in any case, I'm sure each of you, through your own individual judgement, knows where you faltered. I'm sure each of you feels the pain of the gap between winning and losing. About what went amiss and how; what lies ahead and how much. Yes, there will be felicitations, award functions and accolades, but once all of that is done, each day will count towards the preparation of the target that lies in the immediate future.
The journey from here won't be any easier. Few might have noticed us earlier, but the attention now will be greater. Along with your rewards will come more responsibility. Youngsters in India will look up to you. Girls, many of them, will be keen to follow in your footsteps.
Anything you do after this will be highlighted. Even an ordinary performance. But that's not what you are looking for. You have taken India to a higher pedestal in the sport, and how you play from here will decide where the sport takes you. For a few of you it was your first World Cup. You showed us many bright sparks, but your consistency moving forward will depend on your preparation and the hard yards you put in away from the spotlight.
Next year there is an ICC World T20 in the West Indies. After that, a 50-over World Cup. The increasing number of power-hitters and improved fitness levels are constantly reducing the gap between the men's and women's games. Whatever happens between now and then, India will expect you to win.
The words I hope to call on air some day - about India winning the World Cup - will need to wait. Cricket is a game of patience, so I will wait. For how long is up to you.
Girls, I wish you, as always, happiness and success. Stay strong, be bold, work hard and always respect the game.
Yours,
Anjum
Former India women captain and batsman Anjum Chopra is now a commentatorOct 4, 2016
All-New 2017 Suzuki GSX-R1000 And GSX-R1000R Models Combining More Power With IMU-Based Electronics Are Introduced (Updated)
The new GSX-R1000 comes in a standard model (right) and a limited production GSX-R1000R model (left).
Suzuki introduced the new GSX-R1000 and GSX-R1000R during the Intermot show in Cologne, Germany today, stating that the new models will re-establish the GSX-R as The King Of Sportbikes.
Suzuki claims a new 999.8cc engine with a bore and stroke of 76mm x 55.1mm makes 199.27 horsepower at 13,000 rpm and 86.74 lbs.-ft. of torque at 10,800 rpm in European trim, using a new variable valve timing system developed in MotoGP to increase top-end power without sacrificing mid-range and low-end performance. The 31.5mm intake and 24.0mm titanium valves are opened with F1-style finger followers instead of bucket tappets and the compression ratio is 13.2:1.
The engine redlines at 14,500 rpm, features a screamer crankshaft with an even (180-degree) firing order and makes the new model the most powerful, hardest-accelerating GSX-R ever built, according to the company.
Ride by wire throttle bodies, additional shower-style fuel injectors located in the top of the airbox and an exhaust system featuring butterfly valves in balance tubes between the inner and outer pairs of head pipes also contributes to the broad spread of power. An advanced IMU-based electronics system is used.
A new aluminum frame is made of four major components: A cast, one-piece steering stem and front engine hanger section; a cast, one-piece swingarm pivot and rear engine hanger section; and two frame spars each built up using a cast inner piece and a stamped outer piece, to produce the torsional rigidity wanted for cornering performance.
More to follow.
More, from a press release issued by Suzuki Motor of America:
2017 Suzuki Sportbikes
Brea, Calif, (October 4, 2016) - The GSX-R line is the heart and soul of Suzuki. For 2017, the heartbeat is quicker and stronger, pumped up by the all-new 2017 GSX-R1000. With significant influence from Suzuki’s MotoGP racing program, the new GSX-R1000 is ready to set a higher performance level for racers and for street riders. A new engine, new chassis and a spectrum of advanced electronics features make this GSX-R1000 the king of sportbikes.
The Suzuki sportbike family includes another trio of top performers. The GSX-R750 – the original racer-replica sportbike – returns with a reputation for delivering an ideal combination of power and lightweight handling performance. The GSX-R600 continues to prove itself on the street and on the racetrack as a middleweight sportbike leader. With an attitude and character like no other sportbike, the Suzuki Hayabusa returns to deliver unmatched power and endless rider satisfaction.
2017 GSX-R1000, GSX-R1000 ABS & GSX-R1000R ABS
The King of the Sportbikes has returned to own the racetrack, and dominate the streets. The 2017 GSX-R1000 models effectively blend Suzuki design philosophies with advanced electronics to deliver motorcycles that can adjust themselves to their environment and fine tune performance to suit a rider’s intentions. To make sure any rider can enjoy the benefits of GSX-R ownership, Suzuki has developed three models with graduated levels of performance features; starting with a base GSX-R1000, a GSX-R1000 ABS, or the consummate GSX-R1000R ABS.
The GSX-R1000 renaissance begins with an all-new 999.8cc liquid-cooled DOHC inline-four cylinder engine that produces exceptionally high top-end power without sacrificing low to mid-range power thanks to innovations such as Suzuki’s exclusive Variable Valve Train (VVT) system. Proven in MotoGP competition, VVT uses centrifugal forces to rotate the intake camshaft’s drive sprocket so valve timing is optimal at any engine’s speed. Complementing the VVT are Suzuki’s Racing Finger Followers which increase valve response at higher engine speeds that can reach up to 14,500 RPM.
This GSX-R1000 debuts Suzuki’s Ride-by-Wire throttle bodies which are precisely controlled by the new, 32-bit dual-processor ECM to match the throttle grip rotation of the rider’s hand. The result is a strong, seamless engine power delivery from idle to redline. Complementing the four, primary fuel injectors mounted in the new throttle bodies are four Suzuki Top Feed Injectors (S-TFI) that spray fuel from the top of the air box directly into the intake funnels for higher peak power, more efficient combustion, and a higher level of fueling control.
Using race-winning MotoGP knowledge, Suzuki has fitted an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) on the new GSX-R1000. The BOSCH, six-axis IMU lets the GSX-R1000 recognize its position on the street or race track to help the rider achieve an extraordinary level of riding performance via instantaneous adjustments made electronically to the engine and chassis components.
Depending upon which GSX-R1000 a rider has chosen, the IMU supports a wide menu of new performance features. These features include the ten-mode Motion Track Traction Control System* (MT-TCS), three mode Suzuki Drive Mode Selector (S-DMS), the Motion Track Anti-Lock Braking System**, the Suzuki Launch Control System and the Suzuki Bi-directional Quick-shift System. Other electronic features new to the GSX-R1000 include the Suzuki Easy Start System and the Low RPM Assist feature.
The new aluminum, twin-spar frame is narrower and positions the engine angle backwards 6-degrees to help increased chassis stability and improve aerodynamics. The new swingarm has equalized bracing to the main beams to provide balanced support and movement to the shock absorber to improve racetrack handling while conveying a consistent suspension feel to the rider. The GSX-R1000 and GSX-R1000 ABS models employ SHOWA’s renowned Big Piston Fork (BPF) and complementary remote-reservoir rear shock for superb handling. The GSX-R1000R ABS uses race-level technology to bring a new standard of damping force responsiveness to a SuperSport motorcycle with the SHOWA’s Balance Free Fork (BFF) and Balance Free Rear Cushion lite (BFRC-lite) shock.
The innovation of the GSX-R1000 extends further into its chassis with the 320mm front BREMBO T-drive Brake Rotors that have five conventional floating rotor spools and five new-design T-drive fasteners that enable the rotor to absorb more braking energy than a disc with conventional spools alone. Combined with the BREMBO Radial Mount Brake Calipers the new GSX-R1000 has more braking force available to the rider than ever before.
Race-worthy bodywork has always been a trademark of the GSX-R line, so new aerodynamic bodywork was created by Suzuki styling designers and engineers using numerous wind tunnel tests to achieve a slippery |
their emotions. Saxo Grammaticus records the moving last speech of a man about to be hanged, as he speaks of his beloved: There shall be one end for us both; one bond after our vows; nor shall our first love aimlessly perish. Happy am I to have won the joy of such a consort; I shall not go down basely in loneliness to the gods of Tartarus. So let the encircling bonds grip my throat in the midst; the final anguish shall bring with it pleasure only, since the certain hope remains of renewed love, and death shall prove to have its own delights. Each world holds joy, and in the twin regions shall the repose of our united souls win fame, our equal faithfulness in love (Saxo Grammaticus. Gesta Danorum. cited in Hilda R. Ellis-Davidson. The Road to Hel. Westport CT: Greenwood Press, 1943. pp. 53-54). Skalds also made mansongr, "maiden-songs" or love poems, composed despite laws ordaining outlawry or death for the skald who dared to make them: Well considered, the woman's worth the whole of Iceland...
Heavy though my heart... of Hunland, and of Denmark;
Not for all of England's earth and kingdoms would I
Forego the golden-braided girl, ay, nor for Ireland
(Lee M. Hollander, trans. The Skalds: A Selection of
their Poems with Introduction and Notes. Ann Arbor:
University of Michigan Press, 1945. p. 118). I little reck... to reach her risked I have my life oft...
Though I be slain within the arms of my beloved,
Sleeping in the Sif-of-silken-gowns' embraces:
For the fair-haired woman feel I love unending
( Ibid., p. 134). One reason why love poetry was so ill-regarded by the Vikings may have been due to the fear in pagan times of magical ensnarement of the woman so immortalized by the power of the verses (Foote and Wilson, p. 112). Hávamál credits Óðinn with two runic spells meant as love charms: That sixteenth I know, if I seek me some maid:
to work my will with her:
the white-armed woman's heart I bewitch,
and toward me I turn her thoughts. That seventeenth I know, if the slender maid's love
I have, and hold her to me:
Thus I sing to her that she hardly will
leave me for other man's love
(Hollander, Poetic Edda, p. 40). The prohibitions against love poetry help to explain why courtships were little practiced in the Viking period. While the goddess Freyja was the patroness of mansongar, and delighted in love poetry, mortal women had to be more cautious. Love poems were viewed in law as a distinct slur upon a woman's reputation, suggesting that the poet had had a more intimate knowledge of his beloved than was considered seemly (Foote and Wilson, p. 112). The reputation of a woman reflected upon the honor of her family: if her honor was tarnished, so was that of her father, brothers, uncles, cousins and sons. Any dalliance with a woman's reputation was likely to bring down the wrath of her entire lineage upon the hapless suitor! All of the family sagas agree that courtship "was the single most deadly pastime for the young Icelandic male" (Frank, p. 476). The most important, unwritten rule of courtship was that the less a hopeful groom saw of his intended bride before entering into formal marriage negotiations with her family, the better his chances were of staying alive ( Ibid.). If an attentive suitor was slow in making his proposal, the woman's relatives were quick to reclaim her honor by taking blood-vengeance on the offending swain (Foote and Wilson, pp. 111-112): eighteen courtships in the sagas end in this manner (Frank, p. 476). There seems to have been a practical reason for the family to take a dim view of prolonged courtships, however, for in the eight cases in the sagas where the family was slow to act, an illegitimate child was the result ( Ibid.). Despite the hazards, some courtships did occur. Attentions paid to a woman by her suitor, including visits, conversations, and the making of poems in her praise were expected, and apparently welcomed by the girl, no matter what her family may have thought (Foote and Wilson, p. 111). The most common method for locating a suitable bride was at the Thing, where fathers brought their daughters not only to perform the housekeeping and cooking at his booth for his comfort, but also to make the girls and their wifely skills visible to prospective suitors (Mary Wilhelmine Williams, Social Scandinavia in the Viking Age. 1920; New York: Kraus Reprint Co., 1971. p. 282). Other social gatherings such as feasts, ceremonies, markets, fairs and the like were also good places for spotting a prospective wife. The "marriage market" provided by the gathering at the Thing fitted neatly with the basic character of the Viking wedding as a formal contract between families: the law codes show that negotiating a marriage followed the same sort of rules as formation of any other contract or legal agreement, and thus benefitted from being conducted at the Thing, along with other undertakings of a legal nature. Part IV: Negotiating the Marriage As when bringing a legal suit or conducting a sale, those who sought a marriage often took with them men of prestige, power, and wealth to act for them as a broker or advocate when making the proposal of marriage (Jesse Byock, Feud in the Icelandic Saga. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1982. p. 75). Such sponsors not only acted as witnesses to the handsal or formal agreement of betrothal sealed by a hand-clasp, but the promise of their support and political influence formed a part of the inducement for the bride's kinfolk to accept the proposal. Once it was agreed that an alliance between the two families would be satisfactory, the next step was to negotiate the bruðkaup or bride-price (Foote and Wilson, p. 113). The bride-price consisted of three payments: from the groom would come the mundr and morgengifu, while the bride's family provided the heiman fylgia. The mundr was what most modern sources refer to as "bride-price." It was a payment to the father of the bride for control of the mundium, a Latin term for the right of protection and legal guardianship which was held by her father or other kinsman until she was married ( Ibid.). Other Germanic terms occasionally encountered which are roughly synonymous with mundr are dos [used by the Continental Germanic tribes] (P. D. King. Law and Society in the Visigothic Kingdom. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1972. p. 225) and handgeld [found in Anglo-Saxon laws] ( Ibid.). The mundr was calculated to be similar in worth to the girl's dowry [heiman fylgia], but was set at a statutory minimum of eight ounces of silver in Iceland and twelve ounces in Norway. This was the "poor-man's-price" that was the minimum amount which would render the children of the union legitimate in law (Foote and Wilson, p. 113). The reason that a minimum payment was required went back to the Vikings' concern for the economic support of any children produced by the couple: a man who could not afford the "poor-man's-price" had no hope of supporting his offspring, and should therefore not marry (Jacobsen, Sexual Irregularities, p. 75). In addition to ensuring the economic soundness of the marriage, payment of the mundr served to compensate the bride's family for the loss of her labor at the homestead. While the minimum mundr was set to 8 to 12 ounces, the amount could certainly be much more, again being about equal to the girl's dowry in most cases. Tacitus records that a Germanic groom brought to the marriage "oxen, a horse with its bridle, or a shield, spear and sword" (Tacitus. The Agricola and the Germania. trans. Harold Mattingly. Harmondsworth: Penguin. 1970. p. 116). In Norway, one mundr was "twelve oras, the worth of four to five cows" (Jacobsen, Position of Women, p.111), while under the reign of Knútr, an English suitor paid one full pound of gold to induce his bride to accept his suit (Jo Ann Macnamara and Suzanne Wemple. "The Power of Women through the Family in Medieval Europe, 500-1100." in Clio's Consciousness Raised: New Perspectives on the History of Women. eds. Mary Hartman and Lois Banner. New York: Harper & Row, 1974. p. 106). The balance of the mundr was usually payable at the time of the wedding ceremony in Germanic cultures, but often an arrha, a pledge or "down-payment" was made as an earnest of good faith during the negotiations (Suzanne Wemple. Women in Frankish Society: Marriage and the Cloister 500-900. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1981. p. 32). A second sum payable by the groom after the consummation of the wedding was also set at the negotiations: this was the morgen-gifu, the "morning-gift," also known as bench-gift, bride-veil-fee, or extra-gift. The morning-gift was given to the woman as compensation for her sexual availability to her husband, or for her virginity of she were a maiden (Foote and Wilson, p. 113). The morning-gift was usually calculated in relation to the woman's dowry, being anywhere from one-third or one-half, to equal in amount to the dowry (Jacobsen, Position of Women, p.111; Foote and Wilson, p. 113). The morning-gift was probably also related to the woman's wergeld, since pregnancy generally represented the most substantial hazard to health and life a woman was likely to face. The morning-gift served to ensure the wife's financial support during the marriage, and thus she always had the use or usufruct of the morning-gift, and often owned it outright from the time it was given (McNamara and Wemple, p. 106). The morning-gift usually included clothing, jewelry and household goods, livestock and slaves, and many times land and estates: an Anglo-Saxon woman in the reign of King Alfred received five hides of land as her morning-gift (over five hundred acres). The largest recorded morning-gift seems to have been that given by King Gormr to his wife Þyri: he gifted her with the entire land of Denmark, according to Saxo Grammaticus (Birgit Strand, "Women in Gesta Danorum," in Saxo Grammaticus: A Medieval Author Between Norse and Latin Culture. ed. Karsten Friis-Jensen. Copenhagen: Museum Tusculanum Press, 1981. p. 159). The final sum set during the marriage negotiations was the heiman fylgia, the bride's "accompaniment from home," or dowry (Foote and Wilson, p. 113). The dowry represented a girl's portion of her father's inheritance: although she did not inherit funds as her brothers did, the dowry allowed her to also share in the family's wealth (Jacobsen, Position of Women, p. 37). The dowry was administered by the husband, but he kept it as a trust which could not be spent unwisely nor squandered. The dowry could not be confiscated with the husband's other goods during outlawry proceedings, nor could he use it in the repayment of debts ( Ibid., pp. 42-43). The dowry was intended in part for the wife's maintenance during the marriage, but was reserved primarily as a sort of annuity which would be used to support her and her children if she became a widow. Consequently the dowry was returned to the wife in the event of a divorce ( Ibid. p. 55). Once the financial negotiations were completed, the arrangement was sealed with the handsal. probably the witnesses would number at least six men, "since the oral agreement reached would have validity only as long as the witnesses were alive" (Frank, p. 475-476). There was a set formula to be spoken by the bridegroom over the handsal, which sealed the contract: We declare ourselves witnesses that thou, N.N., bondest me in lawful betrothal, and with taking hold of hands thou promisest me the dowry and engagest to fulfill and observe the whole of the compact between us, which has been notified in the hearing of witnesses without duplicity or cunning, as a real and authorized compact (Williams, 93). With this, the legalities were finished and the formal contract made. Part V: Reconstructing the Wedding Ceremony In attempting to reconstruct the details of the Viking wedding ceremony, the researcher is immediately struck by the paucity of information available. The sagas are full of married couples, much mention is made of negotiating a marriage alliance; the laws carefully prescribe details pertaining to the marriage contract; rarely a saga will divulge a few details of a wedding feast. Mythology is no more helpful on the facts of the matter, but does provide some background for conjecture. After reviewing the few facts known about the Viking wedding, one is left with the question of why more details weren't recorded. There are several answers. First, by the time the sagas were written, Christianity had replaced many of the older pagan practices.. Along with this fact, one should recall that of all aspects of pagan religions, Christianity has most fervently attempted to stamp out worship of the deities of fertility, thus obliterating temples, artifacts, and even mention of the gods and goddesses of love, sex, and marriage. Even if the pagan Vikings had possessed a technology of writing similar to that of their Christian successors, some details of the rites of marriage would not have been recorded, being restricted to oral transmission from the goði or gyðja in their role as priest and priestess, being kept sacred by limiting the dissemination of the secret rituals to the initiates of their cults. Even the public portions of such a ritual would not often be recorded, because the elements that were common knowledge were so well known that the authors of the Eddas and sagas took for granted their audience's familiarity with the rite and so failed to elaborate upon it in their works
Freyja Amulet
The goddess Freyja was invoked at weddings
to bless the newlyweds with fertility In order to fill in the gaps to provide a workable reconstruction of the Viking wedding ceremony, researchers must turn to the work of folklorists, the rituals of related Germanic peoples, and to the structural outlines produced by anthropologists and ethnographers who have studied modern peoples. If marriage is defined as a rite of passage, marking the change in status of two individuals from that of mere adults to a reproductive social unit, some of the pieces of data begin to fall into place. A rite of passage incorporates certain standard features: Separation of the individual from the larger social group Destruction or removal of the individual's old social identity Creation of a new social identity via instruction and/or ritual Reintegration of the new initiate into the larger social group within the new social role. All of these features can be identified among the fragments of information we possess regarding the Viking wedding. A. Setting a Wedding Date The traditional day for weddings in the North was Friday, sacred to the goddess Frigga (Hilda R. Ellis-Davidson. Gods and Myths of Northern Europe. Harmondsworth: Penguin. 1964. pp. 110-112).
Weddings were held on Friday or "Friggas-day" to honor the goddess of marriage. For the Vikings, the date of the wedding would have been further limited by climactic conditions. Travel for the guests, witnesses, and the groom's or bride's party to the wedding location would have been difficult or even impossible during the winter months. The wedding celebration was frequently a week-long affair, so ample food supplies had to be available, dictating a date near harvest time. The legal requirements for a wedding included the stricture that the bride and groom would drink together the bridal-ale, usually mead, which meant that honey must be available to brew the drink, and in sufficient quantities so that the couple could share mead together over the month following the wedding, the "honey-moon" (Edwin W. Teale. The Golden Throng. New York: Universe. 1981. p. 127; also see John B. Free. Bees and Mankind. Boston: Allen & Unwin. 1982. p. 103). Probably most weddings, taking all these factors into account, occurred towards the end of summer through the early part of winter. B. Preparations for the Wedding Ceremony Following the model of the rite of passage, the bride and groom would undergo preparations for the rite that both separated them from their former roles as unwed adults, and prepared them for their new roles as man and wife. This transition could be much more extreme for the woman marrying, since she would not only undergo transformation from woman to wife, but also from maiden to mother in many instances. 1. The Bride The bride would probably be sequestered before the wedding with female attendants, presumably her mother, other married women, and perhaps a gyðja to supervise her preparations. In order to provide a visible symbol of the loss of her former role as a maiden, the new bride might be stripped of her old clothing, and any symbols of her unwed status such as the kransen, a gilt circlet that was worn by medieval Scandinavian girls of gentle birth upon the outspread hair that was likewise a token of her virginity (Sigrid Undset. The Bridal Wreath. trans. Charles Archer and J.S. Scott. New York: Bantam. 1920. p. 331). The kransen would be solemnly removed by the bride's attendants, and wrapped to be put away for the bride until the birth of a daughter of her own. The next step is the bride's preparations was a visit to the bath-house, the Scandinavian equivalent of the Finnish sauna, which featured wooden tubs of water, soap for cleansing, and a steam room. Heated stones were sprinkled with water to produce steam in which the bathers luxuriated, switching themselves with bundles of fine birch twigs to stimulate perspiration (Williams, pp. 85-87). The symbolism of the steam bath included both the "washing away" of the bride's maiden status, and a purification to prepare her for the religious ritual that would follow the next day. While "baking" in the bath house, the new bride's attendants could instruct her on the duties of a wife, religious observances to be followed by married women, advice on the best ways of living with a man, and the like. Part of the contents of these teachings may have been taken from collections of gnomic wisdom such as the verses preserved in Sigrdrífumál, which touch upon the magical knowledge necessary to the housewife, and ways in which to advise and guide her husband (Hollander, Poetic Edda, pp. 14-41). The final step of the steam-bath, a plunge into cool or cold water to cool the bather and close the pores, completed the cleansing. The rinse water might be further associated with the wedding ritual by having herbs, flowers or oils added to it, not only to scent the water but also to add magical potency to the cleansing rite via the supposed aphrodisiac and fertility-encouraging powers associated with such additives. The final preparations of the bride would involve dressing her for the ceremony. The bride apparently did not wear a special costume as is the case in modern weddings. The bride's hair would be left outspread: the wedding ceremony and the feast would be the last times when she would wear her hair unbound and uncovered. To replace the kransen she wore as a maiden, the bride would instead wear the bridal-crown, a heirloom kept by her family and worn only during the wedding festivities (Undset, p. 331). A modern fictional account describes a wedding crown as being made of silver, with pints ending alternately in crosses and clover leaves, set with rock-crystal, and garlanded with red and green silk cords ( Ibid., p. 310). At least some bridal-crowns used to the present day were elaborately woven from straw and wheat, then garlanded with flowers (Marta Kashammar. Skapa Med Halm. Halmstad, Sweden: Bokforlaget Spektra. 1985). Although none of the sources I have seen have confirmed the use of the bridal crown in the pagan Viking period, it was worn in the Middle Ages in Scandinavia, and the age of the custom is further attested in the Continental Germanic tradition of the Feast of St. Lucy, where a maiden designated as the "Lucy Bride" is dressed in a crown ornamented with burning candles.
The bride wore the bridal crown. 2. The Groom Like the bride, the groom would experience the characteristic features of the rite of passage, including separation and removal of the old identity. The groom's attendants would be his father, married brothers, other married men, and perhaps a goði. Since men did not wear a visible token of their bachelor status, the symbolic removal of their old identity followed a much different ritual from that being followed by the bride. The groom was required to obtain an ancestral sword belonging to a deceased forebear for use later in the wedding ceremony. There is a string tradition in the sagas of breaking grave-mounds in order to retrieve a sword belonging to a deceased forebear, to be given to a son of the family, and Hilda Ellis-Davidson finds evidence for the importance of such a sword at the wedding (Hilda R. Ellis-Davidson. "The Sword at the Wedding," in Patterns of Folklore. Ipswich UK: D.S. Brewer, 1978. p. 123). This would indeed be a powerful ritual of separation and destruction of the man's identity as a bachelor, with the descent into the grave-mound to recover the sword serving as a symbolic death and rebirth for the groom. If an appropriate barrow was not available, the ancestral sword may have been concealed by the groom's relatives in a mock-tumulus ( Ibid., p. 109). This would provide an opportunity for the groom to be confronted by a man costumed as a ghost or aptrgangr of his ancestor, who might elaborate on the young man's instruction by reminding him of his family history and lineage, the importance of tradition, and the need to continue the ancestral bloodline. On the other hand, the sword which the groom had to obtain might instead be gotten from a living relative, complete with the lecture on family history: the sagas are not clear on this point and nowhere actually describe grave-breaking as a part of the wedding ceremony. Regardless of how the groom got his sword, he would next pay a visit to the bath house as his bride-to-be had done before him. There the groom would also symbolically wash away his bachelor status, and purify himself for the wedding ceremony. His instruction on the duties of a husband and father, conferred upon him by his attendants, may have included information garnered from sources such as Havamal, which advises young men in their dealings with women, not only warning of their fickle ways, but also providing instruction in the ways to win a woman's love, and how to live comfortably with her (Hollander, Poetic Edda, pp. 14-41). After bathing, the groom could then be dressed for the wedding. Again, no special costume is recorded for the groom, although he would bear his newly-acquired sword during the ceremony, and may have also carried with him a hammer or an axe as a token of Thorr, intended to symbolize his mastery in the union, and to ensure a fruitful marriage (Hilda R. Ellis-Davidson, "Thor's Hammer, " in Patterns of Folklore. Ipswich UK: D.S. Brewer. 1978. p. 123). C. The Wedding Ceremony Once all the preparations were completed, the stage was set for the wedding itself on Frigga's-Day, or Friday. The first order of business would have been the exchange of dowry and mundr before witnesses. Once the financial considerations were out of the way, the religious ceremony could then proceed. Although small family temples appear to have existed, probably the ecermony would have been held out-of-doors, either in the open or at a site such as a grove or vé that was considered sacred. Holding the ceremony in the open would not only have provied better visibility for the wedding guests and witnesses, but would also have been more appropriate for a rite invoking the deities of fertility and marriage. The bride was escorted to the chosen location, preceeded by a young kinsman bearing a sword that would be her wedding gift to her new husband (Ellis-Davidson, Sword at the Wedding, p. 97). The first part of the religious ritual was designed to summon the attention of the gods and goddesses via invocation and possibly sacrifice. If a sacrifice was to be held, an animal appropriate to the gods of fertility would probably have been slected: a goat for Thórr, a sow for Freyja, a boar or a horse for Freyr. It is possible that instead of sacrificing such an animal, it was instead dedicated to the god as a living gift, and maintained thereafter as a sacred beast (Ellis-Davidson, Gods and Myths, p. 97. See for example the stallion Freyfaxi.). In a sacrifice, the goði or gyðja performed the ritual by slitting the animal's throat and then catching the blood in a bowl consecrated for that purpose (modern day Ásatrúar generally use mead instead of a live sacrifice). The flesh of the sacrificed animal would later form a part of the wedding feast (Williams, p. 387). The bowl was then placed on an altar or horgr built of heaped stones, and a bundle of fir-twigs dipped into the liquid. This branch, known as the hlaut-teinn, was then used to sprinkle the nuptial couple and assembled guests in order to confer the blessings of the gods upon them (this may have been done by moving the hlaut-teinn in the "Hammer-sign," a gentle, short downwards movement followed by a swift movement from left to right. This would effectively spray anyone in front of the gesture with the liquid. From personal experience, it is amazing just how much liquid a small fir bundle can hold. If done properly, a very minute amount of liquid hits each of the assembled observers. See Williams, p. 387). Next, the groom would present his bride with the sword of his ancestors which he had so recently recovered. The bride was to hold this sword in trust for her son, just as was done by earlier Germanic tribes as described by Tacitus: "She is receiving something that she must hand over intact and undepreciated to her children, something for her sons' wives to receive in their turn and pass on to their grandchildren" (Tacitus, p. 117). She then gave her husband the sword which had preceeded her to the ceremony. "This interchange of gifts typifies for them the most sacred bond of union, sanctified by mystic rites under the favor of the prsiding deities of wedlock" ( Ibid., p. 116). The ancestral sword signified the traditions of the family and the continuation of the bloodline, while the sword given to the groom by the bride symbolized the transfer of the father's power of guardianship and protection over the bride to her new husband. Following the exchange of swords, the bride and groom exchanged finger rings (Williams, p. 98). These rings may have recalled the sacred arm-ring in the temple upon which oaths were sworn (Foote and Wilson, p. 403). These may also have been further consecrated to the wedding vows by placing them on the horgr within the sacred arm-ring to strengthen the link between the concept of the unbroken circle of the ring and the unbreakable nature of the vow.
The wedding couple exchanged
finger rings just as we do today.
Sacred Oath-ring of Thórr The bride's ring was offered to her on the hilt of the groom's new sword, and his tendered to him in the same fashion: this juxtaposition of sword and rings further "emphasizes the sacredness of the compact between man and wife and the binding nature of the oath which they take together, so that the sword is not a threat to the woman only, but to either should the oath be broken" (Ellis-Davidson, Sword at the Wedding, p. 95). With the rings upon their hands, and their hands joined upon the sword-hilt, the couple then spoke their vows. D. The Wedding Feast After the conclusion of the wedding ceremony came the bruð-hlaup or "bride-running," which may have also been connected with the bruð gumareid or "bride-groom's-ride" (Williams, p. 97). In the Christian period, this consisted of separate, dignified processions by the parties of the bride and the groom to the hall for the wedding feast, however the term "bride-running" may indicate that in pagan times this procession consisted of an actual race as is the case today in certain parts of rural Scandinavia. Whichever group arrived last at the hall had to serve the ale that night to the members of the other party. Of course, if the groom's party was mounted for the "bride-groom's-ride," it was a foregone conclusion that they would win the contest every time. When the bride arrived at the door of the hall, she was met by the groom, who blocked her entrance into the house with his bared sword laid across the entry-way (Ellis-Davidson, Sword at the Wedding, p. 96). This allowed the groom to lead his new bride into the hall, ensuring that she would not stumble over the threshold. Medieval homes, unlike those of the modern day, often had a raised lip at the bottom of a doorway in order to stop low, cold drafts, and which had to be stepped over in order to pass the door. Superstition concerning the bride's passage over the doorstep was wide-spread throughout the pagan world, for a doorway was a portal between worlds. Stepping over the threshold represented the bride's literal translation from her life as a maiden to her life as a wife. Spirits were thought to gather around a doorway, and there are hints of a tradition in pagan Scandinavia for the threshold of the home to be the actual grave of the founder of the homestead, who guarded the door against evil influences. Thus it was of great importance that the bride should not fall as she passed the door, for that would be an omen of extreme misfortune. Once within the hall, the groom would plunge his sword into the rooftree or a supporting pillar of the house, "to test the luck of the marriage by the depth of the scar he made" ( Ibid., p. 97). This tradition was connected with the concept of the *barnstokkr* or ancestral tree of the family, the "child-tree" which was "clasped by women of the family at the time of childbirth" ( Ibid., p. 98). Thus this custom reflected the demonstration of the virility of the groom, with the "luck" of the family being the children produced by the union ( Ibid., p. 99). These preliminaries over, the feast began. The most important part of the feast was the ceremonial drinking of the bridal ale, another of the legal requirements set forth by Grágás for the marriage to be considered valid (Frank, pp. 476-477). Here the new wife would first assume the foremost of her official duties as a housewife, the ceremonial serving of drink. She might present the mead to her husband in a vessel like the Swedish kåsa, a bowl-like vessel provided with handles on either side in the form of animal heads, or the heads and tails of birds: a variant of the kåsa is still used today for trophies and known as a "loving-cup." Upon presenting this cup of mead to her husband, the bride might recite a formal verse in oder to confer health and strength to the drinker, such as this one recorded in Sigrdrífumál : Ale I bring thee, thou oak-of-battle,
With strength blended and brightest honor;
'Tis mized with magic and mighty songs,
With goodly spells, wish-speeding runes.
(Hollander, Poetic Edda, p. 109) When he received the cup, the groom might consecrate the drink to Thórr, perhaps by making the sign of the Hammer over it, moving the hand in a T-shaped pattern (Ellis-Davidson, Thor's Hammer, p. 123). Before drinking, the groom would make a toast to Óðinn, then sip and pass the cup to his new wife, who would make a toast to Freyja before drinking (Herman Palsson and Paul Edwards, trans. Seven Viking Romances. Harmondsworth: Penguin. 1985. p. 220). By drinking together, the bride and groom were made one in the eyes of the law and the gods, symbolically affirming their new kinship. A drop or two of the blood from the morning's sacrifice may also have been blended into the mead, further strengthening the notion that the couple were now related. The couple would continue to formally drink mead together for a full four weeks, for the honey in the beverage and the bees that produced the honey were both associated with fertility and healing in pagan Scandinavia. Once the couple were seated together, the couple's fertility was agin insured by hallowing the bride with Thórr's Hammer. This may have been performed by the husband, or by a goði, but in any case the procedure was to lay the Hammer in the bride's lap, blessing her reproductive organs, and Frigga, goddess of childbearing, was invoked as in the ritual enacted in Þrymskvida : Bring the Hammer the bride to bless:
On the maiden's lap lay ye Mjolnir;
In Vor's name [Frigga] then our wedlock hallow!
(Hollander, Poetic Edda, p. 109) After this ceremony, feasting and merriment would commence that would last throughout the remainder of the week. Dancing, wrestling, and good-natured flytings or insult-contests provided the entertainment for the guests, while some of the attendees presented lygisogur, the so-called "lying stories" which they had composed for the occasion, featuring stories about famous people, selections of verse, romance and the supernatural, often revolving about the theme of a wedding (Julia H. McGrew and R. George Thomas, trans. "The Saga of Thorgils and Haflidi," in Sturlunga Saga: Shorter Sagas of the Icelanders. New York: Twayne. 1974. pp. 41-44). E. The Wedding Night The next legal requirement of the marriage was that the groom must be put to bed with his wife, after being led there by witnesses "with light." The law is unclear in meaning at this point: it is not certain whether the bedding must take place in daylight, or whether the groom was led to his wife's bed by torch-light (Frank, pp. 475-476). The purpose of the law was to ensure that the six legal witnesses could identify both bride and groom, so if called later to testify to the validity of the marriage, they would have no doubts. Probably torchlight is indicated: it seems logical to assume that the bedding would take place after a long day taken up with ceremony and feasting. Prior to the groom's arrival, the bride was placed in bed by her female attendants. Goldgubber, small gold plaques depicting small embracing figures (perhaps the union of the god Freyr with the giantess Gerd) may have been used to decorate the bed or the bride's night-clothing, again as a token of fertility (Hilda R. Ellis-Davidson. Myths and Symbols in Pagan Europe: Early Scandinavian and Celtic Religions. Syracuse: Syracuse University Press 1988. pp. 31-31 and p. 121).
A Viking bed. The linens and bedclothes would have been a part of the bride's heiman fylgja The bride would once again be arrayed in the bridal crown, which would be removed by her husband before the assembled witnesses as a symbol of sexual union. At some point in antiquity, this ritual defloration may have been an actual one, witnessed by the male and female attendants. After the witnesses left, presumably with much ribaldry and hilarity as is customary in country nuptials, the wedding was consummated. The bride's dream's that night would be noted, for they were held to be prophetic of the number of children she would bear, the fortune of her marriage, and the destiny of her descendants (Strand, p. 160). F. The Morning-Gift The next morning, the new husband and wife were once again parted for a short time. The bride was assisted by her attendants in dressing, and at this time her hair was braided or bound up in the coiffure reserved for married women. The universal Scandinavian symbol of the wife was now hers to wear as well: this was the hustrulinet, a long, snow-white, finely-pleated linen cloth. There may have been several varieties of this headdress. The commonly-delpicted reconstructions showing a stark, bandana-style affair worn on the head is a misconception (Christina Krupp and Carolyn A. Priest-Dorman. Women's Garb in Northern Europe: 450-1000 CE: Frisians, Angles, Franks, Balts, Vikings and Finns. Compleat Anachronist 59. Milpitas CA: Society for Creative Anachronism. 1992. pp. 46-48) The hustrulinet might have been pinned to a fillet, a woven cloth band figured with metallic |
theory-speak from earlier eras. At one point, she asked me if I still had the Moon Clock. Early in their courtship, my friend’s husband bought a clock we all took to calling the Moon Clock. It’s a small clock, likely from the 1950s, constructed of a warm, aged yellow plastic in a half-moon curve on top and a flat bottom, all of which lights up. The Moon Clock had been my friend’s bedroom clock for years; after her first child was born, it served as a nightlight until the picky tastes of toddlerhood banished it to a closet. She offered it to me.
"Its time might be over."
The Moon Clock
Because of its analog hum and its association with my closest friends’ private space, the Moon Clock felt like home to me, like history. I placed it on my kitchen table and kept cut flowers next to it — a lily from a boy I love, an iris to welcome spring, a bouquet of dried fall fare to last through the winter. While sweeping my kitchen one morning, I moved the kitchen table and the clock was jostled a bit. It stopped. Near my apartment in San Francisco, there is one remaining clock repair shop: Klotz Watches, a small storefront in the Castro neighborhood run by two surly men who speak in unplaceable but definitely Northern European accents. They keep odd hours. I walked to the shop with the surprisingly heavy Moon Clock in a paper shopping bag. I placed it on the counter, and Klotz (who may or may not actually be named Klotz) grunted at me: “Those, they don’t come back.” “You mean you can’t fix it?” I’d barely set the thing down on the counter yet. “Ja, I can fix it, but the parts, they are hard to find. Expensive if you find it.” “Can you just open it up to see what’s wrong?” I said. “I mean, it might just need to be tightened or something?” “These are electric clocks. Westclox.” “I know it’s electric, but doesn’t it still have, you know... parts? That might be repaired or replaced?” He smiled, somehow still unsympathetic. “That part, it costs like three, four-hundred dollars,” he explained as though to a small child. “If you can find it.” “Well, can you at least just look at it and give me an estimate?” He handed me a yellow paper slip, the likes of which you don’t see at small businesses much these days, stamped with “KLOTZ WATCHES” across the top. I filled in my name and phone number. He taped it to the Moon Clock and took it into the back room. Through the doorway, I could see a mess of shelves, spiral springs, parts and a tiny soldering rig hooked up to what looked like a magnifying glasses. I never saw the Moon Clock again. Sometimes I call the shop back to ask about the Moon Clock, and no one answers the phone. I leave messages, short ones and long ones, apologizing or being outraged, but no one calls back. I return to Klotz periodically, walking 20 minutes from my apartment to the shop, but Klotz’s erratic schedule never syncs with mine. I picture the Moon Clock on a back shelf behind the soldering table, waiting for its part I can’t afford. I could try harder to get it. I could save up money to fix it. I could go in now, more than eight months after I left the Moon Clock there, and stare down Klotz’s cold northern smile. But he might still be right: Its time might be over. At the museum, waiting in line, I told my friend about the Moon Clock, afraid she’d be upset. “Oh, bummer,” she said. “Yeah, it was old.”
8:57 A.M., 2003 Clocks are everywhere, and they blend: on buildings, in churches, scrolling across digital displays on bus stops. In 2003, I had recently moved back to San Francisco after stints in several other states. I found a job writing marketing copy for an arts organization downtown. On my first day, nervous and overdressed, I disembarked from my bus on Market Street and got turned around trying to find my new office. I found myself instead standing beneath a towering gold pillar on the sidewalk, looking up at the clock on top of it, trying to find my bearings.
"It always says 9:02, 12:31, 5:07 or whatever time is inconvenient for me."
Samuels Clock
The Samuels Clock was erected by Albert Samuels in 1915 outside his clock shop on Market Street, which later moved to its current location, in front of 856 Market. The clock itself is golden and rotund, and better read from a distance due to its height. At the base of the clock is its most unusual feature: another smaller clock — actually four clocks, one each side of the square midsection — and below that, a box-like column that’s walled on all four sides with glass. Visible through the glass, the machinery within whirs, a perpetual algorithmic dance of chains and wheels and gears. On the way to my new job 10 years ago, I had stared only upward, searching for the Samuels Clock’s face. I didn’t even noticing its intricate open-faced innards because I was late. I was always late to that job; in four years, I was never not late. Every morning, I passed that clock. I still pass it now, on my way to the Mechanics Library. It always says 9:02, 12:31, 5:07 or whatever time is inconvenient for me.
6:18 P.M., 1996 During the months I was watching “The Clock,” I happened to visit New York, where I lived in my early twenties. It was spring, one of those weeks when the city lives up to its legend in the best of ways. The buildings seemed taller, the crowds more purposeful, the sidewalks cleaner, the people louder. Everything shimmered with sophistication and toughness and promise. One morning, I walked through Central Park in showers of cherry blossoms with a quiet friend. Near the boat house, the sound of a large orchestral ensemble playing a haunting chorus drew us towards a space beneath a bridge overpass. When we approached, however, it was only four people. The violin soloist yawned, sleepy like a boy in his nursery echo chamber. Crowds of tourists were there, too, and they took photos. “It’s like a movie,” someone said. After my friend left, I kept walking, across the park and into midtown, all the way down 2nd Avenue, and I ended up near my old apartment on the Lower East Side. I moved to New York at 19 years old in a brown Subaru station wagon my best friend and I drove there from California. We hung hand-sewn curtains in the car’s windows and drew them tight while we slept in rest stops, in tree-lined neighborhoods, on the side of the road for six weeks across the country. Somewhere on that trip, I lost the cheap Casio watch I always wore. On the road, however, I didn’t need to know what time it was, not really, and once I hit the ground in New York, there were clocks everywhere. Anywhere in Manhattan, wherever I lived, I could look up or across the street or into the sky and learn what time it was. Where there wasn’t a clock on an ancient-looking stone or new steel façade, there were people. People wore watches or carried beepers (yeah, it was 1996), and these people were always willing to answer a stranger when she hurled, “You got the time?” at them on the train or in a bodega. I carried with me to New York a postcard of a Cindy Sherman photograph my mom had once given me. The photo, from Sherman’s “film stills” series, depicts a young woman dressed in a 1960s-style collared shirt and short hair, a small hat titled back on her head. The girl is foregrounded in front of the crisp architecture of two skyscrapers, and she’s delivering a slightly disbelieving squint just past the camera. She is all urban and attitude, and I wanted to become her. I towed that postcard in my notebook across the country and up and down Manhattan for at least a year before I read the back and realized it wasn’t from an actual movie. I pasted the Cindy Sherman postcard on the wall of my apartment, a one-bedroom on the Lower East Side that I shared with an artist friend. From my bedroom window, I had a view of the bar across the street, the blinking glow of the 24-hour falafel place just above the bar’s roofline and, about a block east, a large red apartment complex known as Red Square. Atop Red Square’s highest tower was a tremendous clock, its face entirely visible from my bed. I called it the Lenin clock because in front of it stood a sculpture: Vladimir Lenin, hand upraised in what I imagined was a perpetual challenge to the ruling, uptown classes of Manhattan. The clock itself, called “Askew,” was made by Tibor Kalman. Its numbers are misplaced — a six where the three should be, a two where the nine goes, etc. — in a pattern or method I’ve never figured out, but the clock’s hands keep proper time. In the four years I lived in that apartment, the Lenin clock became my only watch, its irregularities blurring into order as I woke, left for work, came home and watched the light fall to the pace of its hands. On my recent visit, I hesitated to go back to my old block on Orchard Street. The neighborhood was quiet that afternoon, though it never used to be. The street has seen endless change since (and before) my time there, but this visit felt different. The chic demeanor of the most recent wave of boutiques and upscale bars had turned ragged: traces of bleariness had edged into the neighborhood’s new tempered steel and glass edifices. An entire section of the block across the street from my building was gone, demolished to make way for another building that would likely see the same fate. I felt as though the layers of economic exploitation and class striving common to the neighborhood in all its incarnations had finally been cycled through enough times to be worn thin, like tractor treads or reels of film seconds before catching fire. As dusk came on, I stood against the brick wall outside my old doorway and watched the lights of Manhattan wake up. I looked up at Lenin, fist still upraised, and he was smaller than I recalled him appearing from my bedroom window. I bought a postcard of my block at the Tenement Museum and made sure to read the back, made sure it was real.
2 A.M., 1995 Although my cheap Casio watch never lived in New York, it was well traveled. Before I lost it on the road, the watch went with me to Paris. In Paris, I didn’t use it much; I may even have stashed it away in my luggage once I realized the existence of the church bells of Europe. To a 19-year-old American, the church bells of Europe are everywhere, harsh, harmonious, incessant, a marvel. They go off at indeterminable times of day. They clash and sync like movements across the span of centuries.
Jean Seberg in Breathless
I was alone in Paris. I hadn’t intended to be; I went there to meet a boy. This boy was nice and smart, but he lived in a city thousands of miles across the country from me. Instead of the usual young adult courtship rituals, we exchanged endless rounds of long-distance phone calls and mix-tapes. We bonded over our shared love of 1960s jazz and film, specifically French New Wave. We admired the style of the young lovers in the Jean Luc Godard film Breathless, if not their unhappy ending; I cut my hair short like Jean Seberg. It was ridiculous and romantic. At some point, the boy said he was going to Paris with a 16mm film camera. So I gave notice on my first San Francisco apartment, bought an open-ended plane ticket and said yes. He left me, and quickly. I was heartbroken — but I was in Paris. I took my one bag of luggage and found a place to stay through an old acquaintance of my mom. I decided I’d just have to reorient, and set out to make myself into Seberg after the movie ends — or perhaps someone even stronger, like a girl saint.
“Le baiser de l’hotel de ville” by Robert Doisneau (Credit: Image from Flickr user kait jarbeau ; used with Creative Commons license)
At the same time, there was a public service sector strike. That meant no trains. No subways or buses. Taxis were a luxury for the well connected. So I started walking. I walked every day, all day, through the iconic daily existence of Paris: Past shady bars near Bastille; through the plaza outside the Hotel de Ville where Robert Doisneau staged his famous photo of that couple kissing; in front of Shakespeare & Co., where I asked a strange man for a light in French and he replied, “I don’t speak French” in a New York accent. I walked around the Sorbonne, where protesting kids once broke the windows of the McDonald’s with only the public toilet in the area; I walked past the Turkish guys at the café where I wrote and by the newsstand owned by the two Algerian men who called me “California.” The streets were steamy, people hurried, the beep-beep of European sirens blared and blended with the resolutions of chords sung by the church bells always above us. Snow formed and failed, and tried again to form. Most mornings, I left my place in the 19th arrondissement and first trekked about an hour across town, over the Seine and into the Left Bank, as though I could resurrect the intended romance of my trip to Paris by haunting its most clichéd quarter. My route took me past the cathedral of Notre Dame, whose wooden-geared clock presides like an afterthought over its dense faces. I never read the classic novel about the clock tower of Notre Dame or even saw the Disney movie, but the clock held power for me. Beneath it, inside the cathedral, were horrors and histories that held the type of stories I had come to Paris to find. They made my grief over a false start of a relationship feel small. The cathedral was free to enter, and warmer than the street. I made it a daily stopping point.
"She had run out of time in her life, and I, I hoped, was just beginning mine."
Statue of Joan of Arc in Notre Dame
When the tower bells rang, they rolled like marbles through the church’s smallest stone corners. In one of those corners, tucked away in an unassuming chapel near an emergency exit door, I discovered a sculpture of Joan of Arc. She was beatified in Notre Dame in 1909, and she’s now represented within its embrace in simple, clean stone, staring upwards as though she were searching out the source of the music that fills the windows above her as worshippers fill the pews. I never prayed in Notre Dame, but I did whisper to Joan when I felt sad and cold. She was about my age, I reasoned. She had run out of time in her life, and I, I hoped, was just beginning mine.
The author at 18 in San Francisco (Credit: Photo by Sara McGrath)
4 P.M., 1995 There’s an old photo of me sitting on a rooftop in San Francisco shortly before I left for Paris. In the photo, my hair is cropped short like Jean Seberg’s, and I’m wearing the lost Casio watch, the last watch I owned before my current, smartphone-inspired timepiece. It was a $15 watch with a big clean white face and numbers in a tasteful but generic typeface. I bought it in a Longs drugstore. In the photo (a pre-digital, wrinkled, 8 ½ by 11 inch print), I look too cool to exist. At least that’s what I think now, almost 20 years later, when I look at that girl in that pixie cut and those Adidas and that unfiltered cigarette dangling from her hand. My artist roommate, who would later become my roommate in New York, took the picture, and it’s well taken. The gravel of the tar rooftop plays off the patterns of my freckles, a contrast of light and texture that could only exist on film. In 1995, I was wrapping up my first year in San Francisco. I was 18. I felt an ownership of San Francisco from the start. I liked how it was loose and loud, dirty and pretty, without the pressures of the ambition that I would later recognize as a hallmark of New York. My friends and I were poor but resourceful. We felt like we had the run of all the rooftops, illegal-entry bars and bus backseats we could handle between our service job shifts and our frenetic creative projects. That same year, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art opened a brand new building. Designed by Mario Botta, it was architecturally scandalous, as all large-scale public architectural projects are. It was the biggest museum in the West, and it was ours.
The author beneath SFMOMA’s skylight
The Botta SFMOMA building is a space filled with natural light, more so than any other museum I’ve been in. It’s crowned by a large white circular skylight, which lends the museum the air of a cathedral despite its otherwise boxy shape. The museum is small and feels so, but its size also makes it feel comfortable, almost homey. I hadn’t grown up in a large city, so SFMOMA was the first museum I ever visited, ever knew. When the building opened, my friends and I went, along with the rest of the city. We paused on its black-marbled stairwell and climbed the stairs to its pristine white footbridge. I don’t remember how we paid for it or what it cost, but I remember the newness of feeling that a place was within my reach, that I could become acquainted with art. That year, Mario Botta said of his building, "The architect works in the territory of memory." As I’ve visited this building over almost two decades, it has become a territory of memories for me, too: sensations and recollections of the space itself, and also of the century’s worth of scenes catalogued within its walls. To me, the building has been a container whose contents changed but were always familiar, a starting point whose exhibits I could use to mark eras in my lifetime. In June, the Botta building closed forever in its current form. Only 18 years after its creation, it had became too small to display the museum’s collection. SFMOMA will be closed for three years, during which time an epic addition/renovation will take place. Designed by architecture firm Snohetta, the plans for the new building promise to leave intact most of the preexisting building’s most iconic features (and its boxiness) by adding an an awkwardly rendered, L-shaped white extension behind the current building. The museum held special weekend-long parties the entire month of May before sending its visitors off and hoping we return in three years. Appropriate for a celebration honoring the end of one era and marking the anticipation of another, the final exhibition shown in the old building was “The Clock.”03 November 2011
By Kari Williamson
The fall in wind turbine prices are partly due to an R&D and market success story, but also partly due to the elevated price levels in 2008 after wind turbine prices had doubled in the period 2002-2008.
The report examines 7 drivers of wind turbine prices in the United States, with the goal of estimating the degree to which each contributed to the doubling in turbine prices from 2002 through 2008, as well as the subsequent decline in prices through 2010.
In aggregate, these 7 drivers – which include changes in labour costs, warranty provisions, manufacturer profitability, wind turbine scaling, raw materials prices, energy prices, and foreign exchange rates – explain 70-90% (depending on the year) of empirically observed wind turbine price movements through 2010.
Turbine scaling – i.e., the rapid increase in average wind turbine capacity, hub height, and rotor diameter over this period – is found to have been the largest contributor to the wind turbine price doubling through 2008 (and has continued to pressure prices higher to this day).
The cost of scaling is not without benefit, however, according to Berkeley Lab research scientist Mark Bolinger, one of the study’s authors.: “Although larger and taller turbines do cost more per kilowatt of rated capacity, they are also generally able to access better wind conditions and capture more of the wind’s energy, resulting in higher capacity factors and a lower overall cost of electricity.”
Scaling-related turbine cost increases can, therefore, be viewed as a reasoned approach to minimising the levelised cost of wind energy.
Currency impact
An extended period of US dollar weakness – which likely increased the dollar-denominated price of wind turbines and components imported into the US – is estimated to have been the second-largest contributor to the turbine price doubling through 2008.
The risk of further dollar weakness pressuring wind turbine prices higher, however, has been somewhat mitigated by greater localisation of the supply chain in recent years.
“Almost two-thirds of the cost of an average turbine installed in the US today comes from domestically manufactured components, up from roughly one-third just five years ago,” notes Berkeley Lab Staff Scientist and report co-author Ryan Wiser. “This increase in domestic content reduces not only foreign exchange rate risk, but also transportation costs.”
Changes in labour costs, warranty provisions, manufacturer profitability, and raw material prices are all found to have had lesser – though not inconsequential – impacts on wind turbine prices, while changes in energy prices had only a negligible impact.
The report was funded by the Wind & Water Power Program within the US Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.A multinational group of anthropologists has described a new human ancestor species that lived in what is now the Afar region of Ethiopia about 3.3 – 3.5 million years ago, overlapping in time with the famous Lucy’s species, Australopithecus afarensis.
The fossil specimens of Australopithecus deyiremeda were found in the Woranso-Mille Paleontological Project study area located in the central Afar region about 325 miles (520 km) northeast of Addis Ababa and 22 miles (35 km) north of Hadar (Lucy’s site).
The type specimen of the species is an upper jaw with teeth discovered on March 4, 2011, on top of a silty clay surface at the Burtele area of Woranso-Mille. The paratype lower jaws were also surface discoveries found on March 4 and 5, 2011.
The combined evidence from radiometric, paleomagnetic, and depositional rate analyses yields estimated ages of 3.3 – 3.5 million years.
According to the scientists, the new hominin differs from Australopithecus afarensis in terms of the shape and size of its thick-enameled teeth and the robust architecture of its lower jaws. The anterior teeth are also relatively small indicating that it probably had a different diet.
“The new species is yet another confirmation that Australopithecus afarensis was not the only potential human ancestor species that roamed in what is now the Afar region of Ethiopia during the middle Pliocene,” said Dr Yohannes Haile-Selassie of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, lead author of a paper published in the journal Nature.
“Current fossil evidence from the Woranso-Mille study area clearly shows that there were at least two, if not three, early human species living at the same time and in close geographic proximity.”
Anthropologists have long argued that there was only one pre-human species at any given time between 3 and 4 million years ago, subsequently giving rise to another new species through time. This was what the fossil record appeared to indicate until the end of the 20th century.
However, the naming of Australopithecus bahrelghazali from Chad and Kenyanthropus platyops from Kenya, both from the same time period as Lucy’s species, challenged this long-held idea.
Although a number of researchers were skeptical about the validity of these species, the announcement by Dr Haile-Selassie of the 3.4 million-year-old Burtele partial foot in 2012 cleared some of the skepticism on the likelihood of multiple early hominin species in the 3 to 4 million-year range.
The discovery of Australopithecus deyiremeda has important implications for our understanding of early hominin ecology.
It also raises significant questions, such as how multiple early hominins living at the same time and geographic area might have used the shared landscape and available resources.
_____
Yohannes Haile-Selassie et al. 2015. New species from Ethiopia further expands Middle Pliocene hominin diversity. Nature 521, 483-488; doi: 10.1038/nature14448At their headquarters in Chelsea, crowdsourced invention engine Quirky and its manufacturing juggernaut of a partner General Electric threw back the curtains on their play for the connected home.
They re-launched their spinout, Wink, announced seven new gadgets for the connected home, and the development of something the company is calling a “microfactory” in San Francisco that will serve as the company’s West Coast headquarters and develop built-to-order electronics for the smart home. That factory is kitted out with 3D printers, automated circuit board assembly machines, and a plastic injection molding line.
The “microfactory” is intended to be Quirky’s hub for its UNIQ, a line of connected home products customizable and built-to-order. Its first product will be Spotter UNIQ, a customized version of its home sensing product.
Built off of the Wink.com hub that Quirky unveiled over the summer, the New York-based company also unveiled a suite of products: a smart window and door sensor, dubbed Tripper and invented by Robert Sweeney, which retails as a pack of two on Wink.com for $40; Overflow, a sensor to detect water leaks; Outlink, an outlet for monitoring and managing power usage; and Tapt, a smart switch for one-touch control over smart bulbs, all invented by Michael Taylor and available for $35, $50 and $60 respectively.
Rounding out the new product suite, inventor Nathan Firth developed Ascend, a $90 monitor and remote control for garage doors, and Denny Fong came up with Norm, an $80 smart HVAC controller and thermostat to remotely monitor temperature in the home, both controlled by the Wink app.
Wink is also the control hub for 100 partner products from 15 consumer brands working with Quirky and GE.
GE and Quirky first linked up in April 2011, and the giant industrial manufacturer made good on the partnership as part of a $79 million round of financing, that also included previous investors Andreessen Horowitz, Norwest Venture Partners, RRE Ventures and Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers.
“Last year, we announced to the world that together with our partners at GE, we would enter the connected home market,” said Ben Kaufman, founder and CEO of Quirky, in a statement. “In just 18 months, we have introduced an entire ecosystem of products, a powerful app that interacts with hundreds of connected devices from leading brands, and today, a comprehensive campaign to educate the world on what it means to live in the connected home.”
No one needs a study to tell them that most Americans have yet to give a crap about smart home technology, but GE and Quirky conducted one anyway. The survey found that while most people are reluctant to connect their home, they at least really want to, with 83 percent of the survey’s respondents saying they’re mulling a smart home purchase.
“In today’s connected world, GE and Quirky see an exceptional opportunity to make the connected home a reality for everyone — accessible, affordable and focused on the foundational elements of how a home works. This includes lighting, energy management and safety,” said Beth Comstock, GE’s chief marketing officer, in a statement. “We have seen tremendous success working with Quirky and its community of inventors to find new ideas and bring them to market at remarkable speed.”
[gallery ids="1081387,1081388,1081389,1081392,1081390,1081391"]Michael Brown’s name is being invoked all across the country, and it’s sure to cause more problems for law enforcement officers trying to do their job.
A shopper detained on Black Friday at a Pennsylvania Walmart became unreasonable when asked to prove that he had paid for his merchandise and refused to show his ID, claiming the officer knew who he was.
Watch the disgusting incident unfold here and see if you agree that the man was doing little more than exploiting the death of Michael Brown to save his own hide:
Loud and overbearing, the shopper kept waving a receipt in front of the officer but would not allow him to closely examine it.
The officer, identified in the YouTube video description as Michael Manfredi of the South Strabane Police Department in Washington County, Pennsylvania, remained calm throughout the incident.
Even when the shopper leveled a veiled threat as he brazenly walked out of the store with his merchandise.
“Don’t touch me, I have the right to defend myself,” he said. ” They kill them in Missouri, but not in Pennsylvania you won’t.”
But his theatrics were only beginning.
“My hands are up!” the man begins screamed as Manfredi again tried to look at the receipt. “He’s trying to Mike Brown me!”Only in D.C. does the Republican Party drop like an anvil on any improvements to the country that could conceivably pass through our bicameral legislature. In our various state houses, the GOP is busy passing laws rather than squashing them.
And what laws they pass: divining menaces to the Republic in everything from high-speed buses to homeless people’s knapsacks to solar panels, state-level Republicans have gone on the offense. More often than not they've succeeded in getting laws passed that range from counterproductive to downright cruel. Below are the five craziest and most destrcutive, just in the past couple of months.
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1. Missouri Legalizes Shooting People for Being in Your Section
Feeling the Castle Doctrine defined “castle” too narrowly, Missouri State Representative Joe Don McGaugh proposed a bill allowing any citizen to use deadly force to protect against unlawful entry of private property. “This is a common sense extension of the law that would empower a nanny or babysitter, or anyone with the owner’s permission to occupy a property, to defend himself or herself against an intruder,” he said.
Unfortunately, McGaugh didn’t write his bill very carefully, and the Missouri House ended up passing a law that endorses use of deadly force by anyone pretty much anywhere. The bill allows for force by “occupants” of “private property"— conditions written so loosely that occupants could refer to a diner or a baseball game attendee or someone watching a movie, while invasion could mean anybody they feel intruding on whatever property they happen to be on.
As Think Progress explained, the bill is basically Stand Your Ground, except it replaces the threat of immediate physical harm with the feeling of invasion. Feel threatened in a business by someone you don’t think belongs there? Take out your gun and start shooting. Or, to quote Charles Pierce, “If you're at a Royals game, don't even think about moving down to the really good seats unless you feel lucky, punk.”
2. Florida City Tries to Make it Illegal for Homeless People to Own Stuff
The city of Ft. Lauderdale recently took up a resolution that would make it illegal for homeless people keep their possessions anywhere on public property. The resolution would allow police to confiscate any property stored on a public ground, provided twenty-four hours notice is given; confiscated property may be retrieved, if the person pays a “reasonable” fee for storage and transportation.
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The city claims the ordinance is due in part to an “interest in aesthetics,” but as homeless people have no alternative method for hanging on to their belongings, the resolution effectively criminalizes their only possessions.
“Maintaining city streets is a legitimate concern, but simply punishing homeless people for leaving their possessions in public places is not an effective or humane way to address it,” Maria Foscarinis, executive director of the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty said to Think Progress. “Instead, city and business leaders should work with advocates and homeless people to develop alternative short and long term solutions, such as public storage options for homeless people and affordable housing.”
The resolution is, of course, backed by the city’s business community, which merely finds homeless people an eyesore.
3. Oklahoma Bans Increases in the Minimum Wage
While the Obama administration raises the minimum wage threshold for private contractors working with the government, Democrats in Congress push for a $10.10 minimum wage, and Seattle votes in the country’s highest minimum at $15.00 an hour, Oklahoma is going in the exact opposite direction: not only is Oklahoma not considering a statewide increase, but it banned individual cities from even considering such a raise on their own.
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The move was widely viewed as a preemptive attack on a movement by the Central Oklahoma Labor Federation to raise the Oklahoma City’s wage to $10.10, in line with that being called for by President Barack Obama and congressional Democrats.
Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin and her fellow Republicans in the legislature argued the bill created a “level playing field for all municipalities in Oklahoma” and protected against “artificial” raises in the minimum wage, whatever those are.
"Mandating an increase in the minimum wage would…would create a hardship for small business owners, stifle job creation and increase costs for consumers," Fallin said. "And it would do all of these things without even addressing the goal of reducing poverty."
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Not quite. The statistics on the relation of minimum wage to job creation or loss are murky, but most studies find raising the wage’s overall affect on employment to be negligible. Two things raising the minimum wage definitely does: increases earnings for lower-income workers (by $33 billion in the case of a nationwide raise to $10.10) and lifts almost one million people out of poverty. Neither is something metropolises in Oklahoma are going to find out about any time soon.
4. Oklahoma Punishes Solar and Wind Power Producers
Oklahoma wasn’t done. Unhappy with people who install their own solar panels or wind turbines, an action that helps the utilities by easing the pressure on the companies during peak hours, the state is now penalizing private energy producers through a surcharge.
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The extra charge applies to those who sell excess energy generated by the panels or turbines back to the grid, known as net metering. It was snuck in as a rider on another bill at the last minute, catching lawmakers and alternative energy groups off guard. It passed without a single dissenting vote.
It didn’t take long for Oklahoman owners of small businesses to point out the absurdity of a law that punishes in-state producers of energy.
“Oklahoma offers tax credits for large wind turbines which are built elsewhere, but wants to penalize small wind which we manufacture here in the state?” Mike Bergey, president & CEO of Bergey Windpower said. “That makes no sense to me.”
Who would support such a bill? The ultra-conservative advocacy group ALEC, which has framed people with solar panels as “freeriders on the system,” though they actually contribute to the city’s power resources. ALEC is in good with Fallin. Thanks to this cozy relationship, Oklahoma is set to become the first state to pass a law of this kind. Where states have deals worked out between utility companies and individual power generators, ALEC is set on repealing them. They now have a template in a last-minute sabotoage in Oklahoma.
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5. Tennessee Outlaws High-Speed Mass Transit
A proposed high-speed bus system in Nashville got on the bad side of the Tennessee legislature last month. But rather than fix or alter the suggested plans, Tennessee senators solved the matter by passing a bill against high-speed mass transit altogether.
The Amp was designed as a 7-mile high-speed bus line connecting various parts of Nashville, which would make it Tennessee’s first mass transit system, and had the support of the business community. With Nashville’s congestion getting worse and a million residents expected to move to the city over the next twenty years, the plan seemed like a no-brainer.
But to work, the high-speed bus systems needed a dedicated line and traffic signal priority. This angered drivers. Wealthier residents began complaining of the undesirable elements the transit system could bring through their neighborhood, with one expressing the fear that it could bring “burger flippers” through her neighborhood. Then a major auto-dealer began sponsoring lawn signs opposing the plan, fearing a functional mass transit system could hurt sales.
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That’s when the Koch Brothers got involved. Americans for Prosperity-Tennessee sprung into existence, staffed entirely with lobbyists and blessed with an undisclosed budget. Shortly thereafter, a bill appeared in the Tennessee legislature making it illegal “for buses to pick up or drop off passengers in the center lane of a state road”—effectively outlawing the Amp and any transit system like it. The bill’s sponsor said he worried parking spaces might be sacrificed to make room for the line—the ultimate expression of a car-centered culture bewildered by the need, to say nothing of the desire, for public transportation.
The bill passed the state Senate without much opposition. But in the end, this was too much, even for Tennessee. The single-lane legislation was ultimately rendered irrelevant when the Tennessee legislature negotiated a deal to allow the project to go forward with greater oversight from the legislature.
But the Kochs had shown how easy it could be to derail a city’s much-needed mass transit project with a friendly congressman and an indomitable fear of taking away a single parking space.While acknowledging the 6-1 trouncing of Toronto, the Winnipeg Jets enter December with nerve-wracked fans and a precarious position. It's crunch time. The Jets endured a rather underwhelming November, finishing with a 4-9-1 record. They played seven Central Division teams during that span, and went 1-6 against them. With Winnipeg being a bubble team in the league's hardest division, losing points to rivals in the Central has been especially costly, and the Jets now find themselves closer to Colorado than contenders.
November really dug the #NHLJets in to a |
a series of cultural waves with some worrisome characteristics. Through no fault of its own, the fedora hat has become a symbol closely associated with a particular kind of young, socially awkward “geek” male, frequently aligned with some of the more openly misogynistic regions of the of the internet.
The conceit is extremely simple: the author (who goes by the pseudonym “misandristcutie”) trawls the popular dating site OK Cupid for pictures of men in fedora hats and posts them to the site, often including excerpts from their dating profile highlighting some undesirable, frequently sexist, and occasionally downright worrying aspect of their stated views and attitudes. These frequently include responses to OK Cupid’s hundreds of profiling questions, as well as sometimes elaborate comments that the profile owners have left to elucidate their responses to questions like “Do you feel there are any circumstances under which a person is obligated to have sex with you?” or their responses to whether “no means no” (The common answer: “A No is just a Yes that needs a little convincing!”). These images displayed on the Tumblr are often accompanied by some form of commentary or reaction, frequently expressions of fear, dismay, etc, expressed by misandristcutie herself at some aspect or another of the profile.
The site’s success in garnering viral attention tapped into a widely shared reaction to wearers of the hat, and through the sheer persuasiveness of its plentiful examples of fedora wearers who exhibit ‘red flag’ attitudes, suggests to readers of FOOKC the existence of (for lack of a better term) something akin to a fedora culture. The site points towards a troubling correlation between wearers of the hat and holders of regressive, sexist or dangerous attitudes towards women. Towards the beginning of the site’s somewhat controversial existence, however, it was common enough for the posts to limit themselves to criticisms of the appearance of the fedora, as the fully developed critique of the fedora-cultural complex took time to emerge. While the tone of the site has remained constant (it has always maintained that fedoras ‘look bad’), it took time and the appearance of similar site Nice Guys of OK Cupid2 to clarify and deepen the criticism to more than just one based on appearance. The now-defunct site, which existed from late 2012 to January 2013 oriented itself explicitly towards an activist and educational role, highlighting the disparity between the self-professed “nice guy” statements of young men on dating sites with their regressive and often sexist attitudes, all while downplaying and attempting to mitigate the ‘individual’ nature of the problem by obscuring identifying information and so on. Nice Guys of OK Cupid also used the same ‘image and caption’ technique, as did other lesser-known fedora-focussed tumblrs’ that appeared around the same time including Fedoras: Forever Alone, and Should You Wear That Fedora (the unspoken answer being, no you should not).
How the fedora came to be associated with a very distinct ‘type’ of young male with such negative or regressive attitudes towards women is likely to be related to an increased awareness and popularity of Pick Up Artists (PUAs) and their strategies, following Neil Strauss’ The Game: Penetrating the Secret Society of Pick-up Artists (2005) and its numerous cultural spin-offs, including a VH1 television series The Pickup Artist (2007-2008). The quintessential image of the PUA is the swaggering, middle-class white, often geeky male, between 18 and 30, who imitates the dress code and flair of a pimp (in PUA terminology called ‘peacocking’) and ‘negs’ (a form of calculated, back-handed compliment) his way into the bed of the many women who would otherwise be uninterested, or ‘out-of-his-league’. ‘Negging’ and the PUA ethos in general represents a resurgent strain of misogyny that views women as fair game for psychological and emotional manipulation, since they are seen as the gatekeepers to sex, which the PUA attitude views itself as entitled to. Consideration for the women targeted by these tactics is never entered into beyond a functional will they or won’t they sleep with me calculation. Highly ranked in Google searches for ‘pickup artist style guide’ is a 2009 post on a Pick Up Artist forum in which the author gives the following “peacock tip”:
If you wear a hat, make it memorable, easy to spot, and something to work with your style. This is usually easier than it sounds. Try the fedora…it portrays you’re [sic] a stylish man that knows what he’s doing, and it’s a great lock-in prop (Smith, 2008).
FOOKC picks up on this connection, and as Leigh Alexander notes, draws humour from the emerging consensus that FOOKC taps into: ‘that the fedora-wearers think they look much more suave than they do.’ (Alexander, 2012). It’s a form of cultural push-back that, as we shall see in a moment, may have a deliberate activist impulse underneath its fedora-shaming surface. Alexander also crucially locates the meaning of this type of site within a larger phenomenon, describing the cultural storm into which the Fedora has entered as one in which:
…a peculiar subculture of love-entitled male nerds whose social inexperience and awkwardness manifests in a world rocked by a gender revolution—a tectonic shift in the makeup of formerly cloistered, rule-bound clubs (Alexander, 2012).
To get a sense of the consensus into which FOOKC is tapping and the explicitness of her criticisms of the fedora, it’s necessary to look at a number of the “questions” that other Tumblr users and anonymous readers have sent into the site. This is the primary method of feedback and communication with readers, and the following comments illustrate an awareness of negative connotations associated with fedora culture (all comment are as written, with their particular spellings and capitalisations retained).
For example, fellow Tumblr user “wretchedoftheearth” left the following comment for FOOKC: ‘I have yet to have someone who likes fedoras, frequents reddit, and is a brony3 message me and not be horrible.’ (FOOKC, 2012b) FOOKC’s owner misandristcutie posted this question to the tumblr adding only a simple ‘yes thank you’ by way of agreement (FOOKC, 2012b). Another comment FOOKC responded to asks, “omg what is it with these guys calling themselves ‘gentlemen’ or ‘classy’ because they own a fedora?? I can smell the benevolent sexism from here” to which misandristcutie offered the following telling insight: “trade secret: i find a good amount of fedoras from searching keywords and ‘gentleman’ is a goldmine” (FOOKC, 2012c). A similar comment expressed bemusement at the fedora type: “It’s funny how many people think they’re chivalrous, yet wear hats from the 1900’s. I’d like to see one woman want to live out those years.” (FOOKC, 2012j)
Here we see catch a glimpse of the impulse behind FOOKC, thought one only made explicit by a reader, in a process of communal clarification of purpose that was repeated when, a few months into FOOKC’s existence, Nice Guys of OK Cupid gained an even greater level of attention in the media. The activist impulse lies in forging a connection between fedoras and the sexist attitudes held during historical periods, and by claiming it is not incidental but central to the fedora culture and why women are turned off by it. This is a challenge to the construction of the fedora as ‘cool’ or ‘suave’, and an attempt to shame those who wear them.
This is the primary method in which FOOKC conducts its shaming – by holding fedora culture up to the light of a fairly critical and engaged community. Specifically by highlighting the appearance (the fedora) and the statements of men on OK Cupid and judging them, often in collaboration with a community of likeminded readers and commenters. In the following sections I will position this shaming as a novel form of what Frances Shaw calls feminist discursive activism, before discuss the question of the appropriateness of shame’s utility.
Shaming as feminist discursive activism
The question of how to ‘do’ activism online post-slacktivism critiques is an open and ongoing one. Frances Shaw’s research into the Australian feminist activist blogosphere provides important insight into the areas fruitful and productive activism is taking place online, and she pairs her observations with a number of pertinent critiques of the dominant social research paradigms of the past several years. In two papers, The Politics of Blogs: Theories of Discursive Activism Online (Shaw, 2012a) and Hottest 100 Women; Cross-platform Discursive Activism in Feminist Blogging Networks (Shaw, 2012c), she makes persuasive claims regarding online practices that demonstrate a need to revise theories of deliberative democracy, as well as arguing for a turn towards conceptions of social movements (especially feminist activist blog networks) as counterpublics. According to Shaw (2012a: 42), a more agonistic understanding of online discussion that can incorporate and account for inequalities is needed and these critiques form the basis of her argument for a discursive activism, which she describes as:
…speech or texts that seek to challenge opposing discourses by exposing power relations within these discourses, denaturalising what appears natural (Fine, 1992: 221) and demonstrating the flawed assumptions and situatedness of mainstream social discourse.
From her research into the strategies employed by the Australian feminist blogosphere, Shaw suggests that public sphere theory suffers from a lack of awareness of ‘the inevitability of power relations and inequality in social life’ (Shaw, 2012a: 43). This lack is only exacerbated online, as according to Shaw, ‘internet researchers must exclude from analysis debate that takes place in non-universal, or non-heterogeneous publics’ (2012a: 43) or else fail to meet the criteria for deliberative democracy. Shaw’s crucial objection is that, whilst desirable, the normative openness of deliberative democracy fails to reflect conditions as we find them actually existing online, and indeed the unequal power relations reflected in who is listened to online is a major concern, and discursive target, for feminist activists.
Somewhat more practically explanatory than her published papers are the results of her PhD research, which detail the techniques of discursive activism themselves. Presented most accessibly as a talk delivered on 27th of August 2013 at the University of Sydney’s Online Media Group meeting, Shaw detailed a number of activities and strategies that the feminist blogsphere had developed to combat certain types of commonly encountered arguments. Many of these techniques have been widely taken up outside the Australian feminist blogosphere, and there is a strong sense of cross-pollination across international lines (Shaw, 2012b). Shaw lists five strategies which she found the Australian feminist blogosphere to be employing: “Play Bingo”, “Disemvowelling”, “Splaining”, “Concern Troll”, and “Fauxpology”. Each strategy involves some form of subversion, or the creation of new terminology that reveals the ideological or normative content of mainstream discourses. The first two, ‘Play Bingo’ and ‘Disemvowelling’ are extra-discursive strategies that target discourses, while the latter three are specific words or phrase coined in order to give a name to repeated tropes or tactics frequently employed by those arguing for sexist or bigoted positions. For the sake of brevity, I will only describe the first tactic “playing bingo”, however, each performs a unique discursive activity that highlights or challenges some otherwise hidden feature of sexism in mainstream discourses. Importantly, though Shaw does not discuss it explicitly, these tactics frequently also invoke tacit or explicit shaming strategies, and are often most effective when they involve the participation of a whole community, having less effect when employed individually. ‘Playing Bingo’ illustrates this point.
To “Play Bingo” means to metaphorically tick off squares on a bingo card image (often in a comment thread, or on social media) that was created beforehand featuring common or stock phrases, rhetorical devices or techniques typically employed in the defence of sexist, misogynistic or bigoted positions. Shaw gives examples of phrases included on such cards: ‘Patriarchy hurts men too’, ‘We gave you the vote now shut up’, ‘You’re being silly and overemotional’, ‘You’ve just got a victim mentality’, and ‘Is it that time of the month’ (Shaw, 2012b). The purpose of this activity, is twofold: embodied in the prior creation of the card is a ‘pre-empting’ of the clichéd, repeated sentiments of the sexist interlocutor, and which goes some way to demonstrating its unoriginality. It sends the message that your argument for a sexist or bigoted position is neither novel nor as clever as you think it is. In this way the feminist discursive activist makes a powerful rhetorical case for the opponent’s lack of originality, and the wearying banality of these arguments – so repetitive are they that they have ossified into a bingo card, ready to be mocked and discounted.
The importance of this type of discursive activism as communal is not to be overlooked. As in many of Shaw’s examples of discursive activism, for the proprietor of FOOKC her work building a community, presumably largely composed of feminists, is an important element of the activism she engages in. Again, comments in the form of ‘ask’ questions reveal this aspect: “You are a treasure and and [sic] your blog is a delight. These men are nightmarish and shameful and I can’t even with any of it” (FOOKC, 2012i) was one such comment, FOOKC replying, “you are just a peach!! i hope you have a lovely evening or whatever time it is where you are” (2012i). Similar sentiments crop up, with an “i luv u” (FOOKC, 2012g) comment (“luv u 2” comes the reply), and “no questions, just adulation: pages like this are pretty much the saving grace of Tumblr.” (FOOKC, 2012h) Misandristcutie herself here replies with a beatific, “bless u have a great day” (FOOKC, 2012h). Recognition, expressions of love, and expressions of solidarity form a large part of the positive comments FOOKC receives, and contributes without doubt to the sense of fun, solidarity and inclusiveness, contrasting strongly with the language she uses to describe the profiles of the men in fedoras, frequently described as ‘scary’ or ‘creepy’.
The importance of the communal dimension might not entirely be evident. Partially, it serves to enable some of the social dimensions of Shaw’s discursive activism – Playing Bingo for instance doesn’t carry the same persuasive force if done on one’s own, and the solidarity extended amongst activist communities seems to be an important component. But further, it constitutes an important pre-requisite for what John Braithwaite describes as reintegrative shame, which will be discussed in a moment.
There is also evidence that the Tumblr site’s efforts are having some real impact, with a number of so-called ‘testimonials’ of the effects of fedora shaming. One anonymous question asker left the following comment:
Oh hey I made the site. I’d like to confirm with you that I removed my fedora from my household months ago. Just never got around to up-dating the old page. <3 you guys for spreading the truth, ashamed I ever wore one in the first place. (FOOKC, 2012k)
FOOKC’s response was characteristically enthusiastic: “!!! testimonials r so inspiring” (FOOKC, 2012k). It is a gesture of enthusiasm for having achieved some level of influence, as well as an extension of acceptance and beneficence. The tumblr author is ‘inspired’ and her language is a clear departure from her usually dry commentary on the site. Like the previous commenter’s testimonial, another former-Fedora wearer featured on the site wrote in simply, “I’m one of the recently-posted fedoras. Happy to say I’ve seen the light.” (FOOKC, 2012f) FOOKC replied with a jubilant “hallelujah”. It is plain that misandristcutie derives more fun engaging with her fans and like-minded readers than from shaming Fedora culture. But to reach such an effective place from which to exercise a form of cultural criticism of the trappings and tropes of PUA culture, ‘nice guy’ culture, and the sexism of OK Cupid users, the site relies on the persuasive force of shaming.
Shame’s Reintegrative or Stigmatizing Potential
But there is a moral question hanging over this use of ‘shaming’ worth examining in some detail, namely whether it is appropriate to use shaming as an activist strategy. Shaming tactics appear to be reaching a critical mainstream awareness, with a July 2013 Wired editorial arguing somewhat hyperbolically that, “Shaming, it seems, has become a core competency of the Internet, and it’s one that can destroy both lives and livelihoods” (Hudson 2013). Discussing the unfortunate result of the incident at Pycon 2013 in which Adria Richards Twitter shamed two men making inappropriate jokes at the conference. In classic Wired fashion the editorial foregoes consideration of the power disparities involved based on historical, gender, or racial factors instead focussing solely on the more technical power resulting from one party possessing a large network of followers on twitter, in this case, Richards herself. Her actions at Pycon join other instances of shaming that Hudson’s editorial mentions, identifying what appears to be a growing movement among women and minorities cultivating more agonistic activist strategies online, everywhere from Twitter to Tumblr, as we shall see in a moment, and even surprisingly in the online gaming service Xbox Live with its player culture that is notoriously hostile to women and minorities (Gray 2013).
Most critical in her appraisal of the use of shaming is Jill Locke (2007), who brings a deliberative democracy perspective to the issue of the deployment of shame, asking valuable questions about its appropriateness. She begins by noting that shaming tactics, particularly those involved with protest and activist movements, have a
…long and proud tradition within feminist, gay and lesbian, civil rights, and labor politics. From muckrakers to lefty bloggers to progressive marchers, shaming occupies a well-established place in the activist’s toolkit (Locke 2007, p. 146).
Condensing a wealth of somewhat divergent scholarship on the issue of shame, and particularly shame as experienced by women, Locke cautions against shame’s unilateral utility, for “complicating this…is the extent to which shame has been deployed against [feminist activist] concerns” (Locke 2007, p. 147). For Locke, all forms of shame appear implicated by this history of hegemonic-deployment, and she cites a number of occasions in which shame was used to undermine progressive goals, such as by supporters of the (US) Defense Against Marriage Act, during certain state level bans on same-sex-marriage and notes that it’s often deployed by anti-welfare and anti-gay activists. (Locke 2007, p 147)
Here it is worth elaborating the theory of shame proposed by the criminologist John Braithwaite, as explained by Elspeth Probyn (2005, p. 88):
The core idea in Braithwaite’s articulation of shaming is that shame can be either reintegrative or stigmatizing. It all depends on the context in which shaming takes place. Braithwaite took the idea originally from a New Zealand legal initiative that had been based on Maori traditions. It is argued that within close communities, shaming the offender works better than other more formal sanctions, because individuals care about what their family and friends think about them.
Braithwaite’s conception of both the positive potential of reintegrative shaming and the dangers of stigmatizing shame comes from a pragmatic position on human behavior and criminality that is rare in a climate of extremes. His approach has a clarity and surprising lucidity to it, as according to Braithwaite (1989, p. 71), “people comply with the law most of the time not through fear of punishment, or even fear of shaming, but because criminal behaviour is simply abhorrent to them.” Braithwaite also maintains there is a powerful connection between shame and socialisation or moral conduct, citing the moral-symbolic content of shame as a powerful socialising force in an individual’s development (1989, p. 72). This is a critical point about the effect of shaming:
Shaming is more pregnant with symbolic content than punishment. Punishment is a denial of confidence in the morality of the offender by reducing norm compliance to a crude cost-benefit calculation; shaming can be a reaffirmation of the morality of the offender by expressing personal disappointment that the offender should do something so out of character, and, if the shaming is reintegrative, by expressing personal satisfaction in seeing the character of the offender restored (Braithwaite 1989, pp. 72-3).
Braithwaite maintains that, when possible, shaming is actually a better mechanism for maintaining a moral order than punishment. So powerful is the effect of shaming on maintaining this order that Braithwaite (1989, p. 74) observes it in action in Japanese ceremonies that perform reintegrative shame: “the moral order derives a very special kind of credibility when even he who has breached it openly comes out and affirms the evil of the breach.” This echoes the above comment from a former ‘fedora wearer’ who was ‘happy’ to have sworn off wearing the cultural indicator of sexism, only too happy to have ‘seen the light’.
The reintegration occurs via apology, and what Goffman (1971, p. 113) calls disassociation, in which one splits from and repudiates the former offending self. However Braithwaite (1989, p. 76) acknowledges that “…shaming can be both reintegrative and disintegrative, and… …much turns on this distinction.” Indeed, Braithwaite emphasises the importance of the offer of forgiveness and the possibility of reintegration in avoiding stigmatising shame, dependent on a context of respect. Probyn (2005, pp. 88-9), quoting Braithwaite (2000, pp. 281), summarises the conditions for reintegrative shame, noting that:
The capacity for interdependency is crucial to a good outcome of shaming, as is a context of respect. In this way, “reintegrative shaming communicates disapproval within a continuum of respect for the offender: the offender is treated as a good person who has done a bad deed.”
Misandristcutie’s criticisms of the fedora wearers, it should be noted, rarely extend to necessary judgments of character—usually instead receiving relational descriptions and emotive reactions, such as finding their appearance ‘scary’ etc. This perhaps holds open the door to reintegration, in which the ‘offending’ Fedora wearer repudiates the trappings of a dangerous culture. I want to suggest that it may be this very important and contingent extension of forgiveness which is what Locke is recognising and reacting to, with the alternative being a stigmatising shame precisely the kind of shaming that feminist activists would be most likely subject to. Especially since the moral regimes of these anti-gay, anti-welfare and anti-feminist cultures cannot countenance, cannot reintegrate, the existence or presence of women without ‘repudiating’ their feminist beliefs. Adding to the case for the utility of a feminist reintegrative shame, Probyn (2005, pp. 87-8) notes that:
…it makes a certain sense that the subordinated may have more nuanced skills at shaming than the privileged. The common sense of this proposition is evidence in shaming slogans used by queers and feminists: from the queer epithet ‘breeders,’ directed at straights (and indeed the appellation ‘straight’), to the more complex equations familiar to feminism, such as ‘porn is the theory, rape the practise’ and ‘a woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle.’
It is worth taking on Locke’s appropriate concern for the shamed, as the generosity of her attitude of care represents an important component of the context of respect so important to establishing Braithwaite’s ‘reintegrative shame,’ rather than the often toxic and exclusionary ‘stigmatizing shame’.
Discussion
It’s worth emphasising that, in light of the above, the impetus behind the shaming FOOKC does not seem to be one of retaliation, adding credence to the theory that the shaming may be reintegrative. When asked whether anyone ever writes in with angry comments or asks for their image to be removed from the site, FOOKC replied, “never had a request to be taken down but i’d certainly honor their wishes if they asked!! ofc it would be sad cuz i treasure my nerds” (FOOKC, 2012a). While this response could be interpreted as condescension, in the context of her other comments it reads to me as earnest, if cloaked in the particular typo-strewn mode of writing prevalent on Tumblr which tends to mimic slang, orality and play (Danet, 2001: 6), as well as earlier forms of ‘text speak’. Eschewing capitalisation, this mode of writing seems to prefer personalisation and immediacy over carefully crafted and cultivated expressions (fitting with theories around microblogging in general as orienting towards ‘real time’). (Grace, et al., 2010; Bruns, 2012; Sakaki et al., 2010) In the context of the blog and the rest of FOOKC’s comments, I read misandristcutie’s comments about ‘treasuring’ her nerds as sincere, as an expression of care, and an extension of the possibility of reintegration.
Similarly, when informed (again, via anonymous question) that someone had been visiting the profiles of the people FOOKC had featured, expressing that they seemed ‘like solidly decent people’, and asked whether FOOKC thought the blog was bullying, FOOKC replied (again, in the particular Tumblr speak) “i don’t mean 2 hurt anyone i just want 2 laugh at bad hats” (FOOKC, 2012d). This comment, posted in the period towards the beginning of FOOKC’s existence and perhaps before the full critique of fedora culture was worked out (led in part by the more explicitly activist educational work of Nice Guys of OK Cupid as mentioned above) perhaps explains the retreat into insistence on “laughing at bad hats.” I understand her comment as possibly being an expression of not quite understanding her own project in FOOKC, resulting in a poor apologia for the shaming of their wearers, but one that retreats from personal commentary (and stigmatising shame) nonetheless. It can be read as an attempt to objectify the shaming, so that the object itself becomes the target of shame, and not the people themselves, but the difficulty and contingency of expressing this argument is great, requiring a more complex articulation than simply wanting to laugh at bad hats.
The relative failure of this explanation also serves as a reminder of the human cost of shaming, with the experience of those shamed likely to be at least unpleasant—notwithstanding the above commenter who ultimately agreed with the critique and was “Happy to say I’ve seen the light” (FOOKC, 2012f). Indeed for those reintegrated into the community, there appears to be significant benefits as we shall see below. Misandristcutie’s withdrawal into “just wanting to laugh at bad hats,” as well as her other comments regarding “treasuring [her] nerds” seem to reflect the same kind of concern Jill Locke (2007) extended to the victims of shame above, even those ordinarily considered the enemies of or hostile to feminism. It is difficult to see how one could criticise fedora culture to the same extent without holding up individuals as examples. Even Nice Guys of OK Cupid, with its brand of activist criticisms of the ‘nice guy’ trope closely aligned with fedora culture, attracted only the mildest of criticism (likely due to its more successful orientation towards shaming behaviour) from, for example, Laurie Penny, who added that,
…there has to be an answer to these guys that isn’t just pointing and laughing. Calling out rapists and online predators is a more than legitimate strategy for dealing with abuse. But how are we supposed to handle common-or-garden sexist dickwaddery when it puts photos on the internet and asks to be loved… (Penny, 2012)
Even Penny (2012), however, could not resist ending on a conciliatory note, wondering whether she herself ‘should stop being such a Nice Girl’ in light of the dubious obligation impressed upon women to ‘be understanding’ with these often problematic men. What I am suggesting here is that, whether deserved or not, reintegrative shaming as described by Braithwaite might be a partial ‘answer’ to what Penny is seeking, with the potential for hugely important and transformative reintegration for the shamed men, as the following comment demonstrates. Shortly after the comment mentioned earlier that questioned whether FOOKC was bullying the young men featured on the site, another anonymous commenter, presumably male, wrote in the following, responding to the allegation:
the blog isn’t bullying its a fucking mass intervention. i used to dress like an awful shitty nerd with mutton chops and a soul patch in college, then one time at a party i got taken to task by a sassy designer dude that was big into fashion. it stung a little at the time, but i took his advice and now i look like and actually am a guy that manages to get laid on occasion, so I owe you and the rest of the world’s fashion police a debt of gratitude, much respect (FOOKC, 2012e).
This comment makes something like a claim for the long-term benefit or transformative value for the shamed, and his expression is coming from one that, presumably, is now reintegrated into the broader feminist community. As the success of FOOKC, as well as the size and vocal nature of communities around the site makes clear, there is a significant population of young women who these OK Cupid users could be dating if only they weren’t scaring them away with fedoras and dangerous attitudes. Through projects like FOOKC and even Nice Guys of OK Cupid, these generous activist communities have also demonstrated that they are invested in the project of men not being sexist, and in dropping both the ‘benevolent sexism’ as one commenter described it earlier and the cultural markers associated with fedora culture. The form that this activism takes is discursive—by challenging the ‘geek mainstream’ constructions of fedoras as cool, fashionable headwear, and encouraging men to ditch these cultural trappings through shaming, with the extended offer of a reintegration into more feminist friendly communities.
Conclusion
In this paper I have looked at the Tumblr site Fedoras of OK Cupid and its engagement in shaming tactics, consolidating a growing consensus that fedoras are not cool, based largely on the frequently deleterious, dangerous or regressive attitudes of their wearers. I have articulated this practise within existing social movement research into discursive activism, cultivating both a community to exercise this activism, which largely takes the form of shaming. This novel addition to identified discursive activist tactics carries with it a question of whether shame is a legitimate activist tactic, or whether it is irredeemably tainted by its problematic history of deployment against women as a method of oppression and control. I have argued that criminologist John Braithwaite’s conception of reintegrative shame provides a useful theoretical frame for understanding ‘good’ forms of shame that extend the possibility of reintegration and socialisation. Misandristcutie’s ‘treasuring’ of her nerds and similar statements position the targets of her criticism and shaming as possible candidates for reintegration into the broader feminist community, in line with Braithwaite’s explanation. I claim that members of the community paint a picture of the benefits of reintegration, and of taking these feminist’s concerns seriously, adding credence to the notion of legitimate shaming deployed by feminist discursive activists.
Notes
1 http://fedorasofokcupid.tumblr.com
2 http://niceguysofokcupid.tumblr.com
3 The term ‘brony’ is the name adopted by the subculture of male fans of the My Little Pony television show—a portmanteau of ‘bro’ and ‘pony’.
References
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enemy."
'Barak ran from Lebanon in 2000'
Nasrallah asserted that "the results of the Second Lebanon War are evident even today, in both the military and political fields in Israel." He said Israel is facing the worst leadership crisis in its history.
The Hizbullah chief also addressed recent comments by Defense Minister Ehud Barak regarding the importance of having an experienced leadership. "Ehud Barak admits that the reason for losing the war
was a lack of military experience. So who is there left in Israel with military experience if not all those failed generals? Those who stand against us today are the same failures who have already suffered blows from us before."
He also ridiculed Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi, quoting an Israel newspaper as saying Olmert "died two years ago in Lebanon and will be brought to political burial in two months."
"Is it Barak or Ashkenazi who failed against the resistance as head of the Northern Command?."
"This September we will see the end of Israeli Prime Minister Olmert's rule. I remember Barak's speeches back when he was the enemy's prime minister in 2000. Need I remind him that he set the date of the withdrawal (from Lebanon) in July and we forced him to pull out in May?"
He opened his statements with words of condolence to the families of those killed in Tripoli and went on to welcome the establishment of a new government in Beirut this week, in which Hizbullah is a prominent partner. The Hizbullah chief also hailed the visit to Syria, which backs his movement, by Lebanon's President Michel Suleiman, calling it "a new stage" in relations between Beirut and Damascus.By Kevin Lee
Thursday's game marks the first time the Ottawa Senators and Montreal Canadiens will meet since the playoff massacre last season. Given the smattering of events that occurred during the memorable series, there are plenty of narratives coming into tonight's all-important-must-win-four-point-game. Here's a preview of some of the biggest story lines to watch out for.
Michel Therrien took last year's playoff loss to heart and decided to adopt some of Paul MacLean's most successful coaching strategies. Unfortunately for Therrien, he failed to keep track of the most recent roster moves. Thursday's game marks the first time the Ottawa Senators and Montreal Canadiens will meet since the playoff massacre last season. Given the smattering of events that occurred during the memorable series, there are plenty of narratives coming into tonight's all-important-must-win-four-point-game. Here's a preview of some of the biggest story lines to watch out for.
"Wait? 'e not show up for rematch? No rispeck."
Matt Kassian has had this date marked on his calendar for quite some time. The last time he played the Habs he had the least offensive game in his NHL career, in that he had the best offensive output of his career. He notched 2 assists, one of them on the power play to help lead the Sens to a series-winning 6-1 victory. He's definitely hoping he'll be able to put the same performance together again.
He'll even sign the stat sheet for you if you stop by the press box during the game
Will the Montreal Canadians try to make Eric Gryba pay for his hit on Lars Eller? We think the odds are fairly low after their 0-5 record in the game 3 line brawl. There's also the size factor to consider...
You've gotta keep those thumbs down if you want to avoid headshots.
"If I'm not making Team Canada, neither are you!" With Spezza growing increasingly bitter with his inability to crack the Olympic roster, we can expect him to try and single-handedly ruin Carey Price's chances of making the squad tonight. Here's a simulated photo of Jason Spezza making Carey Price look so bad, he'll wish his name were Sheldon Souray.
Peter Budaj is jealous of Price's excellent positioning
did you know? including this season, the senators leads the canadiens in norris trophies 2-1 over the last three years — Chet Sellers (@chet_sellers) November 7, 2013
did you know? the canadiens' current roster has never won the stanley cup once in the team's 105-year history — Chet Sellers (@chet_sellers) November 7, 2013
Here are some key statistics about the rivalry dug up by our very own Chet Sellers:Enjoy the game tonight folks!The tech industry – makers of hardware, software and every ware in between – prides itself on innovation. If George Bush is the decider, then Steve Jobs and his pals, er, rivals at Dell and IBM are the innovators, the geniuses, the gurus.
We’ve elevated these guys to rock-star status, which I suppose makes sense, because they provide the tools that allow a self-involved culture to wallow in its narcissism. They keep us kitted out with must-have laptops and iPods and Blackberries, thereby giving us texting and virtual worlds and, hoo-wahhh, our own personal music.
Unfortunately, all these way-cool necessaries wear out or become obsolete (and way too soon – more on that in a bit). Now, Johnny I’m-Way-Deep-Into-Myself can’t afford to fall behind on the gadget front, so he’s going to ditch the stuff he’s got to get the newest stuff, the best stuff.
This makes the mandarins at Microsoft and Apple and all those other Incs, Corps and Plcs very happy indeed, because continually buying their new toys keeps their profits high and, they’ll tell you, keeps them innovating.
Trouble is, it’s almost impossible to dispose of discarded technology in an environmentally friendly way, and the earth is starting to strangle on all this electronic detritus. Of course, we here in the United States – by far the biggest consumers on the planet – don’t see the worst of it, because we ship a lot of our tech garbage overseas. It’s even got a cute name: e-waste.
According to the Associated Press, upwards of 500 million tons of electronic trash is generated worldwide every year, and the lion's share of it comes from here. Most of it winds up in U.S. landfills, a cheery thought. What's left is sent overseas to Third World chop shops, where what can be salvaged and resold is. The rest is dumped, and without much care.
Burying old computer components and television monitors in landfills, or dumping them in a Malaysian ditch, is a particularly malignant form of pollution, given the high levels of toxins present in these electronics. On top of that, the workers who deconstruct all this wonderful innovation in Vietnam or India or, especially, China aren’t protected by OSHA regulations. Using crude tools and sometimes no tools, they are expected to extract what can be recycled, leaving them exposed to poisoning and sickness and, who knows, maybe death.
The brokers who arrange for our e-waste to be sent abroad argue that they are actually doing the world a favor and advancing the cause of technology by sending working computers to the developing world. In truth, the stuff is usually crated and shipped without ever being checked for its viability. Nobody here cares if it works. We want to get rid of it, and the middlemen want to get paid.
And the problem is only getting worse, as more U.S. municipalities ban the dumping of discarded electronics in local landfills. This junk has gotta go somewhere, and guess where it’s going.
Some countries are wising up. China, for example, no stranger itself to despoiling the planet, still accepts more electronic waste than anyone, but is beginning to enforce a ban. According to the AP, Hong Kong customs officials – tipped by environmentalists – intercepted a couple of containers full of old computers and TVs that were jettisoned in the modern Land of Milk and Honey. The junk was sent back to the United States, with love from the Peoples’ Republic.
But vigilance isn’t enough. Electronics are being discarded almost as fast as they’re being made. And the innovators are largely to blame for that. While the effective lifespan of a new computer should be, in a sane world, a decade or more, realistically you’ve got a dinosaur if it’s been sitting on your desk longer than a couple of years. And our tax laws encourage this.
Why?
Because the innovators know that they need you coming back every few years to keep those coffers overflowing. If you’re visiting the Apple Store only once in a decade, then there might not be an Apple Store at all.
So the innovators practice the art that the automakers perfected decades ago: the art of planned obsolescence. Even as they tout the latest must-have operating system, or the coolest new game console, they know most of it will be passè by the next holiday-shopping season. They know that, because they're already planning the coolest technology for 2009, but don't want you to know too much about it.
Some of you may be untroubled by this. If so, shame on you. Your planet is slowly dying from carbon dioxide emissions and the casual dumping of toxic waste. Turning a blind eye to this fact while eagerly consuming every glittery new tech bauble dangled before you is not only pathetic, but suicidal.
There is legislation out there – in any number of countries, including this one – that's supposed to curb this scourge. All well and good, but we know that for every law there's a loophole. And when there's money to be made, those loopholes can get pretty big.
Tell the rock stars that if they're such groovy innovators, they'll innovate a cheap-but-efficient way to clean up this filthy world they’ve helped to create.
- - -
Tony Long is copy chief at Wired News.
How Can We Kill Thee? Let Me Count the Ways
Somewhere Deep Down, We Still Care. Don't We?
RIAA Hits a Sour Note With Its File-Sharing Witch Hunt
On the Road at 50 Remains an Anthem for the 'Crazy Ones'
Thanks for the Memories... Whatever They WerePAW PAW, MI - A Van Buren County man was in court Wednesday to answer to a murder charge in the beating death of his 32-year-old wife in Grand Junction, authorities said.
Brent William Bogseth, 35, was arraigned in Van Buren County District Court on one count of open murder, according to a news release issued by the sheriff's office.
Bogseth, who is being held without bond in the county jail, is accused of killing Kimberly Bogseth, who was reported missing on Sept. 2. Her body was found Sept. 9 on a trail on the south side of County Road 388, less than two blocks from the Bogseths' home.
A medical examiner ruled that the cause of Bogseth's death was blunt-force trauma most likely caused by a hammer, according to a sheriff's detective who testified Sept. 10 in district court to obtain an arrest warrant for Brent Bogseth.
Detective Lt. Tom Macyauski testified that before Kimberly Bogseth's body was found, investigators obtained a search warrant for Brent Bogseth's home, as well as his cellphone which he refused to turn over to police. During a search of the Bogseth property, Macyauski said detectives found Kimberly Bogseth's cellphone and a hammer in Brent Bogseth's 2003 Ford Explorer.
Macyauski testified that the battery and sim card had been removed from the cellphone and witnesses told investigators Kimberly Bogseth was never without her cellphone.
Brent Bogseth eventually fled to the Chicago area where he was later arrested and then extradited back to Michigan.
The Bogseths formerly owned Regulas Coffee House in Chicago and have a young son, according to online reports.
Brent Bogseth is scheduled to be back in district court Oct. 14 for a preliminary examination hearing, investigators said.
Rex Hall Jr. is a public safety reporter for the Kalamazoo Gazette. You can reach him at rhall2@mlive.com. Follow him on Twitter.UCPD announced Tuesday that it has identified the killer in the unsolved 1992 homicide of Grace Asuncion, a campus student who was stabbed to death in Eshleman Hall.
UCPD identified John Iwed, an Alameda County resident who died of a drug overdose less than a year after Asuncion’s death, as the killer. Iwed was a suspect early in the case, but UCPD did not have enough corroborating evidence at the time to charge him.
The case remained open for 24 years as detectives continued to review the case on a rotating basis. UCPD spokesperson Sgt. Sabrina Reich said they were able to get additional statements from key witnesses over the past three months and use new DNA testing procedures to confirm that Iwed was the killer.
“The re-interviewing of key witnesses broke the case for us,” Reich said. “Witnesses are more willing to speak freely as the years pass on.”
In a statement released Tuesday, UCPD said the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office reviewed the new information and would have charged Iwed with Asuncion’s death if he were still alive.
Asuncion, who was a junior on the pre-med track and leader of the Pilipino American Alliance, or PAA, was found dead — stabbed multiple times in the neck — in the fifth-floor office of the PAA in the previous Eshleman Hall by a custodian Feb. 7, 1992.
The safety of Eshleman Hall, which was beset by frequent theft, vandalism and arson, was called into question following Asuncion’s death. The building was demolished and rebuilt in 2013 as a part of the Lower Sproul Plaza renovation project and now has key card access in addition to video surveillance.
Asuncion’s family, who argued that campus officials had done little to intervene based on a history of assaults and burglaries by non-students at Eshleman Hall, agreed to settle with campus for $750,000 following Asuncion’s death.
“This was a case that was always on our minds because cases of this violent nature are not common,” Reich said. “It’s important to know that we brought some sort of resolution and closure to some of the victim’s family and community (members) who may and continue to be affected.”
Contact Winston Cho at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter at @winstonscho.Multiplayer online battle arena, or MOBA, is perhaps the most-used phrase you’ll hear in gaming this year. Many developers already have or are in the process of making their own free-to-play MOBA, including a veteran studio that isn’t afraid of adding one more game to that crowded list.
Set for release in 2014 (with a beta planned in the fall) for PC, Mac, and Linux, Strife is S2 Games’ second MOBA. Its first, Heroes of Newerth, will live side by side with it. The developers showed off Strife last week at an event in Sausalito, Calif., and gave me an exhaustive overview of their goals and motivations for the new game.
Strife is a MOBA: Two teams of five choose their characters, pick a path or lane to fight in, and try to destroy each other’s bases using their abilities and A.I.-controlled creatures. But the most intriguing part of Strife are the ideas that you don’t normally find in a MOBA. Here’s a rundown of six features that stood out.
Image Credit: S2 Games
Creating a deep backstory
S2 Games introduced us to Strife by talking about its extensive backstory, which is usually missing or tacked on in other MOBAs. Strife’s world consists of six different planes: Gale (high-fantasy realm), Tempra (fire and ice), Vorbis (cybernetic and underwater theme), Nestra (astrological), Lyrie (plants and animals), and an evil plane that remains closed off from the rest.
Characters from these different places gather for the Trials of Strife, a training ground that serves as the setting for the many online battles that will take place. Each hero has a specific reason for fighting, and you’ll see some of these tales in short animated clips, similar to what Valve did with Team Fortress 2. S2 is going to explore the plot outside of the game as well. It plans to have a Wikipedia-style site that breaks down the lore and a comic book series from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles co-creator Kevin Eastman.
Unleash the Krytos
Locked away near the center of the map is Krytos, a giant and powerful ape who’ll aid whichever team defeats the boss guarding him. After you collectively decide which lane he should run through (if you’re playing by yourself with A.I. teammates, you can just click one of the lanes), Krytos respawns on your side and smashes his way to the enemy base by attacking and disabling the deadly towers. He’s got a lot of health, but a well-coordinated team can take him down.
The philosophy behind Krytos is to give players the option to “create action” instead of passive gameplay, especially in matches where the winning team ends up playing defensively to protect their lead.
Image Credit: S2 Games
A ‘significantly less’ number of heroes
Some MOBAs have hundreds of characters to learn and master, but Strife will have much less than that — the developers would only say that it will not end up anywhere near 100. Due to this smaller pool of choices, Strife doesn’t have rigid specializations, like tanks (characters with high health) or support classes. Characters do have stats and abilities that fit into those traditional definitions, but they’re also flexible and well-rounded enough to occupy other roles.
Part of the thinking behind this is to get rid of the hostility among teams when specific roles aren’t represented on the field, a discrepancy that might lower your chances of winning. In Strife, you can play and customize your hero to whatever style that suits you.(CNN) Aviation police officers in Chicago are sitting targets for potential terrorists because they don't carry guns and are told to run and hide in the event of an attack, the union representing the officers said Thursday.
Matt Brandon, the secretary-treasurer of SEIU Local 73, warned city officials that the terrorist attack in Turkey is a "clear signal from international terrorists that they intend to kill and maim people in airports across the world."
In a scathing letter to Aviation Department Commissioner Ginger Evans, Brandon wrote, "Imagine if you will, the video recorded by cameras in Chicago's airports showing aviation police officers running alongside panicked and helpless travelers with a suicide vested terrorist pursuing them intent on killing as many of them as possible."
CNN investigation in December revealed that the nearly 300 aviation police officers at O'Hare and Midway airports are not only unarmed, but they are instructed to "run and hide" in the event of an active shooter. Officers repeatedly told CNN that the policy puts them in danger.
JUST WATCHED Airports ramp up security in wake of Istanbul attack Replay More Videos... MUST WATCH Airports ramp up security in wake of Istanbul attack 01:19
The aviation police officers work for the Chicago Department of Aviation and are all certified law enforcement officers in the state of Illinois. Many also work in suburban police departments or are military veterans.
Read MoreFor the second time in a week, a Colorado field office for President Barack Obama’s re-election campaign has been targeted.
KUSA-TV reported Friday that the campaign’s field office in Conifer, Colorado, was found with swastikas spray-painted on it.
According to The Denver Post, a spokesperson for the Johnson County Sheriff’s Department said a deputy answering a vandalism report that morning found three windows and five campaign signs for the president had been vandalized, though he did not know what had been spray-painted on them.
The swastika symbol is widely associated with the Nazi parties and accompanying philosophies like white supremacy.
Conifer is less than 60 miles away from Denver, where a gunshot was fired at an Obama campaign field office Oct. 12. A Denver Police spokesman said the bullet was recovered from inside the office, but he did not have an update on that investigation.
Members of the Obama campaign at the Conifer office refused to comment on Friday’s incident.
KUSA’s report on the swastika incident, aired Friday, can be seen below.After infiltrating the world of Super Pacs and political rallies, Stephen Colbert's quest for satirical world domination continues on Friday night when he assails the world of the indie-rock fest with a sort-of spoof music festival in New York.
The festival, which features a seriously cutting-edge slate, will be held on the flight deck of the Intrepid, the aircraft carrier-turned-museum docked on the west side of Manhattan island.
"This will be the greatest thing ever to happen on the Hudson river. Suck it, Sullenberger," Stephen Colbert promised on the 31 July episode of The Colbert Report as he announced his free festival: Pepsi Presents StePhest Colbchella '012: Rocktaugustfest, with a reference to the US Airways pilot Chesley Sullenberger, who successfully brought his stricken aircraft on the water in 2009.
Much like 2011's Dr Pepper Presents StePhest Colbchella '011: Rock You Like A Thirst-icane, Colbert includes the soda sponsors in the title to drive a subtle, satirical blow to the commercialized festivals that dominate the summer.
In 2011, Colbert explained why he was incorporating music into his cadre of movements, and said it was a fight against the: "half-naked patchouli-soaked white-guy-dreadlock festivals, like Lollapalooza, Bonnaroo, Coachella, Salmonella," and pointed to the big-name brands that support the "indie" rock-fests.
The not-very-indie Toyota, Citibank and Gap back the "cutting-edge" Lollapalooza, and Bonnaroo lists Ford, Dell and Miller Lite as some of its corporate sponsors.
State Farm marketing director Steve Gold explained that these milquetoast brands sponsorship of festivals know for their drug use and hip crowd to the International Business Times. Gold said: "We are a brand that has been around for 90 years, and we want to make sure that State Farm is as relevant to these young adults as we've been for their parents and for their grandparents."
These festivals rely on their corporate sponsors, and aside from any satirical agenda, Colbert's festival is about celebrating music and entertaining his fans. Well, that and to fight summer – a season Colbert said has a "well-known liberal bias."
This year, Colbert will bring Santigold, Grizzly Bear, The Flaming Lips, fun. and Grandmaster Flash on board the flight deck of the USS Intrepid in New York for a batch of performances and interviews to air the following week. Along with the musical stars and satirical master will be the 1,500 fans who reserved free tickets online.
When offered the opportunity to make his second appearance on The Colbert Report, The Flaming Lips frontman Wayne Coyne exclaimed: "Oh gosh! The terror that strikes when I realized I'm going to be interviewed once again by Stephen Colbert! … No. It's wonderful but him playing stupid is the smartest thing you'll encounter! What a rush to even think about it!"
Performances from Friday's festival will air every night during the week of August 13 beginning with fun. performing Some Nights on Monday and The Flaming Lips performing Ashes in Air Thursday 16 August. Each band will be performing a second song available exclusively on colbertnation.com.The second half of the season is upon us and with that, it’s time to give up on some big name guys. Luckily for you, the name of a player can often incite more interest than his actual stats, which is a good thing once you see the players below I suggest selling. You might feel reluctant to throw in the towel on these guys if you invested a high draft pick on them, but there’s no place for sentiment here. This is business. (People say that, right?) On the flip side, there are two players I suggest buying, whose names you may not know, but you should, as they can help your fantasy team win. People often get caught up with “big name” players, but it’s important not to overlook the ones that aren’t. Without further ado, here are my big name players to sell and small name players to buy.
Sell
Joey Votto: Votto is a great hitter and his career splits of.311/.418/.533 over 950 career games show just that. He’s the unique type of player who is able to hit for both average and power, while also getting on base at a high clip. Basically, he’s an ideal fantasy player. However, much of the success he’s had at the plate came when he was (I’m assuming) healthy. Votto injured his quad and was placed on the disabled list on May 16th, returned June 10th and has missed just one game since. However it’s likely that he’s not fully healthy – and may not be the rest of the season – and his numbers show it. Votto is hitting just.259/.398/.415. His on base percentage is still up there, but his average and slugging percentage have drastically dropped off from his career totals. He’s not hitting for power either as his isolated power (ISO) is just.156, a far cry from his career average of.223. While Votto has shown the ability to get on base despite his injury, that’s about all he’s doing. Considering he was a pre-season top-20 player and that he’s still ranked as basically a top-50 player (51 according to ESPN) by fantasy analysts, this shows that you should be able to get something decent in return for him. Sell now before he’s put on the DL again, or before his numbers get worse. Otherwise, it will be too late.
Joe Mauer: Mauer will be a tougher sell than Votto, especially since he landed on the DL four days ago. It helps that some of his missed time will be during the All-Star break, but selling players on the DL is n o easy task. Regardless, it’s time to move on from Mauer and take whatever you can get for him at this point. Hopefully you can find someone who thinks highly of him just based on his name alone, since it’s hard to find any positives in his numbers this season. His current.271/.342/.353 line is WAY down from his career splits of.320/.401/.461 or even what he posted last season (.324/.404/.476). Mauer has never been an elite power hitter, but his current ISO of.083 is dead last among qualified (by at-bats) first basemen. He’s also striking out much more, as his strikeout percentage (K%) has jumped 7.3% this season when compared to his career average (18.9% to 11.6%). Rankings at other sites aren’t as high on Mauer as they are on Votto, so again it will be a difficult sell, but he too looks like a player who might not be healthy again this season, so walk away now when there is still (some) value left.
Buy
C.J. Cron: Cron is a 24 year-old rookie who saw his first at-bat on May 3rd and has more or less been a starter (at first base or DH) since. Since the Angels released Raul Ibanez on June 21st, Cron has been out of the lineup only twice. In his 45 games played, Cron is hitting.286/.320/.529, with eight home runs and 24 runs batted in, which equates to roughly 30 home runs and 86 runs batted over a full season. His.243 ISO would be 9th best in baseball and his 28.2 line drive percentage (LD%) would be 3rd best, if he had enough at-bats to qualify for both. He strikes out too much (20.4 K%) and rarely walks (4.1 BB%), but you’re not adding him for his on base percentage, you’re adding him for his power. Cron has been hitting 7th in the Angels’ lineup, and while hitting this low would usually be of some concern, it’s not with Cron. The Angels are top-5 in most team batting statistics and are 3rd in runs scored, meaning there will be plenty of opportunities for Cron to hit with runners on base and drive in runs. You also may have the luxury of being able to add him for free, thus making him even more valuable. (For reference, his percent owned on Yahoo! is under 25%.) If you’re looking for power, grab Cron now.
Steve Pearce: The ship may have already sailed on adding Pearce as he has been on fire as of late. His splits for the season (48 games played) are.338/.397/.618, not much worse than what he hit in the month of June (.361/.432/.667). His.280 ISO would be 5th best in baseball and his.618 slugging percentage,.437 weighted on base percentage (wOBA) and 179 runs created plus (wRC+) would all be 2nd best in baseb all if, like Cron, he had enough at-bats to qualify. He even has four stolen bases to boot. His 2.5 fWAR (FanGraphs’ version of wins above replacement) in only 48 games puts him on a pace for a fWAR of 8.4 over a full season, which would have been bested only by Mike Trout last season. Pearce’s teammate, Nelson Cruz, who is currently tied for the league lead in home runs, has a worse fWAR (2.0) in 38 more games played. Pearce is killing the ball now, but as he’s never played more than 61 games in a MLB season, I’d understand if you’re skeptical. Seeing as how his Yahoo! ownership is under 40%, adding him for free is a zero-risk move, but I recommend trading for him if he’s not on the waiver wire. He bats 2nd in a top-10 offensive lineup that has Adam Jones and the aforementioned HR leader Nelson Cruz hitting behind him, meaning even if the power drops off, he’ll still have plenty of opportunities to score runs. Scoop him up before his current tear gets any hotter (.417/.444/.958 the last seven days).
As always, follow me on Twitter @BenBBruno and check out my most recent post on the Washington Nationals here, in which I recap how the first half of the season went for them.I'd like to believe that I'm pretty productive, and people seem interested in how I do it. Previously, I had written "How I Am Productive"and it became one of my most popular essays of all time.
The real secret is that, in the past, I wasn't nearly as productive. I struggled with procrastination, had issues completing assignments on time, and always felt like I never had enough time to do things. But, starting in January 2013 and continuing for the past year and a half, I have slowly implemented several systems and habits in my life that, taken together, have made me productive.
I've learned productivity, and I want to try to teach it to others.
When I wrote "How I Am Productive", I kind of brain dumped everything that I knew in one place. To do better, I should help people go one step at a time. I also focused a lot on particulars of my situation -- to do better, I should be more general. The aim of this -- Productivity 101 for Beginners -- is to try to make a general, step-by-step guide to increasing people's productivity.
...It's basically what I would do if I somehow had to start over.
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Disclaimer: This is still advice based on what works for me. I've attempted to validate it by trying it on a couple of other people and integrating feedback. I've also tried to improve it based on what I've learned in the year between writing this and writing "How I Am Productive". But your mileage still may vary, and I'm not a professional coach.
Step One: Get some goals!
...So here's my step-by-step guide to being productive....Start on step one. Focus on step one. Do not move on from step one until you're done with step one.
Most people think productivity starts with "how", but I always find that it starts with "why".
Why do you want to be productive?
...If you could do more, what would you do? Would you try to exercise? Would you practice programming regularly? Would you start writing?
Action point for this step: Carefully pick two goals -- two things that you want to accomplish that you're currently not doing. Focus on them and how awesome it would be if you could get those things done!
Avoid this common mistake: Do not pick more than two goals. Only focus on two to start small and simple. You can add more goals later.
You can progress to the next step when you've picked two goals that you're excited about. These are the reasons why you want to be productive.
Step Two: Track Your Time!
So you have your two goals now. (If you don't have your two goals, go back to Step One.) We now know why you want to be productive.
Now we have to make some time for your goals. But in order to do that, we have to figure out where your time is currently going.
Action point for this step: Using paper and a pencil, Google Calendar, Toggl, or some other time tracker, map out roughly what you do on a given week. If your week is atypical, wait until a more typical week. If all your weeks are atypical, just track one and we'll work with it.
Avoid this common mistake: Don't stress out about timing. You can do rough estimates (I started out with fifteen minute intervals, but half hour intervals are fine) and if you miss something, it's ok. It might take a day of practice. Remember to have your timer with you (carry your notebook, get Toggl's mobile app, etc.) so it's easier to track things.
You can progress to the next step when you have at least three days of usable timelogs, preferably a week of timelogs.
Step Three: Timebox
Now you have to figure out when you want to accomplish your goals. Timeboxing refers to making a box of time in your calendar when you'll accomplish something.
Action point for this step: Look in your timelog to see if you have any time that you're not spending the way you want, and make that the time you do your goals. When I started out, I found that I would read the internet aimlessly for two hours a day. I cut that down to one hour and then used that free hour to exercise.
You might find that good times include right when you wake up, right before you go to sleep, after class, before work, after work, etc. Lots of different times work for different people -- just find a time that works for you!
Avoid this common mistake: Don't cut out too much suboptimal time. Breaks are important for rest! Maybe you can set a timer (implicitly based on agreeing only to watch one TV episode, or an actual timer that rings), take a break for that amount, and then do what productive thing you want. Remember how excited you are about doing it, and how bad you'll feel if you watch that second TV show!
You can progress to the next step when you have a concrete time in which you will accomplish both your goals.
Step Four: Commit!
We've long recognized that we can't get our goals done ourselves -- weakness of will is just too strong. You need the power of a commitment device if you actually want to accomplish your goals in the long-run -- there is no other way.
Action point for this step: Bind both your goals to some sort of commitment device that works for you. Go to the gym with a friend and don't let them let you cancel. Sign up for Beeminder. Sign up for HabitRPG. Bet a friend. Start making checkmarks for every day on track and don't let yourself break the streak. Do more than one of these things. Do whatever it takes to get yourself on track!
Avoid this common mistake: Don't use a commitment device that doesn't work for you. If you'd lie to Beeminder, don't use it. If you'd lie to a friend you bet, find some way to increase their oversight so that you can't lie. You have to make your commitment device inescapable.
You can progress to the next step when you have a commitment device that has successfully made you stick to your two habits for five days in a row. If your commitment device isn't working, get a new one. If your time isn't working, choose a new time. If you find yourself still failing, maybe your goal isn't important to you? Focus on why you want to do this goal, or consider switching goals.
Step Five: Keep Going!
Don't stop now! Keep your habit up!
Action point for this step: Continue to stick to your two goals.
Avoid this common mistake: Do not add more goals. You must focus on your current two goals in order to make them stick. It's worth it in the long run.
You can progress to the next step when you have stuck to your goal successfully for three weeks.
Step Six: Build!
Congrats on getting this far. Now you're ready to add more goals as you see fit and dig into more advanced productivity advice.
Remember to keep things going slow. Productivity is a marathon, not a sprint, and the same rules apply. Minor setbacks don't matter if the long-run is an improvement.
You have reached the end of Productivity 101, but I'd be glad to help you further. I'd love feedback on how it went for you.
...I'd also love feedback if one of the steps didn't work for you, so I can improve this guide for you or others.CLOSE With Thursday's financial deadline looming, team owners Wendy and David Dworkin talk about the soccer team and stadium issues and the future. Jeff DiVeronica, Virginia Butler and Olivia Lopez
Buy Photo Rob Clark, who took over as Rhinos owner in 2008, relinquished control of the team last month. (Photo: 2010 file photo)Buy Photo
City officials have fended off questions in recent days about what to do with an empty soccer stadium, should the Rochester Rhinos not play next season.
But what if the stadium truly was emptied — not just of sports teams, but furniture, concessions and video equipment?
“I bought it. I own it — |
anyone touching it.” (page 194)
Clocks were hardly the only European invention that dazzled the Chinese. One of the many that Ricci mentions was the use of quadrants with limbs graduated in degrees to measure distances. “They marveled that one could figure the height of a tower, the depth of a ditch or of a valley, or the length of a road by means of quadrants,” Ricci noted. (page 326) In Nanjing, he let the public view the presents he was bringing to the emperor: “[V]isitors came in crowds to see them. The novelty of the gifts surpassed their expectations to such an extent that astonishment robbed many of their power to praise them, and they seemed never to tire of examining them and of talking about them.” (page 348)
Ricci also noted that the Chinese calendar was inaccurate and that although Chinese astronomers spent a great deal of time trying to predict eclipses, they made “innumerable errors.” (page 31) After Ricci’s death, in 1629, the emperor’s astronomers predicted that a solar eclipse would occur at 10:30 on June 21 and last two hours. The Jesuits predicted that the eclipse would be at 11:30 and last only two minutes. The Jesuits’ prediction was accurate. As a result, the emperor asked the Jesuits to revise the Chinese calendar.
Among the other innovations the Jesuits introduced into China in the 16th and 17th centuries were the Archimedes screw pump (a cylinder enclosing a screw used to lift water for irrigation), algebraic notation, the telescope, logarithm tables, the slide rule, and such European tools for making instruments as graduated scales and micrometer screws.
Europeans and Multiculturalism
I will quote one more of Father Ricci’s observations:
When they [the Chinese] set about building, they seem to gauge things by the span of a human life... Whereas, Europeans in accordance with the urge of their civilization seem to strive for the eternal. This trait of theirs [the Chinese] makes it impossible for them … to give credence … when we tell them that many of our buildings have withstood the elements for … a hundred years and some even for one or two thousand years … [T]hey do not dig into the ground to build up foundations, but merely place large stones on the unbroken surface of the ground; or, if they do dig foundations, these do not go deeper than a yard or two … [M]ost of their buildings are constructed of wood, or if made in masonry they are covered in by roofs supported by wooden columns. (pages 19-20)
It is typical of Ricci’s objectivity that he refers to Europeans in the third person: “Europeans in accordance with the urge of their civilization.”
Ricci also translated the Confucian Four Books into Latin because “it is no use at all to know only our learning without knowing theirs;” and, with another Italian Jesuit, compiled a Portuguese-Mandarin dictionary, for which they developed the first consistent system for transcribing Chinese words in the Latin alphabet. Father Ricci’s interest in other civilizations, his objectivity when describing them, and his desire to acquaint other Europeans with them have always been fundamental and unique characteristics of Western civilization.
From the beginning of European civilization, with the ancient Greeks, Europeans have been multiculturalists; and Europeans have been the world’s only multiculturalists. The first extant European history was written by Herodotus in the fifth century BC. The Greek word historia meant investigation, and Herodotus’ historia is as much what we call anthropology as history. He recorded and analyzed what he learned during his travels throughout Egypt, as far east as modern Iran, and along the coast of the Black Sea. He was fascinated by the diversity of human cultures and expected his readers to be fascinated. He was also rigorously non-judgmental, emphasizing that custom determines what people think is right and wrong; as he wrote in Book 3, Chapter 38, “custom is king.”
Ancient Greek literature reflected the same attitude to non-Greeks, beginning with the first extant work of European literature, the Iliad, which Homer composed in the eighth century BC. The Iliad narrates events in the tenth year of the Greek siege of Troy. Homer showed as much sympathy for the Trojans as for the Greeks. In particular, he portrayed the leading Trojan warrior, Hector, in a loving interaction with his wife and son, as well as the agony of Hector’s bereaved parents after he was killed by the leading Greek warrior, Achilles. Such sympathy is uniquely European. Surely, it never occurred to the author of the First Book of Samuel to depict the grief of Goliath’s parents after David killed him.
Sympathy often became self-flagellation. In the fifth century BC, Euripides wrote two plays — Hecuba and Trojan Women — in which he depicted the Greeks’ savage cruelty to the defenseless Trojan women and children after the capture of Troy. (All plays in Athens were performed before mass audiences.) The brutality of the Greeks to the defeated, defenseless Trojans was also a favorite subject of ancient Greek vase painting. By contrast, the narrative sculpture of the Assyrians, who dominated the Middle East from the ninth to the end of the seventh century BC, represented defeated enemies with pyramids of stacked-up skulls, communicating no feeling except triumph.
The ancient Romans had the same fascination with foreign cultures as the Greeks. Examples are Julius Caesar’s description of the Gauls in his Gallic War; Sallust’s of the peoples of North Africa in his Jugurtha; and Tacitus’ of the Germans and natives of Britain in his Germania and Agricola. No other ancient people had such an interest. When the ancient Egyptians mentioned other nationalities, they nearly always attached adjectives like “vile” and “lowly” to their names.
The Romans also shared the Greeks’ penchant for self-denigration. The Roman Empire extended from Scotland to the Sahara Desert and from the Atlantic Ocean to the border of what is now Iraq. The population of that huge area enjoyed unprecedented peace and prosperity. To take two examples, literacy was so widespread that most orders and regulations in the Roman army were written, because all soldiers were literate; and the cities and towns of the Roman Empire had purer water and more efficient sewage disposal than any European city was to have again until the 1870s. Large areas of North Africa and the Middle East still have not recovered the level of literacy or of sanitation that they had when they were part of the Roman Empire. Also, contrary to Hollywood depictions, slaves never rowed ships in the ancient world, and slavery played only a minor role in the Roman economy. Nevertheless, the Romans dwelt obsessively on every injustice and brutality that they committed in their history. (When I would point that out to my South African students, at least a few would always observe, “So they were like Americans.”)
One way in which the Romans denigrated themselves was through the ethnographic descriptions of foreign cultures that I mentioned. These served two purposes. One was to provide information, which was usually accurate. But their authors also used them to cast a harshly negative light on their own, Roman, civilization.
Nearly every Roman who wrote a description of a foreign people created at least one vitriolic anti-Roman speech and put it into the mouth of an enemy of Rome. The best known is in Chapters 30-32 of Tacitus’ Agricola: The Romans are “robbers of the earth … They apply the fraudulent name empire to plunder, slaughter, and theft; where they create a desert, they call it peace.”
Another way in which the Romans used ethnographic descriptions to castigate themselves was with comparisons between the (usually imagined) virtues of other peoples and their own (greatly exaggerated) vices. The best known is in chapters 18-19 of Tacitus’ Germania, in which he contrasted the Germans’ marital fidelity with the casual attitude towards adultery of Roman society. Among the Germans, “no one laughs at vice; nor is seducing and being seduced called the spirit of the age.” I would add that Tacitus was not just the greatest ancient Roman historian; he was a senator, who held many high positions, including governor of what is now western Turkey.
Europeans have ever since used other cultures, especially primitive cultures (or even talking horses, as in Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels), to criticize themselves. Most readers of this article can think of many examples; I will provide only three. Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) was as erudite, intellectually sophisticated, and skeptical a man as ever lived. His motto was Que sçais-je? (What do I know?) Yet, in his essay Des cannibales (“On Cannibals”), he wrote that the natives of Brazil retain their “vigorous” “natural virtues” and “pure and simple” “naturalness” because they have been “very little corrupted” by contact with the vanity and frivolity of Europeans. The natives of Brazil “surpass … the conceptions and the very desire of philosophy … The words that signify lying, treachery, dissimulation, avarice, envy, belittling, pardon are unheard of [among them].”
Europeans have been so desperate to show the superiority of primitive peoples over themselves that they have even praised human sacrifice. That includes a Catholic priest. Father Bartolomé de Las Casas (1484-1566) wrote in his Apologia that the Aztecs “surpassed all other nations in religiosity, because the most religious nations are those that offer their own children in sacrifice for the good of their people.” He explained that “one could argue convincingly, on the basis of God ordering Abraham to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, that God does not entirely hate human sacrifice.” (In fact, one of the main purposes of the story of the sacrifice of Isaac is to show that God does not want human sacrifice. Las Casas must have known that the Old Testament repeatedly and vehemently condemns human sacrifice.)
My third example is more recent. In Earth in the Balance: Ecology and the Human Spirit (1992), ex-vice president and anti-global-warming crusader Albert Gore quoted (page 259) as an ecological ideal the reply of Chief Seattle to President Pierce’s offer in 1855 to buy his tribe’s land, “How can you buy or sell the sky? The land? The idea is strange to us … Every part of the earth is sacred to my people … [T]he earth does not belong to man, man belongs to the earth.” Gore describes this speech as “one of the most moving and frequently quoted explanations” of American Indians’ attitude to the environment.
It has, indeed, been frequently quoted, but only since 1971, when screenwriter Ted Perry wrote it for an ABC television drama. The real Chief Seattle, who owned slaves and murdered nearly all his rivals, praised President Pierce for the generosity of his offer. The American Indians, like all primitive peoples, slaughtered animals and destroyed vegetation with wanton recklessness.
In addition to a strong propensity to self-denigration, modern Europeans also share with the ancient Greeks and Romans a powerful desire to learn as much as they can about other civilizations. From the time of the Arab conquest of the Middle East and North Africa, Europeans studied Arabic and tried to learn about the Arabs. Pope Clement V (1305-14) urged universities to establish chairs in Arabic. Permanent chairs in Arabic were established at the Collège de France in 1538, the University of Leiden before the end of the sixteenth century, Cambridge in 1632, and Oxford in 1636.
Edward Gibbon recorded in his Autobiography (page 79 of the edition by D. A. Saunders) that when he entered Oxford in 1752, he considered studying Arabic because “Oriental [i.e., Middle Eastern] learning has always been the pride of Oxford.” Well before that, Europeans had written many grammars and dictionaries of Arabic, Persian, and Turkish; translations and editions of Muslim books; and analyses of Muslim literature and religion. In fact, the first book printed by a printing press in England (1477), Dictes [sic] and Sayings of the Philosophers, was an English version of an Arabic book by Mubashir Ibn Fatik. By 1603, 49 books on the Turks had been published in English. Of all the books published in France between 1480 and 1700, more than twice as many were about the Turkish Empire as about North and South America. It was Europeans and Americans who deciphered the ancient languages of Egypt, Persia, and Mesopotamia and reconstructed their ancient histories.
This fascination with foreign cultures is uniquely Western. The Chinese attitude to foreigners, which Father Ricci described, has characterized all non-Western societies. The Arabs ruled much of the Iberian Peninsula for nearly 800 years; the Turks ruled most of southeastern Europe for nearly 500 years. But neither the Arabs nor Turks had any interest in learning European languages. They used European converts to Islam as interpreters.
An excellent illustration of this parochialism is the most eminent Muslim historian of the late seventeenth and early eighteenth century, the Turk, Mustafa Naima (1665-1716), who lived most of his life in Istanbul. Naima was unusually objective, inquisitive, and open-minded for a Muslim historian. He was judicious and critical in his use of sources. Historians still rely on his major work, which was translated in 1832 with the title Annals of the Turkish Empire from 1591-1659 of the Christian Era.
However, Naima knew nothing about Europe. In the preface to his Annals, he saw nothing incongruous about comparing Europe of the time he was writing (1704) with Europe of the Crusaders. Both had many Germans and both had an emperor! (pages ix-x) Naima was a contemporary of Newton, Leibnitz, Leeuwenhoek, and Locke. Yet, after listing now totally forgotten Turkish religious scholars, he wrote, “This much is sufficient to awaken the envy of the Christians.” (page ix)
The French conquest and occupation of Egypt between 1798 and 1801 forced a few Egyptian Muslims to take Europeans seriously. Fortunately, one of them, Abdul Al-Jabarti, wrote detailed observations about the French in Egypt. An English translation has been published with the title Napoleon in Egypt: Al-Jabarti’s Chronicle of the French Occupation (expanded edition, 2004). Al-Jabarti criticized the French Republic’s hostility to Christianity and the granting of equal rights to Egyptian Christians and Jews. (pages 28, 32, 189-90) But he praised the French for their humane treatment of the Egyptians they employed in public works, to whom they paid wages, instead of conscripting them and driving them with whips, as Egyptian governments had done. (page 195) He also expressed wonder and amazement at European science and technology (pages 110, 195) and at the fact that “the glorious Qur’an is translated into their language! Also many other Islamic books … many verses of which they know by heart. They … make great efforts to learn the Arabic language … In this they strive day and night.” (page 110)
So, an obsession with self-criticism and a passion to learn as much as possible about other civilizations have been among the unique and fundamental characteristics of Western civilization since its beginning. These characteristics have undoubtedly contributed to another characteristic that is as uniquely and fundamentally Western: ceaseless, incessant change, adaptation, and improvement. This characteristic must be a basic cause of the West’s rise to world predominance, even over Orientals, despite their somewhat higher average intelligence.
To illustrate the importance of these characteristics, I will return again to Father Ricci’s diaries. He noted that the best Chinese paper was vastly inferior to European paper. “It cannot be written or printed on both sides … Moreover, it tears easily and does not stand up well against time.” (page 16) Yet, the Chinese invented paper centuries before it was used in Europe. In 1620, Francis Bacon observed in Book I, Chapter 129 of his Novum Organum (New Instrument) that printing, gunpowder, and the compass “have changed the whole face and state of things throughout the world … no empire, no sect, no star seems to have exerted greater power and influence in human affairs than these mechanical discoveries.” All three were invented in China centuries before Europeans began using them, but only Europeans developed them and applied them to transform their society and then the entire world. Ricci observed that “the Chinese are not expert in the use of guns and artillery and make but little use of them in war.” (page 18) By Ricci’s time, Europeans had used the compass to explore and map the entire world, while the Chinese thought that the world consisted of China and a few small off-shore islands.
Of these inventions, printing is obviously the most valuable. By 1500, less than fifty years after Gutenberg printed the first book with interchangeable metallic type, 236 European cities and towns had printing presses, and Europeans had printed 30,000 titles — about 20 million books in total — in more than a dozen languages. (By 1483, printing type had been cast in the Cyrillic alphabet and in Greek by 1501.) The Spanish had set up printing presses in Latin America by 1533 and the Portuguese in their colony of Goa, in India, by 1557. By 1600, when the population of Europe was approximately 100 million, between 140 and 200 million books had been printed. By 1605, newspapers had appeared, at first specializing in business news.
Everywhere else in the world, nearly all books continued to be copied by hand into the 19th century. The first printing press in the Muslim world was established in Istanbul in 1727, by a Hungarian convert to Islam, who employed a Jew as master printer. By 1815, 63 titles (an average of fewer than one a year) were printed in Istanbul, the intellectual center of the Muslim world; and most of these titles were printed in quantities of less than a thousand copies. The first printing press in Egypt was established by the French, when they occupied it in 1798. By contrast, the Qur’an in Arabic was printed in Venice in 1530, nearly two centuries before any book was printed in the Muslim world.
To anyone reared in the West, the indifference of the entire non-Western world to such a spectacularly useful innovation as printing seems amazing. The reason for this indifference is that all non-Western cultures have had the same attitude of smug self-congratulation and disdain for foreigners as Father Ricci noted among the Chinese.
The self-criticism and fascination with other civilizations that have characterized Western civilization from its beginning have been a crucial factor in its rise to predominance.
However, self-criticism and fascination with other civilizations could be positive forces only while large population movements between civilizations did not occur. When large numbers of non-Westerners began to flow into Western countries, these same factors became suicidal. Aristotle observed that there are two types of vices: those that derive from a vicious nature and those that are the excesses of virtues.
Original Article
Share ThisGOODYEAR, Ariz. — At the last out of the 2013 regular season, the top of the American League Central looked like this:
Detroit: 93-69
Cleveland: 92-70
Article continues below...
One game. That’s it.
"To be fair about it, though, they knew they won," Indians manager Terry Francona reminded me Sunday, referring to how the Tigers lost their final three games after clinching. "They kind of manhandled us during the year, and they took care of what they needed to. I understand your point: We ended up being one game back.
"But with a week to go, they knew they had it. So... we have a ways to go."
Perhaps. The Tigers did dominate the Indians last year: They won the season series 15-4 and throttled the Cleveland pitching staff for 6.3 runs per game. The Tigers’ payroll was nearly double that of the Indians in 2013 — and it often looked that way when the teams played.
The Tigers are the only major league team with division titles in each of the past three years. And they are widely expected to continue that streak under first-year manager Brad Ausmus, with a roster featuring the two-time defending AL MVP (Miguel Cabrera), reigning AL Cy Young Award winner (Max Scherzer), 2011 AL MVP/Cy Young (Justin Verlander), and 2013 AL ERA champion (Anibal Sanchez).
Yet... look at those 2013 standings again: One game.
Cabrera and Verlander, both of whom will play this season at 31, underwent core muscle repair surgeries in the offseason. Relief pitching is a major concern in Detroit, coming off a year in which the Tigers had the worst bullpen ERA of any AL contender — despite a rotation that logged the most innings in the majors. Rested bullpens are supposed to perform better, not worse. What happens if the Detroit relievers are asked to cover more innings in 2014, as the rotation regresses because of its heavy workload in recent years?
Meanwhile, news that the Tigers traded Prince Fielder and Doug Fister over the offseason was well-received in Northeast Ohio. Fielder has a.902 OPS in 42 career games against Cleveland, while Fister pitches like an All-Star (5-3, 2.73 ERA, 14 starts) when he faces the Indians.
So, would it be that outrageous to pick the Indians in the AL Central?
Without Fielder and Fister, shouldn’t the Indians be able to turn that 15-4 season series into, say, 13-6? Last year, as it turned out, that would have been enough. If you were in the Indians’ clubhouse, might you take stock of your rival — with the losses of two players who stung you so routinely — and wonder if 2014 is the year to overtake the mighty Tigers?
"You could look at it that way," acknowledged Nick Swisher, the Indians’ voluble and charismatic first baseman. "But for us, we’re really focused on the things we have to do in here. We’re not necessarily putting ourselves up against one team, because we’ve got to beat everybody.
"Last year was an amazing run for us at the end of September. People gave us a lot of (crap), saying we had an easy schedule the last 10 games, but, hell, we played everybody early in the year. They weren’t saying (anything) about it then. For us, man, what we accomplished last year gave a lot of these young guys in here a little taste of that. Everybody knows once you get a little taste of that, man, you want the whole thing."
Are the Indians truly good enough to win the whole thing? Offensively, yes. They ranked sixth in the majors in runs scored last year and should be even better with Carlos Santana, Jason Kipnis and Michael Brantley now solidly in their primes. Swisher and Michael Bourn also will be more consistent in their second seasons with the team.
The starting rotation, though, looms as the major question. Ubaldo Jimenez and Scott Kazmir are gone after accounting for 61 starts and 23 victories in 2014. Even without Fister, the Tigers have a superior rotation. Consider:
Detroit: Verlander, Scherzer, Sanchez, Rick Porcello, Drew Smyly.
Cleveland: Justin Masterson, Corey Kluber, Zach McAllister, Danny Salazar, and a fifth-starter derby involving Aaron Harang, Shaun Marcum, Carlos Carrasco, Josh Tomlin and Trevor Bauer.
As with the standings, though, the difference might not be as immense as you might think.
"We don’t even necessarily know who our full rotation is quite yet," Swisher said. "But Corey Kluber had an amazing year last year. No one even knew who this cat was. Next thing you know, he’s running 94-mph cutters off people’s knuckles.
"Then you take a guy like Danny Salazar. He’s throwing 100 miles an hour – like it’s nothin’. You bring up these young studs, these young thundercats, man — the sky’s the limit for us."
With the first and perhaps only "thundercats" reference of the spring, Swisher highlighted another of the team’s attributes: Due in large part to the culture Francona brought when he took the job before last season, the Indians have one of the most entertaining clubhouses in baseball. Even on a Sunday morning before the official start of full-squad workouts, Swisher held court — at midseason volume — as Bourn and others laughed.
As the din rose with pockets of conversation popping up throughout the room, it became obvious: These guys really like each other. As the 2013 Red Sox (and 2012 Giants) have demonstrated recently, that matters. The Indians know they’re good. They also know the pressure is on a different team to win the division. That’s a good place to be.
"Looking at this team, from the outside looking in, they kind of reminded me of where the Rangers were in 2009," observed David Murphy, who signed with the Indians this winter after playing in the ’10 and ’11 World Series with the Rangers. "They were knocking on the door. They were almost there. They just came up a little bit short.
"Comparing this team to the Tigers, there’s definitely a lot of heart in here. You look at the list of names on paper. You’ve got Cabrera. You’ve got Verlander. You’ve got Scherzer. You’ve got Victor Martinez. The list goes on and on. We have some incredible talent in here — Swisher, Carlos Santana, Kipnis. There’s a lot of great names in here. But let’s be honest: Miguel Cabrera is a marquee name in major league baseball. Justin Verlander is a marquee name in major league baseball. It’s nice to have that underdog mentality and be that team that’s going to sneak in there and show, ‘Hey, we can play with y’all. Weâre going to be right there."
About now, you may be wondering which team I’ll pick in the AL Central. Truth is, I don’t know. My AL predictions were so pathetic in 2013 — Blue Jays in the East, Royals in the Central, Angels in the West — that I’m serving a one-year, self-imposed suspension from all baseball prognosticating. But the case is under appeal. Since Fredric Horowitz was busy with another baseball matter, I’m serving as my own independent arbitrator. I will let myself know once I have made a decision.
In the meantime, I’m comfortable making the following statement: The Indians are close to overtaking the Tigers atop the AL Central. And if you don’t believe me, check the standings.News came out this month that News came out this month that a Domestic Violence shelter for male survivors opened in Batesville, Arkansas. According to the article, it is the first shelter for male survivors in the country. Several people on my Facebook Newsfeed (an extremely scientific sample) posted this news happily. And while the increase in resources for domestic violence survivors is a good thing, I think we need to be careful before we get too excited about this.
Before I get too "Debbie Downer," I want to first acknowledge that male survivors of domestic violence are a real and important thing, and male survivors face stigma and other gendered issues that women don't. Men that have survived domestic violence should have resources, and in a perfect world, there would be shelters for men everywhere they are needed. But the problem is we don't live in a perfect world of unlimited resources, and money going towards this shelter means that money did not go towards other services for women, who make up about 80% of DV victims and survivors, according to the Before I get too "Debbie Downer," I want to first acknowledge that male survivors of domestic violence are a real and important thing, and male survivors face stigma and other gendered issues that women don't. Men that have survived domestic violence should have resources, and in a perfect world, there would be shelters for men everywhere they are needed. But the problem is we don't live in a perfect world of unlimited resources, and money going towards this shelter means that money did not go towards other services for women, who make up about 80% of DV victims and survivors, according to the National Domestic Violence Hotline
In the case of the Batesville shelter, the founders themselves said that the other option was a transitional shelter for women leaving the emergency shelter program. Further, from October to early February, only five men have used this nine-bed facility. Because of the gender disparity of survivors, it's likely that these resources would have served many more women at this point. In fact, In the case of the Batesville shelter, the founders themselves said that the other option was a transitional shelter for women leaving the emergency shelter program. Further, from October to early February, only five men have used this nine-bed facility. Because of the gender disparity of survivors, it's likely that these resources would have served many more women at this point. In fact, a 2012 report from Domestic Violence Arkansas says "Ongoing funding cuts to our transitional housing program means that victims stay in shelter longer. This longer stay results in fewer beds available in emergency shelter for other survivors."
In the face of cuts to transitional shelters for women that lead to crowding of emergency shelters, diverting resources to create underused facilities doesn't seem like the best use of those resources.
Once again, it's not that these five men don't deserve gender competent services, because they absolutely do. Ideally, every survivor would have this access. But at the end of the day, this means that women who would have taken advantage of that transitional shelter didn't receive services that they could have used.
It is also important to remember that the men not have gone without services; they would have just been housed with women. Although the men's shelter hugely benefits women since they now don't have to share housing with men, some survivors of interpersonal violence are LGBT folks, so single sex housing doesn't eliminate the situation of a person being housed with their abuser.
I am perhaps especially wary of Domestic Violence shelters for men because one of Men's Right's Activists rallying cries is "why aren't there domestic violence shelters for men"? They ask this without ever acknowledging that the whole reason that interpersonal violence is even seen as problematic in the first place is because of feminism.
I really wish that we had the resources for all survivors of all interpersonal violence could get all the services that they need, including men, women, and genderqueer people. Ideally, we would have the resources to eradicate interpersonal violence, but that's a whole other thing. In a vacuum, "why aren't there domestic violence shelters for men?" seems like a reasonable question. However, we don't live in a vacuum and this presumes a false equivalency, that men and women face the same circumstances. This is of course not true for a million reasons, but the fact that 80% of survivors are women and therefore women's shelters are overflowing with people and the men's shelter have beds to spare is one of the ways this plays out.
Gender and its concepts and contexts are very important when talking about domestic violence. Whether the violence is perpetrated by a man, woman, genderqueer, or other non-binary person, domestic violence is always a gendered issue, and that needs to be taken into account. It is no coincidence that women are much more likely to be survivors than men. Interpersonal violence has strong roots in sexism and colonialism (see Gender and its concepts and contexts are very important when talking about domestic violence. Whether the violence is perpetrated by a man, woman, genderqueer, or other non-binary person, domestic violence is always a gendered issue, and that needs to be taken into account. It is no coincidence that women are much more likely to be survivors than men. Interpersonal violence has strong roots in sexism and colonialism (see Incite's Color of Violence book for excellent discussion and illumination of these issues).
Domestic violence is one enactment of patriarchy where someone, most often a woman, is robbed of her personhood and treated like possession of her, most often male, abuser. We live in a culture where boys are advertised to by telling them a product will help them "get" girls, where objectification of women in advertising is still rampant, where black women — just by existing — are seen as simultaneously too sexual yet also sexless. When women still have to deal with so much harassment just walking down the street, it is clear that things are not equal, and domestic violence is yet another one of these problematic petals on patriarchy's gross flower.
No matter who the perpetrators or survivors are, toxic masculinity is always a part of domestic violence and I am skeptical that a shelter for men would spend time indicting the system that makes domestic violence so common (i.e. patriarchy) beyond dealing with the stigma that male survivors face.
Maybe I am wrong about this, and maybe this is a super feminist men's shelter. I hope that I am. Even though all survivors of domestic violence deserve safe spaces to heal and services that will help them with whatever needs they have, in a reality where resources are scarce, we need to be careful with what we prioritize. It is also crucial that the gendered aspects of domestic violence are at the forefront so we can attack the toxic elements of masculinity at its roots as we work towards a world without interpersonal violence.One of the hottest new libraries in frontend development is Ember.js. It’s a framework built to improve and expedite the development process of web applications.
Many developers are latching to this project because of the great community and powerful tools. But most newcomers will admit that Ember.js presents a very steep learning curve.
In this post I’ve organized the ultimate collection of Ember.js learning materials both free and paid. If you’re looking to get started with Ember then this post will have something for you.
Ember.js Intro & Prerequisites
Ember is based in MVC so the more you know about MVC the easier it’ll be to learn Ember. Granted the team has changed directions recently, but an understanding of MVC architecture is still incredibly useful for picking up the basics.
If you don’t know anything about MVC check out this video. It’s hard to explain MVC without using a language as an example, so as you search don’t be discouraged if results lead you back to the same programming languages.
And it should go without saying that you’ll need a firm grasp on the primary frontend languages. HTML, CSS, and basic JavaScript development should all be ingrained into your brain before attempting to learn Ember.
You don’t need to be an expert frontend dev to get on the learning track. But if you struggle with basic JavaScript fundamentals then you’ll have an even more difficult time picking up Ember.
Also note that Ember.js uses Handlebars.js for templating. This should be easy to pick up as you go along, so you really don’t need to master the Handlebars library before starting. But don’t be surprised when templating keeps coming up in tutorials.
Note that Ember does have a steep learning curve and will take patience. This will be easier if you already know MVC concepts and a good amount of JavaScript. But even with that advantage you’ll still need to put in the hours to understand & build full-scale Ember web applications.
Online Tutorials
The first place most users start is on the web. Developers often write custom tutorials to teach other devs new techniques.
I recently stumbled onto this intro tutorial on The Tech Cofounder. It teaches the absolute basics of Ember setup by using the Ember CLI. This is a very long post and it’s not all beginner level material.
However it does guide you through some important topics like routing and templating with the command line.
A much more newbie-friendly intro is Vic Ramon’s Ember tutorial broken down into 22 chapters.
I this this is the quintessential guide for anyone looking to learn Ember for free. Yes you can follow through the Ember.js documentation, but that’s not always helpful and can even be confusing to some readers.
Vic’s guide is fluid and very natural in its segue between topics. You start with the basic setup and “Hello, world” application but quickly move into routing, views, controllers, and more advanced real-world programming concepts for Ember applications.
If there’s one place you choose to start it should be Vic’s guide. It’ll hold your hand throughout the whole process and if you have questions you can always ask with the emberjs tag on Stack.
One other friendly introductory post is this one on Smashing Magazine. It is a few years old so a few of the snippets may be out of date compared to the current version of Ember.
However I have to tip my hat to the author Julien Knebel and the entire Smashing editorial team. They did an excellent job on this piece and there’s even an organized table of contents to help you browse through the sections.
Everything I’ve ever found on Smashing Magazine has been the highest quality content. I think the same can be said of their guided intro to Ember.js.
The only other design blog I think of for high-quality content is SitePoint. And while doing a search I did stumble onto a guide for getting started with Ember that I think would suit any frontend developer.
And if you didn’t already know, Ember.js does have its own guide for newbies. It’s completely free and developed from the Ember.js team so it’s always up to date.
You’ll start with the basics of installing Ember on your computer and quickly move through all the fundamentals. If you’re a self-starter with experience in other JS frameworks like React then you should have no problem with Ember’s documentation.
But I’ve often found these types of guides to be verbose and too assumptive in nature, leaving many eager developers behind in a pool of their own frustration. So my goal of presenting these other tutorials is to give you alternate options to follow if you ever get stuck on one particular guide.
And here are some honorable mentions also worth checking out:
Ember.js Books
I still love my programming and web development books because these helped me get started on the web over 10 years ago. Back in the mid-2000s there weren’t many other options. And while online tutorials have offered a great alternative, books can still prove invaluable to the learning process.
Perhaps the best(and cheapest) place to start is this Ember.js book written by Todd Abell. It comes in print and Kindle form so you can have it delivered digitally if you prefer.
I like this book because it covers all the basics of Ember without getting too bogged down in the details. It’ll move you through the process with ease and you’ll have no problem picking up the pieces as you go.
It’s |
sessions” with lawmakers, CEOs, think tanks and others to formulate a final tax plan for later this year. Mnuchin said the eventual tax overhaul will be “responsible” and “paid for,” but the administration has yet to provide much detail outside of a one-page outline released in April.
“There will be complete transparency when we come out with the plan,” Mnuchin said at the Thursday White House briefing.
Republican leaders in Congress want to simplify the tax code and make it more efficient in a way that does not add to the federal government’s mounting debt. That means some would pay more and some would pay less, a heavy political lift among politicians who have deep political and practical disagreements.
“I think what it says is that it’s harder than it looks,” Kumar said, adding: “I think part of what you’re seeing here is the steep learning curve of what it takes to govern and the trade-offs that have to be made and the compromises that have to be made even with members of your own party,” Kumar added.
Some rank-and-file Republicans want to cut taxes even if it adds to the debt.
“The debate will be whether it’s a tax cut or a revenue-neutral tax-shifting bill,” said Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky. “I’m sort of on the tax cut side of that.”
For individuals, Republicans leaders want to lower overall tax rates and make up the lost revenue by eliminating some popular tax breaks, including the federal deduction for state and local taxes, a proposal opposed by Democrats and some Republicans in states like New York, New Jersey and California.
For businesses, House Republicans want to lower the top corporate income tax rate from 35 percent to 20 percent. They would make up the lost revenue by increasing taxes on imports and eliminating the deduction for interest on debt, two proposals that face widespread opposition, even from other Republicans.
Trump wants to reduce the corporate tax rate to 15 percent but has been less specific on how it would be financed.
The Trump administration has said the president hopes to release a comprehensive plan in September. But Congress will be dealing with several other big issues, including funding for the government and extending the government’s ability to borrow.
“I was much more optimistic earlier in the year,” said Jon Traub, a former Republican staff director for the House Ways and Means Committee who is now with Deloitte Tax.
“I’ve become more pessimistic as the days have ticked by, closer and closer to the crunch time of when a bunch of big things have to be done with a limited number of days left on the calendar,” Traub said.
___
Associated Press writer Josh Boak contributed to this report.
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Follow Stephen Ohlemacher on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephenatapTake heart, Buffalo Bills fans. Your team doesn't have the NFL's most difficult 2011 schedule.
They own the second-most difficult schedule.
ESPN Stats & Information worked out all the arithmetic based on 2010 records and found the Bills' upcoming opponents went a combine 137-119 for a.535 winning percentage, and only one other team has it worse.
The Bills' percentage is impacted by playing the 14-win New England Patriots and 11-win New York Jets twice apiece.
But even with the Bills on their schedule twice, the Jets are tied for the third-toughest schedule with an aggregate.520 winning percentage.
The Miami Dolphins are tied for 10th with a.516 opponent winning percentage. The Patriots are tied for 15th with a.504 opponent winning percentage.
The AFC East's cross-division opponents for 2010 the AFC West and NFC East.
Pity the poor Carolina Panthers. They had the NFL's worst record this season and will face opponents that posted a.555 winning percentage. The NFC South's other three clubs notched double-digit victories.Ex-security contractor receives life in prison and three fellow employees sentenced to 30 years each after killing of 14 civilians in 2007
Three former employees of the US private military contractor once known as Blackwater were sentenced to 30 years in prison on Monday and a fourth received a life sentence, closing a sordid chapter of the Iraq conflict relating to the 2007 Nisour Square massacre in Baghdad.
Judge Royce Lamberth denied a request by the defense for leniency in sentencing on Monday, and, as expected, his sentences followed the 30-year mandatory sentence guidelines for the crimes.
The four, who were part of a tactical support team called “Raven 23”, opened fire on a crowd of unarmed civilians from an armoured convoy with machine-guns and grenade launchers in September 2007.
US jury convicts Blackwater guards in 2007 killing of Iraqi civilians Read more
In October 2014, Paul Slough, Evan Liberty and Dustin Heard were found guilty of 13 charges of voluntary manslaughter and 17 charges of attempted manslaughter, while Nicholas Slatten, the team’s sniper who was the first to open fire, was convicted on a separate charge of first-degree murder.
Slatten was sentenced to life; Slough, Liberty and Heard got 30 years each.
“In killing and maiming unarmed civilians, these defendants acted unreasonably and without justification,” the US attorney’s office said in a statement. “In combination, the sheer amount of unnecessary human loss and suffering attributable to the defendants’ criminal conduct on September 16, 2007, is staggering.”
The massacre left 14 civilians dead and at least 17 wounded. “None of the victims was an insurgent, or posed any threat to the Raven 23 convoy,” the government said, in a sentencing memorandum filed to the court on 8 April.
The memorandum contained quotations from relatives of those killed in the attack, including Mohammad Kinani, whose nine-year-old son Ali was killed. “That day changed my life forever. That day destroyed me completely,” Kinani said.
Also quoted in the memorandum was David Boslego, a retired US army colonel, who said that the massacre was “a grossly excessive use of force” and “grossly inappropriate for an entity whose only job was to provide personal protection to somebody in an armored vehicle.”
Boslego also said that the attack had “a negative effect on our mission, [an] adverse effect … It made our relationship with the Iraqis in general more strained.”
The government called on the judge to impose “substantial sentences”. By doing so, the memorandum said, “this court would hold the defendants accountable for their callous, wanton, and deadly conduct, and deter others wielding the awesome power over life or death from perpetrating similar atrocities in the future.
“This is far from the ordinary case,” the memorandum continued. “The crimes here were so horrendous – the massacre and maiming of innocents so heinous – that they outweigh any factors that the defendants may argue form a basis for leniency.” It said that the defendants had “shown no remorse for their actions”.
In a press release after the four were convicted in 2014, Blackwater – now known as Academi after being sold and renamed in 2011 – said they were “relieved that the justice system has completed its investigation into a tragedy that occurred at Nisour Square in 2007 and that any wrongdoing that was carried out has been addressed by our courts.
“The security industry has evolved drastically since those events, and under the direction of new ownership and leadership, Academi has invested heavily in compliance and ethics programs, training for our employees, and preventative measures to strictly comply with all US and local government laws,” the release continued.
The four were tried under title 18, section 3238 of the US code, a statute under which those who commit offenses outside the jurisdiction of any state or district, including “upon the high seas”, can be brought to justice in the home district of the offenders or the District of Columbia.
During the trial, prosecutors said Slatten viewed killing Iraqis as “payback for 9/11”. No connection between Saddam Hussein’s Iraq and the attacks of September 11 2001 has ever been proved.
“These men took something that did not belong to them: the lives of 14 human beings,” said Anthony Asuncion, the lead attorney for the prosecution. “They were turned into bloody bullet-ridden corpses at the hands of these men.”
In his closing argument, Asuncion added that it “must have seemed like the apocalypse was here”. One witness told the court that the attack was “the most horrible botched thing I have ever seen in my life”.
Getting to this point was a long, protracted legal journey.
The first time the case was brought to trial in 2009 it was thrown out by a federal judge after a judge found statements from the defendants to have been compelled, and were therefore impermissible in court.
But Vice-President Joe Biden promised during a trip to Iraq that the government would pursue a fresh prosecution, and an appellate court ruled that the errors made by the investigators did not rule out a prosecution.
Defense lawyers say they will appeal the convictions.Two Game of Thrones stars are heading to Austin, Texas next month.
Sophie Turner and Maisie Williams will attend this year’s South by Southwest Festival for a Game of Thrones-themed panel.
Thrones showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss were previously announced as featured speakers at the conference. Now EW has learned that Turner (Sansa Stark) and Williams (Arya Stark) are joining their panel for a conversation with the two Emmy-winning writer-producers.
This is Benioff, Weiss, and Turner’s first time at the conference — though Williams was at the event in 2014 (perhaps she can show them the best BBQ spots).
Thrones has nearly finished shooting its seventh season, which is set to debut sometime this summer. So far, there are no official photos or trailers for the seven new episodes which will represent the hit drama’s penultimate season. While some have speculated the event might debut the eagerly anticipated trailer, we’re hearing the festival will still be a bit too early for that.
The GoT SXSW panel is on Sunday, March 12 at 3:30 p.m. local time.Theocracy Alert: In a significant foreign policy claim, Republican presidential hopeful Jeb Bush says the “Christian voice” is not heard enough around the world, implying that it is the U.S. government’s responsibility to be a global evangelist for Christ.
Giving the commencement address at Liberty University, a notoriously conservative Christian fundamentalist school in Lynchburg, Virginia, the former Florida governor and likely GOP presidential candidate offered a defense of Christian principles while attacking the Obama administration for supposedly failing to preserve religious freedom.
In his remarks at Liberty University, Bush shamelessly pandered to to conservative Christians as he prepares to compete against a field filled with politicians also intent on courting the conservative Christian base of the GOP.
At one point, while trying to defend Christianity, Bush said:
How strange, in our own time, to hear Christianity spoken of as some sort of backward and oppressive force.
Sometimes the truth hurts. For the record, Christianity is a backward and oppressive force.
Bush railed against the Obama administration, claiming:
The present administration is supporting the use of coercive federal power. What should be easy calls in favor of religious freedom have instead become an aggressive stance against it. … Federal authorities are demanding obedience, in complete disregard of religious conscience — and in a free society, the answer is ‘no.’
For the Christian conservatives Bush is championing, ‘freedom’ means the ability to discriminate against gays and women by denying LGBT people the right to marry who they love, and by preventing women from having access to appropriate reproductive health care services.
Christians made the same sort of “coercive federal power” argument when it came to freeing the slaves, ending Jim Crow, and dismantling prohibitions against interracial marriage.
In short, with his speech at Liberty University, Bush goes all in with the other religious zealots leading the Republican party.
As for foreign policy, in another significant development, Bush cited his brother, former President George W. Bush, as one of his main advisers on the Middle East in a private meeting in Manhattan on Tuesday.
Bottom line: Bush fails.× Woman and four teenage girls charged with abduction in Hampton
Hampton, Va. – Police have charged a woman and four girls under the age of 18 with abduction, officials tell NewsChannel 3.
On May 27, 2015 at 2:00 p.m., officers responded to the 300 block of Old Buckroe Road in reference to a fight involving juveniles.
Officers arrived on scene and spoke with the victim, a 17-year-old Hampton girl, who told them that she was forced into a vehicle by female suspects, whom she knew.
The investigation revealed that the victim was walking in the 100 block of Ireland Road with the suspects. A verbal altercation ensued, at which time the victim was forced into a gold sedan. The vehicle drove to the area of the 200 block of W. Chamberlain Avenue. The victim then contacted her mother, who in turn contacted the police.
The suspects left the scene prior to police arrival, police say. The victim was not injured during the incident.
As a result of the investigation, a 15-year-old girl, a 16-year-old girl, and two 17-year-old girls were charged with one count each of abduction.
On June 5, 2015, Najia Cheyene Hardy was also arrested in connection with this incident and charged with one count of abduction.
Check back on WTKR.com for updates as they are released.The NBA introduced the three-point field goal for the 1979-80 season. That year, the average NBA team attempted 2.8 three-point shots per game, make less than one per game (0.8).
Over the course of the next four seasons, teams averaged only 0.5-0.6 three-pointers per game. So the average NBA game in the early 80's saw only one made three-pointer on average. During that period, teams averaged 108-110 points per game.
Starting in the 1984-85 season, use of the three-pointer began to rise. Over the course of the next 25 seasons, we see a steady rise in both three-pointers attempted and three-pointers made. In fact the rise is nearly linear. If we ignore the three year period (1994-95 through 1996-97) in which the NBA shortened the distance to the three-point line*, the R-squared value for both lines is.98 during that 25-year period.
Interestingly, scoring in the NBA has fallen during the period when three-pointers were on the rise. Scoring peaked in 1984-85 at 110.8 points per team per game. That number fell all the way to 91.6 during the 1998-99 season before experiencing a small rebound in the last 10 years.
We also see that use of the three-pointer may finally be leveling off. After seeing a steady rise for 25 years, there has been little change over the last four seasons. During that period, teams averaged 17.4-18.1 three-point shots per game and 6.4-6.7 three-pointers made.
Moving forward, it will be interesting to see if the NBA is content with where these numbers are, or if they will tinker with the rules to try and bring scoring back to the levels seen in the mid-80s.
*The NBA 3-point line is 23'9" at the top of the key and 22'0" in the corners. From 1994-95 through 1996-97, the NBA made the 3-point line a uniform 22'0".
All data via Basketball-Reference.comLooking for news you can trust?
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Genetically modified seed giant Monsanto likes to trumpet its “commitment to sustainable agriculture.“ The story goes like this: by generating novel, high-tech crop varieties, Monsanto will wean farmers off of synthetic chemical poisons. The company even markets its flagship product, seeds genetically engineered to survive its own Roundup weed killer, as a tool they can use to to “decrease the overall use of herbicides.”
But as I’ve shown before, herbicide use has actually dramatically ramped up as the Roundup Ready technology conquers vast swaths of US farmland. That’s because weeds quickly developed resistance to it, forcing farmers to apply ever-larger doses and resort to older, more toxic herbicides to combat resistant weeds. And while the company has tried hard to leave behind its past as a purveyor of toxic chemicals and rebrand itself as a technology company, those toxic chemicals remain central to its growth and profitability, as its latest quarterly profit report shows.
The report—press release here—cheered investors, driving Monsanto shares to their highest levels since 2008. Here’s the main bit, lifted from the press release (note that by “second quarter,” the company means the January to March period):
Note that the company consists of two main segments: what it calls “Seeds and Genomics,” which involves sales of seeds, obviously, plus licensing fees on genetically modified traits; and “Agricultural Productivity,” which means, essentially, chemicals, mainly Roundup in a variety of forms. Seeds and Genomics is by far the largest of the two in terms of contribution to overall sales, but good old Agricultural Productivity is still really important. Indeed, its sales shot up from $824 million in second-quarter 2012 to $1.12 billion in the same time period of this year—that’s an amazing 36 percent jump.
By contrast, Seeds and Genomics sales went from $3.92 billion to $4.35 billion over the same time span—just a 10 percent rise.
Overall, the herbicide contribution to Monsanto’s total sales went from 17 percent in second-quarter 2012 to 20 percent in the the same period of 2013.
Let’s dig a little deeper into the Seeds and Genomics part of the above chart. Note that for every business line but one—corn seed and traits—sales declined in second-quarter 2013 compared to the same period of a year before. Monsanto’s corn business is booming—sales went from $2.816 billion to $3.28 billion—a 16 percent gain. Everything else, though—soybeans, cotton, vegetables, etc.—stagnated. (And the same trend holds true when you look at the six-month comparison, also shown in the above chart.).
In short, Monsanto’s growth now depends largely on corn and Roundup.
Widespread use of Bt corn did reduce insecticide use for several years, but certain insects are now developing resistance to it.
The press release does not exactly trumpet the fact that Roundup plays a massive role in driving its growth. But it does declare that “the company remains focused on its established Roundup® strategy.” I’ll say.
But Roundup isn’t Monsanto’s only strategy triggering an surge in chemical use. Most of the corn seed Monsanto sells is engineered to contain a gene from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), a soil bacteria that’s toxic to bugs. Widespread use of Bt corn did indeed reduce insecticide use on corn for several years, but as I’ve reported before, certain insects are developing resistance to it. Predictably, farmers are planning to react by resorting to chemical pesticides, according to Michael Gray, an entomology professor at University of Illinois who polls farmers on planting decisions. Here’s the trade magazine Ag Professional:
Gray also said that in 2013, he anticipates a sharp increase in the use of planting-time soil insecticides with corn rootworm Bt hybrids. On average, nearly half the producers indicated they intend to use both a soil applied (at-planting) insecticide with their corn rootworm Bt hybrid this spring. “From my perspective, the escalation of soil insecticide use along with corn rootworm Bt hybrids has been fueled primarily by concerns about Bt resistance and high commodity prices,” he said. [Emphasis added.]
Far from ushering in an era of widespread sustainable agriculture, Monsanto and its products are keeping farmers stranded on what ecologists call a “pesticide treadmill”—never-ending chemical warfare against fast-adapting ecosystems.1. “Percentage margins are not one of the things we are seeking to optimize. It’s the absolute dollar free cash flow per share that you want to maximize, and if you can do that by lowering margins, we would do that. So if you could take the free cash flow, that’s something that investors can spend. Investors can’t spend percentage margins.” “What matters always is dollar margins: the actual dollar amount. Companies are valued not on their percentage margins, but on how many dollars they actually make, and a multiple of that.” “When forced to choose between optimizing the appearance of our GAAP accounting and maximizing the present value of future cash flows, we’ll take the cash flows.” Jeff Bezos is very focused on this “absolute dollar free cash flow metric.” You will see many people talk about Amazon’s focus on “growth” vs. margins, but the right focus is instead absolute dollar fee cash flow. Jeff Bezos spelled out his focus on absolute dollar free cash flow in his 2004 letter to shareholders. He is not about to run his company based on a ratio much beloved by someone outside the company, such as a Wall Street analyst. Next weekend I will write about Howard Schultz who similarly ignores metrics beloved by analysts (the ignored metric is “same store sales” in the case of Starbucks). If you want to see Amazon’s approach to absolute dollar free cash flow generation taken even further, go to China and see Xiaomi and Alibaba up close.
2. “Your margin is my opportunity.” Jeff Bezos sees a competitor’s love of margins and other financial “ratios” as an opportunity for Amazon since the competitor will cling to them while he focuses on absolute dollar free cash flow and slices through them like a hot knife through butter.
3. “Market leadership can translate directly to higher revenue, higher profitability, greater capital velocity, and correspondingly stronger returns on invested capital.” Jeff Bezos knows when to use economies of scope and scale to his advantage. He also knows that in maximizing absolute dollar free cash flow, velocity of capital and inventory turns matter in a huge way. When Jeff Bezos lacks scale or scope advantages in a given business, Amazon’s attack on competitors will be asymmetric in nature. At this point readers might expect that I would give my opinion of the value of a share of AMZN stock. I will give readers a methodology but not a number. If you can’t calculate your own number, like 97% of all investors you should be buying a diversified portfolio of index funds/ETFs anyway. If you want simple numerical stock “tips,” there are lot of other bloggers and writers who will to give them to you. If you invest based on these third party stock tips, your performance will fall somewhere between lousy and dreadful. Me giving readers of this blog a valuation number for a stock just encourages the wrong investing behavior. I will say that to generate the return on invested capital necessary to support the existing stock price you must believe that AMZN’s cash flow will at some point in the future rise significantly faster than AMZN’s need for new capital expenditures. Under this thesis as capital expenditures fall, depreciation’s slower growth will mean it will have less negative impact on GAAP results. This thesis requires that you believe that AMZN will create a more significant moat for itself via brand, intellectual property, supply side economies scale, economies of scope and demand side economies of scale (network effects). How much any company’s moat will increase or decrease in strength over time is a qualitative and not quantitative determination. The definitive essay on moats has been written by Michael Mauboussin and I am on record as saying that you are a damn fool if you do not read it. https://t.co/7Vl7urkCkB If you do not understand this essay you should be buying a diversified portfolio of index funds/ETFs.
4. “On the Internet, companies are scale businesses, characterized by high fixed costs and relatively low variable costs. You can be two sizes: You can be big, or you can be small. It’s very hard to be medium. A lot of medium-sized companies had the financing rug pulled out from under them before they could get big.” Jeff Bezos is talking about what Michael Porter calls being “stuck in the middle.” A company stuck in the middle lacks the scale and scope economies as well as the greater access to capital of a big company, but is too big to effectively pursue a differentiation strategy.
5. “If everything you do needs to work on a three-year time horizon, then you’re competing against a lot of people. But if you’re willing to invest on a seven-year time horizon, you’re now competing against a fraction of those people, because very few companies are willing to do that. Just by lengthening the time horizon, you can engage in endeavors that you could never otherwise pursue. At Amazon we like things to work in five to seven years. We’re willing to plant seeds, let them grow—and we’re very stubborn.” “We’ve had three big ideas at Amazon that we’ve stuck with for 18 years, and they’re the reason we’re successful: Put the customer first. Invent. And be patient.” By investing on a seven year time frame Jeff Bezos generates a behavior-based moat since other companies who invest for the short term flee Amazon’s approach to preserve their financial “ratios.”
6. “The balance of power is shifting toward consumers and away from companies…the individual is empowered… The right way to respond to this if you are a company is to put the vast majority of your energy, attention and dollars into building a great product or service and put a smaller amount into shouting about it, marketing it. If I build a great product or service, my customers will tell each other….In the old world, you devoted 30% of your time to building a great service and 70% of your time to shouting about it. In the new world, that inverts.” “Your brand is formed primarily, not by what your company says about itself, but what the company does.” The essence of business is the ability to cost effectively acquire customers. The very best businesses acquire customers “organically” without advertising. Great products and word of mouth drives sales at these companies. By contrast, companies which must sell their wares with huge advertising budgets are losing their edge in the Internet era. Television advertising enabled the creation of mass market advertising driven brands, but the Internet is undoing this in many cases.
7. “We will make bold rather than timid investment decisions where we see a sufficient probability of gaining market leadership advantages. Some of these investments will pay off, others will not, and we will have learned another valuable lesson in either case.” Jeff Bezos seeks to harvest optionality (relatively small potential downside, massive potential upside) Harvesting optionality *requires* failure. It can’t be avoided since failure provides information that enable success. This is via negativa. On this and items 8 and 9 see my posts on optionality at: http://25iq.com/2013/10/13/a-dozen-things-ive-learned-from-nassim-taleb-about-optionalityinvesting/ and http://25iq.com/2014/04/05/the-best-venture-capitalists-harvest-optionality-dealing-with-risk-uncertainty-and-ignorance/
8. “There’ll always be serendipity involved in discovery.” “If you double the number of experiments you do per year you’re going to double your inventiveness.” This is why Nassim Taleb recommends tinkering when engaging in the innovation/harvesting optionality. Another related Jeff Bezos quote: “Even well-meaning gatekeepers slow innovation. When a platform is self service, even the improbable ideas can get tried because there’s no expert gatekeeper ready to say ‘that will never work!’”
9. “I believe you have to be willing to be misunderstood if you’re going to innovate.” You can’t outperform the market if you are the market. Similarly, you must adopt a non-consensus view and be right about that view to beat competitors. The way Jeff Bezos runs Amazon when it comes to a willingness to be misunderstood is exactly how Howard Marks invests. See: http://25iq.com/2013/07/30/a-dozen-things-ive-learned-about-investing-from-howard-marks/
10. “I think frugality drives innovation, just like other constraints do. One of the only ways to get out of a tight box is to invent your way out.” More money often equals more problems. Companies with too much money are often less rather than more innovative. A quote much used by venture capitalists and entrepreneurs comes to mind here: “We have no money, so we must think!”
11. “If you decide that you’re going to do only the things you know are going to work, you’re going to leave a lot of opportunity on the table. Companies are rarely criticized for the things that they failed to try. But they are, many times, criticized for things they tried and failed at.” This is what Warren Buffett calls “mistakes omission” and they can be the biggest mistakes of all. Warren Buffett puts it this way: “Typically, our most egregious mistakes fall in the omission, rather than the commission, category. That may spare Charlie [Munger] and me some embarrassment, since you don’t see these errors; but their invisibility does not reduce their cost.”
12. “The great thing about fact-based decisions is that they overrule the hierarchy.” It is wise to be rational, objective and dispassionate in making decisions. It’s just that simple
P.s., As for the 10% drop in the share price yesterday, Jeff Bezos takes the same “ignore it” approach to daily price gyrations as Warren Buffett. Running a company to please a bi-polar Mr. Market is a fool’s errand and he won’t do it. Jeff Bezos: “I care very much about our share owners, and so I care very much about our long term share price. I do not follow the stock on a daily basis, and I don’t think there’s any information in it. Benjamin Graham said, “In the short term, the stock market is a voting machine. In the long term, it’s a weighing machine.” And we try to build a company that wants to be weighed and not voted upon.”
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Categories: UncategorizedUnemployed people in Arizona and Pennsylvania are watching helplessly as lawmakers in each state fight over measures to restore extended unemployment insurance for tens of thousands of people whose checks stopped this week.
Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer (R) called a special session of the state legislature on Friday, but lawmakers argued without actually voting on Brewer's bill to save the benefits. They'll take the debate up again on Monday afternoon.
[UPDATE 6:45 PM: Lawmakers closed the special session without reinstating the benefits. "Everyone wanted to make this fix -- the governor wanted this, Democrats wanted this and Arizonans wanted it to help the unemployed during this worldwide recession, not hold them hostage to partisan politics," said Assistant House Minority Leader Steve Farley (D) in a statement. "Everyone but Republicans, who made a conscious decision to cut off $3.5 million per week coming into our state’s economy. It is absolutely outrageous and it’s time to hold Republicans accountable."]
"Republicans failed to act," said Sarah Muench, spokeswoman for Democrats in the Arizona House of Representatives.
Some Republicans in Arizona have said they don't want to coddle the unemployed with federal deficit spending even if it doesn't affect the state's budget. Brewer said Republicans should not put the federal budget deficit ahead of their jobless constituents.
"I understand that some legislators have concerns about the extension of unemployment aid," she said. "They worry about the federal deficit. So do I. But you don't balance the federal budget by turning your back on Arizonans in their time of need. That's not principled fiscal conservatism. It's just cruel. And we are better than this."
Paul Boyer, spokesman for House Republicans, told HuffPost the House didn't vote on the bill Friday because it wouldn't have passed, thanks partly to missing lawmakers.
"The votes just weren't there," Boyer said. "Part of the problem is there are a lot of members that aren't here."
Brewer said in a statement that a minor change in state law will preserve benefits for 45,000 through the rest of the year, adding $3.5 million per week to the local economy. Arizona and Pennsylvania became ineligible for the federal Extended Benefits program because it requires a state's unemployment rate to be 110 percent of what it was in either of the two previous years. Since rates have fallen slightly, Congress said states could change their laws to look back an additional year to remain eligible for the program. So far nearly 30 states have done so.
In Pennsylvania, lawmakers are also debating a bill this week that would preserve Extended Benefits. The program provides the final 20 weeks of checks for jobseekers who exhaust 26 weeks of initial state benefits and up to 53 weeks of federal Emergency Unemployment Compensation. More than 100,000 Pennsylvanians could miss out on benefits by the end of the year.
HuffPost readers: Worried about losing out on Extended Benefits in Arizona or Pennsylvania? Tell us about it -- email arthur@huffingtonpost.com. Please include your phone number if you're willing to do an interview.
Both the Pennsylvania and Arizona bills would restore EB while at the same time tightening work-search requirements for people who receive the aid. Several states, including Missouri, Michigan, and Florida, have passed laws to preserve Extended Benefits while simultaneously permanently slashing state benefits. The federal programs will expire at the end of the year unless Congress reauthorizes them again, so workers in those states could be left with only reduced state benefits starting in January.
Gail Turley of Mesa, Ariz. said that when she checked her bank account on Monday, she didn't find the $157 weekly payment she'd been receiving most weeks since losing her job doing customer service for a bank in 2009. She said she's worked a few temp jobs since then, but the job search has been dismal.
"Being able to do it online allows you to apply for a lot more jobs rather than going to them one at a time but it's so impersonal, it's hard to even get in contact with anybody," Turley, 49, told HuffPost. She's been following the debate in the legislature closely and blogging about it for the Examiner.
Turley said she'd have 11 or 12 weeks of Extended Benefits left if the program hadn't lapsed.
"It is very frustrating," she said.Please enable Javascript to watch this video
GREENFIELD -- Surveillance video appears to show a couple of crooks using chewing gum in an attempt to cover a surveillance camera. In the video, they don't seem to realize the camera has already captured their faces.
It happened at The Edge Sports Bar near 27th and Edgerton.
Police are looking for the suspects who stole money out of a gaming machine.
Gregg Grabowski, owner of The Edge Sports Bar said on Saturday, June 17th, he was checking the gaming machines when he noticed something was wrong.
"I took off the lock, opened the door, and I realized there was no money, bill accepter there. I'm like what?!" Grabowski said.
Then, he took a look at the surveillance video. Cameras were rolling just before midnight Friday.
"Two guys come into the bar and sit at the end of the bar. Bartender doesn't think nothing of it. They order a couple of drinks," Grabowski said.
The men eventually made their way to a row of gaming machines, where, the video shows, they don't appear to think things through.
"He looks right into the camera and thinks he's going to disguise this whole thing, and he puts gum or something over the camera, so we can't see him. Unfortunately for him, I have more than one camera pointed at all of my machines, so I've got the whole thing on video," Grabowski said.
In clear high-definition, the men can be seen in the video -- stealing money from the machine. When they were done, the video shows them removing the gum-like-substance from the camera.
"When he put the gum on, did he think my camera shut down? Does he think it all erased?" Grabowski said.
Pictures of the suspects have been posted to The Edge Sports Bar's Facebook page, and Grabowski hopes someone will recognize them.
"Hopefully we're making them famous in the City of Milwaukee so they can't get anything out here. I'm looking to see them get busted," Grabowski said.
Police were at the bar Tuesday looking at the surveillance video.
Grabwoski believes other establishments in the area have been hit.
At The Edge Sports Bar, there's a reward being offered for information leading to an arrest -- a party with food and drinks.JERUSALEM, Oct 21 (Reuters) - Israel should launch its own Gaza war inquiry to avoid the possibility, raised in a U.N. report it rejects, of war crimes charges against its leaders, Israel’s deputy prime minister was quoted on Wednesday as saying.
"A country that investigates itself puts up a roadblock to coming under (legal) assault," Dan Meridor was quoted as saying in an interview in the Haaretz newspaper.
"A commission of inquiry or examination, which I hope will be named, must examine the claims of the Goldstone report."
The U.N. Human Rights Council singled out Israel for censure in a resolution on Friday while endorsing a report by South African jurist Richard Goldstone which condemned both Israeli and Hamas actions in the war last December and January.
Goldstone’s report recommended the war crimes issue be referred to the U.N. Security Council if the sides failed to conduct credible domestic investigations within six months, and possibly then to the International Criminal Court.
Meridor’s proposal could create tensions for Netanyahu in his coalition government. Defence Minister Ehud Barak of the left-of-centre Labour Party has said he prefers the army conduct its own internal investigation of the findings.
But other cabinet ministers have suggested they would support any effort to refute Goldstone’s findings, even if it meant naming a new investigation.
A Palestinian rights group said 1,417 Palestinians, including 926 civilians, were killed in the three-week offensive in the Gaza Strip, territory controlled by Hamas Islamists.
Israel has said 709 Palestinian combatants were killed along with 295 civilians and 162 people whose status it was unable to clarify.
Ten Israeli soldiers and three civilians were killed during the campaign, which Israel launched with the declared aim of ending cross-border rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip.
"I have confidence in the (Israeli) military and I must defend it. The most effective tool for defence is a serious self-inquiry," said Meridor, a lawyer and cabinet veteran whose current job includes overseeing Israeli intelligence services.
Netanyahu has promised a lengthy battle to "delegitimise" Goldstone’s findings and instructed government officials at a cabinet meeting on Tuesday to draft proposals for changing international laws of war. (Writing by Allyn Fisher-Ilan; |
is a possibility that he could make a return appearance.
"I think what our discussions are about finding a thing we can discover for ourselves," Orci said, again emphasizing a desire to venture into their own territory. "Then if it turns out that something from canon somehow fits that bill, or it somehow turns out that we've reinvented the wheel without even knowing it, like, 'Oh! We went through all this trouble to create a situation, and it turns out it's the exact situation that happened in whatever episode.' But first we don't attach any names to the structure. We don't want anyone to feel like they have to have seen the previous movies. It has to be a movie that stands on its own, that stands alone. So we're hesitant to rely on any love of the series or love of previous stuff."
When asked if he felt complete with the Khan storyline, Orci slowly repeated, "Do I feel complete?" followed by a very lengthy pause after which he finally laughingly replied, "I can’t answer that."
Exit Theatre Mode
More Star Trek Than Star Wars:
There were some who felt that J.J. Abrams was essentially doing his Star Wars film before he was able to really do a Star Wars film when he signed on to direct Star Trek 1 and 2. When asked if there were any changes that he wanted to make -- aesthetic, story, or otherwise -- that would really make this one feel like a Trek movie, Orci replied. "I think the nature of movies... The first two had to reintroduce the entire franchise to a whole new audience, so we wanted those first two movies to see things that are a bit more familiar to a general audience than they might be to a diehard Trek fan."
Adding, "You know, we started at childhood and we met their parents, and we see that Kirk was born on Earth. We see a lot of things that make it accessible to a general audience. Now that we've established that in the movies, and now that they have set off on their five-year mission, now we can finally return back to where the characters started originally in '67, right? When we first met Kirk and Spock -- the first time we ever heard of them -- they were on their five-year mission. So finally, through the efforts of our first two movies, we've now I think earned that place back. We've earned their adventure to be in deep space and to literally be on their five-year mission. That's something we haven't been able to cover yet in the first two movies. So now we get to play with the concept that we were first introduced to when we first saw the show years ago."
We will keep you updated as news on Star Trek 3 emerges.
Roth Cornet is an Entertainment Editor for IGN. You can follow her on Twitter at @RothCornet and IGN at Roth-IGN.It appears more and more pieces of the puzzle are coming together with regards to Bjarne Riis, with now Rasmussen stating that Riis was aware of the doping going on at his team while Rasmussen was a rider in 2001 and 2002. Together with the statements from Jaksche and Hamilton in the past few years, it seems the net is slowly closing.
It brought back memories for me, since I was negotiating our first sponsorship agreement with Riis’ team during the period Rasmussen is describing. In fact, I remember thinking Rasmussen was a rider with a lot of potential on that team, having recently switched from mountain biking and making quite an impact in 2002 already.
Ironically, one of the reasons we decided to sign the deal was that we figured the trio of all-American hero Hamilton, French darling Jalabert and up-and-coming climber Rasmussen was a combination you could always use in your promotion – whether they won or not. Looking back now, what a lethal cocktail that turned out to be.
A few days after we signed the deal, Jalabert retired. So other than a Cervélo P3 rebadged as a Look in the 2002 Tour, he never rode our bikes. A few days after that, Rasmussen also left the team and went to Rabobank.
My memory is notoriously bad, but I do remember asking the team for an explanation because I was disappointed to see him leave (remember, this is 2002). They told me they had decided to let him go because he was doing things that the team didn’t agree with, that he was a liability. While they didn’t spell it out, it was pretty clear to me what that meant.
I asked them how letting him go to Rabobank would solve anything in the bigger picture (instead of just for the team), and if they shouldn’t warn other teams about a rider like that. They said they had told Rabobank, but that the Dutch didn’t care. I now shake my head, but at the time I thought “Phew, looks like we chose the right team”.
So in a twisted way, Rasmussen is probably right, the team did know what he was up to. The question is, what did the team do with that information. At the time, I saw the whole episode as a positive sign, it appeared the team was taking the right stance by saying goodbye to the rider. I have since wondered what the whole story was, and if the “things the team didn’t agree with” was the simple act of doping, or the methods, or the facilitators.
Aside from all the business reasons to be in pro cycling, one of my personal reasons to sponsor a team was actually that I was very curious about doping, about whether most riders were doping or most weren’t.
As a fan, I had always wondered. It’s easy to draw conclusions in retrospect, but at the time I figured all hypotheses were equally plausible – how do you see the difference between a group where almost nobody cheats and a group where almost all do? You really only see riders in relation to those around them. Comparing with different eras, when equipment, nutrition and other knowledge was different, remains tricky. I mean, we’re all faster than Maurice Garin, so what does that prove?
I figured that by being a sponsor, I would see something either way. It’s not that I expected to be asked to hold the IV bag if doping was occurring, but thought I’d surely see something while staying in the team hotel from time to time. That was a bit naive, and I never saw anything; no suspicious behavior, no strange packages, no hurriedly closed doors, nothing. I guess hiding your illicit activities in plain sight in busy hotels isn’t that difficult.
[Just to be clear, since several people seem to read between the lines stuff I didn’t intend, I wasn’t thinking for a moment about David Walsh when I wrote this last paragraph]All readers know the pain of watching a favorite book transform into an adaptation that just doesn’t stack up (*cough*My Sister’s Keeper*cough*), but readers’ frustrations can’t even begin to compare with an author’s. Many authors famously rejected the adaptations of their works, and some like J.D. Salinger even outright forbade it—which is why we’ll never see a Catcher in the Rye movie. But TV and movie adaptations don’t need to be so angst-ridden. Author Bernard Cornwell has seen many of his own works hit screens big and small, and he doesn’t sweat the changes at all. In fact, his latest release, Warriors of the Storm, will likely be adapted by BBC as they continue turning the popular book series into a television series titled The Last Kingdom. Here, Cornwell shares four important tips for authors who are dealing with adaptation anxiety.
I worked in television for 11 years, so many of my readers assume that I was closely involved with the TV adaptations of my books. There were 16 episodes in a series that followed the adventures of Richard Sharpe, and, so far, there are eight in The Last Kingdom series (and yes, they are making a second season). People assume I helped write the scripts or, at the very least, was a technical adviser.
It’s true that my television experience was extremely useful when the two series were made, and that experience taught me the first and most important rule:
Don’t get involved
I know a lot about television production, far more than most authors. I spent 11 years directing live studio transmissions, making films, and running programs for the BBC, but all that experience was in news and current affairs. I learned nothing about producing or directing television drama.
So what can I offer a drama production? Nothing, except to be a cheerleader. Carnival Films, who are now making the second season of The Last Kingdom, made (among many other projects) Downton Abbey. It’s inconceivable that I can tell them anything about their business! They’re among the best in the world, so I stand back and let them do what they do best!
Making television or films is hard work, very hard work. It’s dependent on the contribution of scores of clever people: wardrobe, lighting, cinematographers, script-writers, location, catering, producers, accountants, make-up artists, musicians, directors, sound engineers, carpenters, designers, drivers, wranglers, stunt performers—the list could go on forever. There’s a lot that can go wrong! The weather can ruin a schedule, or a plane flying over at the wrong moment can destroy a perfect take. The last thing film crews need is an author whining that they have corrupted his or her vision. Any complaint I make is liable to be an obstacle and the last thing they need is another obstacle.
Accept that their vision will be different
I hope it is different! When the Sharpe series was made many readers complained that Sean Bean, playing Sharpe, had fair hair while the character in the books had black hair. So what? Sean made the perfect Sharpe, so good that in all the subsequent Sharpe books I had his portrayal in my mind and deliberately wrote the books as if Sean was my hero (and never again mentioned his hair color). That was a gift from the filmmakers! Equally, Peter Postlethwaite’s portrayal of the arch-villain Obadiah Hakeswill was masterful, far better than my feeble version on the page. The folks who produce television (and movie) dramas are inventive, imaginative and brilliant, so be grateful for their creative input. It adds richness.
Accept that the story will change
Television producers have one great constraint: the budget! It costs an author nothing to invent an army of 100,000 men or to sink a battleship or to flatten a city block, but all those things cost money when they get translated to the screen—lots of money! Computer Generated Imagery (CGI) can help, of course, but CGI is expensive. If a scene is simply too expensive for the available budget then the story on screen will work around it. That may be regrettable, but it’s also inevitable. Accept it.
The first two Saxon books added up to around 250,000 words, and you can tell a lot of story in 250,000 words. The TV version had eight hours to tell the same tale. That meant leaving out certain characters and ignoring whole episodes, a streamlining job that Carnival did brilliantly. No point in lamenting the missing episodes; it’s inevitable.
Don’t be seduced
I’m mentioning this last, but it is the second most important rule. Do not be seduced by the “glamour” of the business. It might be tempting to think you’ll rub shoulders with famous actors, but the author’s job is to write books, not make films. You will not find yourself walking the red carpet! Your usefulness to them ends when they buy the rights to the story; after that it’s their business. There are rewards, though. I’ve had the supreme pleasure of watching actors like Sean Bean, Alexander Dreymon, Emily Mortimer, David Dawson, Matthew Macfadyen, Daniel Craig, Elizabeth Hurley, Peter Postlethwaite, Brian Cox, and scores of others bring my books to life on the screen. What’s not to like about that?
Bernard Cornwell is the author of the acclaimed New York Times bestselling Saxon Tales series, which serves as the basis for the BBC America series The Last Kingdom. He lives with his wife on Cape Cod and in Charleston, South Carolina.The Alabama Crimson Tide defeated Florida and earned another coveted spot on the cover of Sports Illustrated. In the cover story, Lars Anderson examines if the 2011 Alabama defense is the best ever. On the cover of the magazine is Alabama defensive lineman Josh Chapman.
This is the 12th time that Alabama has made the cover of Sports Illustrated since Nick Saban’s arrival in 2007.
The last time Alabama made the Sports Illustrated cover was with Trent Richardson on this year’s college football preview edition. At that time, Alabama released this summary of recent important SI covers:
“Some of the more memorable Alabama SI covers during the Saban era include Glen Coffee’s cover after the 2008 Clemson game, Mark Ingram’s “Pride of the Tide” cover on his Heisman candidacy, the cover story on Alabama’s win over Florida in the 2009 SEC Championship featuring Colin Peek and Ingram’s second appearance on the cover after the 2009 BCS National Championship victory over Texas in the Rose Bowl.”skid
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VBA-M configuration
GC-GBA link emulation requires the GBA bios files. Make sure the GBA BIOS file has a ".BIN" extension (case sensitive). The BIOS is configured in VBA-M (Options > Emulator > BIOS File). Enable the BIOS by selecting the "Enable" option on the right side near the BIOS browse button. Do not enable the "Skip the boot logo" option. The GBA BIOS file has a CRC32 of 81977335.
Enable VBA-M's link cable emulation by selecting "Enable Joybus Connection" under Options > Link > Joybus Options. Enter an IP address of 127.0.0.1.
Do not use frameskip in VBA-M (Options > Speed > Frame Skip). Disable the "Pause when inactive" option found under Options > Emulator
Dolphin configuration
Dolphin is to be configured by selecting "GBA" from Standard Controller drop-down found under the Controller Settings. Up to four GBA's can be configured. This will require four VBA-M instances started up.
Some games require DSP LLE to work. The DSP LLE roms dumped from a Wii are required. The roms supplied with Dolphin will not work. Most notably, Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles will not connect more than one VBA if DSP HLE is used.
Starting it up
Start Dolphin first and configure the Controller ports before starting the game in Dolphin. Once the game has started, start VBA-M and load the GBA BIOS file (File > Open GBA).
The Nintendo logo should appear and start flashing below the Gameboy logo. This means that the data is getting downloaded into the GBA. This can be quite slow, so wait a few minutes for it to finish downloading. Once the download completes, the game should start in VBA-M.
Once the game starts in VBA-M, Dolphin takes over the framelimit throttle of VBA-M. Pressing Tab on Dolphin will also affect the throttle of VBA-M. If Dolphin drops in speed, VBA-M will slow down too. This is normal.
The next VBA-M instance can now be started. Connection of VBA-M to the port in Dolphin is random - the first instance of VBA-M may not necessarily connect to port 1 of Dolphin. Successive VBA-M instances download slower. The bandwidth between the VBA-M instances is shared. This is a limitation of the GameCube hardware.
Troubleshooting
The connection does work over wifi but is very slow (slower than 30% speed).
If VBA is stuck on the letter "M" of the Gameboy logo, go into Dolphin and select GBA under the Port option of Controller Settings.
Do not map the same input controls on every VBA-M instance as this will cause input issues.
Some games require that the throttle in Dolphin is disabled to connect. This is a known issue.
The connection uses TCP port 54970. Make sure that this port is open on the firewall.
A TCP/IP monitor can be used to analyse the traffic being sent. If Dolphin is sending a whole bunch of 0xFF bytes, that means the connection is being reset and is not a good sign.
Test Build
Please test this version out and post the results to this thread. Both Dolphin and VBA-M builds have to be downloaded. The WIP build is a Windows build.
http://dl.dolphin-emu.org/prs/pr-2139-dolphin-latest-x64.7z
Updated VBA-M and patch:
http://www.mediafire.com/download/d1h8u2hokg4b1ed/VBA-M_update_GameCube_cable.zip
Update 17 March 2015
The links above have been updated with the latest build. The changes are link speed improvements and improved handling of disconnections. However, I could not get the Pokemon games to work with this version and the spell casting issue in FFCC persists. In FFCC, the radar map has to be turned off for spell casting to work.
Update 20 March 2015
The update has been merged into master I am looking for testing of a WIP build of Dolphin and VBA-M which emulates the GameCube and GBA link cable. The link cable emulation already exists in current versions of both emulators but this test build enhances the speed and reliability of the connection (hopefully).GC-GBA link emulation requires the GBA bios files. Make sure the GBA BIOS file has a ".BIN" extension (case sensitive). The BIOS is configured in VBA-M (Options > Emulator > BIOS File). Enable the BIOS by selecting the "Enable" option on the right side near the BIOS browse button. Do not enable the "Skip the boot logo" option. The GBA BIOS file has a CRC32 of 81977335.Enable VBA-M's link cable emulation by selecting "Enable Joybus Connection" under Options > Link > Joybus Options. Enter an IP address of 127.0.0.1.Do not use frameskip in VBA-M (Options > Speed > Frame Skip). Disable the "Pause when inactive" option found under Options > EmulatorDolphin is to be configured by selecting "GBA" from Standard Controller drop-down found under the Controller Settings. Up to four GBA's can be configured. This will require four VBA-M instances started up.Some games require DSP LLE to work. The DSP LLE roms dumped from a Wii are required. The roms supplied with Dolphin will not work. Most notably, Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles will not connect more than one VBA if DSP HLE is used.Start Dolphin first and configure the Controller ports before starting the game in Dolphin. Once the game has started, start VBA-M and load the GBA BIOS file (File > Open GBA).The Nintendo logo should appear and start flashing below the Gameboy logo. This means that the data is getting downloaded into the GBA. This can be quite slow, so wait a few minutes for it to finish downloading. Once the download completes, the game should start in VBA-M.Once the game starts in VBA-M, Dolphin takes over the framelimit throttle of VBA-M. Pressing Tab on Dolphin will also affect the throttle of VBA-M. If Dolphin drops in speed, VBA-M will slow down too. This is normal.The next VBA-M instance can now be started. Connection of VBA-M to the port in Dolphin is random - the first instance of VBA-M may not necessarily connect to port 1 of Dolphin. Successive VBA-M instances download slower. The bandwidth between the VBA-M instances is shared. This is a limitation of the GameCube hardware.The connection does work over wifi but is very slow (slower than 30% speed).If VBA is stuck on the letter "M" of the Gameboy logo, go into Dolphin and select GBA under the Port option of Controller Settings.Do not map the same input controls on every VBA-M instance as this will cause input issues.Some games require that the throttle in Dolphin is disabled to connect. This is a known issue.The connection uses TCP port 54970. Make sure that this port is open on the firewall.A TCP/IP monitor can be used to analyse the traffic being sent. If Dolphin is sending a whole bunch of 0xFF bytes, that means the connection is being reset and is not a good sign.Please test this version out and post the results to this thread. Both Dolphin and VBA-M builds have to be downloaded. The WIP build is a Windows build.Updated VBA-M and patch:The links above have been updated with the latest build. The changes are link speed improvements and improved handling of disconnections. However, I could not get the Pokemon games to work with this version and the spell casting issue in FFCC persists. In FFCC, the radar map has to be turned off for spell casting to work.The update has been merged into master 4.0-5899. It requires VBA-M svn 1235. Thanks for all of the testing reports. They were all very helpful. Find JMC47
Content Producer Posts: 6,138
Threads: 28
Joined: Feb 2013 I've compiled a quick list of games that I know are working in the latest build.
Animal Crossing - Works
Crash Bandicoot: Wrath of Cortex - Works
Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles - With more GBAs level loads will take longer and longer. Seems playable otherwise. Sometimes characters jitter.
The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures - Works
The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures+ - Works; Tetra's Trackers has broken audio on VBAs side.
Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour - Connects and transfers everything. VBA runs at 70% while connected.
MegaMan X Command Mission - Works, requires LLE for audio to work properly on VBAs side due to ucode switching.
Metroid Prime - Works
Nintendo Puzzle Collection - Works
Pacman VS - Works
Pokemon Series - Requires throttle off to connect. Subject to problems during connection. one GBA works well, but further GBAs get successively difficult.
Sonic Adventure - Works
Sonic Adventure 2 - Apparently disconnects early popping up an error, but works anyway for dropping off and picking up. Stats carry over.
Star Wars Rogue Squadron 3 - This works. I don't think any existing hardware will get full speed, but it works.
Wario World - Works Find Shokuryu
Unregistered
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles
Works the best I've seen so far, but the characters still stutter. If you want to eliminate the stuttering, with ALL GBAs linked, press select to switch to GBA mode (it may press it for you twice), press B to go to the menus, select again, and viola.
The reason why the characters are stuttering (just mentioning for the sake of documentation) is because it's updating the maps, player locations, etc constantly on every GBA screen when players move around. When your character moves without the radar screen on, it moves lag-free.
Again, the most lag I've seen is in River Belle. I have no idea why. Every area I've seen so far, even the cave where you cross some sort of rift towards the top of the first map, has 30 frames pretty consistently.
So yea, this is pretty playable. It's just a little laggy with River Belle. I'd like PMs to links with best configurations for FFCC for best performance if possible. Zera
Unregistered
http://imgur.com/mUs4Vi6
http://i.imgur.com/bAxsJi6.jpg
http://imgur.com/t3AZWOz
Had some trouble setting everything up from scratch, thanks to skid for all the help!
Tested only 2 GBAs, but no performance problems so far (my PC is relatively new though, Intel Xeon E3-1231, 8 GB RAM, Asus R9 280). Tested FFCC, seems to work!Had some trouble setting everything up from scratch, thanks to skid for all the help!Tested only 2 GBAs, but no performance problems so far (my PC is relatively new though, Intel Xeon E3-1231, 8 GB RAM, Asus R9 280). jimbo1qaz
I'm at famitracker.org discord Posts: 373
Threads: 31
Joined: Jan 2013 Your post makes it sound like the link is not emulated right now. Doesn't it already exist, except buggy? I no longer actively use Dolphin or visit the forums. My blog went down years ago with the Heliohost HDD crash. I'm active in famitracker.org discord now. Website Find jacent
Junior Member Posts: 6
Threads: 0
Joined: Dec 2014 It works great. thanks
now all we need in the vba-m emulator is e-reader support with link function and then it needs to be merged with master branch. Find skid
skidau / skid_au Posts: 1,976
Threads: 8
Joined: Aug 2009 (02-23-2015, 02:52 PM) jimbo1qaz Wrote: Your post makes it sound like the link is not emulated right now. Doesn't it already exist, except buggy?
Yes, the feature already exists. I worked on the emulation of it with shuffle2 five years ago to this day. 5 Year Anniversary!
Have updated first post to not lead people astray. Yes, the feature already exists. I worked on the emulation of it with shuffle2 five years ago to this day. 5 Year Anniversary!Have updated first post to not lead people astray. Find Two-Tone-
Unregistered
I decided to stop emulating FFCC to switch the dsp engine to get better speeds without turning off the VBA-M instancess, which is akin to turning the gamecube off and on again without switching off the GBAs. What is suppose to happen is that the GBAs enter a "waiting for connection" state until FFCC loads up. When FFCC loads up they resume connection like nothing happened. However, upon restarting the emulation of the gamecube, all VBA-M instances become completely unresponsive and Dolphin refuses to actually emulate anything. Trying to stop the emulation by hitting the stop button doesn't do anything. Closing the VBA-M instances is the only way to completely stop the emulation process.
Was able to make 3 characters, but player four's character (the yellow gba) was unable to make a character. The character creator would work, but upon finishing it the character slot would read empty but still show the correct character model. Trying to select it would just start the whole creation process over. This is hit and miss, usually more miss than hit.
I noticed that sometimes while creating characters, an already established character's name will disappear. They're still selected and loaded, their name is just missing. Once actually in game, their name works as normal. I don't know for certain, but I think it primarily affects the first character only. You can see what I'm talking about in the last linked image.
Various visual artifacts when there are multiple VBA-Ms connected, but not all are used.
Loading up the VBA-Ms before loading up FFCC (turning on the GBAs before turning on the gamecube) will cause the VBA-Ms to either crash or hang.
Using savestates to skip the initial loading times works! I do them one at a time. Once blue is loaded and says "Please look at the TV" I make a save state called "blue ffcc". I then do the same for the others. Then when I reload I just load the savestates and bam, done. Funny thing is that you can actually use the colors interchangeably. I one time had two yellow background GBAs when one was suppose to be green. The colors eventually fix themselves.
Input is a little sporadic. I'll select a slot that I wish to create a character in and I'll go into the character creator and then immediately back out. I didn't test this a lot, but I think it has to do with how long I hold the button down. These are my findings I've made so far when testing out FFCC:I decided to stop emulating FFCC to switch the dsp engine to get better speeds without turning off the VBA-M instancess, which is akin to turning the gamecube off and on again without switching off the GBAs. What is suppose to happen is that the GBAs enter a "waiting for connection" state until FFCC loads up. When FFCC loads up they resume connection like nothing happened. However, upon restarting the emulation of the gamecube, all VBA-M instances become completely unresponsive and Dolphin refuses to actually emulate anything. Trying to stop the emulation by hitting the stop button doesn't do anything. Closing the VBA-M instances is the only way to completely stop the emulation process.Was able to make 3 characters, but player four's character (the yellow gba) was unable to make a character. The character creator would work, but upon finishing it the character slot would read empty but still show the correct character model. Trying to select it would just start the whole creation process over. This is hit and miss, usually more miss than hit. Example Image I noticed that sometimes while creating characters, an already established character's name will disappear. They're still selected and loaded, their name is just missing. Once actually in game, their name works as normal. I don't know for certain, but I think it primarily affects the first character only. You can see what I'm talking about in the last linked image.Loading up the VBA-Ms before loading up FFCC (turning on the GBAs before turning on the gamecube) will cause the VBA-Ms to either crash or hang.Using savestates to skip the initial loading times works! I do them one at a time. Once blue is loaded and says "Please look at the TV" I make a save state called "blue ffcc". I then do the same for the others. Then when I reload I just load the savestates and, done. Funny thing is that you can actually use the colors interchangeably. I one time had two yellow background GBAs when one was suppose to be green. The colors eventually fix themselves.Input is a little sporadic. I'll select a slot that I wish to create a character in and I'll go into the character creator and then immediately back out. I didn't test this a lot, but Iit has to do with how long I hold the button down. Shonumi
Linux User/Tester Posts: 6,073
Threads: 50
Joined: Dec 2011 @skid - Just to clarify, this is all being done with a vanilla build of VBA-M, correct? Website Find skid
skidau / skid_au Posts: 1,976
Threads: 8
Joined: Aug 2009 No, the VBA-M is modified and works only with the version of Dolphin bundled. FindText by Michael Bullerdick and Infographic by Julie Rossman
From twin satellites photographing the sun in 360° to rovers on Mars to a ’70s-era probe passing out of the heliosphere and into interstellar space, mankind has more than two dozen currently active spacecraft outside simple Earth orbit. We created this infographic to showcase where all Earth’s interplanetary explorers are today, and what they’re up to.
Since the Soviet Union launched the first space probe, Sputnik, in 1957, approximately 160 unmanned space probes have been launched by various countries, or those working cooperatively, to photograph and analyze the sun, the Earth, the moon, interplanetary space, comets, asteroids and planets in our Solar System. Most probes are designed to “flyby” or orbit celestial targets; however, several—such as Curiosity and Chang’e 3—have been designed to make surface landings and to employ mobile rovers to search for evidence of life-sustaining water.
We’ve identified 25 probes designated on “active duty,” meaning they are 1) en route to their destinations or have reached their targets, 2) are successfully conducting experiments, and 3) are still able to communicate with Earth. The farthest-flung of these are Voyager 1 and 2, twin probes launched way back in 1977 that managed to surpass expectations in photographing Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and their moons. With their primary mission complete, Voyager 1 and 2 are now headed out of the heliosphere (the region defined by the reach of the solar wind) and into interstellar space—more than 10 billion miles from Earth, and the furthest distance any manmade object has ever traveled.The Rockies rotation has been a disaster this year. As a group, they have a 6.31 ERA, and while their FIP (5.15) and xFIP (4.44) are somewhat better, both marks are still among the worst in the league. The main culprits — the rockies are 29th in walk rate (3.71 BB/9), 29th in home run rate (1.58 HR/9), and 30th in BABIP allowed (.349). Putting guys on base before you give up hits and homers is a sure way to allow the other team to score, and while the park and defense are significant non-pitching factors, their starters xFIP- is 114, worst in baseball, and that’s all on the pitchers.
So, Jim Tracy is going to try something different. Very different. In lieu of just changing the names on the back of the jerseys, Tracy is essentially throwing away the standard construction of a starting rotation, and is going to use his pitching staff in an extremely unconventional manner — four “starting pitchers”, each one limited to 75 pitches per outing.
To be honest, I love the idea of trying something different, but I’m just not sure this roster and this location is the right place to try it.
Let’s start with the logic behind the idea, though. We know that relief pitchers perform better than starting pitchers, and in general, a pitcher who knows he doesn’t have to conserve his bullets for a longer outing can throw more pitches at max effort and see an uptick in the quality of his stuff. That jump in velocity and movement, along with more frequently getting the platoon advantage and not having to face the same hitters multiple times in one game, helps relievers allow about one run fewer per nine innings than starting pitchers. It’s a significant effect, so transferring innings from starters to relievers could allow a team to reduce the amount of runs they allow.
Indeed, the ideal pitching staff probably doesn’t look like the current five starters/seven relievers format, and I wouldn’t be surprised if teams eventually move away from that system and into something that takes more advantage of the effectiveness of pitchers in shorter stints. However, there are some issues specific to the Rockies experiment that makes me think that this probably isn’t the right long term solution either.
For one, the fact that the shorter outings are being combined with one fewer day of rest means that the Rockies starters probably won’t see a significant uptick in stuff. The Rockies are essentially combining two offsetting effects here – the reduction in quality of stuff from pitching on three days rest with the improvement in stuff from not having to save your arm for pitches 76-100.
Overall, the starting pitchers will still be throwing about the same number of pitches as they were under the standard five man rotation, only spaced slightly differently. Whether its seven or eight outings of 75 pitches each of five or six starts of 100 pitches each, the Rockies are still looking at getting between 500-600 pitches per month from their four remaining starters. While we don’t know for certain that relief pitchers can throw harder because they also throw fewer pitches, it seems that the quantity versus quality trade-off is more likely to come to fruition if there actually is a reduction in quantity.
Perhaps the Rockies will find that pitchers can throw harder for the same number of pitches if just spaced out differently — it is certainly worth watching to find out — but my guess is that Christian Friedrich, Alex White, Jeff Francis, and Josh Outman aren’t going to see a significant impact on the quality of their stuff under this new system. And if they’re not throwing better pitchers, then the entirety of the rotation’s improvement would have to be based on each pitcher getting to face opposing hitters fewer teams within the same game.
That could have a real (but probably small) impact on the starters’ performances. Here are the splits for each time through the order in MLB this season:
1st PA vs SP:.247/.310/.393
2nd PA vs SP:.260/.321/.417
3rd PA vs SP:.271/.332/.444
(We’re ignoring 4th time through the order because of huge selection bias issues – a guy only gets to face batters a fourth time if he’s pitching really well.)
Just for reference, the first PA against a reliever in a game is.241/.316/.375 – not that much different than the first PA against a starting pitcher, which does suggest that a starting pitcher going through a batting order once might not perform that differently from a reliever. But, the Rockies aren’t putting their starters on a once-through-the-order limit, as 75 pitches per outing means they’re probably looking at about 20 batters faced per game, or two full trips through the order and then a couple of hitters a third time. So, if we just reallocate number of PAs based on these averages, what size impact could we see?
This year, the average starting pitcher is facing 25 batters per start, so they’re basically facing the order all the way through twice and then facing seven batters for a third time. So, if we weight the average OPS by those situations as 9/9/7, we get the.737 OPS that is basically a dead on match for what starters are allowing this year. If we re-weight that to 9/9/2, to account for 20 batters faced per game, the average OPS allowed would drop to.727. In other words, having to face those five extra batters a third time through the order pushes a pitcher’s OPS allowed up by about 10 points. If nothing else changed, that would knock about.05 runs per game off the Rockies runs allowed total. A real change, but a small one.
Of course, that assumes all things staying equal, and this structure doesn’t make that likely. Fewer batters faced |
's secret weapon heading into IPL. Most of the indication of Sea's skill comes from the EG MC tournament Sea competes in weekly. Though he suffered a loss to Empire.Happy in his very first, he easily beat the likes of Thorzain, Major, Luvsic, DdoRo, fraer, and Genius. His most recent victory against Genius was most notable, because in this series, Sea actually used mech to demolish the caught-off-guard Protoss player. Though he has a good record against some good players, Sea is very untested against fellow Koreans, especially the top ones we're used to seeing in the GSL. As IPL5 will be his debut offline tournament, Sea's progress will be a big story-line to follow this weekend. Will Sea cause waves, or will we have to wait till the next tide?Just to get an idea of how stacked this tournament is, here's is a list of all the Koreans who didn't make our ranking.Ditto, but for Europeans.And here are the most internationally known North Americans with the best results, all coming back from the WCS Grand Finals.San has shown some amazing prowess in online preliminaries. He's earned flights to more than one MLG tournament through qualifiers, and he comes into IPL5 with a winners round four spot after taking second place in a very tough Korean regional. Strangely, the skill he shows in qualifiers never really shows up in the actual tournaments, leaving us to wonder what's the matter with San. It might just be a bad case of stage fright like it is for many other players, but he's got to do something about it if he doesn't want to squander his great starting position at IPL5.So we've finally seen Scarlett in two big tournaments against top caliber players, and we've come to the initial conclusion that while she isn't Stephano and can't be predicted to consistently beat S-level Korean players, she is still good enough to be one of the few foreigners who is a real threat to said Code S level Koreans. The massive hype surrounding her since she upset BumblebeePrime at IPL4 has made everything she does get put under a microscope, so hopefully returning to the place where she got her big break will also mean a return to more realistic expectations. Scarlett isn't a player you expect to win the title, but she is someone you expect to show the Koreans that they won't have it easy.Over the course of a year, Vortix has climbed from being just Lucifron's brother to being the more accomplished Duran. After a rapid rise that seemed to know no end, the last two weeks have finally started to reveal the precipice of Vortix's climb. At the WCS Grand Finals, he lost 2-3 to Creator and at IEM Singapore, he lost again in a close 2-3 to Sting. Vortix seems to be able to fight toe-to-toe with top Koreans, but lacks that final bit to be able to break into Stephano territory. Perhaps it's just a lack of chances? Well, here comes the third try in three weeks.The defending IPL champ has been in a strange spot lately. The wins have stopped coming, but at the same time, the quality of his play suggests that he's better than what the stats say. With aLive always having struggled with TvZ post-patch, the difference seems to be that while he was previously able to barely win over top class Terran and Protoss players, he's now barely losing those same games. It would be great if he could return to Las Vegas and tip those narrow margins back in his favor, but his current form makes it seem unlikely.In power ranks, we often joke about how Nerchio is the domestic version of Stephano, preferring to stay in Europe while his French counterpart finds success all over the world. Well, no more! Not two weeks ago, Nerchio made the rare trip to Asia to compete in the WCS Grand Finals. And this week, he'll make his first appearance on American soil, a truly joyous occasion for those hoping for something less than total Korean domination at IPL5.Nerchio doesn't seem to be optimistic though, as when TL spoke with him at the WCS Finals, he was in a state of despair over Protoss. Specifically, the Protoss known as CreatorPrime. Lo and behold, look who Nerchio has to play in round two, none other than Creator himself. For a player who has made much of his fame by defeating Protoss players, MC and Yonghwa in particular, it's curious that Nerchio would struggle so much with Creator, who he holds a 0 - 5 record against. But hey, as long as they're in the same place, maybe Nerchio could ask HyuN for some pointers.As a possible heir to PuMa's throne, TheStC has experienced a condensed version of his predecessor's career over the last four months. With a combination of beastly TvT and TvP, backed by sufficient all-in skills to prop up an average TvZ game, TheStC produced some great results at foreign tournaments, placing top four at MLG Summer and Dreamhack Valencia. And then, like PuMa, his TvZ stopped holding up in a Zerg filled world, with Snute and Stephano knocking him out of DreamHack Winter. Unless TheStC can improve his TvZ game greatly or bring some better cheeses, things can only get worse at this rate.The former NS Hoseo Terran Sting never made a big impact in GomTV run Korean scene, but he's showed a great aptitude for winning multi-game series in international tournaments. With a combination of cheeses, greedy economic gambles, and strong two base timing attacks, Sting found success first in TSL4, and then at IEM Singapore. While some people might not like his choice of style, you can't deny that it's getting him results, and that IPL5 seems like just the kind of tournament where Sting would do well.Somehow, Heart is still one of the most underrated players in the business. People have been waiting for him to regress to his true level ever since he took third place at MLG Winter Championship in March (eliminating HuK with two 1/1/1's didn't help) but he's stayed the course - and he might have even gotten better. At the last two MLG Championships he put in tie-7th and tie-5th performances, and he even made it into Code S as if to send a message to his haters. Yes, Heart might have a stronger-than-normal penchant for cheese, but his cheeses are strong because he uses them in tandem with other strategies. His tournament results speak for themselves, and those who continue to underrate him do so at their own peril.Two of the three central figures behind the SlayerS drama will be in competition at IPL5, with only Jessica required to complete the unhappiest reunion ever.Crank seems to have come down a bit after a nice tie-9th finish at MLG Summer Championship, whether it was due to continued problems with his neck pains or distraction from the SlayerS drama. He's proven to be a solid Protoss player in his limited outings, but has yet to have a truly impressive result.Then there's MMA, the player that the power rank committee had the most contrasting opinions about. No, not in terms of his culpability in the entire SlayerS scandal - just in terms of how good he is now. There's no soft way to put it: his recent results have been dismal, and he's dropped straight down to Code B. On the other hand, you can never count out players who have played at the highest level. While you have to keep the cautionary tale of jjakji in mind, you also have to think about the times MC and MVP surged back after looking faded, proving that there's something timeless about class. MMA's in the roughest patch of his career, but now that he's found a new team and put the drama behind him, it could be time for his recovery to begin.Looking at Ryung finally get his big break, we can't help but be reminded a tiny bit of ByuN. Like Ryung, he was another Terran who was a regular fixture in Code S, a core part of his team, and someone who could play at a championship level on his best days. Since Ryung has finally put together that one good run, you have to think that maybe ByuN could have his day as well. They do differ in one important way, however. Ryung's great at TvZ, while ByuN's specialty is TvP - not something that bodes well for ByuN in the current environment.You have to be a little bit disappointed: After MVP singled out YoDa as the best player on the LG-IM team, he's proved himself to be merely good-but-not-great. With clean mechanics and strong macro play, there's a hint of an excellent player lying underneath, but somehow he hasn't come to light in the GSL. At least we know MVP's words weren't entirely lip service, as LG-IM choose to send YoDa as their IPL Team Arena finalist seed. While it only means so much when you consider Seed was already qualified and Yonghwa has WCG duty this weekend, it shows that the team has faith in their #2 Terran. Perhaps the rapid-fire, gauntlet style of foreign tournaments is what YoDa needs to really show his skills?Though it's been overshadowed by many of the bigger storylines of the year, viOLet's consistency in 2012 has been remarkable. Just look at his results on Liquipedia – he's been top eight in nearly every major tournament he's entered, and he even made the Code S Ro16 as if to prove that he's not just taking advantage of weaker international opposition. While viOLet has been fairly quiet in the past few months (a top four performance at LSC2 was quickly buried by the onslaught of giant year end tournaments), that's no reason to think one of the most consistent players of 2012 has somehow declined. With a little bit of that all-important tournament luck, he could be right back in the championship picture.Stephano hasn't been able to impress with his recent performances at DH Winter and the BWC, but he's still the best shot the foreigners have at winning this tournament. The champion of IPL3 and top six finisher at IPL4, Stephano returns to Vegas with a chance to make a year end statement to the people who think there's any substance to the EG curse. While his last two tournament outings were poor, everything will be forgiven with a strong showing at IPL5. Stephano doesn't necessarily need to take the title due to the stacked player field, but letting a player like Vortix or Nerchio finish higher than him could re-open the 'best foreigner' discussion that seemed slammed shut just a few months ago.After looking like he had roared back to his early 2012 form heading into MLG Dallas, Polt instead looks like he's back to being in so-so form. With a disappointing 9~12th finish at MLG and then a disastrous Lone Star Clash where he didn't even finish in the money, Polt traveled back to Korea for his Code S Ro16 matches. While he didn't make it to the quarterfinals, he was still able to knock off Parting 2 - 0 before losing to semi-finalists Bogus and Sniper to be eliminated from the tournament. Heading into IPL5, nothing would really surprise us from Polt. He could win it all, as we've known for a while that he's one of the best Terrans in the world when he's fully prepared and in form. He could also fall out early, in a third straight disappointing result.To recycle some content from a Code A article:It's surprising and depressing how well this rule holds up, as Bomber is great at building up momentum with a string of good results, only to smash into a brick wall in a burning wreck. His great runs at MLG Fall (including a fantastic win over by.Rain) and Lone Star Clash seemed like signs of a Bomber revival, but his fans are cautious about getting their hopes up lest they get burned again. As usual, Bomber enters the tournament with the potential to win it all, but also bearing a huge weight of doubt.I could not believe that so many of my fellow writers have called DRG down and out for the count, ranking him so low here in the power rank! After all, DRG is still arguably the best performing player of 2012. And did we forget that he was recently in the finals of an OSL? Or that he still made round of 16 in the GSL?Sure, DRG is in a mini-slump at the moment, but we've all seen those DRG mini-slumps before, and each time he came back. The last time we doubted DRG, he made it all the way to the finals of the OSL. And more recently, look no further than the fact that coach Choi of MVP still saved DRG as his closer/ace in the GSTL match against TSL, sending even the "higher rated" Sniper beforehand. Ladies and gentlemen, be prepared to see DRG surprise us all and silence the naysayers yet again.You have to be looking at MC anxiously as he comes to IPL5. It's been nearly four months since he earned his last serious payday at an international tournament, having earned $6,500 for a second place finish in August's ASUS ROG Assembly tournament. The foreign circuit is MC's bread and butter, and he seems bound to cash in in Vegas, regardless of criticisms of an inflexible style.Someone would say the cracks are showing, with his Ro8 elimination at IEM Singapore being the latest disappointing result. But this is MC in an international tournament, for which we must hold an equal amount of reverence as we do for MVP in the GSL. The major complication would be that this tournament is a little more Korean than international, but we ARE talking about the third place OSL finisher here.MMA and Ryung may be on different teams, yet somehow they're still connected. As previously mentioned, MMA is in a situation where many are willing to overlook his current form because of his past results. It's the same case for Ryung, but not in a positive way. After so many tournaments where Ryung proved he was good-but-not-great, it seems that many believe his current semi-final run in Code S is a temporary spike rather than a real shift.After all, what Ryung showed was mostly an increase in consistency (he was already capable of playing world class games on his best days) - something that can be hard to tell apart from luck without seeing a lot of games. It's all very familiarly unfair for Ryung, as his fellow semi-finalists are receiving the benefit of the doubtof their lack of a track record, when it's not yet clear that any of them are the real deal either.As with MMA, the Power Rank committee was conflicted on where Ryung should go, and we ended up compromising at #12.Squirtle comes back to IPL5, mostly known as the guy whohave won IPL4. As history tells us, aLive bested Squirtle in the finals of the previous IPL, but what do we find when we dig a little deeper? Squirtle had tirelessly clawed his way to the finals through the open bracket, the group stage, and then the loser bracket of the championship round, playing around forty games in three days. Meanwhile, Alive progressed from the lofty group stage into the finals, watching his would-be challengers scrap against each other in the dirt. Even though Alive was holding the trophy at the end, many were more impressed by Squirtle's second place finish.The momentum of IPL4 saw Squirtle to a Code S finals, and earned him recognition as the best Protoss player in the world. After that, there followed a decline, where Squirtle seemed more egg than blastoise. Recently, however, Squirtle seems to be finding his stride again, cruising in Code A and playing a key part for Startale in Team Leagues. As he's returning to the place where his career first took off, he couldn't have had better timing.Not since Jjakji won a GSL champion last November, has a Code S champ looked so vulnerable. The path to Seed's trophy was paved with close 3 - 2's and cheesy play in a PvP finals. Sure, Seed showed some instances of greatness directly after his championship; he was the hero who prevented Taeja from all-killing IM twice at the IPL TAC finals and he qualified to WCS Asia after placing in WCS Korea. Seed's stable and solid play inspired confidence that he was not just the beneficiary of a lucky run, but a player who would be around in the scene for a long time. But more recent events suggest differently. Seed fell out of WCS Asia, and in last week's GSL matches Seed joined jjakji in Code B after losing to the unheralded TSL_Center.Few would remember that in IPL4, Jjakji was considered one of the favorites. After his GSL win, Jjakji too, had his successes, even winning the IPL tournament of champions. But after a disappointing performance at IPL4, his stock seemed to plummet, sending him into obscurity. Seed will have to do his best at IPL5 to avoid suffering the same fate.It's weird to say, but Symbol, the hottest kid on the Zerg block, is rapidly being phased out by newer players like Life, Sniper and even his own teammate Hyun. Red hot with momentum after surprising everyone at Iron Squid in April and then following it up with a reverse all-kill of LG-IM in the GSTL, Symbol was never able to get past the Ro8 of Code S and went out 0 - 2 in this season's Ro16. With Hyun destroying IPL Fight Club, making the semifinals of GSL, and even used as TSL's final ace in the most recent GSTL semifinals, Symbol has seemingly been replaced as the head Zerg on the TSL team. Hyun and Symbol are known close friends and share everything when it comes to builds, and Symbol has stated thousands of times that Hyun is one of the main reasons why he is so good. Symbol is still one of the best Zerg players in the world, but this is a tournament where he's in danger of being demoted from TSL's super ace to Hyun's sidekick if he can't put in an awesome performance.The events of DreamHack Winter were critical in HerO overtaking TaeJa for the first time in months. Both destroyed their group stage opponents, but come the playoff stage, TaeJa had a fairly rough time handling ThorZaIN and Nerchio (his games vs. the latter were tighter than the 3 – 0 scoreline suggests) while HerO breezed through monchi and Snute. And while we don't take head to head directly into account in these rankings (our criteria for tiebreaks are more nebulous than DreamHack's), HerO's 4 – 0 finals victory over TaeJa counted as a quality win against a Code S player, giving him the push ahead.While both players are more than good enough to dominate international competition, one has to wonder how things will go for them against the masses of Korean Zergs at IPL5. It's those very Korean Zergs who caused them to drop from the current season of Code S in the first place, and HerO's loss against Sen at WCS and TaeJa's less-than-easy wins against foreign Zergs at DreamHack suggest they haven't found the whole answer just yet. It's a strange world where HerO and TaeJa'smatch-ups are now against Zerg, and while both can get far, they won't be able to win the championship without fixing that point.Bogus, man. He started out his SC2 career with a 1 - 8 record on one of the most overlooked teams in the KeSPA Proleague, and he is now on the verge of creating history in Vegas. He not only has a chance to become the second royal roader in GSL history and the first KeSPA player to take a GSL championship, but he is also listed to take part in the IPL5 tournament as well. With comparable micro to MarineKing and Polt, he has an array of timing attacks that he can rely on to take out players in the early game. In the times he's been pushed to the mid and late game, Bogus has been just as solid, having wins over Soulkey and Sniper on his way to the semis. Innovation, Bogus, or whatever you want to call him, is a different kind of KeSPA player. He erased his past and started anew by changing his ID, and he is the only KeSPA player to do away with the barcode ID and publicize his actual account. Eccentric, powerful, and strong enough to a-move to victory, he is one of the top contenders to take the title in Sin City.Sniper makes his international debut after having made a reputation for himself among the hardcore GSL fans as Mr. Anti-Fun. In his career, he's eliminated fan favorites like NaNiwa, Sen, Clide, Leenock and PartinG from the GSL, robs MVP fans of opportunities to see DongRaeGu play as the ace, on top of which he recently all-killed the remnants of the SlayerS team in their emotional farewell GSTL match. In the latter match, he also happened to make SlayerS_Eve cry in her debut game, confirming his position as the biggest fan-not-favorite in a very long time. As he starts at the bottom of the IPL5 bracket, he's guaranteed plenty of games where he can cause even more grief.Though Sniper's not the first player to knock out popular players and earn their fans' ire, there's something about him that makes him even further embody the spirit of 'no fun allowed' (he's the anti-mage of SC2). At least players like Heart and Sparta had the storylines of resourceful underdogs getting by to make them interesting. Sniper is just flat out excellent in a very unremarkable way, and we know from years of esports that unless your name is MVP or Flash, that's not a good way to get people to like you. The thing is, Sniper just might have the talent to get to that level.After the WCS Grand finals, Creator must have felt a bit aggrieved. Just compare Creator's opponents of Nerchio, Vortix, and Rain against Parting's opponents, Socke, Suppy, and Sen, and even PartinG would have to say he had it a bit easy. And of course, the finals happened to be a PvP... Even so, $40,000 is a pretty good consolation prize, and Creator seemed to be a good sport about it.Unlike IPL4 at the beginning of the year, which was Creator's first international tournament, Creator comes into IPL5 as a veteran, a known quantity, and one of the favorites to win the championship. But even as a contender, Creator is looking for his first real big league win. At the end of the day, TSL4 and WCS Korea are being remembered as very tough competitions, but not tournaments of the highest order. With Creator's failure to win at the WCS Grand Finals, he will be looking to IPL5 as his chance to finally win on the grandest of stages.Oh, but those dreaded Zergs. Last week, against Hyun in the GSL, Creator seemed to be trying to make a statement with his game on Daybreak. He got his ultimate army, everything he could want, even highly upgraded carriers with templar support. But even as Hyun let Creator be, not attacking at all while each player built up his force of choice, the final outcome was a Protoss massacre. As the only player we've ranked in the top 5 who's not a Zerg, Creator better be prepared with some new type of fly swatter if he wants to squash some bugs.Although Hyun was one of the first A-team KeSPA players to switch to SC2, his debut games in the GSL left much to be desired. In those debacles, Hyun looked like a perfect neophyte to the game. He missed his opponent's troop movements totally, used very questionable builds, and seemed to lack understanding of basic unit counters. So Hyun went back to the drawing board, determined to live up the hype befitting an elephant. He waited in the shadows, fading into the label that was "TSL Zerg". And even when Symbol arose as the dominant TSL Zerg, Hyun still did not fret nor did he lose determination to become the very best; he knew his time drew near.Fast forward to August 6th, 2012, a date many would consider a turning point in Hyun's career. On that date, Hyun was pitted against the top Protoss at the time, Squirtle, in IPL's Fight Club #28. With Squirtle's then stunning form, his the 3 week streak, and Hyun's relative anonymity, it seemed at first like an easy walkover for the Startale Protoss. But don't forget that Hyun once broke even God's streak. When Hyun toppled Squirtle, many called it a fluke, but as his streak grew and grew to its current 14 kills, none could deny that HyuN had finally arrived. And with his current standing in the GSL Round of 4, well, it's about time.With the Zerg race being derided from all corners for its boring play, Leenock is nearly single-handedly keeping up their reputation as race that can play dynamic, entertaining games. While even Life seems to be gradually abandoning his more unpredictable play for the comfort of BL-infestor, Leenock is going the opposite direction and getting more erratic by the day (alas, he's bound to play standard in ZvZs). Whether it's by going for Nydus all-ins, overlord drops, or early baneling busts, Leenock makes sure that his opponents never know what to prepare for.Even with his less than standard play, Leenock has been one of the best performing and most consistent players in the second half of the year, winning one MLG and taking second place in another, as well as reaching the final eight of two consecutive Code S tournaments. Leenock's made the most out of limited international opportunities compared to other players, and opportunities don't come any bigger than this.Life doesn't have a GSL title to play for in Las Vegas due to a surprise loss to Soulkey in the GSL Ro16, but he still has a lot to gain. With Rain ending his 2012 campaign by taking third at WCS, and Mvp opting out of IPL5 to rest his body, this could be the championship that affirms Life as the most accomplished player of 2012. DRG and MVP have the best resumes so far this year, but for player of the year honors, you'd have to say a triple of GSL/MLG/IPL would give Life the edge.On the other hand, another quick exit in this tournament would start to put some doubt on Life's true abilities, and make people wonder if his style has already been figured out in a few short weeks. It's been a year where momentum has been alarmingly hard for anyone to keep going, and it was a shock to see Life drop out of the GSL in ZvZ's after having had a 70%+ win rate in the match-up earlier in the year. If a KeSPA newcomer in Soulkey could figure out his ZvZ style so easily, you have to wonder if the same can't be said for his aggressive, unpredictable style of playing non-mirrors.But then again, you have to remember that he's still a 15-year-old kid who's still enrolled in school while only playing StarCraft II full time during vacations (by the way, a 2 month winter break in Korea is coming up). In those circumstances, he came up with a style that all his colleagues say is impossible to imitate, and executed it well enough to win a GSL and MLG in dominating fashion. Thus, while Life's momentum might have taken its first real hit after MLG Dallas, he's still the most exciting young player in the world, and the one nobody will want to face.This is, of course, particularly rich seeing as that my colleagues and I have been denied monetization of our YouTube videos. It’s why we are suing the US government. Section 230 provides immunity from lawsuits to Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, thereby permitting these social media giants to engage in government-sanctioned censorship and discriminatory business practices free from legal challenge.
We mean to change that.
‘Don’t forget to pay your subscriptions!’: Father-of-eight imam ‘who radicalised the Bataclan bomber’ earned hundreds a month for sermons filmed in a children’s PLAYGROUND Tarik Chadlioui is facing extradition to Spain over extremism claims
Father-of-eight is Moroccan but moved to Britain using his Belgian passport
It emerged today he filmed videos in a children’s playground in Birmingham
Preacher has 16,000 YouTube subscribers and makes hundreds from views
He also posted photos of himself on holiday and enjoying a barbecue By Richard Spillett, Crime Correspondent For Mailonline, 29 June 2017 An arrested imam said to have radicalised one of the Paris terror attackers earned thousands of pounds from films of himself airing his views in a children’s playground and splashing about in a swimming pool. Tarik Chadlioui, 43, is currently facing extradition to Spain on terror charges after he was detained by anti-terror police at his home in Birmingham. He is accused of being the spiritual leader of a jihadist network, who allegedly inspired Omar Mostefai, a terrorist who blew himself up during the Bataclan theatre siege that claimed 89 lives in Paris in 2015. It emerged today that the scores of videos of Chadlioui put online include one of him expounding his views in a children’s playpark not far from his home in Sparkbrook, Birmingham.
Tarik Chadlioui – accused of being part of a jihadist network – appears on his Facebook page lounging in a swimming with children believed to be his sons The alleged hate preache alsor posted photos online of himself during a barbecue Other photos and videos he posted online show him lounging in a rubber ring in a swimming pool and cooking kebabs at a barbecue. The video in the park is understood to show Chadlioui discussing the correct way to pray, but he adds: ‘Pray for your brothers in jails or in custody so that they will be released.’ He also says: ‘Do not forget to pay for your subscription for lessons and religious speeches.’ Chadlioui has around 16,000 subscribers to his YouTube channel and is thought to have made thousands of pounds from views. Other videos appear to have been filmed during Chadlioui’s trips abroad and inside his home. The Moroccan father-of-eight came to Britain around the time of the Paris attacks, using his Belgian passport to enter the UK. He is now fighting extradition claiming he has a right to a family life in Britain. Chadlioui – who is said to have previously urged his followers to wage holy war against ‘infidels’ – posted one video online as recently as last week. Chadlioui was arrested at his £800-a-month rented home in Birmingham he shares with his wife, who recently gave birth to their eighth child.
The Truth Must be Told Your contribution supports independent journalism Please take a moment to consider this. Now, more than ever, people are reading Geller Report for news they won't get anywhere else. But advertising revenues have all but disappeared. Google Adsense is the online advertising monopoly and they have banned us. Social media giants like Facebook and Twitter have blocked and shadow-banned our accounts. But we won't put up a paywall. Because never has the free world needed independent journalism more. Everyone who reads our reporting knows the Geller Report covers the news the media won't. We cannot do our ground-breaking report without your support. We must continue to report on the global jihad and the left's war on freedom. Our readers’ contributions make that possible. Geller Report's independent, investigative journalism takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce. But we do it because we believe our work is critical in the fight for freedom and because it is your fight, too. Please contribute to our ground-breaking work here.
Make a monthly commitment to support The Geller Report – choose the option that suits you best. Contribute Monthly - Choose One Subscriber : $18.00 USD - monthly Contributor : $36.00 USD - monthly Patron : $50.00 USD - monthly Silver member : $100.00 USD - monthly Gold member : $250.00 USD - monthly Platinum member : $500.00 USD - monthlyA truck bomb blasted the main security headquarters in Cairo on Friday, one of a string of four bombings in the Egyptian capital within a 10-hour period. The most significant attack yet in the city fuelled a furious backlash against the Muslim Brotherhood amid rising fears of a militant insurgency.
In the hours after the blast, angry residents — some chanting for the "execution" of Brotherhood members — joined police in clashes with the group's supporters holding their daily street protests against the government. Smoke rose over Cairo from fires, and fighting around the country left 14 more people dead.
The mayhem on the eve of the third anniversary of 2011's once hopeful revolution pointed to the accelerating, dangerous slide Egypt has taken since last summer's military ouster of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi: A mounting confrontation between the military-backed government and Islamist opponents amid the escalating militant violence.
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Saturday, the anniversary of the start of the 18-day uprising that ousted autocrat Hosni Mubarak, raised the potential for new violence, as both military supporters and the Islamists vowed to take to the streets with rival rallies.
After Friday's blasts, interim Preisident Adli Mansour vowed to "uproot terrorism," just as the government crushed a militant insurgency in the 1990s. The state "will not show them pity or mercy," he said. "We... will not hesitate to take the necessary measures."
That could spell an escalation in the crackdown that the government has waged against Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood ever since his July 3 ouster.
Thousands of Islamists have already been arrested and hundreds killed, with authorities accusing the group of being behind militant violence. The Brotherhood, which allied with some radical groups while in power, denies the claim, saying it is aimed only to justify the drive to eliminate it as a rival. The crackdown has expanded to silence other forms of dissent, with arrests of secular activists critical of the military, security forces and the new administration.
For activists, that has raised deep concerns over a return of a police state despite the government's promises of democracy.
A suicide car bomber blew himself up in the parking lot of a top security compound in central Cairo on Friday, killing at least five people in one of the most high-profile attacks on the state in months. (Al Youn Al Saabi/Reuters) But among a broad swath of the public, those concerns are eclipsed by fear of the wave of militant bombings and shootings since the coup, which have largely targeted police but increasingly hit in public areas taking civilian casualties. And the public fury has been funnelled at the Brotherhood: After Friday's bombings, TV stations aired telephone calls from viewers pleading with army chief Gen. Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi to definitively crush the group.
"Execution for Morsi and his leaders," one man shouted through a megaphone to an angry crowd that gathered outside the Cairo security headquarters hit in Friday's first bombing. A woman held up a picture depicting the Brotherhood as sheep, screaming, "Morsi is the butcher and el-Sissi will slaughter him."
A 'vile terrorist act'
The day's violence began with the 6:30 a.m. blast at the capital's security headquarters, located on downtown Bab el-Khalq Square. Security camera footage that became public showed a white pick-up truck pulling up the building's gate. A man gets out of it, jumps into another car and drive off. Two policemen inspect the truck for a moment, then return into the headquarters, and two minutes later, it explodes.
'It's not worth it anymore to stay here. Every day I ride the metro and go past here, - Abdullah el-Sayyed, Cairo resident
The powerful blast ripped down a main avenue that at any other time of day would have been packed with cars and pedestrians — knocking out windows of shops for more than 500 metres. The eight-storey headquarters' facade was shattered, with air conditioning units left dangling out of broken windows, and a crater was blasted into the pavement, as deep as a standing man.
The explosion also wrecked Cairo's renowned Islamic Arts Museum, directly across the street, blasting out its windows, causing ceilings to collapse, smashing display cases of porcelain and glasswork and breaking water pipes that sprayed over manuscripts. Museum experts said key pieces in its unique collection of Islamic artifacts were damaged.
Abdullah el-Sayyed, a 26-year-old salesman who lives behind the headquarters, said he was woken up by the blast, followed by heavy gunfire by frantic policemen. "They were devastated. They were firing their guns in panic as if to call for rescue," he said.
He said he plans to return to his home village in Fayoum south of Cairo because he no longer feels safe. "It's not worth it anymore to stay here. Every day I ride the metro and go past here," he said.
After the blast, several police officers sat on the sidewalk weeping outside the building, as ambulances rushed in, with a body nearby on the ground under a sheet. Some in the crowd of residents who gathered looked distraught at the damage.
An Egyptian man stands in rubble after an explosion at the Egyptian police headquarters, one of three bombings that hit high-profile areas around Cairo on Friday. (The Associated Press) Touring the site, Interior Minister Mohammed Ibrahim, who is in charge of police, called the bombings a "vile terrorist act" and implicitly blamed the Brotherhood, without naming it. "They will reach a point where coexistence will be impossible," he said.
Security officials later said three suspects had been identified as behind the security headquarters attack, saying they belonged to the Brotherhood and "extremist groups." The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release the information.
About two hours after the Bab el-Khalq blast, attackers threw a bomb at a police car near a metro station in the Dokki district on the other side of the Nile River, killing one person and wounding eight others, the prosecutors' office investigating the attack said.
A third, smaller blast targeted the Talbiya police station about four kilometres from the famous Giza Pyramids but caused no casualties, security officials said. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.
Rallies planned for Saturday
Hours after the attacks, the Brotherhood held daily protests that they have vowed to step up ahead of Saturday's anniversary. |
by frame. Even then, making a back-up takes the engineers an entire night, and after a week they have only enough material for one hour of Super Hi-Vision TV.
Sitting just three metres from a 450-inch screen, viewers often have an instant reaction to the picture. "Sometimes we suffer motion sickness," says Masaru Kanazawa, research engineer on the SHV project. These large screens would not fit in most living rooms, but Kanazawa thinks they soon might.
Hiroyuki Ohira, general manager of Pioneer's plasma development centre in Yamanashi, is in charge of the same team that, in the 1990s, invented the first high-definition plasma screens. "We are trying to develop a Super Hi-Vision panel to help NHK realise its broadcast plans," he said.
The two broadcasters often collaborate on programme production, most recently on the David Attenborough-narrated documentary Planet Earth which was filmed in high definition and introduced a number of new techniques.
Last November NHK had its high definition television cameras strapped to a Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency lunar probe to film an "Earth rise" over the moon in stunning detail.
The problem of how to transmit huge amounts of data remains. But NHK is using Dirac video compression technology for its Super Hi-Vision testing - a technology invented by the BBC.
Through Participate, an EU-funded project promoting public interaction with new technology, BBC engineers are getting involved in events using large outdoor screens. "Super Hi-Vision feeds nicely into that and it's definitely a long-term ambition," said Andy Bower, interim controller of the BBC Research and Innovation Centre.
Big in Japan
Mobile phones
Handsets provide mobile TV, and 50% of Japan's best-selling books were first serialised as mobile downloads.
Music players
The Vonia sports headband, a music player for gym bunnies, uses the bones of your skull to conduct sound straight to your inner ear.
Robotics
A new generation of inexpensive "amenity robots" does simple household chores.
Gadgets
Cyber-goggles could be the next generation in eyeware. They recognise objects in your field of vision and pop information about them up on the glass.Sept. 2 (UPI) -- A Florida municipal employee was charged with theft after allegedly pocketing the $75 fee the county charges for an exotic dancer license because most of the strippers paid in cash.
Anita Pedemey, 54, of West Palm Beach, was charged Thursday with grand theft, fraud and official misconduct after supervisors at the Palm Beach County office where she worked uncovered the scheme.
In Palm Beach County, strippers or exotic dancers are required to obtain a county-issued photo ID. The cost for one is $75 and Pedemey worked in the office where those licenses are issued. Because strippers regularly deal in cash, most used that to pay, rather than a check or credit card that would be more easily traced.
A coworker notified a supervisor after noticing Pedemey had been issuing the IDs, but they were not showing up on the next day's report. When the manager began more closely scrutinizing the office's ledger, other irregularities were uncovered, investigators said.
She is also accused of pocketing more than $4,500 from the victim services fund, a pot of money generated when convicted criminals elect to pay a fine rather than complete court-ordered community service.
County officials said Pedemey had been running the scam for up to three years and had taken an estimated $27,600 that should have gone into the public coffers.
The fraud was discovered in November. According to WPTV-West Palm Beach, Pedemey told her bosses she felt pressured to steal the money because her husband had been running up large repair bills at Home Depot. Pedemey resigned her position in December as an investigation by the county inspector general was still ongoing. That report was released Tuesday and on Thursday, police followed up with criminal charges.
Pedemey was released on bail.UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.-- The recent slowdown in climate warming is due, at least in part, to natural oscillations in the climate, according to a team of climate scientists, who add that these oscillations represent variability internal to the climate system. They do not signal any slowdown in human-caused global warming.
"We know that it is important to distinguish between human-caused and natural climate variability so we can assess the impact of human-caused climate change on a variety of phenomena including drought and weather extremes," said Michael Mann, Distinguished Professor of Meteorology, Penn State. "The North Atlantic and North Pacific oceans appear to be drivers of substantial natural, internal climate variability on timescales of decades."
Mann, Byron A. Steinman, assistant professor of geological sciences, University of Minnesota-Duluth and a former Penn State National Science Foundation postdoctoral fellow and Penn State researcher Sonya K. Miller looked at a combination of real-world observational data and state-of-the-art climate model simulations used in the most recent report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change to understand the competing contributions to climate variability in the Northern Hemisphere during the historic era. They report their results today (Feb 26) in Science.
The Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) describes how North Atlantic sea-surface temperatures tend to oscillate with a periodicity of about 50 to 70 years. The Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) varies over a broader range of timescales. The researchers looked only at the portion of the PDO that was multidecadal -- what they term the Pacific multidecadal oscillation (PMO).
Using a wide variety of climate simulations, the researchers found that the AMO and PMO are not significantly correlated; they are not part of the global "stadium wave" oscillation, as some researchers had claimed. What they found was that the Northern Hemisphere was warming more slowly, not because of the AMO -- which has been relatively flat -- but because of a sharply down-trending PMO.
The researchers conclude that the down-trending PMO and the unusual slowing of warming over the past decade are tied to heat burial beneath the tropical Pacific and a tendency for sustained La Niña type conditions. While there is paleoclimate data suggesting that this type of response could come from subtle features of climate change itself that climate models do not currently capture, the researchers note that the most likely explanation is the random excursions of the AMO.
"Our findings have strong implications for the attribution of recent climate changes," said Mann. "Internal multidecadal variability in Northern Hemisphere temperatures likely offset anthropogenic warming over the past decade."
The researchers conclude that given past historical patterns of variation in the AMO and PMO, this situation will likely reverse and add to human induced warming in the future.Some significant downsizing is underway at Groupon, the daily deals and local-commerce site. The company is today announcing that it will be cutting 1,100 jobs — mostly in its sales (aka “deal factory”) and customer service operations — taking a pre-tax charge of $35 million in the process. As part of the restructure, Groupon is also ceasing operations in several markets internationally: Morocco, Panama, The Philippines, Puerto Rico, Taiwan, Thailand and Uruguay will all be closing.
The closures come on top of recent exits in Turkey and Greece and a sell-off of a controlling stake in Groupon India to Sequoia (news we first broke in March of this year).
“We believe that in order for our geographic footprint to be an even bigger advantage, we need to focus our energy and dollars on fewer countries,” COO Rich Williams noted in a blog post the company just put up on the news. Before the closures, Groupon was active in over 40 countries.
The short statement Groupon has filed with the SEC notes that between $22 million and $24 million of the charges will come in Q3 2015, and that the full restructure should be completed by September 2016.
“Substantially all of the pre-tax charges are expected to be paid in cash and will relate to employee severance and compensation benefits, with an immaterial amount of the charges relating to asset impairments and other exit costs,” the company notes. Cost savings from the cuts, Groupon says, will be reinvested in the business.
For the past several years, Groupon has been on a long-term mission to rebalance its strategy from a focus on daily deals to a more diverse business based around local commerce. The company has had mixed success, though. There have also been reports that the company is planning to downsize some of those product efforts. Those have also resulted in some recent layoffs.
Williams noted in his blog post that while there is some downsizing the company is not using the layoffs to reposition the bigger business as it repositions the technology that runs it. “Just as our business has evolved from a largely hand-managed daily deal site to a true e-commerce technology platform, our operational model has to evolve,” he wrote.The term White Australia policy was widely used to encapsulate a set of historical policies that aimed to exclude people of non-European origin, especially Asians (primarily Chinese) and Pacific Islanders (primarily Melanesians) from immigrating to Australia. Governments progressively dismantled such policies between 1949 and 1973.[3]
Competition in the gold fields between British and Chinese miners, and labour-union opposition to the importation of Pacific Islanders into the sugar plantations of Queensland, reinforced demands to eliminate or minimize low-wage immigration from Asia and the Pacific Islands. From the 1850s colonial governments imposed restrictions on family members joining Chinese miners already in Australia. The colonial authorities levied a special tax on Chinese immigrants that other immigrants were exempted from. Towards the end of the 19th century labour unions pushed to stop Chinese immigrants working in the furniture and market-garden industries. Australian furniture had to be labelled "Made with Chinese Labour".[4]
Soon after Australia became a federation in January 1901, the federal government of Edmund Barton passed the Immigration Restriction Act of 1901, drafted by the man who would become Australia's second Prime Minister, Alfred Deakin. The passage of this bill marked the commencement of the White Australia Policy as Australian federal government policy. Subsequent acts further strengthened the policy up to the start of the Second World War.[5] These policies effectively gave British migrants preference over all others through the first four decades of the 20th century. During the Second World War, Prime Minister John Curtin reinforced the policy, saying "This country shall remain forever the home of the descendants of those people who came here in peace in order to establish in the South Seas an outpost of the British race."[3]
Successive governments dismantled the policy in stages after the conclusion of the Second World War of 1939-1945, with the encouragement of first non-British, non-white immigration, allowing for a large multi-ethnic post-war program of immigration. The Menzies and Holt Governments (1949-1967) effectively dismantled the policies between 1949 and 1966, and the Whitlam Government passed laws to ensure that race would be totally disregarded as a component for immigration to Australia in 1973. In 1975 the Whitlam Government passed the Racial Discrimination Act, which made racially-based selection criteria unlawful. In the decades since, Australia has maintained large-scale multi-ethnic immigration. As of 2018, Australia's migration program allows people from any country to apply to migrate to Australia, regardless of their nationality, ethnicity, culture, religion, or language, provided that they meet the criteria set out in law.[3]
Immigration policy prior to Federation [ edit ]
Gold Rush Era [ edit ]
The discovery of gold in Australia in 1851 led to an influx of immigrants from all around the world. The colony of New South Wales had a population of just 200,000 in 1851, but the huge influx of settlers spurred by the gold rushes transformed the Australian colonies economically, politically and demographically. Over the next 20 years, 40,000 Chinese men and over 9,000 women (mostly Cantonese) immigrated to the goldfields seeking prosperity.[6]
Gold brought great wealth but also new social tensions. Multi-ethnic migrants came to New South Wales in large numbers for the first time. Competition on the goldfields, particularly resentment among white miners towards the successes of Chinese miners, led to tensions between groups and eventually a series of significant protests and riots, including the Buckland Riot in 1857 and the Lambing Flat Riots between 1860 and 1861. Governor Hotham, on 16 November 1854, appointed a Royal Commission on Victorian goldfields problems and grievances. This led to restrictions being placed on Chinese immigration and residency taxes levied from Chinese residents in Victoria from 1855 with New South Wales following suit in 1861. These restrictions remained in force until the early 1870s.[7]Reference does not support the argument of this paragraph
Support from the Australian Labour Movement [ edit ]
Melbourne Trades Hall was opened in 1859 with Trades and Labour Councils and Trades Halls opening in all cities and most regional towns in the following forty years. During the 1880s Trade unions developed among shearers, miners, and stevedores (wharf workers), but soon spread to cover almost all blue-collar jobs. Shortages of labour led to high wages for a prosperous skilled working class, whose unions demanded and got an eight-hour day and other benefits unheard of in Europe.
Australia gained a reputation as "the working man's paradise." Some employers tried to undercut the unions by importing Chinese labour. This produced a reaction which led to all the colonies restricting Chinese and other Asian immigration. This was the foundation of the White Australia Policy. The "Australian compact", based around centralised industrial arbitration, a degree of government assistance particularly for primary industries, and White Australia, was to continue for many years before gradually dissolving in the second half of the 20th century.
The growth of the sugar industry in Queensland in the 1870s led to searching for labourers prepared to work in a tropical environment. During this time, thousands of "Kanakas" (Pacific Islanders) were brought into Australia as indentured workers.[8] This and related practices of bringing in non-white labour to be cheaply employed was commonly termed "blackbirding" and refers to the recruitment of people through trickery and kidnappings to work on plantations, particularly the sugar cane plantations of Queensland (Australia) and Fiji.[9] In the 1870s and 1880s, the trade union movement began a series of protests against foreign labour. Their arguments were that Asians and Chinese took jobs away from white men, worked for "substandard" wages, lowered working conditions and refused unionisation.[6]
Objections to these arguments came largely from wealthy land owners in rural areas.[6] It was argued that without Asiatics to work in the tropical areas of the Northern Territory and Queensland, the area would have to be abandoned.[8] Despite these objections to restricting immigration, between 1875 and 1888 all Australian colonies enacted legislation which excluded all further Chinese immigration.[8] Asian immigrants already residing in the Australian colonies were not expelled and retained the same rights as their Anglo and Southern compatriots.
Agreements were made to further increase these restrictions in 1895 following an Inter-colonial Premier's Conference where all colonies agreed to extend entry restrictions to all non-white races. However, in attempting to enact this legislation, the Governors of New South Wales, South Australia and Tasmania reserved the bills, due to a treaty with Japan, and they did not become law. Instead, the Natal Act of 1897 was introduced, restricting "undesirable persons" rather than any specific race.[6]
The British government in London was not pleased with legislation that discriminated against certain subjects of its Empire, but decided not to disallow the laws that were passed. Colonial Secretary Joseph Chamberlain explained in 1897:
We quite sympathise with the determination...of these colonies...that there should not be an influx of people alien in civilisation, alien in religion, alien in customs, whose influx, moreover, would seriously interfere with the legitimate rights of the existing labouring population.[10]
From Federation to the Second World War [ edit ]
In writing about the preoccupations of the Australian population in early Federation Australia before the First World War in ANZAC to Amiens, the official historian of the war, Charles Bean, considered the White Australia policy and defined it as follows:
"White Australia Policy" – a vehement effort to maintain a high Western standard of economy, society and culture (necessitating at that stage, however it might be camouflaged, the rigid exclusion of Oriental peoples).
Federation Convention and Australia's first government [ edit ]
Immigration was a prominent topic in the lead up to Australian Federation. At the third Session of the Australasian Federation Convention of 1898, Western Australian premier and future federal cabinet member John Forrest summarised the prevailing feeling:[9]
It is of no use to shut our eyes to the fact that there is a great feeling all over Australia against the introduction of coloured persons. It goes without saying that we do not like to talk about it, but it is so.[11]
The Barton Government which came to power following the first elections to the Commonwealth parliament in 1901 was formed by the Protectionist Party with the support of the Australian Labor Party. The support of the Labor Party was contingent upon restricting non-white immigration, reflecting the attitudes of the Australian Workers Union and other labour organisations at the time, upon whose support the Labor Party was founded.
The first Parliament of Australia quickly moved to restrict immigration to maintain Australia's British character, and the Pacific Island Labourers Bill and the Immigration Restriction Bill were passed shortly before parliament rose for its first Christmas recess. The Colonial Secretary in Britain had however made it clear that a race-based immigration policy would run "contrary to the general conceptions of equality which have ever been the guiding principle of British rule throughout the Empire". The Barton Government therefore conceived of the "language dictation test", which would allow the government, at the discretion of the minister, to block unwanted migrants by forcing them to sit a test in "any European language". Race had already been established as a premise for exclusion among the colonial parliaments, so the main question for debate was who exactly the new Commonwealth ought to exclude, with the Labor Party rejecting Britain's calls to placate the populations of its non-white colonies and allow "aboriginal natives of Asia, Africa, or the islands thereof". There was opposition from Queensland and its sugar industry to the proposals of the Pacific Islanders Bill to exclude "Kanaka" laborers, however Barton argued that the practice was "veiled slavery" that could lead to a "negro problem" similar to that in the United States, and the Bill was passed.[12]
Immigration Restriction Act 1901 [ edit ]
The new Federal Parliament, as one of its first pieces of legislation, passed the Immigration Restriction Act 1901 to "place certain restrictions on immigration and... for the removal... of prohibited immigrants". The Act drew on similar legislation in South Africa. Edmund Barton, the prime minister, argued in support of the Bill with the following statement: "The doctrine of the equality of man was never intended to apply to the equality of the Englishman and the Chinaman."[13]
The Attorney General tasked with drafting the legislation was Alfred Deakin. Deakin supported Barton's position over that of the Labor Party in drafting the Bill (the ALP wanted more direct methods of exclusion than the dictation test) and redacted the more vicious racism proposed for the text in his Second Reading of the Bill.[14] In seeking to justify the policy, Deakin said he believed that the Japanese and Chinese[15] might be a threat to the newly formed federation and it was this belief that led to legislation to ensure they would be kept out:
It is not the bad qualities, but the good qualities of these alien races that make them so dangerous to us. It is their inexhaustible energy, their power of applying themselves to new tasks, their endurance and low standard of living that make them such competitors.[16]
Early drafts of the Act explicitly banned non-Europeans from migrating to Australia but objections from the British government, which feared that such a measure would offend British subjects in India and Britain's allies in Japan, caused the Barton government to remove this wording. Instead, a "dictation test" was introduced as a device for excluding unwanted immigrants. Immigration officials were given the power to exclude any person who failed to pass a 50-word dictation test. At first this was to be in any European language, but was later changed to include any language. The tests were written in such a way to make them nearly impossible to pass. The first of these tests was written by Federal MP Stewart Parnaby as an example for officers to follow when setting future tests. The "Stewart" test was unofficially standardised as the English version of the test, due to its extremely high rates of failure resulting from a very sophisticated use of language.[17] While specifically asked by Barton to carry out this task, Parnaby allegedly shared similar views to Donald Cameron despite never publicly admitting so citation required.
The legislation found strong support in the new Australian Parliament, with arguments ranging from economic protection to outright racism. The Labor Party wanted to protect "white" jobs and pushed for more explicit restrictions. A few politicians spoke of the need to avoid hysterical treatment of the question. Member of Parliament Bruce Smith said he had "no desire to see low-class Indians, Chinamen or Japanese...swarming into this country... But there is obligation...not (to) unnecessarily offend the educated classes of those nations"[18] Donald Cameron, a Free Trade Party member from Tasmania, expressed a rare note of dissention:
[N]o race on... this earth has been treated in a more shameful manner than have the Chinese.... They were forced at the point of a bayonet to admit Englishmen... into China. Now if we compel them to admit our people... why in the name of justice should we refuse to admit them here?[19]
Outside parliament, Australia's first Catholic cardinal, Patrick Francis Moran was politically active and denounced anti-Chinese legislation as "unchristian".[20] The popular press mocked the cardinal's position and the small European population of Australia generally supported the legislation and remained fearful of being overwhelmed by an influx of non-British migrants from the vastly different cultures of the highly populated empires to Australia's north.
Pacific Island Labourers Act 1901 [ edit ]
In 1901 the Australian parliament passed the Pacific Island Labourers Act 1901. The result of this legislation was that 7,500 Pacific Islanders (called "Kanakas") working mostly on plantations in Queensland were deported, and entry into Australia by Pacific Islanders was prohibited after 1904.
Paris Peace Conference [ edit ]
At the 1919 Paris Peace Conference following the First World War, Japan sought to include a racial equality clause in the Covenant of the League of Nations. Japanese policy reflected their desire to remove or to ease the immigration restrictions against Japanese (especially in the United States and Canada), which Japan regarded as a humiliation and affront to its prestige.
Australian Prime Minister Billy Hughes was already concerned by the prospect of Japanese expansion in the Pacific. Australia, Japan and New Zealand had seized the German colonial empire's territories in the Pacific in the early stages of the war and Hughes was concerned to retain German New Guinea as vital to the defence of Australia.[21] The Treaty ultimately granted Australia a League of Nations Mandate over German New Guinea and Japan to the South Pacific Mandate immediately to its north – thus bringing Australian and Japanese territory to a shared border – a situation altered only by Japan's Second World War invasion of New Guinea.
Hughes vehemently opposed Japan's racial equality proposition. Hughes recognised that such a clause would be a threat to White Australia and made it clear to British Prime Minister David Lloyd George that he would leave the conference if the clause was adopted. When the proposal failed, Hughes reported in the Australian parliament:
The White Australia is yours. You may do with it what you please, but at any rate, the soldiers have achieved the victory and my colleagues and I have brought that great principle back to you from the conference, as safe as it was on the day when it was first adopted.[22]
Alfred Deakin [ edit ]
Australian Prime Minister Alfred Deakin campaigned vehemently for the White Australia policy and made it a key issue in his 1903 Election speech[23] he proclaimed that the policy was not only for the preservation of the 'complexion' of Australia but it was for the establishment of'social justice'.
Stanley Bruce [ edit ]
Australian Prime Minister Stanley Bruce was a supporter of the White Australia policy and made it an issue in his campaign for the 1925 Australian Federal election.[24]
It is necessary that we should determine what are the ideals towards which every Australian would desire to strive. I think those ideals might well be stated as being to secure our national safety, and to ensure the maintenance of our White Australia Policy to continue as an integral portion of the British Empire.[24] We intend to keep this country white and not allow its people to be faced with the problems that at present are practically insoluble in many parts of the world.[25]
Abolition of the policy [ edit ]
Second World War [ edit ]
Australian anxiety at the prospect of Japanese expansionism and war in the Pacific continued through the 1930s. Billy Hughes, by then a minister in the United Australia Party's Lyons Government, made a notable contribution to Australia's attitude towards immigration in a 1935 speech in which he argued that "Australia must... populate or perish". However Hughes was forced to resign in 1935 after his book Australia and the War Today exposed a lack of preparation in Australia for what Hughes correctly supposed to be a coming war.[12]
Between the Great Depression starting in 1929 and the end of the Second World War in 1945, global conditions kept immigration to very low levels.[26] At the start of the war, Prime Minister John Curtin (ALP) reinforced the message of the White Australia policy by saying: "This country shall remain forever the home of the descendants of those people who came here in peace in order to establish in the South Seas an outpost of the British race."[27]
Following the 1942 Fall of Singapore, Australians feared invasion by Imperial Japan. Australian cities were bombed by the Japanese Airforce and Navy and Axis Naval Forces menaced Australian shipping, while the Royal Navy remained pre-occupied with the battles of the Atlantic and Mediterranean in the face of Nazi aggression in Europe. A Japanese invasion fleet headed for the Australian Territory of New Guinea was only halted by the intervention of the United States Navy in the Battle of the Coral Sea.[28] Australia received thousands of refugees from territories falling to advancing Japanese forces – notably thousands of Dutch who fled the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia).[29] Australian Aborigines, Torres Strait Islanders, Papua New Guineans and Timorese served in the frontline of the defence of Australia, bringing Australia's racially discriminatory immigration and political rights policies into focus and wartime service gave many Indigenous Australians confidence in demanding their rights upon return to civilian life.[30]
During the war, talk arose about the possibility of abolishing the policy. Spokesman for the Labor Party demanded that it be continued:
The policy of White Australia is now, perhaps, the most outstanding political characteristic of this country, and it has been accepted not only by those closely associated with it, but also by those who watched and studied "this interesting experiment" from afar. Only those who favor the exploitation of a servile coloured race for greed of gain, and a few professional economists and benighted theologians, are now heard in serious criticism of a White Australia; but...they are encouraged by the ill-timed and inappropriate pronouncements of what are, after all, irresponsible officials.[31]
Post-war immigration [ edit ]
Dutch migrants arriving in Australia in 1954. Australia embarked upon a massive immigration programme following the Second World War and gradually dismantled the preferential treatment afforded to British migrants.
Following the trauma of Second World War, Australia's vulnerability during the Pacific War and its relatively small population compared to other nations led to policies summarised by the slogan, "populate or perish". According to author Lachlan Strahan, this was an ethnocentric slogan that in effect was an admonition to fill Australia with Europeans or else risk having it overrun by Asians.[32] Immigration Minister Arthur Calwell stated in 1947 to critics of the government's mass immigration programme: "We have 25 years at most to populate this country before the yellow races are down on us."
During the war, many non-white refugees, including Malays, Indonesians and Filipinos, arrived in Australia, but Calwell controversially sought to have them all deported. The Chifley Government introduced the Aliens Deportation Act 1948, which had its weaknesses exposed by a High Court case, and then passed the War-time Refugees Removal Act 1949 which gave the immigration minister sweeping powers of deportation.[33] In 1948, Iranian Bahá'ís seeking to immigrate to Australia were classified as "Asiatic" by the policy and were denied entry.[34] In 1949, Calwell's successor Harold Holt allowed the remaining 800 non-white refugees to apply for residency, and also allowed Japanese "war brides" to settle in Australia.[27] In the meantime, encouraging immigration from Europe, Australia admitted large numbers of immigrants from mostly Italy, Greece and Yugoslavia, as well as its traditional source of the British Isles. Ambitious post-war development projects like the Snowy Mountains Scheme (1949–1972) required a large labour force that could only be sourced by diversifying Australia's migrant intake.
Relaxation of restrictions [ edit ]
Australian policy began to shift towards significantly increasing immigration. Legislative changes over the next few decades continuously opened up immigration in Australia.[26]
Labor Party Chifley Government:
1947 The Chifley Labor Government relaxed the Immigration Restriction Act allowing non-Europeans the right to settle permanently in Australia for business reasons.
Liberal-Country Party Menzies Government (1949–1966):
1949 Immigration Minister Harold Holt permitted 800 non-European refugees to stay, and Japanese war brides to be admitted. [35]
1950 External Affairs Minister Percy Spender instigated the Colombo Plan, under which students from Asian countries were admitted to study at Australian universities.
1957 Non-Europeans with 15 years' residence in Australia were allowed to become citizens.
1958 Migration Act 1958 abolished the dictation test and introduced a simpler system for entry. Immigration Minister, Sir Alick Downer, announced that 'distinguished and highly qualified Asians' might immigrate.
1959 Australians were permitted to sponsor Asian spouses for citizenship.
1964 Conditions of entry for people of non-European stock were relaxed.
This was despite comments Menzies made in a discussion with radio 2UE's Stewart Lamb in 1955, where he appeared to be a defender of the White Australia Policy.
"I don't want to see reproduced in Australia the kind of problem they have in South Africa or in America or increasingly in Great Britain. I think it's been a very good policy and it's been of great value to us and most of the criticism of it that I've ever heard doesn't come from these oriental countries it comes from wandering Australians. (Lamb) "For these years of course in the past Sir Robert you have been described as a racist." (Menzies) "Have I?" (Lamb) "I have read this, yes." (Menzies) "Well if I were not described as a racist I'd be the only public man who hasn't been." [36]
In 1963, a paper "Immigration: Control or Colour Bar?" was published by a group of students and academics at Melbourne University. It proposed eliminating the White Australia policy, and was influential towards this end.[37][38]
End of the White Australia policy [ edit ]
In 1966, the Holt Liberal Government effectively dismantled the White Australia policy and increased access to non-European migrants, including refugees fleeing the Vietnam War.[39] After a review of immigration policy in March 1966, Immigration Minister Hubert Opperman announced applications for migration would be accepted from well-qualified people "on the basis of their suitability as settlers, their ability to integrate readily and their possession of qualifications positively useful to Australia". At the same time, Harold Holt's government decided to allow foreign non-whites to become permanent residents and citizens after five years (the same as for Europeans), and also removed discriminatory provisions in family reunification policies.
As a result, annual non-European settler arrivals rose from 746 in 1966 to 2,696 in 1971, while annual part-European settler arrivals rose from 1,498 to 6,054.[27]
Leader of the Labor Party from 1960-1967 Arthur Calwell supported the White European Australia policy. This is reflected by Calwell's comments in his 1972 memoirs, Be Just and Fear Not, in which he made it clear that he maintained his view that non-European people should not be allowed to settle in Australia. He wrote:
I am proud of my white skin, just as a Chinese is proud of his yellow skin, a Japanese of his brown skin, and the Indians of their various hues from black to coffee-coloured. Anybody who is not proud of his race is not a man at all. And any man who tries to stigmatize the Australian community as racist because they want to preserve this country for the white race is doing our nation great harm... I reject, in conscience, the idea that Australia should or ever can become a multi-racial society and survive.[40]
The legal end of the White Australia policy is usually placed in the year 1973, when the Whitlam Labor government implemented a series of amendments preventing the enforcement of racial aspects of the immigration law.[27] These amendments:
Legislated that all migrants, regardless of origin, be eligible to obtain citizenship after three years of permanent residence.
Ratified all international agreements relating to immigration and race.
Issued policy to totally disregard race as a factor in selecting migrants.
The 1975 Racial Discrimination Act made the use of racial criteria for any official purpose illegal.
It was not until the Fraser Liberal government's review of immigration law in 1978 that all selection of prospective migrants based on country of origin was entirely removed from official policy.
In 1981, the Minister for Immigration announced a Special Humanitarian Assistance Programme (SHP) for Iranians to seek refuge in Australia and by 1988 some 2500 Bahá'ís and many more others had arrived in Australia through either SHP or Refugee Programmes.[34] The last selective immigration policy, offering relocation assistance to British nationals, was finally removed in 1982.[41]
Aftermath [ edit ]
Australia's contemporary immigration programme has two components: a programme for skilled and family migrants and a humanitarian programme for refugees and asylum seekers.[42] By 2010, the post-war immigration programme had received more than 6.5 million migrants from every continent. The population tripled in the six decades to around 21 million in 2010, comprising people originating from 200 countries.[43]
Legacy [ edit ]
While non-European and non-Christian immigration has increased substantially since the dismantling of the White Australia policy, Australian society inevitably remains rooted in the demographic legacy of the 72 years of White Australia, during which time the country underwent its most substantial population growth.
Religious legacy [ edit ]
The policy had the obvious demographic effect of creating a population of European, and largely Anglo-Celtic, descent. In refusing immigration by people of other racial and ethnic descents, it also effectively limited the immigration of practitioners of non-Christian faiths. Consequently, the White Australia policy ensured that Christianity remained the religion of the overwhelming majority of Australians.[44]
Contemporary racial and ethnic demographics [ edit ]
The 2001 Australian census results indicate that many Australians claim some European heritage: English 37%, Irish 11%, Italian 5%, German 4.3%, Scottish 3%, Greek 2%, Former Yugoslav 1.8%, Dutch 1.5%, Polish 0.9%. Australians of some non-European origin form a significant but still relatively small part of the population: Chinese 3.2%, Indian 0.9%, Lebanese 0.9%, Vietnamese 0.9%. About 2.2% identified themselves as Indigenous Australians. 39% of the population gave their ancestry as "Australian". The Australian census does not classify people according to race, only ethnic ancestry. Respondents were permitted to select more than one answer for this census question.[45]
15% of the population now speaks a language other than English at home.[46] The most commonly spoken languages are Italian, Greek, Cantonese and Arabic.
Political and social legacy [ edit ]
The story of Australia since the Second World War – and particularly since the final relegation of the white Australia policy – has been one of ever-increasing ethnic and cultural diversity. Successive governments have sustained a large programmes of multiethnic immigration from all continents.
Discrimination on the basis of race or ethnicity was legally sanctioned until 1975. Australia's new official policy on racial diversity is: "to build on our success as a culturally diverse, accepting and open society, united through a shared future".[47] The White Australia policy continues to be mentioned in modern contexts, although it is generally only mentioned by politicians when denouncing their opposition. As Leader of the Opposition, John Howard argued for restricting Asian immigration in 1988 as part of his One Australia policy; in August 1988, he said:
I do believe that if it is – in the eyes of some in the community – that it's too great, it would be in our immediate-term interest and supporting of social cohesion if it [Asian immigration] were slowed down a little, so the capacity of the community to absorb it was greater.[48]
Howard later retracted and apologised for the remarks, and was returned to the leadership of the Liberal Party in 1995. The Howard Government (1996–2007) in turn ran a large programme of non-discriminatory immigration and, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, Asian countries became an increasingly important source of immigration over the decade from 1996 to 2006, with the proportion of migrants from Southern and Central Asian countries doubling from 7% to 14%. The proportion of immigrants from Sub-Saharan Africa also increased. By 2005–06, China and India were the third and fourth largest sources of all migration (after New Zealand and the United Kingdom). In 2005–06, there were 180,000 permanent additions of migrants to Australia (72% more than the number in 1996–97). This figure included around 17,000 through the humanitarian programme, of whom Iraqis and Sudanese accounted for the largest portions.[49] China became Australia's biggest source of migrants, for the first time in 2009, surpassing New Zealand and Britain.[50]
Historian Geoffrey Blainey achieved mainstream recognition for the anti-multiculturalist cause when he wrote that multiculturalism threatened to transform Australia into a "cluster of tribes". In his 1984 book All for Australia, Blainey criticised multiculturalism for tending to "emphasise the rights of ethnic minorities at the expense of the majority of Australians" |
seconds left.
Green would drill a remarkable, buzzer-beating three in Miami the following November. But after three seasons of unmemorable basketball, Green didn’t hesitate when his former nemesis reached out this past offseason. “I don’t think he needs to recruit anybody,” Green says. “He sent me a text, T-Lue gave me a call, saying that he wanted me to come and that was all I needed.” (Even the Celtics’ original LeBron-stopper James Posey is a member of the Cavs’ coaching staff.)
- Jim McIsaac/Getty Images Jim McIsaac/Getty Images
A Lue text message started Cleveland’s courtship of Derrick Rose this July as well. Only Rose’s 2011 MVP campaign interrupted James’s dominant stretch of winning the award, forcing him to settle for four out of five years. Their collision course funneled directly to the 2011 Eastern Conference finals, a highly-competitive five-game duel separated by just nine total points over the course of the series. James’s Heat ultimately vanquished Rose’s Bulls. They would meet again in the 2013 semifinals, and once more when James returned to Cleveland in the 2015 semis. While Rose was widely held as the fledgling star primed to one day unseat James, LeBron ended his season in three of his five career playoff appearances.
Kyle Korver was Rose's teammate on that 2011 team and Korver’s Hawks fell victim to James in the conference finals four years later. After years of chasing James’s clubs, he was traded to Cleveland in January and re-signed this offseason and now receives those “precision passes” point-LeBron dishes each trip down the floor. “All those battles that happened, there’s kind of a mutual respect,” says Kyle Korver. It seems you can forget a contentious playoff battle when bonded by championship aspirations. “The competitions I’ve had against those guys over the last few years, it’s great to have them on your side,” James says.
None of this should really be that surprising. One could argue James’s 2010 free agency decision—choosing to unite with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh rather than individually lead a contender—spawned the current superteam era of the NBA. So when Wade and the Chicago Bulls mutually parted ways in September, it was only natural he rejoined James in Cleveland, along with their ghosts of conference finals past. “You know what they’re made of, they know what you’re made of,” Wade says. He would even secede a starting spot to J.R. Smith early in the season. No, we’re not in Kansas—er, Miami—anymore.
That all being said, James uniting with all these former foes in Cleveland feels… strange. “D-Rose, D-Wade, Kyle Korver. You flash back four or fives years and they are the Monstars,” says Lakers forward Larry Nance, a native of James’s Akron, Ohio, and a devoted Cavs fan in his youth. “If Dwight Howard would have showed up after Orlando, that would have been really weird.” Rose and James rehashed their postseason contests on one team plane rides this season, and much of the roster joined the trip down memory lane. “Just talking about teams that they were on and playing against certain teams and what teams you hated playing against,” Rose recalled, roughly two weeks before he stepped away from the Cavaliers to reflect on his playing status. “Unfortunately for us…” Crowder says. “We all lost,” says Korver. “So we don’t really want to bring it up.”
After a slow start, the Cavaliers have won their last eight games, reigniting their quest for a fourth-straight Finals appearance and James’s eight-straight Eastern Conference championship. “At the end of the day, you’re either a champion or you’re not. It’s that simple,” says Frye. January reinforcements should be on the way, when another former foe in Thomas is expected to return from a hip injury. Should Cleveland ultimately reach that championship stage, it will be the most motley supporting cast of James’s career. And their conference title will likely come at the expense of those pesky Celtics, powered by Irving, the only Eastern Conference star of the last 15 years not to join James, but flee his realm.The Central metro station in Newcastle has been twinned with Tower Hill Tube station in London to share best practice as tourism gateways in their respective areas.
Nexus – the public body which owns and manages Metro – welcomed 18 frontline staff, including workers from Tower Hill station, for a knowledge sharing day on May 11.
The two stations were twinned because both are situated close to visitor attractions, hotels and shops.
Metro services director Chris Carson said: “This visit has been a great experience for Metro staff. They have had the chance to meet with their colleagues from London Underground and talk with them face to face about a whole range of issues connected with customer care.
“By sharing knowledge we will be able to make improvements to what we offer our customers here in Tyne and Wear.”Seeing as we’re in the post-holiday period, you’ve probably got lots of stuff (aka “crap”) lying around the home. That thing your mother gave you that you’ll never use. That thing someone re-gifted disingenuously, pretending it’s something you might like. You know.
Well, the strange thing about the universe is that there’s always someone out there with completely opposite taste to yours. There’s always someone who’ll take that thing off your hands, even though it really is crap. And, the beauty of the Internet is that you now have a way to find that person, and perhaps even find something you need in return.
Online bartering has been around since the Internet’s earliest days. And, though some ventures have folded, others like ITEX (which mostly caters to businesses) have flourished. With the buzz around the idea of a “sharing economy,” several new bartering services have appeared in the last few years. Apps like Yerdle, for example, which was founded in 2012 by veterans of Walmart, Saatchi & Saatchi, and Zipcar, have added a new sophistication, both in their technology and marketing ability.
TradeYa, which launched recently, is another new bartering platform, but arguably one that has a purer model than other offerings. Yerdle and sites like Bib & Tuck use their own currencies, or points, to exchange goods. You accrue credits by selling stuff, which you can then “spend” bidding on other people’s no-longer-wanteds. With TradeYa, it’s more straightforward. You deal one for one, no points needed. You click on something someone has posted, the owner gets an email, and then they choose something of yours–or not. All the other party has to do is go to a “trade page” and drag in the item (or items, plural, if they want more than one for your thing) and the terms are agreed. The site also facilitates shipping, with both sides paying a $3 transaction fee.
Jared Krause, TradeYa’s co-founder, argues that other sites facilitating bartering are more like “buy-sell platforms,” and that the use of currencies takes away from the social relationship. TradeYa commissioned research into bartering, and concluded that it is a “fundamental form of social exchange that clearly predates any monetary system.” Sites that use points are therefore failing to cater to our inner id. “Using money is a learned behavior,” Krause says. “Bartering is innate. Kids do it around the age of three.”
Bartering is innate. Kids do it around the age of three.
We’re not sure if Krause is right. But his site is pretty slick, and it seems to be successful so far. In three months of beta before this month’s launch, several thousand people signed up to use it, the most popular categories being consumer electronics, motor vehicles, and women’s accessories.
The good thing about bartering, whatever the method used, is that it has a clear environmental benefit. Every good transacted is one that isn’t made new or ending up in a landfill. It also potentially helps people who are long on possessions, but short on spare change.Being a diehard Crimson Tide fan— and believing we deserve a chance at the national title as much as Oklahoma, Florida, or Texas— I can surely relate to (R-TX) Rep. Joe Barton’s disillusionment with the current BCS system. He is right- we need a playoff to determine the National Champion for Division 1-A college football. Personally I prefer an 8 team playoff that integrates the existing bowl traditions, while still finding annual closure to each season. But the difference between myself and Rep. Barton is that he is using his position of power to introduce a bill that would push the NCAA to end the current system and introduce a playoff system. I argue that he does not and should not have the authority to use the legislative process to accomplish this worthy goal. In his bill, he cites the problems everyone who has watched five minutes of any of the ESPN networks already has heard a myriad of times-
“In some years the sport’s national championship winner was left unsettled, and at least one school was left out of the many millions of dollars in revenue that accompany the title,” Barton said in a statement released ahead of the bill’s introduction. “Despite repeated efforts to improve the system, the controversy rages on.” -ESPN
OK, Barton has correctly identified a problem. The next step as a legislator to solving the problem is to ask whether or not Congress has any business attempting to rectify the situation, let alone whether or not they have Constitutional authority to do so. In fact the Supreme Court has already weighed in on this matter in 1922 when it ruled that the MLB did not fall under Congress’ interstate commerce jurisdiction.
So where will this bill go? Pretty much nowhere, even though the most powerful man on Earth supports the concept the bill is mandating. With the economy in shambles, the BCS lobby able to gear up if needed, and a Democratic Congress not wanting to give Republicans an attack line of Congressional overstepping, this horrible idea of a Congressionally mandated NCAA Division 1-A Football playoff will go the way of every ESPN pundit’s attempt to change the situation—— No Where.Reince Priebus, left, and senior adviser Stephen Miller listen during a meeting with House and Senate legislators in the White House on Feb. 2. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)
There’s a theory under which some people operate which holds that presidential advisers appear in the news media to provide insight into what the president is doing for the American people. Governance broadly, and the White House specifically, can be inscrutable to outsiders, but since our democracy depends on an informed populace, it has historically been important to shed as much light as possible on what’s happening. Politicians and their allies don’t always like to shed that light, but they’ve generally acquiesced to participating in the effort.
On ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday, President Trump’s adviser Stephen Miller wasn’t interested in shedding light on reality. If anything, he was running around turning lights off. Inadvertently, though, he did offer one bit of insight into what’s happening at the White House.
Miller was asked by host George Stephanopoulos about a comment Trump made in a meeting with senators last week, where Trump claimed that he had narrowly lost the presidential contest in New Hampshire because of voter fraud. Before we get into the exchange, though, let’s evaluate Trump’s claim.
The Post's Michelle Ye Hee Lee explains why White House press secretary Sean Spicer's claims on Jan. 24 about voter fraud in the presidential election don't add up. (Bastien Inzaurralde/The Washington Post)
Trump lost the state by 2,700 votes — a narrow margin but in a small state. It came down to about 0.4 percent of votes cast. Trump reportedly claimed that the difference was because of people being bused in from Massachusetts. He also claimed that former senator Kelly Ayotte (R) lost her race for the same reason.
That’s weird, though, because Ayotte lost only by 1,000 votes. What’s more, Hillary Clinton earned about 6,000 fewer votes in the state than did the Democratic Senate candidate, Maggie Hassan. Trump got about 7,800 fewer votes than Ayotte. So how does that work? People came in to vote just for Hassan but not Clinton? Did some illegal voters come in to vote for Ayotte but not Trump? In the same election, New Hampshirites elected Chris Sununu as governor. He’s a Republican. Were the illegal voters told to cast votes only for Senate and the presidency? This is a complicated operation, to be sure.
Fergus Cullen, who ran the state Republican Party in 2007 and 2008, expressed skepticism about the bused-in-voters claim on Twitter. “I will pay $1000 to 1st person proving even 1 out-of-state person took bus from MA 2 any NH polling place last Election Day,” he wrote. It’s a safe bet; a review of a decade of news reports on Nexis about voter fraud arrests in the state turned up the following:
A man from Manchester, N.H., who said he lived in Salem, N.H., to vote there.
A state representative who tried to cover up the fact that he’d moved out of his district.
The end.
With that background, here is Miller’s defense of Trump’s claim to Stephanopoulos.
White House senior advisor doubles down on unsubstantiated NH voter fraud claims: “Voter fraud is a serious problem in this country” pic.twitter.com/xVDqHMAgYV — This Week (@ThisWeekABC) February 12, 2017
STEPHANOPOULOS: Let me move on, though, to the question of voter fraud, as well. President Trump again this week suggested in a meeting with senators that thousands of illegal voters were bused from Massachusetts to New Hampshire and that’s what caused his defeat in the state of New Hampshire, also the defeat of Senator Kelly Ayotte. That has provoked a response from a member of the Federal Election Commission, Ellen Weintraub, who says, “I call upon the president to immediately share New Hampshire voter fraud evidence so that his allegations may be investigated promptly.”
Here’s Weintraub’s tweet.
I call upon @POTUS to immediately share NH voter-fraud evidence so that his allegations may be investigated promptly https://t.co/cyjUTMXptk pic.twitter.com/DAnsA1cB0n — Ellen L Weintraub (@EllenLWeintraub) February 10, 2017
STEPHANOPOULOS: Do have that evidence? MILLER: I’ve actually, having worked before on a campaign in New Hampshire, I can tell you that this issue of busing voters into New Hampshire is widely known by anyone who’s worked in New Hampshire politics. It’s very real. It’s very serious. This morning, on this show, is not the venue for me to lay out all the evidence.
A nationally televised program seems like a very good place to offer evidence to back up a contentious claim made by a president. It seems, in fact, like this is the reason that Miller is offered the chance to speak at all.
MILLER: But I can tell you this, voter fraud is a serious problem in this country. You have millions of people who are registered in two states or who are dead who are registered to vote. And you have 14 percent of noncitizens, according to academic research, at a minimum, are registered to vote, which is an astonishing statistic.
Three claims here. First, that there are millions of people who are registered in multiple states. Second, that dead people are still registered. Both of those things are true. (Among those registered to vote in two places, by the way, are Trump’s son-in-law, treasury nominee, daughter and press secretary.) But that’s not voter fraud. It’s a sloppy registration system — and indifference from people whose first instincts when relatives die is not to ensure that the registrar of voters is informed.
The third claim is that 14 percent of noncitizens are registered to vote, which is based on an academic analysis released several years ago. It has been subsequently shown to be problematic. As anyone paying attention to the issue should know.
STEPHANOPOULOS: You can’t make a — hold on a second. You just claimed again that there was illegal voting in New Hampshire, people bused in from the state of Massachusetts. Do you have any evidence to back that up? MILLER: I’m saying anybody — George, go to New Hampshire. Talk to anybody who has worked in politics there for a long time. Everybody is aware of the problem in New Hampshire with respect to —
If this is a rampant problem that has riddled New Hampshire politics, why has no losing candidate ever sought to overturn the results of an election by citing this horrible problem? If I spent a year running for office and then lost because of widespread illegal activity, my response would probably not be to shrug and say c’est la vie.
STEPHANOPOULOS: I’m asking you as the White House senior — hold on a second. I’m asking you as the White House senior policy adviser. The president made a statement, saying he was the victim of voter fraud, people are being bused from — MILLER: And the president — the president — the president was. STEPHANOPOULOS: Do you have any evidence? MILLER: — issue — if this is an issue that interests you, then we can talk about it more in the future. And we now have — our governance is beginning to get stood up. But we have a Department of Justice and we have more officials. An issue of voter fraud is something we’re going to be looking at very seriously and very hard.
That’s the light that flicked on.
Trump threatened earlier this year to investigate the problem of voter fraud nationally. There is no rampant voter fraud problem, mind you; there were a handful of demonstrated fraud cases in 2016, far from the millions that Trump claims cost him the popular vote.
The reason voter fraud has become an issue in American politics is because there have been a slew of bills introduced (and often passed) at the state level alleging voter fraud that needed to be curtailed. That legislation generally makes it harder to vote, with the effects of that increased difficulty felt more among populations that tend to vote more heavily Democratic. (In 2012, a Pennsylvania state representative declared that new voter ID laws were “gonna allow Governor Romney to win the state of Pennsylvania.” They didn’t.)
Trump’s fraud investigation will be led by Vice President Pence, who was governor of Indiana last year when state police raided a left-leaning voter registration group in the state. Miller notes that the full weight of the Justice Department will aid the effort, a department now led by Jeff Sessions, who prosecuted voter fraud as state attorney general and who has expressed mixed views on the Voting Rights Act, the Civil-Rights-era legislation aimed at preventing voter suppression in the South.
Miller’s point? New policies to combat the insignificant threat of voter fraud will probably move to the national level.
He then cites an interesting authority that makes a different point than the one he intended.
MILLER: But the reality is, is that we know for a fact, you have massive numbers of noncitizens registered to vote in this country. Nobody disputes that. And many, many highly qualified people, like Kris Kobach, the Kansas secretary of state, have looked deeply into this issue and have confirmed it to be true and have put together evidence. And I suggest you invite Kris Kobach onto your show and he can walk you through some of the evidence of voter fraud — STEPHANOPOULOS: You have — you have — MILLER: — in greater detail. STEPHANOPOULOS: — just for the record, you have provided absolutely no evidence.
Kobach is the secretary of state in Kansas, in charge of the state’s electoral process. He has held that position since 2011, the year the state passed new restrictions on voting in the name of preventing fraud.
The net effect? A report from the Government Accountability Office determined that turnout fell by several percentage points in the 2012 election relative to comparable states. And the populations that saw the biggest drops in turnout?
Young people, newly registered voters and black people. Populations that tend to vote more heavily Democratic.
That’s almost certainly the point. Miller was trying to mislead people with his false arguments about voter fraud. But he ended up offering some insight after all.Good on Jordan Henderson for lobbying earlier this summer to be made Liverpool captain. That is just the sort of gumption that the club sorely needs. But making him Liverpool’s figurehead would be the wrong flag to fly right now. The club needs a higher standard-bearer.
It remains to be seen whether Roberto Firmino proves a good signing but it is at least a good sign. Further shows of ambition are required, along with further evidence of an ability to appreciate genuine class. Sanctifying Henderson after vilifying Raheem Sterling would suggest a club that does not quite have its sights properly aligned.
Nothing against Henderson, apart from his lack of supernatural magic. He is a player about whom there is plenty to admire: he seems a dedicated and talented professional who has added new layers to his game every season and overcome doubters, including his own manager, to establish himself as a reliable performer at Anfield. That makes him an important team member and a worthy role model, the ideal person to, say, front a club outreach programme encouraging kids to maximise their potential. Or a Nivea ad.
Will Liverpool’s early signings set them on the path to success? | Nick Ames Read more
But it does not make him the inspirational leader to uplift and conspire with elite champions. Hell, he couldn’t even inspire Mario Balotelli to let him take a penalty last season. Compare that to Roy Keane reefing the ball from Diego Forlán in 2002: a slightly different scenario, granted, but an instructive one, all the same, because Keane was denying Forlán an easy solution, telling him that only by doing something special could he be rewarded. That’s the standard to set.
Making Henderson captain would be a facile solution because it would be a nice reward for a likeable and useful player but that is not good enough. And ultimately it would achieve nothing of merit. The captain’s armband may be overvalued in football but it is not entirely worthless and should not be wasted. Giving it to Henderson would not inspire him to wring any more commitment or skill out of himself because he already gives his utmost. Logically it serves no purpose to make him captain. And the maths doesn’t look good either: when Henderson gives 100%, he is a seven-out-of-10 player. The symbol of Liverpool must be better than that.
It is true that Henderson had as many Premier League assists to his name as Eden Hazard last season. But Chris Brunt had more than both so let’s not build a soapbox on statistics. Besides, if Liverpool were to put Henderson up for sale, would they get bids of more than the £16m that they paid for him in 2011? Probably not, even with inflation, and certainly not from Champions League clubs. In that sense, then, maybe he is a fitting flagbearer for a club that has largely failed to follow the espoused model of buying young talents and adding value. Indeed, maybe giving him the armband would be a sleight of hand designed to impress Moneyballers, an attempt to add cosmetic value in the absence of actual gain.
There is, of course, an outstanding exception: Sterling. Now there is a bona fide gem. Phenomenally skilled, he is also physically and mentally tough beyond his years, single-minded and uncompromising like a warrior, a winner. He has a rage to thrive at the top and an intolerance of mishmash floundering and small-timers. He has dared to prove himself bigger than Liverpool, which is one of the reasons why Liverpool should have taken exceptional measures to keep him, rather than patronise and pressurise him in a way they were incapable of pulling off successfully. Philippe Coutinho is a lovely player and there are others at Anfield of high promise, but only Sterling looks a surefire bet to become a great; losing him looks a terrible prospect.
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Philippe Coutinho is another possible future Liverpool captain. Photograph: Carl Recine/Action Images via Reuters
What Liverpool should have done was what Manchester United did when Wayne Rooney agitated for a move from Old Trafford in 2013 while claiming he was sceptical about the club’s ambition. They should have made him a contract offer that he could not refuse (before relations deteriorated to the point that he would not, apparently, sign for even £900,000-per-week). And why not make him captain too? Alone that would not change Sterling’s stance, of course – he seems far too savvy to duped by such a sop – but by giving Sterling the armband along with a contract making him, if necessary, the highest-paid player at the club, Liverpool would have been seen to rise to Sterling’s ballsy challenge and respond with one of their own: you want to play at the Champions League? Then lead the way, comrade.
That is what the armband can be used for: to point not to past achievements, which is why James Milner would be no good, nor to present dedication, which is why Henderson is out, but rather to where the club believes it is going. Henderson is not going to guide them to the glory any more than Scott Parker blazed a trail to the top for Chelsea. Sterling might.
But probably not on his own, even if he is now older than he was last term, when the club foisted positional switches and a level of responsibility on him that they were unwilling to back up with commensurate wages. So more money, the armband, another recruit or two along the lines of Firmino, for Sterling to learn from and conjure with the way he used to when Luis Suárez was around, and some stalwarts to secure things at the back while the revellers up front do their thing. Is that too much to ask? If it is, then Sterling is better off away from Liverpool.
But the summer is young and it is still not obvious where Liverpool are headed with their rebuilding, much more of which is still needed. Could it be that the shedding of Brendan Rodgers’ backroom staff reflects not a manager that is weak, threatened or treacherous, but one that is maturing, newly clear-minded and sure how to march on to a new level?
It will be interesting to see how Colin Pascoe and Mike Marsh are followed. Interesting, too, to see whether Firmino is intended to complement Sterling or replace him. And to what extent Liverpool solidify their rearguard. Nathaniel Clyne will be a strong addition, but more heads definitely need to be hunted, and with the same decisiveness that Chelsea and even Manchester United recruited last term or, indeed, that the Liverpool of yore did.
A solid goalkeeper with the ability and authority to give a sense of security to a defence that seemed permanently on the edge of breakdown last season is essential. Such a figure would be a suitable candidate for the armband. At the moment, it looks like Liverpool are either going to try to muddle on through next season – in which case they might as well name Henderson as captain – or put their faith in creative forces atoning for defensive collapses. In which case, if Sterling is squandered and leaves, then Coutinho would probably be their best standard-bearer.
So giving the Brazilian the armband and chucking a few million quid in a wishing well would fairly sum up what Liverpool are about these days.A SHATTERED Scott Prince is facing the prospect of retirement, with the Broncos indicating the veteran playmaker will not be an integral part of the club's plans next season.
As he prepares for Brisbane's must-win game against the Cowboys on Friday, Prince's 15-year career could soon be over after discussions with Broncos hierarchy about his future.
The 33-year-old is contracted for another season, but has been given no guarantees of NRL action in 2014 as Broncos coach Anthony Griffin presides over a regeneration of the club's roster.
The development comes at a difficult time for the Broncos, who are banking on Prince's experience to overcome one of his former clubs, the Cowboys, and keep their season alive in Townsville.
Griffin declined to comment when contacted Thursday night.
The Courier-Mail understands the Broncos are happy to honour the final 12 months of Prince's deal, but he risks spending it languishing with a feeder club in the Intrust Super Cup.
The ignominy of a former Origin and Test halfback playing second-tier football with part-timers next year could convince Prince to quit the NRL at season's end on his terms.
Currently on 293 NRL games, Prince is on course to celebrate his 300th match in the final regular-season round against the Bulldogs at Suncorp Stadium.
Prince's halves partner Peter Wallace faces a similar predicament.
Axed to the bench on Tuesday, Wallace believes he is surplus to requirements at Red Hill and has begun exploring options to continue his career in the NRL.
Prince could put retirement on the backburner with a stint in the English Super League, but with his family happily settled on the Gold Coast, he would be reluctant to head offshore.
Prince's shock recruitment in the wake of his bitter split with the Titans was always going to be a boom-or-bust move.
His signing raised the ire of rising pivot Corey Norman, who subsequently signed with Parramatta.
And while Prince has shown glimpses of his glory days, he and Wallace have struggled to consistently ignite a Broncos outfit languishing in 12th place.
The departure of Prince and Wallace would leave a major void at the Broncos scrumbase in 2014.
Boom 18-year-old halfback Ashley Taylor is likely to be added to the full-time squad, while Ben Hunt could be an option at five-eighth.
However, any playmaking strain would be eased by the arrival of Bulldogs sensation Ben Barba, who is tipped to join the Broncos next season and could be a game-breaker in the No.6 jumper.
Cowboys pivot Johnathan Thurston last night defended Brisbane's purchase of Prince and said he is wary of his former Queensland Origin halves partner.
"They have players moving on with the shuffles they have made, but they will still be confident in the halves with Scotty there," he said.
"I played Origin alongside him and the Indigenous All Stars, he's won a premiership, played for his country and won a number of Origins.
"Princey is probably what they needed, especially with Locky (Darren Lockyer) retiring.
"They needed an old head to steer them around the park. He is a great footballer and hopefully we can limit him as much as possible."Whether it’s water-tight or not, the government is appealing and it will go to the Supreme Court, where this could all still be shot down. But for now it feels like the partial return of the Britain many of us are used to. One of stability, checks and balance, due process and the rule of law. One where massive, generation-defining political decisions are not based on popular polls on vague questions and a government issuing meaningless platitudes, but by sustained evidence of specific popular demand, careful, economically-literate policy-making and consensus.
Britain’s new political class of angry, borderline hysterical campaigners are already on the warpath. “I now fear every attempt will be made to block or delay triggering Article 50,” Nigel Farage tweeted. “They have no idea the level of public anger they will provoke.” Whenever Farage raises the spectre of public anger and violence, as he did during the referendum on immigration, he makes it out to be a warning. It is in fact a threat. He is trying to incite that mob mentality. He wants riots in the streets.
Ian Dunt, histrionics editor at Politics.co.uk is pleased by today's ruling.This being the parliament where most MPs cannot tell the difference between the single market and the customs union and couldn't define either. The parliament of Jess Phillips, Owen Smith, Kate Hoey, Stella Creasy, Liz Kendall and Caroline Lucas. Some of the thickest people ever to enter parliament. My question is what value does it add?MPs know full well there is no stopping Brexit lest they face the wrath of the electorate and there is no way they kind bind Mrs May in a negotiation. All they can do is compel her to seek a particular type of settlement which she is most likely considering anyway. Hard Brexit is not on the table. What is the actual point of this?Dunt is not so impressed with the leaver reaction though.In this I think Mr Dunt is correct. It's not a warning. It's a call to arms. And though I detest Farage for a number of reasons, on this, I really don't have a problem. I have made similar warnings myself with an implied subtext. I am completely at ease with it. This is basic civics.Democracy is a substitute for violence. We only have a civil society because of a social contract. It is only because decision making is legitimate that the government has any moral authority to exert force over us. Remove that legitimacy and government authority no longer applies. The government can no longer legitimately apply force.The state has a monopoly on violence - which we accept and respect. Underpinning every law is the implied threat of violence. Even something as basic as a council tax comes with a threat of imprisonment. Police will use force to that end.But that social contract works both ways. If government no longer acts according to the social contract then it loses legitimacy and forfeits the right to govern. If politicians dispense with democracy then we are obliged to revert to the default. Violence. That is of course in the most extreme cases, and this is not even close to an extreme case. Yet.Spent force though he is, Farage does have a certain sway with a sizable portion of the electorate for whom he is a spokesman. From this position he is issuing a veiled threat, ratcheting up the rhetoric in the knowledge that someone somewhere, willing to do as he alludes, is hearing him loud and clear.It's not exactly subtle but it is a clear warning to MPs not to even think about derailing Brexit. We had riots over the poll tax so if MPs think they can cynically use process to defeat what we Eurosceptics have worked all our lives for and invested in, then they open up a Pandora's box.The bottom line is that we had a referendum, a free and fair referendum where the advantage was stacked strongly in favour of the status quo. That was the mountain for the leavers to climb and we climbed it. We won. It was a slim win but a win nonetheless.As it happens 76% of the UK electorate did not vote for the ruling party. In many constituencies fewer than 20% voted for the sitting MP. In the House of Lords, nobody was elected at all. If we are talking about thin mandates then at least a third of our MPs have no right at all to speak in our name. But we accept that thin gruel as representative democracy. If we accept that then we absolutely must respect a direct consultation.There are times when "representative democracy" cannot produce a legitimate satisfactory verdict. The purpose of a referendum is to secure legitimacy for decisions where Parliament alone can not secure that legitimacy. It can't in these such instances.With only small mandates, themselves in hock to an SW1 bubble mentality, MPs cannot be trusted with such extraordinary decisions. If there is such a massive gulf between what the public thinks and what politicians think then we can say with some justification that our representative democracy is neither representative, nor democracy.We have had a direct consultation, we had a year between the election and the vote, we had a national conversation about it and we presented our verdict. The House of Commons through normal process agreed to defer this decision to the people.Because the great and the good does not now like that verdict they seek to water it down and interfere with it with a view to preventing the instruction being carried out. They'd have done it already - in a heartbeat - if they thought they could get away with it. The only thing that keeps them honest is the underlying periodic reminder that if they don't do as they are told (for that is what they are there to do) then they can reasonably expect to be strung up by the balls.Now you can whine, as indeed may hacks do, that this creates a "toxic" atmosphere in the public debate - the sort which by their estimation is responsible for the death of Jo Cox. I will not be blackmailed in such a way. MPs are the ones playing dangerous games with democracy, not us. Owen Smith stated quite clearly his intent to use any vote as a vehicle for overturning the referendum.It shows that there are MPs who see themselves as rulers not servants. Such extreme hubris warrants a more robust threat than the threat to kick them out at the next general election. Whether Dunt likes it or not, Brexit is deadly serious.This is about self determination. It is an intergenerational struggle spanning decades. We eurosceptics live this cause, we will fight for it for as long as it takes. We are fanatics. We will do, in the long run, whatever it takes to ensure that Britain is not ruled by a remote antidemocratic technocracy.So now MPs have a choice. They can do as instructed or they can spit on what we regard as sacrosanct. A direct consultation is as legitimate as legitimate gets. If the MPs get the idea that they are somehow better, wiser and more informed than the rest of us then they are in need of a little reminder. Farage in his own crude way has done us a service. MPs are now acutely aware that this is one of those times where it is best not to wake a sleeping dragon.B U R E A U O F P U B L I C S E C R E T S
The Awakening in America
A radical situation is a collective awakening.... In such situations people become much more open to new perspectives, readier to question previous assumptions, quicker to see through the usual cons.... People learn more about society in a week than in years of academic “social studies” or leftist “consciousness raising.”... Everything seems possible — and much more is possible. People can hardly believe what they used to put up with in “the old days.”... Passive consumption is replaced by active communication. Strangers strike up lively discussions on street corners. Debates continue round the clock, new arrivals constantly replacing those who depart for other activities or to try to catch a few hours of sleep, though they are usually too excited to sleep very long. While some people succumb to demagogues, others start making their own proposals and taking their own initiatives. Bystanders get drawn into the vortex, and go through astonishingly rapid changes.... Radical situations |
getting is stronger by refusing to blame myself and speaking the truth out loud," the letter states.
"The initial barrage of attacks against me voiced by your campaign spokespersons and others seemed petty so I did not respond."
However, Corfman decided to write the open letter after hearing Moore's own remarks last night at a rally in Henagar, his first public appearance in nearly two weeks.
Moore on Monday gave no new insight on the allegations that have hounded his campaign for the past 21/2 weeks, saying again the accusations he made unwanted romantic or sexual advances on teenage girls almost 40 years ago are "completely false."
"I don't know any of (the women)," he said.
Corfman has said that when she was 14 Moore, who was a 32-year-old assistant district attorney, took her to his home where he removed her clothes and touched her over her bra and underwear. He was wearing his underwear at the time, Corfman said.
Roy Moore accuser Leigh Corfman speaks out on why she waited, rumors she was paid for her story Leigh Corfman, the Alabama woman who said she had sexual contact with Senate candidate Roy Moore when she was 14, addressed critics who questioned why she waited so long to tell her story.
"I felt like I was the one to blame," she told The Today Show. "I was a 14-year-old child trying to play in an adult's world and he was 32-years-old."
Here is the letter in its entirety:
Mr. Moore,
When the Washington Post approached me about what you did to me as a child, I told them what happened, just as I had told family and friends years before. I stand by every word.
You responded by denying the truth. You told the world that you didn't even know me. Others in recent days have had the decency to acknowledge their hurtful actions and apologize for similar behavior, but not you.
So I gave an interview on television so that people could judge for themselves whether I was telling the truth.
Roy Moore accused of sexual encounter with teen in 1979 Three other women interviewed by The Washington Post in recent weeks say Moore pursued them when they were between the ages of 16 and 18 and he was in his early 30s.
You sent out your spokesmen to call me a liar. Day after day.
Finally, last night, you did the dirty work yourself. You called me malicious, and you questioned my motivation in going public.
In this frame from video, Leigh Corfman speaks on NBC's "Today" show during an interview in New York that aired Monday, Nov. 20, 2017. Corfman is accusing Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore of initiating sexual contact when she was 14. (NBC News' TODAY via AP)
I explained my motivation on the Today show. I said that this is not political for me, this is personal. As a 14-year old, I did not deserve to have you, a 32-year old, prey on me. I sat quietly for too long, out of concern for my family. No more.
I am not getting paid for speaking up. I am not getting rewarded from your political opponents. What I am getting is stronger by refusing to blame myself and speaking the truth out loud.
Moore accuser's attorney: "I'm sure she was scared to death" to report sexual encounter "Her kids are out of the house now, grown, and I think she felt like it was the right time to do it," an attorney said.
The initial barrage of attacks against me voiced by your campaign spokespersons and others seemed petty so I did not respond.
But when you personally denounced me last night and called me slanderous names, I decided that I am done being silent. What you did to me when I was 14-years old should be revolting to every person of good morals. But now you are attacking my honesty and integrity. Where does your immorality end?
I demand that you stop calling me a liar and attacking my character. Your smears and false denials, and those of others who repeat and embellish them, are defamatory and damaging to me and my family.
I am telling the truth, and you should have the decency to admit it and apologize.
Leigh CorfmanOne in four young people have experienced chronic pain and a mental disorder. According to a new report in the Journal of Pain, the onset of pain is often preceded by mental disorders: an above-average rate of incidence of depression, anxiety disorders, and behavioral disorders occurs before the onset of headaches, back pain and neck pain. The report is based on the findings of researchers at the University of Basel and Ruhr-Universität Bochum, who analyzed data from around 6,500 teenagers from the USA.
Mental disorders and chronic pain have an adverse effect on quality of life and well-being in those affected and present a huge challenge for the health system. Studies on adults have already shown that mental disorders and chronic pain frequently occur together.
Now, a research group led by private lecturer Dr. Marion Tegethoff of the University of Basel’s Faculty of Psychology has investigated how often and in what patterns – and, above all, in what chronological order – these connections occur in children and young people. Funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation, the project analyzed a representative sample population from the USA, consisting of 6,483 young people between the ages of 13 and 18.
Living in fear
The researchers found that more than a quarter (25.9%) of the young people had suffered from chronic pain and at least one mental disorder during their lifetime. At the same time, they identified connections between all of the investigated types of mental disorders (such as affective disorders, anxiety disorders, behavioral disorders, substance-induced disorders, and eating disorders) and chronic pain disorders (such as back/neck pain and headaches). The onset of pain was frequently preceded by mental disorders. For example, affective disorders such as depression occurred particularly frequently before headaches. Furthermore, anxiety disorders often occurred before neck and back pain, as well as before headaches. Finally, behavioral disorders such as attention deficit/hyperactivity disorders also indicated a risk of headaches.
As the analyzed data stems from an interdisciplinary study, it was not possible to investigate whether and how the causes of mental disorders and chronic pain are connected to one another. «The temporal connections identified in the study can give only preliminary indications that mental disorders could be causal risk factors for chronic pain. Future studies should focus on identifying the underlying biological and psychological mechanisms with a view to developing interdisciplinary approaches to prevention and treatment,» explains Marion Tegethoff, the study’s lead author. This could lead to early avoidance of the negative long-term consequences of mental disorders and the prevention of chronic pain.MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — New Salem Baptist Church is known for its community activism and outreach. But fewer people knew about the pastor’s famous friend, Stevie Wonder, until he showed up for Sunday service.
The singer was in town for a concert at Target Center, and Rev. Jerry McAfee’s wife, Carmen, said they were able to reach him Saturday night to extend an invitation.
“He said the possibility of him coming by was a great chance,” Carmen McAfee said, “However he was rather tired because he’s been on tour.”
When the service started, Wonder was in the front row. The crowd cheered loudly when he rose to sing a popular hymn, “I Won’t Complain.”
“It’s one of those old hymns that we always love,” Kenneth Jackson, a church member, said. “It’s like one of those songs that gets the spirit moving within everyone.”
At each stop on his concert tours, Wonder is known for speaking out against violence, specifically in the African American community.
He’s also known for donating money to the cause. Toward the end of the service, he had a second surprise for the congregation.
“I would like to, from the heart, donate to New Salem Baptist, $10,000,” Wonder said.
The pastor’s wife said they had a feeling he would sing at the service, but they had no idea that the donation was coming.
She said they’ll put it to good use in north Minneapolis.
WEB EXTRA: Stevie Wonder Sings At North Minneapolis ChurchMedia playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Pastor James McConnell described Islam as "heathen" and "satanic", during an address on Sunday
Police in Northern Ireland have said they are investigating "a hate crime motive" after complaints about remarks about Islam by a Belfast pastor.
James McConnell described Islam as "heathen" and "satanic", during an address at the Whitewell Metropolitan Tabernacle Church on Sunday.
He told his congregation "a new evil had arisen" and "there are cells of Muslims right throughout Britain".
Raied Al-Wazzan, of the Belfast Islamic Centre, said this was irresponsible.
Condemned
Dr Al-Wazzan said he was contacting the police and would hold Pastor McConnell "responsible for any racial attacks on any Muslim in Northern Ireland".
"This is inflammatory language and it definitely is not acceptable," he told the BBC's Nolan Show.
Image caption Mr McConnell was speaking at the Whitewell Metropolitan Tabernacle in north Belfast
"This kind of language is actually increasing the ethnic religious hate crimes."
Dr Al-Wazzan said the Muslim community enjoyed a "good relationship with every faith".
"We never had a problem before," he added.
"This is the first time we hear of such language in Northern Ireland and this is definitely irresponsible and we condemn it in the strongest possible terms."
'IRA cells'
Mr McConnell had told his congregation: "Islam is heathen, Islam is satanic, Islam is a doctrine spawned in hell."
He said he agreed with the late MP Enoch Powell, whose 1968 "Rivers of Blood" speech criticised immigration.
"Enoch Powell was a prophet, he called it that blood would flow on the streets and it has happened," he said.
The evangelical Protestant preacher also compared Muslims to the IRA.
"Fifteen years ago Britain was concerned of IRA cells right throughout the nation," he said.
"They done a deal with the IRA because they were frightened of being bombed.
"Today a new evil has arisen. There are cells of Muslims right throughout Britain, can I hear an Amen, right throughout Britain, and this nation is going to enter into a great tribulation, a great trial."Albert 'Tibby' Cotter walkway at Sydney's Moore Park never justified, report says
Updated
A scathing report on a $38 million walkway built in Sydney's Moore Park states the bridge was never justified and should not have been built so quickly.
The Albert 'Tibby' Cotter Walkway crosses over Anzac Parade in Moore Park.
Former premier Barry O'Farrell wanted it built in time for the 2015 Cricket World Cup at the Sydney Cricket Ground in February.
The acting auditor-general Tony Whitfield found the tight deadline "added substantially to the total cost of the walkway, which is projected to be $38 million".
Mr Whitfield said the project should have taken 20 months but instead was completed in 14 months.
"The deadline not only led to an expensive alliance arrangement, but to RMS (Roads and Maritime Services) developing an additional design as a risk mitigation strategy, additional overtime, inefficient use of equipment and temporary works," the independent report said.
"It also prevented concurrent delivery with the CBD and South East Light Rail project, which RMS thought would save millions of dollars."
Mr Whitfield went further, stating that both Transport for NSW and RMS "could not provide evidence of a compelling economic or financial argument to support the construction of the walkway".
He made recommendations for Transport for NSW and for RMS, saying that for future projects, both agencies needed to prepare a business case that adequately justified the project and analysed the costs and benefits of any unusually tight deadline.
Labor claims Baird should share blame
Greens MP Mehreen Faruqi said the bridge was a dud.
"This is a bridge that no-one actually wanted and hardly anyone uses," Ms Faruqi said.
"The Government did know that the World Cup was happening in 2015 four years ago, so they could have planned well for a bridge that was in the right place and not rushed through a botched job that cost the taxpayers $38 million."
Opposition infrastructure spokesman Ryan Park said although Mr O'Farrell signed off on the project, his replacement, Mike Baird, should share some of the blame.
"The Premier sat around the Cabinet table, he was the Treasurer at the time," Mr Park said.
"This is a Government that needs to be focusing on a lot more when it comes to delivering important projects for the city.
"We don't have $38 million to be wasted on projects that don't stack up."
Minister defends walkways, hoses down report
Roads Minister Duncan Gay defended the walkway when asked about it in Parliament this afternoon.
"We said we'd have the Albert 'Tibby' Cotter Walkway open for the Cricket World Cup where the eyes of the world were on Sydney and we achieved it," he said.
"A recent RMS survey indicated more than 6,000 people used the bridge over a six-day period with no major events, so [that is] an average of more than 1,000 users a day.
"Also since it opened more than 38,000 people have used it during major events."
Mr Gay downplayed the acting auditor-general's report.
"For all the noise from the Greens and the Heritage Council, what have they got — three straightforward administrative recommendations," he said.
"They worked hard on this report and this is all they've come up with. The first two recommendations relate to project analysis and assurance were already accepted as part of an earlier audit in May this year."
But the Minister said he disagreed with some aspects of the report.
"Roads and Maritime does not agree the increased cost can be attributed to the deadline," Mr Gay said.
"The deadline was achievable within the original budget.
"An independent project consultant report completed by TBH confirmed that external delays and scope changes imposed by the Heritage Council increased costs by $10.6 million."
Topics: government-and-politics, nsw, australia, sydney-2000
First postedRepublican presidential candidate 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 is projected to win the Illinois primary.
MSNBC called the race for Trump shortly after 9:30 p.m. EDT. ABC News followed shortly after. Polls closed at 8 p.m.
The victory adds to the GOP front-runner's momentum as he inches closer to the nomination.
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Recent polling showed Trump leading rival Ted Cruz Rafael (Ted) Edward CruzTrump unleashing digital juggernaut ahead of 2020 Inviting Kim Jong Un to Washington Trump endorses Cornyn for reelection as O'Rourke mulls challenge MORE by single digits in the state.
Illinois awards 69 delegates — 54 proportionally by congressional district, and the remaining statewide.Behold and tremble before greatness, as it prepares for its next 7 touchdown performance.
After posting a jaw-dropping 27 TD : 2 INT season with Philadelphia in 2013 that had many touting Nicholas Edward Foles as the savior of Philadelphia football, the Pro Bowl MVP (lol) fell off quite the cliff. The 2014 season under head coach Chip Kelly was rocky enough that Foles was shipped off in 2015, with some draft capital, to the then St. Louis Rams for QB Sam Bradford by general manager Chip Kelly.
Fickle business.
After catching the bench with the Rams, Foles bounced over to KC and reunited with Andy Reid, the head coach who had drafted him. There, he spent some time learning Eagles HC Doug Pederson’s offense while backing up QB Alex Smith—this offseason, the Eagles paid quite the pretty penny ($11M over 2 years) to bring Foles in as the backup for franchise QB Carson Wentz.
The backup QB is such an important position in the NFL—a significantly undervalued one by fans everywhere. Ask Minnesota how their backup situation is going since the Bradford injury; then take a trip down to Houston and ask them the same question regarding rookie Deshaun Watson.
Given Wentz’s physical play style, Philadelphia was wise to invest in a backup quarterback—and indeed, the chickens came home to roost. Now, Foles must prove he’s worth his contract, with a level of performance that keeps Philadelphia competitive in the playoffs.
Time to polish off the ol’ crystal ball and see if he can do it.
Nick Foles Scouting Report | Strengths
There’s limited tape of Foles receiving significant reps in a Pederson-esque offense. He had one start in Kansas City in 2016, and of course, the 4th quarter of the Rams game. Focusing on these two games, we can get a picture of the player that Foles is, and how Pederson will run his offense with Saint Nick at the helm.
A quick note before any claims are made: Nobody in their right mind would call Foles a “consistent” player. He was streaky even when he threw 27 tuddies in 13 games. As such a high-variance player, it’s tough to make blanket claims—but that hasn’t stopped me before.
Foles can throw a pretty deep ball. He reads a defense well pre-snap, so if he gets a look he likes, he’s unafraid to test man coverage down the field and up the seam. Aware of this skill, we saw schemed deep shots for Foles both in KC and against Philly. Here was the first offensive play for the Chiefs in Foles’ start:
Check out the 3 x 1 offensive set, with TE Travis Kelce lined up as the backside WR. With single-high coverage and the corner lined up tight to the WR, Foles expects man coverage on the backside, and knows Kelce has a jump ball advantage. He puts this one in a great spot.
What’s frustrating here (we’ll get deeper into it later) is how Foles completely disregards proper mechanics on this throw. Foles has an NFL arm (not a Carson arm, certainly) and can make all the throws, but he’ll often rely on it too heavily, which leads to his spotty accuracy. This time, it was a dime; next time, it may not be.
The greatest advantage that Foles brings to the table will likely be his playoff experience and veteran savvy. Foles has played in a Pederson-style offense for two seasons now, and with 36 NFL games started, he knows what he’s doing. Check it again against Kansas City: 3 x 1 formation, with TE Travis Kelce backside.
This is a crucial 3rd and 7 on the edge of field goal range. Foles recognizes once again the man coverage on Kelce. The LBs are close to the line of scrimmage, and Foles knows the screen action of his OL will keep them from dropping into the short zones int he middle of the field.
As such, Foles audibles to a 1-step slant with his elite TE in space. Despite again foregoing mechanics, that’s a great ball that hits Kelce in stride for the first down.
Nick Foles Scouting Report | Weaknesses
Let’s talk about those mechanical issues, however, because they are quite the doozy. Foles will be asked to execute a timing offense in Philadelphia, in which he must synchronize his drops with the breaks of the wide receivers, releasing the football with anticipation and without hesitation.
That’s not exactly Nick’s forte.
Let’s start with the drop: From shotgun, Foles doesn’t immediately rotate his hips, but rather begins with a little shuffle backwards. While this may seem rather the venial sin, already the timing of his drop with the eventual break of WR Albert Wilson is disrupted.
You can see this once Foles gets to the top of his drop. He buries that back foot into the turf in an effort to stop his drop and get the ball out on time. In doing so, however, he never bring his weight onto that back foot; for QB gurus, he never “loads,” the weight-bearing process that begins the throwing motion.
We can see the detrimental effect this error has on the eventual throwing motion and accuracy in the end zone view. Because Foles never really transfers his weight through his throw, he’s unable to open up (rotate) his hips toward the target; and consequentially, very little torque is generated by the rotation of his shoulders. Foles is forced to generate almost all of the necessary velocity with his arm alone—while Carson sometimes escapes with his natural arm talent, Foles simply is not so gifted.
Because the hips stayed closed to the target, the ball ends up too far outside; because the arm is asked to generate too much velocity, the ball dies in the air.
We will see more and more reps of erratic placement as we continue. Almost all of the issues are mechanical.
Sprinkle in Foles’ lack of post-snap processing speed, and add just a dash (okay, actually a hole heaping lot) of poor pocket presence, and you have a QB who really needs his first read to come open.
Kansas City runs a half-field spacing concept here. It’s a good idea—Philly will run them as well—as it doesn’t ask Foles to make a full-field read (remember, poor post-snap processor). The problem is, Foles’ lack of anticipation prevents him from pulling the trigger despite receivers flashing open against Jacksonville’s zone.
Once you read zone, hit the flat and pick up a free 4 yards. If you’re late to that, fine—you better hit that sit route that is built to beat zone coverage. The WR does a marvelous job nestling himself in a window, in front of the deep safety, but Foles simply can’t get his head to that route in time to make the throw.
As we can see from the end zone angle, Foles begins to get skittish in clean pockets, panicking when none of his reads do his job for him. He pulls the Nick Foles Special—a sigh-inducing play with which Philadelphia fans are all too familiar: two pump-fakes as he wishes he could make the throws he should have made, a frantic backpedal despite a clear lane up which he could climb, and an eventual scramble directly into pressure, to sack himself.
*Italian chef finger kiss*
The skinny: Foles can figure out what you’re doing pre-snap, and he certainly has the talent to spin it, especially down the field. But he’ll hamper his own efficacy through mechanical inconsistency, and if his pre-snap read doesn’t hold true, he really struggles to move through progressions or extend the play.
Philadelphia Offense Under Nick Foles | RPOs
We’ve got a better feeling around who Foles is; now we must figure out if we can win with him.
Spoiler alert: you can. You definitely can. If Doug Pederson is as good of a head coach as I think he is, and the offensive think tank in Philadelphia is all it’s touted to be, they will win with Foles. How far they can get into the playoffs is another matter entirely—but Foles can run this offense.
The greatest concern vocalized during the switch has been the loss of RPOs (run-pass options) in Philadelphia’s offense. A staple of Pederson’s system, Philadelphia ran these plays at the highest incidence in the NFL.
Remember, the objective of the RPO is to make the defense wrong, no matter what they do. Philly ran a ton of RPOs against Los Angeles—here, with Carson behind center, Philadelphia put Los Angeles MLB Mike Barron in a bind.
Philadelphia is running a little power sweep to the field side, while also deploying a rub concept with the receivers on the boundary side. Carson will choose which option to take—the run or the pass—depending on what the “read key” does. Should the read key drop back into pass coverage (likely a zone), Carson will hand the football off.
The defense will be without the requisite number of defenders to account for every gap in the running game, and Philadelphia should be able to pick up a good chunk of yardage.
Conversely, should the read key play downhill to defend the run, Carson will pull the ball from the RB’s belly and throw the slant to WR Torrey Smith off the rub. In this way, the defense will, again, always be wrong. Whatever the LB does, Carson has the answer.
Without Carson’s arm strength, release, and accuracy from bad platforms/arm angles, RPOs certainly become harder, but they’re still possible. The greatest concern in deploying these plays must be, however, Foles’ processing speed. He must be able to quickly read the defensive player and react before that “read key” can correct his mistake.
However, this is only one way to deploy the run-pass option. It is the truest to form, as it is a post-snap read that always makes the defender wrong. But plays abound in the Philadelphia playbook that have both a run and pass option, but don’t necessarily require a post-snap read.
Consider this play—the second passing attempt Pederson dialed up for Nick Foles (the first was a muffed snap).
Again, still a run-pass option—but this time, arguably a triple option. It’s unclear if the bubble route by the slot receiver is actually a viable option on this play, but let’s say it is.
This run-pass option is not determined by post-snap play, but rather by pre-snap alignment. From the jump, Foles notices that he has off-man coverage to the play side. With a single-high safety, he knows that WR Alshon Jeffery’s Bang-8 post should open up right away. The only thing he need fear is a linebacker dropping into that zone and undercutting the route.
But, because the offensive line/running back are playing “run,” Foles is almost certain those linebackers won’t immediately drop. Everything the ‘backers read screams run, and they simply must respect that threat.
It isn’t a pure RPO, given the lack of post-snap read. Watching from the end zone angle, you can see that Foles’ head drops at the mesh point with the RB. He isn’t reading a second-level defender, but rather selling the play action nice and hard. Predictably, the linebackers stay close to the line, and the post is open.
The throw is, markedly, behind Jeffery. RPOs do require a quick set-up for the QB, to get into his throwing stance and deliver an accurate ball. Jeffery saves Foles here with an acrobatic catch.
If we roll things back to 2016, we see that the Chiefs used almost the exact same look to help manufacture space for Foles to throw.
You can see here how good LBs can sniff out these quasi-RPOs. Telvin Smith #50 recognizes the play-action just early enough to get back into the throwing lane and force Foles to deliver this ball behind WR Tyreek Hill (though Foles was going to be behind anyway, if we’re being perfectly plain).
Philadelphia will still be able to run their RPOs under Foles, even if it isn’t the full gamut. Remember, RPOs are the beautiful love child of the read option (essentially a run-run option that makes the defender always wrong via a post-snap read) and the play-action pass (the fake run to suck in the linebackers and throw behind them). If you can’t run a pure RPO, you can still achieve the desired effect by running play-action passes, as well as the pre-snap RPOs we just outlined.
Philadelphia Offense Under Nick Foles | Comfort and Progressions
Predictably, Foles was a tad lost in his progressions when thrust into the game on Sunday. As we alluded to in the scouting report, Foles can be a bit of a “first-read, oh no, panic!” quarterback—that won’t fly in Pederson’s offense. Philadelphia rarely deploys isolation routes on clear passing downs, preferring rather to use a smattering of West Coast, spread, and occasionally even Air Raid concepts to stretch the field and provide the quarterback with a number of options.
That is one of the reasons that Carson Wentz garners such credit for being such a creator, incidentally. With 4+ receivers out on routes, and often two different concepts working on the front side and back side, Wentz has many late-developing options down the field that break open as coverage disintegrates.
Foles will never extend plays to that degree—and that’s fine. He must improve, however, at understanding his underneath route concepts and where space develops when facing zone coverage.
That’s three straight plays on which Foles missed a shallow crosser.
On the first, Philly is running a basic Mesh look—but Foles seems confused as to which receiver is the pick, and which receiver is the intended target. Despite Agholor clearly creating traffic for Mack Hollins (spotlight) to break free, Foles fails to identify Hollins’ jailbreak into space, and tries to force the ball into Agholor.
On the next, when the Cover 3 flat defender climbs upfield to bracket Alshon Jeffery, Foles simply must ask the question: “What space did that defender abandon?” He’s staring straight down the barrel—Nelson Agholor (spotlight) unquestionably crosses his vision—but he peels away to his checkdown on the opposite side of the formation.
On the final, he’s again looking at Jeffery to his right. Once the CB plays the double move excellently, he doesn’t read back to the short area of the field to find Torrey Smith (spotlight) with clear separation. Again, he bails to his RB, supposedly the final number on his checklist.
Pederson’s a good coach, but no man alive can scheme open your first read all game. On the first rep, Foles clearly just misunderstood the play design entirely—that’s an easy fix. But on the final two, Foles had a high-low read to one half of the field, and failed to execute it properly in both instances. Hopefully another week of practice will get him comfortable working that vertical read—if not, hopefully a few weeks will do the trick before the playoffs.
Developing rapport with his new starting receivers over his newfound practice time as QB1 will certainly be crucial. I expect we may see more of Mack Hollins/Trey Burton moving forward, as these are the players with whom Foles has practiced and developed chemistry for the majority of the season.
Consider this gaffe on Philadelphia’s near red zone play (inside the 30) of the afternoon with Foles: 999.
A variation of crowd favorite “Four Verts,” 999 is an all-verticals play ran from a 3 x 1 formation. That 3 x 1 formation should seem familiar to you: KC used it a ton when Foles was starting, making a distinct effort to isolate mismatch TE Travis Kelce as the 1 receiver to the backside. Without TE Zach Ertz against the Rams, Philadelphia will likely use similar formations to work Zach Ertz into advantageous match-ups, as the Chiefs did Kelce.
Philadelphia also uses Alshon on the back side of the 3 x 1, and they did so on this 999 play. Facing a big cushion, Alshon does well to eat up space, and when the CB decides to force Alshon inside instead of using the sideline to his advantage, Alshon takes the inside track.
Foles, in the mean time, has done some good post-snap processing (attaboy!) The Rams begin in a Cover 2/Cover 4 look—those coverages would fall under the umbrella category of Middle Of the Field Open (MOFO) coverages. Against MOFO coverages, the deep players are stressed with multiple players in their zones, and the deep crosser from the #3 WR often opens up.
But as the ball is snapped, the Rams rotate to Cover 3, a Middle Of the Field Closed (MOFC) coverage. Against such a look, the crosser often gets gobbled alive (watch the single-high safety close on the crosser in the above clip). As such, the correct throw is the back side WR in one-on-one coverage--in this case, Alshon Jeffery.
Foles holds the single-high safety before turning and firing to Jeffery. Both QB and WR have done their job correctly up to this point.
But Foles just misses Jeffery. He puts the ball high and outside when Alshon needed a low and inside fastball. Simply put: two players, unfamiliar with one another, were not on the same page. And Philadelphia missed out on 6.
The good news? The Chiefs dialed up a very similar play on Foles’ first near red zone attempt as well:
That’s 999 out of the 3 x 1 from almost the exact same spot on the field, folks. This time, the single-high (MOFC) safety gets caught cheating: He vacates his post to work toward the strong side of the field, leaving the Middle Of the Field Open (MOFO), and Foles drops a dime in the bucket.
Give Foles some practice time, and I expect him to shore up some of the communication issues.
The skinny: Expect 3 x 1 sets with Ertz or Jeffery isolated back side. Look also for RPOs that let Foles read the defense pre-snap (watch for hard counts, which he used effectively against LA as well). Foles must improve his half-field, vertical reads to capitalize on open receivers, as well as maximize what limited chemistry he has with his pass-catchers to account for his poor anticipation as a passer.
Winning with Foles
As I said, you can win with Pro Bowl MVP and NFL record holder and weird-lookin’ white dude Nick Foles. Like any backup QB, most of the checklist is familiar: run the ball effectively and control time of possession; protect the football; play great defense.
For Foles specifically, he can keep an offense humming if you can regularly open his first read and give him time to throw the deep ball. To that regard, Doug Pederson will have his work cut out for him on the chalkboard, as the masterful offense he has already crafted must continue to evolve to remain steps ahead of opposing defenses. Philadelphia’s offensive line, suddenly even shakier on the blindside with LG Stefen Wisniewski day-to-day with an ankle, must improve upon their already-stellar play without Houdini-wannabe Carson Wentz in the pocket.
Philly is fortunate to enjoy a lighter schedule (v. NYG, @ OAK) over the next two contests. Hopefully, Foles will find plenty of room to grow comfortable against sub-par passing offenses as he prepares to captain the (potentially) 1st-seed Eagles through the thick NFC playoff field.
Behold and tremble before greatness, my friends.In a foreign policy speech widely hailed for its sharpest attacks yet against Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton put forward a vision that she contended was a far, far better alternative than the vision Trump has for the United States. However, a number of statements she made hypocritically disregarded her own record as first lady, senator, and secretary of state.
Clinton also demonstrated how Democrats plan to wield American exceptionalism to try and beat Trump in November. As a rebuttal to Trump’s “Make America Great Again,” they will insist “America Is Already Great; Oh, But Of Course, It Can Always Be Greater.”
A months-long squabble between the leaders of two political parties over the extent of America’s greatness threatens to plunge the world into one of the most insufferable debates in modern history.
Clinton declared, “This election is a choice between two very different visions of America. One that’s angry, afraid, and based on the idea that America is fundamentally weak and in decline. The other is hopeful, generous, and confident in the knowledge that America is great—just like we always have been.”
She promoted American exceptionalism, saying she still believes with all her heart that “America is an exceptional country.”
“We are not a country that cowers behind walls. We lead with purpose, and we prevail,” Clinton boasted. “And if America doesn’t lead, we leave a vacuum—and that will either cause chaos, or other countries will rush in to fill the void. Then they’ll be the ones making the decisions about your lives and jobs and safety—and trust me, the choices they make will not be to our benefit.”
The United States has taken the “lead” in countries like Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Somalia, Yemen, and Syria, and in all of those countries, the military action taken has fueled chaos and enabled the rise of terrorist organizations, including al Qaida affiliates.
That is not to say that Trump has the answers, but to point out that American “leadership” does not have a stellar record of preventing chaos, particularly when mounting operations under the umbrella of the war against terrorism.
On the nuclear agreement with Iran, Clinton said, “When President Obama took office, Iran was racing toward a nuclear bomb. Some called for military action. But that could have ignited a broader war that could have mired our troops in another Middle Eastern conflict.”
In fact, Clinton threatened to ethnically cleanse Iran if it were to attack Israel when she ran for president in 2008. “In the next 10 years, during which they might foolishly consider launching an attack on Israel, we would be able to totally obliterate them.”
There was little evidence Iran planned to attack Israel, but she said such a threat was necessary to keep the “Islamic republic in check.” Obama responded, “It is important that we use language that sends a signal to the world community that we’re shifting from the sort of cowboy diplomacy, or lack of diplomacy, that we’ve seen out of George Bush. And this kind of language is not helpful.”
Clinton quoted a number of remarks from Trump to show he is a cartoonish figure who cannot be trusted with the presidency. But Clinton herself said, when Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi was killed, “We came, we saw, he died,” while pumping her fists.
She blasted “Donald’s bizarre fascination with dictators and strongmen who have no love for America,” and later added, “I’ll leave it to the psychiatrists to explain his affection for tyrants.” However, as journalist Glenn Greenwald has cataloged, she has been a “stalwart friend” of some of the “world’s worst despots.”
In 2009, Clinton said while she was secretary of state, “I really consider President and Mrs. Mubarak to be friends of my family.” She referred to Bashar al Assad in 2011 as a “reformer,” to argue Gaddafi was worse.
Clinton attacked Trump for suggesting Saudi Arabia of all countries should have nuclear weapons. But she oversaw arms deals with the country, despite the Saudi kingdom’s atrocious human rights record.
The former secretary of state vehemently supports Israeli military occupation and a foreign policy toward Palestine, which |
toll they’ve taken on civilians. The weapons disperse miniature explosives over a large area, and a small number of the bomblets typically fail to detonate on impact, leaving behind mine-like explosives that often later kill civilians and destroy farmland. A report by the group Cluster Munitions Monitor found that civilians made up 97 percent of all worldwide cluster bomb casualties, primarily due to their use by the Assad government in Syria and the U.S.-backed bombing coalition in Yemen.
Due to their civilian toll, cluster bombs were banned by a 2008 treaty signed by 119 countries, but not by the U.S., Russia, and Saudi Arabia.
The U.S. has sold hundreds of millions of dollars worth of cluster bombs to Saudi Arabia in recent years. In 2010, the State Department authorized the sale of 1,300 CBU-105 bombs to Saudi Arabia as part of a $30 billion arms sale, and in 2011, another 400, for $355 million.
Foreign Policy magazine reported in May that the Obama administration put a hold on the latest transfer of CBU-105 munitions to Saudi Arabia, likely due to a 2009 export law that forbids the sale of cluster bombs to countries that use the weapons “where civilians are known to be present.”
Bowing to public pressure in August, Textron Systems also announced that it would be phasing out production of the CBU-105, ending the manufacturing of cluster bombs in America. In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Textron explained that CBU-105 sales relied on “both executive branch and congressional approval,” and that “the current political environment has made it difficult to obtain these approvals.”
The Pentagon nonetheless maintains a large stockpile of CBU-105 munitions that it could transfer at a later date. Congress narrowly defeated a measure in June that would have prohibited their export to Saudi Arabia. The Pentagon opposed the measure, worried that it would unfairly “stigmatize” the weapon.
The Saudi coalition continues to use cluster bombs, and other U.S.-supplied weapons, to bomb civilian sites, including homes, factories, markets, hospitals, children’s schools, and a funeral. Human Rights Watch released a report last week documenting further attacks on a prison and water-drilling site.
“After more than 20 months of war, unlawful Saudi-led coalition airstrikes not only continue but have become shockingly common in Yemen,” said Kristine Beckerle, Yemen researcher for Human Rights Watch. “It is hard to see how the U.S. continuing to ship billions of dollars in arms to Saudi Arabia — despite the rising civilian death toll and evidence of war crimes — is likely to do anything other than signal an American stamp of approval for the conduct of Saudi military operations and further put the U.S. at risk of complicity in unlawful coalition attacks.”
Jubahi’s death has thrust his family into poverty. His father, in his mid-sixties, is too weak to earn an income from hard labor. Jubahi’s wife is trying to feed her five children by weaving rope and mats out of palm leaves, but the family is mostly dependent on handouts from the already poor community.
In a country dependent on imports for the majority of its food, strikes against Yemen’s fishing industry have taken a particularly devastating toll. Fishing has declined in the Hodeidah governorate — the province where al-Hayma is located — by 75 percent. Of all of Yemen’s provinces, the U.N. places Hodeidah at the highest risk for famine, and the U.N. estimates that 100,000 children under age 5 are at risk of severe malnutrition. In al-Hayma alone, nearly 300 of the village’s 1,600 children are malnourished, according to local medical staff.
And the Saudi-led coalition has continued to attack fisherman and their ships, accusing them of smuggling Iranian weapons to the Houthis. In one particularly vicious attack in October 2015, Saudi warplanes fired missiles at fisherman anchored off the Red Sea island of Aqban, before Apache attack helicopters strafed the shallows to shoot survivors. The attack killed at least 42 fisherman, and possibly as many as 100.
Reuters reported Wednesday that the United States will halt transfer of munition guidance systems to Saudi Arabia and modify its training for the kingdom’s air force. An administration official who refused to be named confirmed the report to The Intercept.Thanksgiving planning begins with this easy flavorful butternut squash pilaf. The whole spices add many flavors to the rice and to the squash. The sweetish squash and the deep spices work beautifully together and make this a fabulous side to serve with any main dish. Cumin adds an earthy flavor, the cloves, cardamom and cinnamon add hints of sweet, scented pockets, the roasted pepper flakes add a light smokyness and Saffron infused water brings it all together. Use other squashes or veggies and spices that you have. Add in some dried fruit like dried cranberries and toasted pecans to make it more festive.
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I am planning up some Thanksgiving posts for next week. Last year’s menu (lentil Quinoa Loaf, Cornbread Stuffing, Spicy cranberry sauce, No Bake Pumpkin Pie) was made over 2 days and worked out really well. Let me know if there is anything you want me to tackle in the coming week.
In other news, My book made it to the semi-finals on the Good Reads Choice Awards Best books 2015! Second round of voting here. <3!
Pictured above, served with Breaded Crispy tofu Strips, Recipe here.
More Rice and other sides from the blog
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Rob Bell, a prominent evangelical pastor in Michigan, suggests that heaven may be universal, and that everyone has a place in heaven, whatever that may turn out to be, regardless of his deeds.
Bell may not be happy to hear it, but what he suggests has a certain resonance with Mormon thought about the afterlife, which is actually (and to many people surprisingly) near-universalist.
Mormons reject the classical conception of Hell: a pit of fire and brimstone and place of eternal torment.
Although Mormons do sometimes use the word “hell,” it is usually in one of two much more limited senses.
First, when you die your spirit goes to a sort of waiting room called the Spirit World. The righteous go to Paradise, but those who died without a knowledge of the Gospel or who were wicked go to Spirit Prison. The suffering they experience there is more mental than physical, consisting of guilt and anguish over their misdeeds in mortality.
Sometimes this state is referred to as “hell,” but it is only a temporary state. Upon the final judgment, the soul will be assigned to one of three heavens, or “degrees of glory” (called the Celestial, Terrestrial and Telestial Kingdoms). Having a variegated heaven means that people will receive their just reward for their lives here on earth, but even the lowest of these heavens is still a heaven, not a place of eternal torment.
The other sense in which Mormons sometimes use the word “hell” is as a reference to what they call Outer Darkness, which is reserved for Satan and his spiritual minions, together with a few human beings that qualify as “sons of perdition.”
Although this would be close to the classical conception of Hell, the Mormon belief is that very few will go there, for the bar to be sent there is quite high. One must have a sure knowledge (beyond faith) that Jesus is the Christ, and then reject him anyway in the face of such a knowledge. This is Judas Iscariot territory and really beyond the capacity of the average person to achieve.
Mormons also believe that just because you’re dead doesn’t mean the game is over. They take seriously the Descensus (mentioned in the Apostle’s Creed), and believe that Jesus descended into the Spirit World during the three days that his body lay in the tomb to initiate the preaching of the Gospel to the spirits there, and organized this postmortem evangelization so that it continues even today. So even those who never had an opportunity to hear the Gospel will have such a chance in the next life.
Further, Mormons believe that there are certain necessary, salvific ordinances (what other Christians would call “sacraments”), that one must receive to achieve the Celestial (or highest) Kingdom. That is why Mormons perform these sacraments vicariously for the dead in their temples.
So, for instance, if a deceased person is baptized for the dead, that doesn’t mean that person is considered a member of the Church or a Mormon; it simply means that the sacrament has been performed on his or her behalf and he or she has the option to accept it, but also the freedom of will to reject it.
So Bell’s formulation that “everyone will have a place in heaven, whatever that turns out to be” is one that resonates with me, and I think he’s on the right path.
I don’t believe that a just God would subject people to eternal physical torment for ever and ever, especially when in many cases people simply did not have an opportunity to learn of the Gospel in this life through no fault of their own.
Comments are closed. Please comment at The Seeker.The latest:
4 protestors arrested total
Governor calls for removal of all memorials on state property
Protesters call for all charged to be dropped
Disorderly conduct by injury to a statue (Class II Misdemeanor)
Damage to real property (statue as a fixture (Class I Misdemeanor)
Participation in a riot with property damage in excess of $1,500 (Class H Felony)
Inciting others to riot where there is property damage in excess of $1,500 (Class F Felony)
EMBED >More News Videos Raw Video: Durham County deputies arrest protester who helped topple Confederate statue.
The Durham County Sheriff's Office says a fourth person is charged in the destruction of a Durham Confederate statue.Peter Gull Gilbert, 39, was taken into custody Wednesday afternoon. Two others - identified as 35-year-old Dante Emmanuel Strobino and 24-year-old Ngoc Loan Tran - were arrested outside a court hearing for 22-year-old Takiyah Thompson Wednesday morning.The four are charged with:Thompson was taken into custody shortly after protesters held a news conference Tuesday afternoon at North Carolina Central University. Thompson is seen in video climbing a ladder to the top of the statue at Monday's protest to tie a rope around its neck before the crowd tore it down.The Communist-platform Workers World Party Durham chapter - which was one of the organizers of Monday's protest - said it has set up a legal defense fund to help fight her case in court.The protesters have also called for the dropping of any charges related to the incident."The people decided to take matters into our own hands and remove the statue," said Thompson, a member of the Workers World Party and a student at N.C. Central University. "We are tired of waiting on politicians who could have voted to remove the white supremacist statues years ago, but they failed to act. So we acted."Tran also spoke with ABC11 after her arrest."More and more each day, we know what side the people are on - the people are on the side of freedom and justice and liberation," said Tran. "And the folks who are arresting people, the folks who are brutalizing people, the folks who are running this jail and complying with this right to premise the system are on the wrong side of history."Durham County officials called for a "respectful and productive" dialogue on race issues Tuesday following the destruction the statue. At a news conference, Durham County manager Wendell Davis called pulling the statue down "unlawful and inappropriate."As the state has a law mandating the protection of Confederate monuments, Davis said county officials will be consulting with state officials about what to do with the heavily damaged monument.Also at Tuesday's news conference, Durham County Sheriff Mike Andrews addressed criticism that his officers did not intervene as the statue was pulled down. He said using pepper spray was considered, but leaders decided on restraint to avoid injuries and further chaos."Last night we witnessed a blatant violation of the law. No one is getting away with damaging the Confederate statue. We will pursue felony charges," he said.However, Tran said they won't back down."We refuse to back down, this is clearly intimidation. They want to isolate us, they want to instill fear, but we're organizing until all of this gets torn down."Where to get vertigo on the cheap
THE SHARD, the latest big skyscraper to pierce London's skyline and the tallest building in Europe, recently opened for business—and to the general public. Some visitors have marvelled at the view from the top. Others have complained at the hefty entrance fee of £29.95 ($47) for an adult paying on the door. At a mere 244m (800 feet) high, the Shard is poor value for money when measured against its height. A comparison of platform heights and general admission fees for some of the world's tallest buildings, which shall henceforth be known as the vertigo index, shows that there are many cheaper alternatives for a farseeing fix. The best value can be had at the Taipei 101 building in Taiwan, which charges just NT$450 ($15.25) for a viewing platform 392 metres high, or 3.9 cents per metre.A growing economy is supposed to raise people’s standards of living, but a new study suggests this effect is breaking down in Canada.
An index of wellbeing published by the University of Waterloo found that Canada’s economy grew by 38 per cent per person between 1994 and 2014, but wellbeing, as measured by the study, only grew by 9.9 per cent.
The study used some 200 different data points, mostly from Statistics Canada, to create an index of wellbeing based on categories such as education, time use, leisure and culture and environment.
“There is a feeling that all is not well in Canada,” the study authors wrote. “But it’s more than a feeling: It’s a fact.”
Canada’s economy recovered quickly from the global financial crisis of 2008-09, but Canadians’ quality of life did not, and the index has barely recovered to where it was before the recession.
The measure for living standards fell 11 per cent during the recession, and “since the recession, work is more precarious as all of the gains made in curbing long-term unemployment and securing full-time employment prior to 2008 were lost,” the study said.
A homeless camp on a city-owned lot in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver on Thursday, November 17, 2016. (Photo: The Canadian Press/Darryl Dyck)
The leisure and culture component has been declining for years, and is down 9 per cent since 1994. Spending on recreation, culture and sport hit its lowest point in the study period in 2014, the latest year for which data was used.
The time use measure shows Canadians are spending 30 per cent less time with friends, and only 35 per cent are getting enough sleep, compared to 44 per cent in 1994. The time use index is up 3 per cent in 20 years -- but only because more people are being forced to work part-time.
The environment index has declined 2.9 per cent in two decades.
“Our environmental footprint, the fourth largest in the world, remains massive and unchanged,” the study said, noting that greenhouse gas emissions are up, there has been no improvement in smog levels and farmland is disappearing, though industrial farms are producing more food.
“Individual Canadians are doing their part, reducing residential energy use by 20 per cent, but much more progress has to come from those industries that generate 60 per cent of emissions.”
Education is the only part of the wellbeing index that has kept up with economic growth. (Chart: Canadian Index of Wellbeing)
One bright spot was the education measure -- the only part of the index that has kept up with economic growth.
“Nine out of 10 students now complete high school and almost one in three Canadians (28 per cent) holds a university degree --- up from 17 per cent in 1994,” the study said.
“However, tuition fees nearly tripled during the same period.”
The authors argue politicians should be looking at a number of policy options to improve Canadians’ quality of life, including a universal basic income (something Ontario is planning to experiment with shortly); a “pan-Canadian” education strategy; and “universal access” to leisure, arts, culture and sports.
The index is produced by dozens of researchers focusing on specific areas of wellbeing. This is the third edition of the index, which first launched in 2011.
Also on HuffPostI see two ways that Quakers and the larger church can move forward in the tension of unity and diversity: liberal deconstructionism or Pentecostal ecclesiology. While both are useful and both claim to be prophetic, I am becoming convinced that a new Pentecost is the only vital way forward. To reclaim Pentecost is to reclaim Quakerism, since our tradition was born as a charismatic community. By Pentecostal I do not mean “charismania,” complete with televangelists and holy rollers. I mean an experience of God’s Spirit that gathers a diverse people together, arranges the community according to the inspired gifts of every person, and sends them out in empowered mission. A Pentecostal ecclesiology is a way of arranging our meetings and churches in anticipation of the Spirit’s continued presence and guidance among us.
This was the experience of the early Church according to the book of Acts, when the divine promise was recalled: “I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy…” (Joel 2:28) And Peter expanded the list: men and women, young and old, servants and slaves. Then the narrative of Acts kept widening the circle: Greeks and Jews, widows and philosophers, eunuchs and strangers. The wind of God was releasing God’s people from their cultural and religious bondage and gathering a prophetic community, diverse and united.
This was also the experience of early Friends. George Fox dared to ask “You will say ‘Christ says this and the apostles say this’; but what can you say?” Implicit in his question is the conviction that the Spirit was at work among the community, and each could speak with authority “as the Spirit enabled.” And speak they did. They spoke from silence and stillness, where the power of Pentecost baptized their hearts in love and moved them into concerns of compassion. Women, told to be silent, were given tongues of fire to speak truth to power. Men, told to be dominant, spoke tenderly about “that of God in every person.” Slaves found freedom, soldiers found peace, the poor found justice.
The Church, including many Friends communities, now divides in debate over homosexuality. I hear debate about biblical interpretation and application. I hear arguments about biology, psychology, and sociology. But one “ology” we often forget is pneumatology, the study of the Spirit. The real questions are questions of pneumatology: is the Spirit’s fruit evident in the lives of our gay and lesbian Friends? Is the Spirit calling and anointing them for ministry and inspiring their prophetic voice? Is the Spirit bringing together gay and lesbian couples for marriage? As the Pentecostal wind blows through our communities, are they not being blown with us into new lands of ministry and mission?
As an Evangelical Friend, my journey toward inclusion of God’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender children required a long time of wrestling. Like us all, I am still on a pilgrimage of discernment. But the deepest arguments for me were not arguments at all, but testimonies of Pentecost. They were the testimonies of Spirit heard in the stories of gay and lesbian Christians and the way the Spirit is giving them a voice and utterance among the beloved community. The testimony was also heard in an inner Pentecost of “dreams and visions” that mysteriously widened my heart and mind. I should not be surprised when the Spirit widens the circle, however, since that is the movement of Pentecost. God’s intention is firm and faithful: “I will pour out My Spirit on all people.”Diamond Profile Blog Joined May 2009 United States 9882 Posts Last Edited: 2011-06-15 07:00:02 #1
GIGABYTE StarsWar Killer is the sixth StarsWar tournament running by Chinese eSports organization XMA(www.xmacn.com). We held the first offline StarCraft II(beta phase) event StarsWar Reborn in April, 2010. IdrA, and came to Shanghai and were presented as Team USA, and, Susiria, and EvE presented as Team Korea. This great event is brought to you by Gigabyte!
VOD's
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1st - 40,000 CNY - ($6124 USD)
2nd - 10,000 CNY - ($1531 USD)
3rd - 5,000 CNY - ($765 USD)
Total - 55,000 CNY ($8420 USD)
Tournament is complete.
Established in 1986, its major customers include custom boutique PC manufacturers such as Alienware and Falcon Northwest. Google recently revealed they use GIGABYTE motherboards in the custom servers. GIGABYTE is considered a Tier 1 motherboard manufacturer (based on units sold) along with MSI, ECS and Asus. They shipped approximately 19 million motherboards in 2008 (16 million of them branded).
GIGABYTE also sponsors Chinese notable eSports team WE and the former StarsWar series.
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Round of 32
+ Show Spoiler +
Day 1
FOX.Lyn <<< Xel'Naga Caverns >>> mTwDimaga
FOX.Lyn <<< Metalopolis >>> mTw.Dimaga
FOX.Lyn <<< N/A >>> mTw.Dimaga
mTw.Dimaga wins 2-0 over FOX.Lyn
Xel'Naga Caverns >>> WE.Gigabyte.Lovecd
>>> WE.Gigabyte.Lovecd
>>> WE.Gigabyte.Lovecd
WE.Gigabyte.Lovecd wins 2-1 over IM.NesTea
HongUnPrime.WE <<< Xel'Naga Caverns >>> Liquid`TLO
HongUnPrime.WE <<< Metalopolis >>> Liquid`TLO
HongUnPrime.WE <<< Terminus Re >>> Liquid`TLO
Liquid`TLO wins 2-1 over HongUnPrime.WE
oGs.naDa <<< Xel'Naga Caverns >>> MYM.Sase
oGs.naDa <<< Metalopolis >>> MYM.Sase
oGs.naDa <<< Tal'Darim Altar >>> MYM.Sase
oGs.NaDa wins 2-1 over MYM.Sase
Day 2
MVP Genius <<< Xel`Naga Caverns >>> FOX.Moon
MVP Genius <<< Tal'Darim Altar >>> FOX.Moon
MVP Genius <<< N/A >>> FOX.Moon
MVP.Genius wins 2-0 over FOX.Moon
TSL`Fruitdealer <<< Xel`Naga Caverns >>> WE.Gigabyte.Lovett
TSL`Fruitdealer <<< Shattered Temple >>> WE.Gigabyte.Lovett
TSL`Fruitdealer <<< Metalopolis >>> WE.Gigabyte.Lovett
WE.Gigabyte.Lovett wins 2-1 over TSL.Fruitdealer
Liquid`HuK <<< Xel`Naga Caverns >>> mouz.MorroW
Liquid`HuK <<< Tal'Darim Altar >>> mouz.MorroW
Liquid`HuK <<< N/A >>> mouz.MorroW
mouz.MorroW wins 2-0 over Liquid`HuK
Day 3
Fnatic.Sen <<< Xel'Naga Caverns >>> ST.Ace
Fnatic.Sen <<< Tal'Darim Altar >>> ST.Ace
Fnatic.Sen <<< N/A >>> ST.Ace
ST.Ace wins 2-0 over Fnatic.Sen
CheckPrime.WE <<< Xel'Naga Caverns >>> Dignitas.SjoW
CheckPrime.WE <<< Tal'Darim Altar >>> Dignitas.SjoW
CheckPrime.WE <<< Terminus SE >>> Dignitas.SjoW
Dignitas.SjoW wins 2-1 over CheckPrime.WE
Liquid`Jinro <<< Xel'Naga Caverns >>> Nv.Comm
Liquid`Jinro <<< Metalopolis >>> Nv.Comm
Liquid`Jinro <<< TBD >>> Nv.Comm
Liquid`Jinro wins 2-0 over Nv.Comm
oGs.MC <<< Xel'Naga Caverns >>> WE.Gigabyte.Loner
oGs.MC <<< Shattered Temple >>> WE.Gigabyte.Loner
oGs.MC <<< TBD >>> WE.Gigabyte.Loner
oGs.MC wins 2-0 over WE.Gigabyte.Loner
SlayerS_Boxer <<< Xel'Naga Caverns >>> ToD
SlayerS_Boxer <<< Shattered Temple >>> ToD
SlayerS_Boxer <<< N/A >>> ToD
ToD wins 2-0 over SlayerS_Boxer
Day 4
MarineKingPrime.WE <<< Xel'Naga Caverns >>> Nv.xiaOt
MarineKingPrime.WE <<< Shattered Temple >>> Nv.xiaOt
MarineKingPrime.WE <<< TDB >>> Nv.xiaOt
Nv.xaiOt wins 2-0 over MarineKingPrime.WE
NsHS.San <<< Xel'Naga Caverns >>> Liquid`Ret
NsHS.San <<< Metalopolis >>> Liquid`Ret
NsHS.San <<< Tal'Darim Altar >>> Liquid`Ret
NsHS.San wins 2-1 over Liquid`Ret
EG.IdrA<<< N/A >>> IM.MvP
EG.IdrA<<< N/A >>> IM.MvP
EG.IdrA wins via walkover over IM.MvP
Whiite-Ra <<< Xel'Naga Caverns >>> WE.2012.Revtime
Whiite-Ra <<< Tal'Darim Altar >>> WE.2012.Revtime
Whiite-Ra <<< Metalopolis >>> WE.2012.Revtime
White-Ra wins 2-1 over WE.2012.Revtime
FOX.Lyn <<< Xel'Naga CavernsFOX.Lyn <<< Metalopolisover FOX.LynXel'Naga Caverns >>>WE.Gigabyte.LovecdIM.NesTea <<< Shattered TempleIM.NesTea <<< Metalopolisover IM.NesTeaHongUnPrime.WE <<< Xel'Naga CavernsMetalopolis >>>Liquid`TLOHongUnPrime.WE <<< Terminus Reover HongUnPrime.WEoGs.naDa <<< Xel'Naga CavernsMetalopolis >>>MYM.SaseTal'Darim Altar >>>MYM.Saseover MYM.SaseXel`Naga Caverns >>>FOX.MoonTal'Darim Altar >>>FOX.Moonover FOX.MoonTSL`Fruitdealer <<< Xel`Naga CavernsShattered Temple >>>WE.Gigabyte.LovettTSL`Fruitdealer <<< Metalopolisover TSL.FruitdealerLiquid`HuK <<< Xel`Naga CavernsLiquid`HuK <<< Tal'Darim Altarover Liquid`HuKFnatic.Sen <<< Xel'Naga CavernsFnatic.Sen <<< Tal'Darim Altarover Fnatic.SenXel'Naga Caverns >>>Dignitas.SjoWCheckPrime.WE <<< Tal'Darim AltarCheckPrime.WE <<< Terminus SEover CheckPrime.WEXel'Naga Caverns >>>Nv.CommMetalopolis >>>Nv.Commover Nv.CommXel'Naga Caverns >>>WE.Gigabyte.LonerShattered Temple >>>WE.Gigabyte.Lonerover WE.Gigabyte.LonerSlayerS_Boxer <<< Xel'Naga CavernsSlayerS_Boxer <<< Shattered Templeover SlayerS_BoxerMarineKingPrime.WE <<< Xel'Naga CavernsMarineKingPrime.WE <<< Shattered Templeover MarineKingPrime.WEXel'Naga Caverns >>>Liquid`RetNsHS.San <<< MetalopolisTal'Darim Altar >>>Liquid`Retover Liquid`RetN/A >>>IM.MvPN/A >>>IM.MvPover IM.MvPWhiite-Ra <<< Xel'Naga CavernsTal'Darim Altar >>>WE.2012.RevtimeMetalopolis >>>WE.2012.Revtimeover WE.2012.Revtime
Round of 16
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Day 1
Liquid'Jinro <<< Metalopolis >>> oGs.MC
Liquid'Jinro <<< Tal'Darim Altar >>> oGs.MC
Liquid'Jinro <<< TBD >>> oGs.MC
oGs.MC wins 2-0 over Liquid`Jinro
oGs.NaDa <<< Metalopolis >>> mouz.MorroW
oGs.NaDa <<< Tal'Darim Altar >>> mouz.MorroW
oGs.NaDa <<< Terminus SE >>> mouz.MorroW
mouz.MorroW wins 2-1 over oGs.NaDa
MVP.Genius <<< Metalopolis >>> WE.Gigabyte.Lovett
MVP.Genius <<< Forfeit >>> WE.Gigabyte.Lovett
MVP.Genius <<< TBD >>> WE.Gigabyte.Lovett
WE.Gigabyte.Lovett wins 2-0 over MVP.Genius
Liquid`TLO <<< Metalopolis >>> WE.2012.Lovecd
Liquid`TLO <<< Tal'Darim Altar >>> WE.2012.Lovecd
Liquid`TLO <<< TBD >>> WE.2012.Lovecd
WE.2012.Lovecd wins 2-0 over Liquid`TLO
Day 2
White-Ra <<< Metalopolis >>> EG.IdrA
White-Ra <<< Tal'Darim Altar >>> EG.IdrA
White-Ra <<< N/A >>> EG.IdrA
EG.IdrA wins 2-0 over White-Ra
mTw.Dimaga <<< Metalopolis >>> ToD
mTw.Dimaga <<< Terminus SE >>> ToD
mTw.Dimaga <<< TBA >>> ToD
mTw.Dimaga wins 2-0 over ToD
Nv.xiaOt <<< Metalopolis >>> NsHS.San
Nv.xiaOt <<< Xel'Naga Caverns >>> NsHS.San
Nv.xiaOt <<< Shattered Temple >>> NsHS.San
Nv.xiaOt wins 2-1 over NsHS.San
Dignitas.SjoW <<< Metalopolis >>> ST.Ace
Dignitas.SjoW <<< Tal'Daim Altar >>> ST.Ace
Dignitas.SjoW <<< N/A >>> ST.Ace
ST.Ace wins 2-0 over Dignitas.SjoW
Liquid'Jinro <<< MetalopolisLiquid'Jinro <<< Tal'Darim Altarover Liquid`JinrooGs.NaDa <<< MetalopolisTal'Darim Altar >>>mouz.MorroWoGs.NaDa <<< Terminus SEover oGs.NaDaMVP.Genius <<< MetalopolisMVP.Genius <<< Forfeitover MVP.GeniusLiquid`TLO <<< MetalopolisLiquid`TLO <<< Tal'Darim Altarover Liquid`TLOWhite-Ra <<< MetalopolisWhite-Ra <<< Tal'Darim Altarover White-RaMetalopolis >>>ToDTerminus SE >>>ToDover ToDNv.xiaOt <<< MetalopolisXel'Naga Caverns >>>NsHS.SanShattered Temple >>>NsHS.Sanover NsHS.SanDignitas.SjoW <<< MetalopolisDignitas.SjoW <<< Tal'Daim Altarover Dignitas.SjoW
Round of 8
+ Show Spoiler +
Day 1
oGs.MC <<< Tal'Darim Altar >>> ST.Ace
oGs.MC <<< Terminus SE >>> ST.Ace
oGs.MC <<< N/A >>> ST.Ace
oGs.MC wins 2-0 and advances to the LIVE event in Shanghai, China over ST.Ace
mTw.Dimaga <<< Tal'Darim Altar >>> WE.2012.Lovecd
mTw.Dimaga <<< Xel'Naga Caverns >>> WE.2012.Lovecd
mTw.Dimaga <<< Metalopolis >>> WE.2012.Lovecd
WE.2012.Lovecd wins 2-1 and advances to the LIVE event in Shanghai, China over mTw.Dimaga
Day 2
EG.IdrA <<< Tal'Darim Altar >>> Nv.xiaOt
EG.IdrA <<< Metalopolis >>> Nv.xiaOt
EG.IdrA <<< N/A >>> Nv.xiaOt
Nv.xiaOt wins 2-0 and advances to the LIVE event in Shanghai, China over EG.IdrA
mouz.MorroW <<< Tal'Darim Altar >>> WE.Gigabyte.Lovett
mouz.MorroW <<< Xel'Naga Caverns >>> WE.Gigabyte.Lovett
mouz.MorroW <<< N/A >>> WE.Gigabyte.Lovett
WE.Gigabyte.Lovett wins 2-0 and advances to the LIVE event in Shanghai, China over mouz.MorroW
Tal'Darim Altar >>>ST.AceTerminus SE >>>ST.Aceover ST.AceTal'Darim Altar >>>WE.2012.LovecdmTw.Dimaga <<< Xel'Naga CavernsmTw.Dimaga <<< Metalopolisover mTw.DimagaEG.IdrA <<< Tal'Darim AltarEG.IdrA <<< Metalopolisover EG.IdrAmouz.MorroW <<< Tal'Darim Altarmouz.MorroW <<< Xel'Naga Cavernsover mouz.MorroW
Semi-Finals
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Coming soon
Finals
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Finals
oGs.MC < iCCup Testbug > WE.2012.Lovecd
oGs.MC < Tal'Darim Altar LE > WE.2012.Lovecd
oGs.MC < Xel'Naga Caverns > WE.2012.Lovecd
oGs.MC < Metalopolis > WE.2012.Lovecd
oGs.MC < The Shattered Temple > WE.2012.Lovecd
oGs.MC < GSL Terminus SE > WE.2012.Lovecd
oGs.MC < iCCup Match Point > WE.2012.Lovecd
oGs.MC defeats WE.2012.Lovecd 4-1 and wins Gigabyte StarsWar 6!!!
3rd place match
CCM.xiaOt < Xel'Naga Caverns > WE.Gigabyte.Lovett
CCM.xiaOt < GSL Terminus SE > WE.Gigabyte.Lovett
CCM.xiaOt < Metalopolis > WE.Gigabyte.Lovett
CCM.xiaOt < Tal'Darim Altar LE > WE.Gigabyte.Lovett
CCM.xiaOt< iCCup Match Point > WE.Gigabyte.Lovett
Games were not broadcast and we currently do not know the results, sorry! iCCup Testbug >WE.2012.LovecdoGs.MC < Tal'Darim Altar LEXel'Naga Caverns >WE.2012.LovecdMetalopolis >WE.2012.LovecdThe Shattered Temple >WE.2012.LovecdCCM.xiaOt < Xel'Naga Caverns >WE.Gigabyte.LovettCCM.xiaOt < GSL Terminus SE >WE.Gigabyte.LovettCCM.xiaOt < Metalopolis >WE.Gigabyte.LovettCCM.xiaOt < Tal'Darim Altar LE >WE.Gigabyte.LovettCCM.xiaOt< iCCup Match Point >WE.Gigabyte.LovettGames were not broadcast and we currently do not know the results, sorry!
Special thanks to OvrNrdStereo, confuzD, and Whiplash for help with the images!
is the sixth StarsWar tournament running by Chinese eSports organization XMA(www.xmacn.com). We held the first offline StarCraft II(beta phase) event StarsWar Reborn in April, 2010. Artosis and Tasteless came to Shanghai and were presented as Team USA, and Check, Susiria, and EvE presented as Team Korea. This great event is brought to you by Gigabyte!- 40,000 CNY - ($6124 USD)- 10,000 CNY - ($1531 USD)- 5,000 CNY - ($765 USD)- 55,000 CNY ($8420 USD)Tournament is complete.Established in 1986, its major customers include custom boutique PC manufacturers such as Alienware and Falcon Northwest. Google recently revealed they use GIGABYTE motherboards in the custom servers. GIGABYTE is considered a Tier 1 motherboard manufacturer (based on units sold) along with MSI, ECS and Asus. They shipped approximately 19 million motherboards in 2008 (16 million of them branded).GIGABYTE also sponsors Chinese notable eSports team WE and the former StarsWar series.Special thanks to OvrNrdStereo, confuzD, and Whiplash for help with the images! Ballistix Gaming Global Gaming/Esports Marketing Manager - twitter.com/esvdiamond
desRow Profile Blog Joined May 2009 Canada 2640 Posts Last Edited: 2011-04-18 05:03:35 #3 This is huge holy can't wait ^_^ http://twitch.tv/desrowfighting http://twitter.com/desrowfighting http://facebook.com/desrowfighting
shenjinchen100 Profile Joined March 2011 38 Posts #4 IM.MvP vs. EG.IdrA
Shit just got real
Diamond |
required /lib/security/$ISA/pam_deny.so session required /lib/security/$ISA/pam_limits.so session required /lib/security/$ISA/pam_unix.so
/etc/security/opasswd
# ls -l /etc/security/opasswd -rw------- 1 root root 0 Dec 8 06:54 /etc/security/opasswd
# su oracle -c id su: incorrect password #
/etc/pam.d/system-auth
auth required /lib/security/$ISA/pam_env.so auth required /lib/security/$ISA/pam_tally.so onerr=fail no_magic_root auth sufficient /lib/security/$ISA/pam_unix.so likeauth nullok auth required /lib/security/$ISA/pam_deny.so account required /lib/security/$ISA/pam_unix.so account required /lib/security/$ISA/pam_tally.so per_user deny=5 no_magic_root reset account sufficient /lib/security/$ISA/pam_succeed_if.so uid < 100 quiet account required /lib/security/$ISA/pam_permit.so password requisite /lib/security/$ISA/pam_cracklib.so retry=3 password sufficient /lib/security/$ISA/pam_unix.so nullok use_authtok md5 shadow password required /lib/security/$ISA/pam_deny.so session required /lib/security/$ISA/pam_limits.so session required /lib/security/$ISA/pam_unix.so
/var/log/faillog
deny=n
deny=n
per_user
per_user
deny=n
# faillog -u oracle -m -1 # faillog -u oracle Username Failures Maximum Latest oracle 0 -1 Fri Dec 10 23:57:55 -0600 2005 on unknown
faillog
-m -1
deny=n
# faillog -u oracle -m 0
pam_tally
deny=n
faillog
deny=n
per_user
.fail_max
-1
# faillog
# faillog -u <user> -r
ssh
su
root
# passwd -l <user> # usermod -L <user> # passwd -u <user> # usermod -U <user>
NOTE:
/var/log/faillog
/var/log/faillog
xscreensaver
vlock
xscreensaver
vlock
/var/log/faillog
root
oracle
oracle
users
users
root
oracle
- SSH (/etc/pam.d/sshd) - Console Login (/etc/pam.d/login) - Graphical Gnome Login (/etc/pam.d/gdm - or for all logins (/etc/pam.d/system-auth)
pam_access
account
account
auth
required
pam_access
/etc/pam.d/sshd
auth required pam_stack.so service=system-auth auth required pam_nologin.so account required pam_access.so account required pam_stack.so service=system-auth password required pam_stack.so service=system-auth session required pam_stack.so service=system-auth
pam_access
/etc/pam.d/login
auth required pam_securetty.so auth required pam_stack.so service=system-auth auth required pam_nologin.so account required pam_access.so account required pam_stack.so service=system-auth password required pam_stack.so service=system-auth session required pam_selinux.so close session required pam_stack.so service=system-auth session optional pam_console.so session required pam_selinux.so multiple open
pam_access
/etc/pam.d/gdm
auth required pam_env.so auth required pam_stack.so service=system-auth auth required pam_nologin.so account required pam_access.so account required pam_stack.so service=system-auth password required pam_stack.so service=system-auth session required pam_stack.so service=system-auth session optional pam_console.so
/etc/security/access.conf
-:ALL EXCEPT users :ALL
/etc/security/access.conf
pam_access
users
pam_access
account
users
oracle
oracle
/etc/security/access.conf
-:ALL EXCEPT users oracle:ALL -:oracle:ALL EXCEPT rac1cluster.example.com rac2cluster.example.com rac3cluster.example.com
oracle
oracle
NOTE:
pam_access
crond
# grep pam_access /etc/pam.d/* /etc/pam.d/crond:account required pam_access.so accessfile=/etc/security/access-cron.conf #
/etc/security/access.conf
pam_access
pam_access
/etc/pam.d/crond
account required pam_access.so accessfile=/etc/security/access-cron.conf
/etc/security/access.conf
crond
pam_cracklib
# touch /etc/security/access-cron.conf
NOTE:
/etc/passwd
This chapter shows how to restrict people from su-ing to system and shared accounts even if they know the passwords
su
root
oracle
postgres
pam_wheel
pam_wheel
root
any
su
root
oracle
postgres
# groupadd rootmembers # groupadd oraclemembers # groupadd postgresmembers
su
root
oracle
postgres
admin1
su
root
oracle
postgres
oracledba1
su
oracle
postgresdba1
su
postgres
su
# usermod -G rootmembers adminuser1 # usermod -G oraclemembers oracleuser1 # usermod -G postgresmembers postgresuser1
adminuser1
rootmembers
su
oracle
postgres
oraclemembers
postgresmembers
/etc/pam.d/su
auth sufficient /lib/security/$ISA/pam_rootok.so auth required /lib/security/$ISA/pam_stack.so service=system-auth auth sufficient /lib/security/$ISA/pam_stack.so service=su-root-members auth sufficient /lib/security/$ISA/pam_stack.so service=su-other-members auth required /lib/security/$ISA/pam_deny.so account required /lib/security/$ISA/pam_stack.so service=system-auth password required /lib/security/$ISA/pam_stack.so service=system-auth session required /lib/security/$ISA/pam_selinux.so close session required /lib/security/$ISA/pam_stack.so service=system-auth session required /lib/security/$ISA/pam_selinux.so open multiple session optional /lib/security/$ISA/pam_xauth.so
nobody
su
any
su-root-members
su-other-members
sufficient
pam_deny
su
/etc/pam.d/su-root-members
/etc/pam.d/su-other-members
/etc/pam.d/su-root-members
/etc/pam.d/su
auth required /lib/security/pam_wheel.so use_uid group=rootmembers auth required /lib/security/pam_listfile.so item=user sense=allow onerr=fail file=/etc/security/su-rootmembers-access
/etc/security/su-rootmembers-access
/etc/pam.d/su-root-members
root oracle postgres
required
/etc/pam.d/su
rootmembers
/etc/security/rootusername
su
item=user
pam_listfile
/etc/security/rootusername
su
rootmembers
/etc/pam.d/su-root-members
/etc/pam.d/su-root-members
rootmembers
/etc/pam.d/su-other-members
/etc/pam.d/su-other-members
/etc/pam.d/su
auth sufficient /lib/security/pam_stack.so service=su-oracle-members auth sufficient /lib/security/pam_stack.so service=su-postgres-members auth required /lib/security/pam_deny.so
/etc/pam.d/su
/etc/pam.d/su-oracle-members
/etc/pam.d/su-other-members
auth required /lib/security/pam_wheel.so use_uid group=oraclemembers auth required /lib/security/pam_listfile.so item=user sense=allow onerr=fail file=/etc/security/su-oraclemembers-access
/etc/security/su-oraclemembers-access
oracle
/etc/pam.d/su-postgres-members
/etc/pam.d/su-other-members
auth required /lib/security/pam_wheel.so use_uid group=postgresmembers auth required /lib/security/pam_listfile.so item=user sense=allow onerr=fail file=/etc/security/su-postgresmembers-access
/etc/security/su-postgresmembers-access
/etc/pam.d/su-postgres-members
postgres
adminuser1
root
oracle
postgres
su
root
oracleuser1
oracle
postgresuser1
postgres
su
/etc/security/limits.conf
ulimit -a
ulimit
man bash
ulimit
Important Note:
oracle
root
su
oracle
/etc/security/limits.conf
UsePrivilegeSeparation
/etc/ssh/sshd_config
no
/etc/init.d/sshd restart
/etc/security/limits.conf
oracle soft nofile 4096 oracle hard nofile 63536
ulimit -n 63536
nofile
oracle
/proc/sys/fs/file-max
oracle
pam_limits
/etc/pam.d/system-auth
/etc/pam.d/sshd
/etc/pam.d/su
/etc/pam.d/login
/etc/pam.d/system-auth
/etc/security/limits.conf
session required /lib/security/pam_limits.so
/etc/pam.d/system-auth
session required /lib/security/pam_limits.so session required /lib/security/pam_unix.so
$ su - oracle $ ulimit -n 4096 $
ulimit
$ su - oracle $ ulimit -n 4096 $ ulimit -n 63536 $ ulimit -n 63536 $
ulimit -n 63536
~oracle/.bash_profile
echo $SHELL
oracle
su - oracle cat >> ~oracle/.bash_profile << EOF ulimit -n 63536 EOF
after
/etc/motd
# cat /etc/motd This system is classified... Use of this system constitutes consent to official monitoring. #
Banner
/etc/ssh/sshd_config
/etc/issue
/etc/X11/gdm/PreSession/Default
if! gdialog --yesno '
This system is classified...
' 10 10; then sleep 10 exit 1; fi
who
w
last
lastb
/var/log/btmp
lastlog
/var/log/lastlog
ac
/var/log/wtmp
dump-utmp
/var/run/utmp
/var/log/wtmp
/var/log/messages
Resolver ( /etc/hosts, /etc/resolv.conf, /etc/nsswitch.conf )
,, ) NTP ( /etc/ntp.conf )
DISCLAIMER: The information provided on this website comes without warranty of any kind and is distributed AS IS. Every effort has been made to provide the information as accurate as possible, but no warranty or fitness is implied. The information may be incomplete, may contain errors or may have become out of date. The use of this information described herein is your responsibility, and to use it in your own environments do so at your own risk.
Copyright © 2007 PUSCHITZ.COMGETTY Cardinal George Pell has been charged with multiple historical sex crimes
Cardinal George Pell is the Vatican's de facto treasury minister and is the highest-ranking Vatican official to be charged with sexual abuse. He faces “multiple charges in respect of historic sexual offences” from multiple complainants, said police in the Australian state of Victoria, where Cardinal Pell was a country priest in the 1970s. The police did not specify the charges against Cardinal Pell, 76, nor the ages of the alleged victims nor when the crimes were alleged to have occurred. The Australian Catholic Church said in a statement that Cardinal Pell strenuously denied the charges and planned to return to Australia to “clear his name”. “He said he is looking forward to his day in court and will defend the charges vigorously,” the statement said. It also said his doctors would advise on his travel arrangements.
GETTY The charges pose a dilemma for the Pope, who has vowed zero tolerance for such offences
Cardinal Pell angered victims at a government inquiry into institutional child abuse in Australia last year by saying he was too sick to fly home, testifying instead from Rome. He was ordered to appear before Melbourne Magistrates Court on July 18. The cardinal was due to make a statement at the Vatican later on Thursday. The latest development in the long-running Pell case piled pressure on the Holy Father to make good on promises to sack bishops found guilty of abuse, or of covering it up. His Holiness told reporters last year he would wait until Australian justice took its course before taking a position on Cardinal Pell, and that his financial controller since 2014 should not undergo trial by media. “It's in the hands of the justice system and one cannot judge before the justice system,” the Pope said at the time. “After the justice system speaks, I will speak.” Cardinal Pell told the Australian inquiry last year the Church had made “catastrophic” choices by refusing to believe abused children, shuffling abusive priests from parish to parish and relying too heavily on the counsel of priests to solve the problem.
GETTY Cardinal Pell is the Vatican's de facto treasury minister
Francis's attempts to root out sexual abuse in the Church have hit stumbling blocks. Marie Collins, the top non-clerical member of a papal commission on abuse, resigned in frustration earlier this year, citing “shameful” resistance to change within the Vatican. Under previous popes, the Vatican, a sovereign state in the middle of Rome, sheltered officials wanted by other countries. In the early 1980s, the Vatican refused to hand over to Italy Archbishop Paul Marcinkus, an American who was then head of the Vatican bank and was wanted for questioning about the fraudulent bankruptcy of a private Italian bank. Cardinal Bernard Law of Boston moved to Rome after a sexual abuse scandal erupted in his diocese and has been living in the Italian capital for more than 15 years. Victims groups were outraged when Cardinal Law, now 85 and retired, was given a plum job as chief priest at a Rome basilica by the late Pope Saint John Paul II.
GETTY He denies the charges and planned to return to Australia to 'clear his name'Germany's security service the Verfassungsschutz is a hornet's nest of conflict, envy, jealousy and inappropriate insults, wrote the Süddeutsche Zeitung, citing inside sources.
And they aren't just innocent office jokes. Employees of the department tasked with observing militant Islamists reportedly throw around deeply offensive, Nazi-affiliated words in private of the kind which would be unthinkable in a public setting.
These range from Herrenrasse, the German for "master race" to Muselmann - originally a German word meaning "Muslim man" later used by the Nazis as a slang word for emaciated death camp inmates who had surrendered to their fate - to Ölauge, a derogatory name for "greasy" dark-eyed foreigners.
In one case currently the subject of an internal investigation, an agency employee is said to have offended co-workers in his office by positioning a doll of a Teutonic Knight with his sword pointing at a miniature mosque, wrote the paper.
The highly secretive intelligence agency declined to comment on the investigation into the doll incident, but the paper reported mixed views among internal sources.
While some insisted the incident was an isolated, one-off occurrence, others told paper the issue of racism was not being dealt with at all within the agency.
Kenan Kolat, head of the Turkish Community in Germany told the paper he believed there was "institutional racism" at work in the agency, even if every individual employee was not themselves racist. Kolat pointed to the lack of diversity among intelligence agents - and described the service as a "purely German institution."
An agency spokesman denied this, and told the paper German intelligence officials were recruited from many different linguistic and cultural backgrounds, yet declined to give any statistics on the organisation's ethnic make-up.
This is the latest scandal to hit the Verfassungsschutz, or Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, an organisation still reeling from accusations that agents shredded vital information relating to the neo-Nazi National Socialist Underground (NSU) terror group, suspected of carrying out nine race-based murders over a ten year period.
The Local/jlbThis story was originally published in 2010.
Of all the fates I imagined for myself, hockey dad was at the bottom of the list.
I never played the game - I grew up as a downhill skier, hang glider pilot and car nut. But the Gods had a new plan: At the age of four, my son Willie announced that he was taking up Canada's national game.
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The next 14 years were a blur of early-morning practices, circling Zambonis and maxed-out credit cards. We lived like carnival roustabouts, constantly on the road. Our vehicles smelled like rolling locker rooms. At its peak, my son's career ran virtually year-round: I drove to Ottawa in a January ice storm, and to a summer training camp with the air conditioning set on max.
Every Friday, I had to schlep Will to a rink on the edge of the Toronto suburbs at the height of rush hour, battling the worst traffic in Canada. Then it was off to Pickering, or maybe Pittsburgh. For a hockey dad, the road was endless. There was always another rink, another tournament, another hockey horizon.
So when the end came, I wasn't ready. And I didn't see it coming.
It was a Wednesday, just one more evening at the rink. Will was 18, the last year for minor hockey. But we hadn't thought about that - as always, we were focused on the next game. Now Will's team was playing for the divisional championship. I stood behind the other team's net, praying that we would score. I took out my car key and scratched Will's player number on the scarred ledge that rimmed the boards, then circled the number with hearts, a ritual I had started more than a decade ago. Over the years, I'd left Will's mark on most of the rinks in southern Ontario, a hockey dad's offering to the Gods of hockey.
And it seemed to work. Will had grown into a gifted power forward who helped propel his teams to a long series of wins. Now he was trying for one more, but the odds were against us - the other team was good, we were taking too many penalties, and Will's hand was broken after a graduation trip to the Dominican Republic.
I'd tried to keep him from playing injured, but he laced up his skates and cut a glove to fit over his cast. I remembered a time when he had been a little boy in the back seat. Now he was as tall as I was, with a wrist shot that cannoned off the glass like a howitzer round.
Hockey had defined our lives. For nearly a decade and a half, we had cruised the road together. We talked. We listened to music. We were father and son, travelling together on a mission that I thought would never end.
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We went through four vehicles. I started with a rusted-out Honda Civic, moved up to an Accord, then on to a minivan that could hold six players and their equipment. Then it was back to an Accord again, after a house renovation that tested our financial limits.
Now I was at a rink again watching my son. The buzzer sounded. The other team had won. And then it hit me - this was my final trip to the rink as a hockey dad. The championship had been decided, and Will's minor hockey career was over. In a few months he was heading off to university.
There had been a time when a post-secondary education had seemed unlikely. At the height of his hockey career, Will was one of the top players in the Greater Toronto Hockey League. But there had been a price. As his point totals climbed, his school marks plunged. In grade nine, his average bottomed out at 52.
When Will turned 15, he saw a fork in the road: He could try for the NHL, or become a better student. He elected to drop down from Double A to the Select level, so he could focus on academics. It worked. A few days ago, Will graduated at the top of the honour roll. He was accepted at every university he applied to, and won an entrance scholarship.
He'd made a smart choice. In September he'll be at Guelph or Queens.
But I felt a lump in my throat as my wife and I walked out of the cold arena and into the warmth of the crowded lobby. The smell of popcorn hung in the air, and the space was packed with people we knew - after 14 years of hockey, we were part of a tribe.
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But now it was finally over. My wife and I hugged some friends and walked out the door toward our car. We rode in silence. The back seat was empty - Will had driven to the rink himself. When he first got his license, I gloried in staying home for an extra hour while he schlepped himself to the game. Now I longed for him to be small again, playing Pokemon in the back while we cruised to a distant arena.
I wondered how many times my wife and I had stood in a rink since Will took up the game. A thousand? Maybe. Now our long ride was over. So if you ever notice the number 97 scratched on the boards of an arena, surrounded by a ring of hearts, you will know how it came to be there. My son became a champion. And I became a hockey dad.
If you have questions about driving or car maintenance, please contact our experts at globedrive@globeandmail.com.
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Sign up for our weekly newsletter.The "positive feelings" most Americans feel in the economy since Donald Trump became president has "jumped," and many can actually cite the improvements in their personal finances since the Inauguration, according to a new survey.
The swing in confidence in the latest Economist/YouGov survey was due in part to the shift in attitudes among Republicans, while Democrats haven't abruptly changed their views much since Barack Obama was president.
The survey found that those who view the economy getting better has nearly doubled under Trump, up to 30 percent from 17 percent a year ago.
The view of Republicans has swung 180 degrees. Under Obama, 5 percent saw the economy as "getting better" and today it is 53 percent.
What's more, Republicans appear to be paying more attention to the economy and national employment picture.
"Five times as many Republicans correctly state the jobless rate today as were able to do so last year. 28 percent today know the rate is below 5 percent. Last year, only 5 percent knew it was that low. In the latest poll, more than half of Republicans knew the jobless rate dropped in the last month," said the survey.
And Republicans said they feel the impact of an improving economy. According to the survey analysis:
Republicans claim they have seen a personal improvement as well. Nearly half, 46 percent, say their own family's finances have improved in the last year, something claimed by only 16 percent of Democrats. Again, Democrats have not become more negative, but positive GOP assessments have soared. When it comes to the economy, most Republicans now think it is getting better; one year ago, most Republicans said it was getting worse. Democrats are neither optimistic nor pessimistic, just as they were last year. However, the percentage of optimistic Democrats dropped 15 points.
Paul Bedard, the Washington Examiner's "Washington Secrets" columnist, can be contacted at pbedard@washingtonexaminer.comHere is some SPOILER info for the upcoming UQ Holder Chapter 138, courtesy of 2CAT. (My review of UQ Holder Chapter 138 should come out as soon as they appear on Crunchyroll, depending on when Crunchyroll publishes the chapter.)
UQ HOLDER Chapter 138 SPOILERS
The UQ Holder Chapter 138 goodness begins with the images shared thus far.
As expected, it does appear that Chisame turned him down, then when the rest of the class appeared, Asuna bailed him out of the situation to do her oneesan thing. I’ll talk more about this when I have the whole chapter in context, but I do think that initially, Akamatsu-sensei was setting up the Asuna x Negi pairing, then when we got to the Magic World, he shifted it to Negi x Chisame.
Anyway, more updates as warranted.
Update #1: Here are a few more images. First up, Judge Asuna comes in to lay down the law.
There’s some heartbreaking stuff with Yue and Nodoka in the chapter. And I strongly suspect that this event of Chisame turning Negi down impacted him greatly. But we’ll see. Here’s the surprise stuff.
I think this is the first chapter without ANY UQ Holder folks showing up in any form. Akamatsu-sensei really is looking to resolve the biggest plot thread from Negima (which in Negima was given the, “good guys won, but that’s all the details you get” treatment). I’d love it if my theory about Negi not actually killing his father comes true.Ever since Venezuela began seriously melting down last year we’ve been focusing on two ways that Maduro might be removed from office and some semblance of “normal” returned to the country. The obviously preferable one would have been for popular protests to convince the President to hold a new round of fair, open elections, lose office and leave gracefully. Clearly that’s not going to happen. The second, less appealing option would be for the protests to blow up into a full-scale revolution, with Maduro leaving office by force, assuming he survived the transition. The death toll would be horrible and it would take the nation a generation to recover at least.
But what if there were a third way? Some observers are now turning their eyes toward the Venezuelan military and wondering if they might cease supporting Maduro and take matters into their own hands. (Reuters)
Venezuelan soldiers are increasingly weary of the popular backlash against their role in quelling anti-government protests and all eyes are on the military to see if it will remain loyal to President Nicolas Maduro… The opposition is now looking towards the military to see if it will turn against the government and pressure Maduro to enact its demands, which include presidential elections. More than 120 people have been killed in the protests, drawing international condemnation of the security forces’ heavy-handed tactics.
This is obviously not an ideal situation either, but desperate times do call for desperate measures. A military coup rarely works out well, though in a few rare cases it at least brings about stability and an eventual transition back to civilian authority. (See Egypt for one example.) Could that be on the horizon in Venezuela? The press interviewed one soldier who seemed disheartened by the entire situation, particularly the need to go out and beat down his own fellow citizens. He’s quoted as saying, “If we do not defend the regime, we are traitors and our careers are ruined. If we defend the government, we become enemies of the people.”
Clearly none of the military leaders are talking about this openly, but if the rank and file troops are angry enough this could turn into a serious problem for Maduro. Having essentially claimed dictatorial powers this summer, the strong arm of the military and, to a lesser extent, his armed militias are the only tools he has left to keep his starving, rioting citizens in line. If he loses their support, he’s pretty much standing alone against the tide of history. Never a good position to be in.
But what sort of power structure would replace the Maduro regime if the military took him out? It seems unlikely that they would simply turn over control to a leader from the opposition party on their own authority. More likely we’d see a general take charge, someone high up in the ranks of the Fuerza Armada Nacional Bolivariana (National Bolivarian Armed Forces of Venezuela). But if you leave the generals in charge for too long, a whole new set of problems might follow.
For now, President Trump continues to call out Maduro, declaring that he’s responsible for the safety of the Venezuela opposition leaders who were arrested immediately following Sunday’s vote. There are new sanctions in place and some tough rhetoric, but nothing much else seems to be feasible at the moment. Until we get a better sense of what Maduro’s long range plans are or the opposition / military makes a move on him, we’re probably looking at a waiting game.Explosions and gunfire have been heard at a joint US-Afghan base as the Taliban claimed to have carried out an assault against the base in the Afghan city of Jalalabad. Three Afghan guards and two civilians were killed in the violence.
Several foreign troops have also been reported wounded in the assault.
Afghan officials confirm that three suicide car bombs were used in the attack in the east of country, with fighting having lasted several hours, AP reports.
Helicopters were firing at the military base, aiming at what appeared to be a militant gunman inside the compound as blasts were heard inside, Afghan officials stated.
The Taliban has claimed responsibility for the attack via email sent to reporters.
Also, at least five bodies in Afghan army uniform were seen at the scene, an Afghan official told AFP, but it remains unclear if those were troops or attackers.
The attack comes days after senior US officials said that 10,000 troops were to stay in Afghanistan past the 2014 exodus deadline.Diseases do a lot of different things, all vicious, but there's one thing they've got in common: they find our vulnerabilities and exploit them.
The Ebola outbreak in West Africa -- and the world's inept initial response to it --shows how fragile we are on all fronts. Because the epidemic isn't just a failure of health systems in poor countries, or of leadership and coordination by wealthy ones, it's also a failure of our value system. If governments the world over had kept their promises to fight extreme poverty and diseases, the three countries most affected would have had stronger national immune systems.
The grand promises our elected officials make on our behalf become our grand betrayals when they don't follow through. I've been witness to a lot of despair over the years, but the photograph of a lonely child dying in her own excrement on a concrete floor of a clinic in Monrovia while untrained staff are too scared to hold and comfort her will stay with me forever.
I started writing this last week and find myself finishing it from a New York hospital where I've just had surgeries for getting smashed up in a bike accident. The quality of care is excellent... for a jumble of broken bones that are a long way from life-threatening. The contrast with images like the one above couldn't be starker -- or more jarring.
Ebola is what happens when promises are broken. More than 14,000 people hit, more than 5,000 dead. While the numbers are starting to go down in some places, we should have no illusions. Ebola is a killer playing a long game. If we take our eyes off it, if we get bored, we'll get punished. As US Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power said, as Ebola moves locations and changes shape, the world's response has got to change with it.
"The world" in this case means not just governments, but everyone who has a responsibility to hold governments accountable -- i.e., citizens, i.e., you and me. The policy geeks at ONE have just released an interactive "Ebola Response Tracker" that shows the good the bad and the ugly when it comes to promises made and kept, or promises made and not kept, since Ebola started to spread.
This tracker isn't just a tool, it's a weapon. It's a sharp one, too, and it's meant to be wielded at governments.
But let's be honest, it's hard to get something like an Ebola Response Tracker trending. It's a lot easier to get Matt Damon trending. So ONE has also released a short film with Matt Damon as well as Ben Affleck, Ellie Goulding and Angelique Kidjo, and, most importantly, Ebola-fighting health-care workers from Liberia, the real heroes in this fight. This film seethes in silence at the initial slow response to Ebola, and demands we sort out the root causes of this disease. As we set our sights on Ebola -- whether through the brilliant Africa Stop Ebola project, which tells people how to protect themselves, or the revamped Band Aid 30, or the rumored African We Are the World -- we have to think not just short-term, but long. Not just about ending this crisis, but preventing the next one.
It would of course be a crime if we funded our efforts against Ebola at a cost to other diseases. When GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance -- which inoculates children -- meets for its replenishment next year, it's really a meeting to decide if the world will accept that the solutions to these problems are very much in our hands, decided by economic priorities. Wonkish talk, statistics, and debates about aid aside, the dead honest truth is that focused investments like these can really create a tipping point.
We've got to see the underlying causes of the Ebola crisis -- extreme poverty and a lack of investment in basic health, and health systems -- as every bit as urgent as the painful images on TV, and the realities they represent.
The answer is certainly not just songs and PSAs, though they can help. It's not just more doctors and nurses going to West Africa, though that's essential, or just governments doing more to step up, though we have to make sure they do. The answer is leadership to tackle the structural causes, the big issues of poverty, corruption, injustice. These problems are tenacious, but yield to our efforts -- we've seen that already. Extreme poverty has fallen by half since 1990 and could nearly reach the "zero zone" by 2030. If the world really gets focused, we can have not just an absence of Ebola and other killers, but an abundance of opportunity, good governance, economic growth, and brighter futures, even in the places that today are the poorest.
In the next month the United Nations will give the world a first look at the update on the new Millennium Development Goals -- the old ones have been our marker for progress in the fight against extreme poverty over the past 15 years. The goals for the next 15 years will be agreed upon in 2015, at an historic summit of world leaders. You'll see numerical targets and thresholds, but what these goals will really communicate is our generation's value system and our aspirations for the next.
When you see the fanfare and hear the rhetoric, the sound of world leaders knowing they're making history (and rather enjoying it), try not to roll your eyes. Instead try to picture a world where the sort of images we've just seen in West Africa are shocking because they are so rare. Or better yet, a world where there are no images like these at all.Aymeric Laporte is facing a long lay-off after he suffered a serious injury while playing for France's U21 team.
The Athletic Bilbao defender, who is a reported transfer target for Manchester City, was taken off on a stretcher during Thursday's match with Scotland's U21 side in Agers.
A scan on Friday revealed he has sustained a broken leg and dislocated ankle.
"After the first scan, Aymeric Laporte has been diagnosed with a fracture-dislocation of the fibula and right ankle," read a statement from Bilbao.
"On his return to Bilbao he will be subjected to further tests after which the extent of his injury and his period of absence will be determined."
The 21-year-old, who is regarded as one of Europe's finest centre-backs, was was widely reported to be one of Pep Guardiola's No 1 summer transfer targets with City apparently prepared to meet his buy-out clause of just under £40m.Izvestia, 17 Apr 2012, as Google-translated from Russian: "Ministry of Communications has prepared a new amendment to the Federal Program 'Development of Broadcasting in the Russian Federation in 2009-2015'. All advertised events this year to implement broadcasting in DRM standard will soon be lifted. As explained in the department, a program developed in 2008, did not fully take into account the latest technological advances. Over the past few years, the use of DRM in the world has significantly decreased, while broadcasters are still satisfied with the work in the VHF range and wait for the emergence of new hybrid technologies. At the event 'radio broadcast of the program' in the budget was included 3.9 billion rubles, which was planned to learn in four years. Now all the money will be spent on the development of television."
RadioActivity, 21 Apr 2012, Alokesh Gupta: "New DRM receiver from CDNSE, Newstar DR111 was tested in Delhi, here's a video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOZ38emzPgg (Thanks to Shakti Verma for sharing the video)."
DRM Consortium press release, 19 Apr 2012: "The DRM Consortium used its stronger than ever presence at NAB 2012 to showcase a new DRM receiver and to update participants on the developments and potential of the DRM standard, now fully recommended by ITU for both AM (DRM30) and VHF (DRM+).... At the Continental-Transradio event on April 16th participants saw and tested the new DR111 receiver. They also learned more about DRM30 and how highly efficient and economical it is as it can deliver up to 80% energy savings.""I love Red Cross, but I don't trust them completely when they're the ones shooting the video," explained journalism professor and Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) ethics committee member Jerry Dunklee.
Dunklee was speaking at SPJ's recent convention, on a panel titled "Paid and Played: The Ethics of Using Video News Releases." His remarks focused on the ethical issues raised by VNRs. Center for Media and Democracy (CMD) executive director John Stauber and Jim Bayse of the firm Wiley Rein, which represents the Radio-Television News Directors Association, were also on the panel.
Much of the VNR debate is currently focused on legal and policy issues: speculation over what the Federal Communications Commission really meant by fining Comcast for five undisclosed VNRs, and what the agency is likely to do next. But it's also important to address the ethical implications of VNRs. Dunklee did so by relating sometimes abstract guidelines to real-world situations he faced as a reporter and news director in cable and broadcast television.
Dunklee opened by stressing that all promotional materials -- including VNRs, audio news releases and print press releases -- are biased. "Press releases don't dwell on controversies and never explain the other sides of an issue," he stated. "They are not interested in other points of view."
Presenting promotional material as "news" has two effects: it undermines news quality, while enhancing the impact of the PR message. "Ask any public relations professional and they will tell you they want their story in television, radio and print news... because it is more credible. Period. If we [journalists] do a story about it, the public is much more likely to believe it."
According to Dunklee |
developing the confidence in very sucky situations to be able to know as a team that you can either lead or be a part of a team that accomplishes what needs to be done. Yes, I want to go to Ranger school — for the skill sets and for learning the confidence for those situations.
Q. When you are looked at as a "trailblazer," as a "glass-ceiling breaker," is that a label you care for? That you don't care for?
A. I would resist any characterization of what I do as for the sake of "trailblazing." I think it's important that the first groups of women who go through are doing it for the reasons that line up with their personal interests of what they want to contribute to the Army... so that they're driven by, "I want to do this because this is what I want to do," rather than, "Oh, it would be really cool to be part of the first group of women to go through and do it."...Recently, St. Vincent’s Annie Clark teamed with Intelligentsia Coffee to create her own of brand of signature Joe. However, if the rich, dark taste of “Bring Me Your Mugs” isn’t quite your style, the Chicago-based brewer has teamed with another indie darling to concoct their own artisanal line of coffee: The New Pornographers.
Despite sounding like fish-flavored coffee, “Brill Brew” actually draws its name from the Canadian outfit’s first album in four years, Brill Bruisers. The collaboration came together after Intelligentsia heard the band’s members are ardent coffee consumers and invited Carl Newman to taste samples at their shop in Chelsea. Newman (more like Brew-man!) was drawn to a “Kenya coffee grown by Harrison Kiongo Miti”, which serves as the basis for “Brill Brew”. Intelligentsia described the coffee as “cheerful and sweet,” containing flavors of “mango, nectarine, and green apple shine”.
In a statement, Newman said, “As absurd as it may seem for us to have a signature blend, I think it is important that there is some sort of marker, some flag planted in the earth, so that whoever walks into Intelligentsia, whoever drinks this, will know: ‘The New Pornographers really really loved coffee.’”
Pre-orders for the coffee are ongoing. Each bag comes with a download of the Brill Bruisers LP. Or, go crazy and get the bundle that contains two tote bags and two coffee mugs. Because if you drink coffee with mango, you definitely use tote bags.
Brill Bruisers is due out August 26th via Matador Records. In support, the band will be on tour this fall, including appearances at Riot Fest Toronto and Pemberton. Consult their full schedule here.
Though it’s no sweet, sweet coffee, the music video for “War On The East Coast” is still fairly stimulating. Sip it in below:News
Statement about the new Router feature for 3.7.0
Some weeks ago we published the information that we are looking into the router code. Since then we have checked with a team of developers the code for the new router. The initial reason was an issue about it not responding to invalid URLs with the 404. Here we would like to share the reasons why we have came to the conclusion to remove the new router from the 3.7 release.
Before we go into the details we would like to share that we have also thought about the path forward. We know that many people were looking forward to a better router for Joomla. Our plan is to work over the next 2-3 months intensively on the router and we plan a 3.8 release with a new router included. This will be supported by a Google Summer of Code Project and we will setup a team of developers and SEO experts to help to make it the best router the Joomla! Project has ever seen.
We are not blaming specific people, we all have made mistakes and the biggest mistake was that the PLT didn't spend enough time looking into the router development and has set requirements without having enough knowledge about the internals.
This brings us to the main reason why this has failed. Because of a requirement that the router has to be enabled per component, the development focused on the component routing. The new router comes into play after a lot of old router code has been executed. So the new router must do the work based on some old magic. This is a limiting factor and the main reason this didn’t go very well. The right approach would have been to start at the beginning of the routing process and let the new router takes the lead of the process instead of being more or less a very late guest at the party.
Anything else is more or less a result of the wrong decision we made at very beginning. To let the site administrator decide which component the new routing should be enabled for is often beyond their expertise, so we didn’t have our target group in mind. To fix some of the problems we included more "hard to understand" parameters, that didn't make the situation any easier.
The code itself also had some issues, some parts are pretty much unreadable and even with debugging not easy to understand. In life some things mimic each other. The testing of the code and a good joke are similar in that if you have to explain them then they have failed in their purpose. The code quality makes maintenance in the future difficult. The new router code and procedures also need to be well documented to provide all the information our users and developers are legitimately expecting. If it had been a Pull Request it would never been merged in the state it is in.
Coming back to the user base. Our users are building websites and in a world with Google you need to be visible in Google. People created a lot of URLs want to be high on the search results. With the new router we didn't provide a path for them to keep their URLs and move to the new routing. To really understand the effect, it was planned to have the new router as default for Joomla! 4.0, without an option to switch back. So you can chose the routing, if you are on Joomla! 3.x, but when you update to Joomla! 4 you are facing a real problem. This might be manageable for a small site but often small site owners are not fully understanding the effects and for big sites it is a lot of work managing the change. So we came to the conclusion that we have to support our users better and that we can't achieve this with the current code.
The Production Department Leadership Team, the teams involved in maintaining the code (release team and maintainers team) and myself as the release leader for 3.7 were reluctant to remove the router from 3.7 at this late stage but we are now sure it is the right decision. Although it will inevitably delay the release of 3.7, the decision is made that much easier knowing we now have a solid plan to move forward with the router in 3.8.
Finally a big "Thank you" to all contributors for all the hard work that they put into this. This was NOT wasted time, we learnt a lot from the process and it would all contribute to making it better in the future. The new routing team will pick up on the ideas and learn from the experience. Everyone is invited to join the team (especially those involved in the router so far).
Robert Deutz, 3.7 Release Leader.
PS: Because of the time we have spent on the router we will delay the 3.7 release, details will be published soon.THEESatisfaction Break Up
Published May 16, 2016
After seven years and two studio albums, Seattle R&B/neo-soul/hip-hop explorers THEESatisfaction have announced they're calling it quits.In an official statement posted to the band's Tumblr, the duo of Stasia Irons and Catherine Harris-White — known commonly as Stas and Cat — revealed that they have "decided to grow and take our individual careers to the next level.""Having been on the road every year since our first with very few breaks, it is time for us to rest, reflect & grow independently," they continued. "We are grateful to our family, friends, fans, our agent Robin Taylor and our recording label Sub Pop for the ongoing support."THEESatisfaction signed to Sub Pop in 2011 and released two full-length records with the label: 2012's awE naturalE and EarthEE in 2015. Outside the label, the two also released the mixtapes Loves Anita Baker and Loves Erykah Badu, as well as the EP And That's Your Time in 2012 and 2013, respectively.Read the duo's full statement below.After seven years of creating, touring, pushing boundaries and breaking through glass ceilings, THEESatisfaction has decided to end the group. We have decided to grow and take our individual careers to the next level.Having been on the road every year since our first with very few breaks, it is time for us to rest, reflect & grow independently. We are grateful to our family, friends, fans, our agent Robin Taylor and our recording label Sub Pop for the ongoing support.Sincerely,THEESatisfactionIn the U.S., South Florida is likely to be one of the first regions to feel the real effects of climate change. South Florida is also the host of presidential debates for both parties this week.
Experts say $69 billion of South Florida real estate could be flooded by 2030, and by 2100, the ocean is expected to rise between 6.6 and 30 feet.
>> Read more trending stories
It's an issue that came up at the Democratic debate in Miami.
"Stand up and tell the fossil-fuel industry that their profits are less significant than the long-term health of this planet," Sen. Bernie Sanders said.
"You can see already what's happening in Miami.... This is clearly man-made and man-aggravated," Hillary Clinton said.
But on the Republican side, climate change has been far from the center of attention.
Of the remaining Republican presidential candidates, Ohio Gov. John Kasich is the only one who has said climate change is man-made and has called for some action on it.
Sens. Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz have both said climate change is real, although Cruz has since walked back that position.
"Satellite data show for the last 17 years there has been no significant recorded warming. None.... It has changed into what is the perfect political pseudoscientific theory, which is climate change," Cruz said.
Republican frontrunner Donald Trump says the country faces "much bigger problems."
"There'll be little change here, it'll go up, it'll get a little cooler, it'll get a little warmer like it always has for millions of years.... It's called weather.... I've received many environmental awards.... I believe strongly in clean water and clean air.... I think it's a big scam for a lot of people to make a lot of money," Trump said.
Although the candidates aren't in agreement, scientists are: 97 percent of climate scientists agree global warming is caused by human behavior.moneromoo is well-known contributor with a string of commits and good pull requests: https://github.com/monero-project/bitmonero/commits/master?author=moneromooo-monero
I personally support his application for funding, as does the rest of the core team. He has committed to working for 260 hours over 6 months or so (until they run out) at a total cost of 7800 XMR, ie. 30 XMR per hour. This is obviously a vastly reduced rate for a competent C / C++ developer, and moneromoo is taking on the effort in his spare time in the hopes that the XMR will be worth significantly more some day.
Milestones will be time based, with 1300 XMR released every 45 hours worked (or 35 hours for the last bit). As with all funding using the FFF (forum funding system) the funds will only be released to him on completion of a milestone and on a general community agreement that there was work done in that period. He will not be expected to put in a timesheet, per se, but he will be expected to provide a list of things he worked on and associated PRs / commits for that period.Error handling in Scala can just be written like Java. Put in a little bit of pattern matching magic and you are done. However, given a little use of Scala built-in terrific beauties it can be made much better. Let us have a look.
Let us look at a quick example
def sayHello(any: Any) = { any match { case x: String => "Hello" case _ => throw new Exception("Huh!") } } //> sayHello: (any: Any)String def letMeSayHello = { sayHello(12) } //> letMeSayHello: => String letMeSayHello //> java.lang.Exception: Huh! //| at SomeThing$$anonfun$main$1.sayHello$1(SomeThing.scala:11)
So we have a method called sayHello which misbehaves when you do not pass a string to it. If you call it without a string, it blows up and hence the letMeSayHello invocation blows up as well.
Ok, now traditionally we have been so used to try catch blocks that we put them around.
def sayHello(any: Any) = { any match { case x: String => "Hello" case _ => throw new Exception("Huh!") } } //> sayHello: (any: Any)String def letMeSayHello = { try { sayHello(12) } catch { case e: Exception => "It's Ok if you dont want to say hello" } } //> letMeSayHello: => String letMeSayHello //> res0: String = It's Ok if you dont want to say hello
Ok, so far so good. So we can really write Java in Scala 😉
Now let us see a better way (Idiomatic way!) of handling this
Scala comes with something called a Try. The Try type represents a computation that may either result in an exception, or return a successfully computed value. It’s similar to, but semantically different from the scala.util.Either type. Instances of Try[T], are either an instance of scala.util.Success[T] or scala.util.Failure[T].
Interesting, let us see how our code changes now
import scala.util.Try def sayHello(any: Any): Try[String] = { Try { any match { case x: String => "Hello" case _ => throw new Exception("Huh!") } } } //> sayHello: (any: Any)scala.util.Try[String] def letMeSayHello = { sayHello(12) } //> letMeSayHello: => scala.util.Try[String] letMeSayHello
So, we put a Try block around out sayHello method code. Now the method, letMeSayHello does not need to do explicit error handling. It gets back either Success(“Hello”) or Failure(java.lang.Exception: Huh!)
In the above scenario, it would get Failure(java.lang.Exception: Huh!) and you would be able to extract the value with
letMeSayHello.isSuccess //> res0: Boolean = false
Now, there are various ways of dealing with this. You could pattern match on the boolean and take an action like
val result = letMeSayHello //> result : scala.util.Try[String] = Failure(java.lang.Exception: Huh!) if (result.isSuccess) result.get else "who cares"//> res0: String = who cares
OR you could simply do a getOrElse
val result = letMeSayHello.getOrElse("who cares") //> result : String = who cares }
OR you could let the letMeSayHello method handle the success and failure
def letMeSayHello = { sayHello(12) match { case Success(result) => result case Failure(result) => "who cares" } } //> letMeSayHello: => String letMeSayHello //> res0: String = who cares
OR you could get even fancier! I like this one. The awesome recover mechanism
def letMeSayHello = { sayHello(12) recover { case e: Exception => "who cares" } } //> letMeSayHello: => scala.util.Try[String] letMeSayHello.get //> res0: String = who cares
The recover allows you to recover in case of failures with an alternate condition that you would want to execute which results in a success. Hence, in this case, we mentioned that either we would get a success by default or we would convert the error into a success scenario by writing a recover block so that we can confidently call letMeSayHello.get
You can find the gist here, on the Knoldus GitHub account. Have fun!When cookie-cutter buildings replace historic ones, something is lost. Here's how preserving D.C.'s landmarks can enrich our neighborhoods.
The Strand Theater
There’s a distinct difference between the design of the high-rise office building that sits at 1100 New York Avenue NW and its pavilion entrance. While the first is modern, the second has a 1930’s, art-deco feel. That’s because the entrance once operated as the Greyhound Bus company’s Super Terminal, which was completed in 1940.While D.C. transplants may be more familiar with the more modern swath of New York Ave.—which includes the new City Center development with high-end retail stores and restaurants—longtime Washingtonians can recall the major transportation hub on New York Avenue. In fact, many still reference the site as “the old Greyhound terminal,” says Peter Sefton, chair of the DC Preservation League’s (DCPL) Landmark Committee. “People say it all the time—it’s a place-making type of landmark. It’s not a bus terminal anymore but it still has that identity.”Lists such as the National Register of Historic Places and the D.C. Inventory of Historic Sites were formed to preserve landmark buildings. Properties on the list are acknowledged and protected from being completely demolished because of their cultural significance.Structures like the former Greyhound terminal add character to neighborhoods, especially during a time when cookie-cutter hotels, apartment buildings and pubs spring up throughout the city. When torn down, pieces of history are also stripped from the city; when restored, they can act as catalysts for neighborhood revitalization.When the Atlas Theater on H St. Northeast was transformed into the Atlas Performing Arts Center in 2006, the surrounding commercial district was deserted. Today, the corridor that bustles with bars and retails shops is often referred to as the Atlas District.The Atlas has become a poster child for what happens when historic buildings are restored in desolate areas, says Sefton.A lover of theaters, he also advocated to put the Strand Theater, located in Northeast’s Deanwood neighborhood, on the DCPL’s ‘ Most Endangered Places ’ list.Formed in 1996, the list is often a precursor to buildings being named historic sites.The Strand, located at 5131 Grant Road, NE, was placed on the preservation list in 2007, then placed on the National Register of Historic Places. Redevelopment or restoration of the property, however, has yet to occur.“It’s been very disappointing what’s gone on with the [Strand] Theater,” says Sefton. “We understood that with the [historic designation] that a redevelopment project would follow pretty fast, and that hasn't happened.”The preservation of the theater, which opened in 1928, is significant to the history of entertainment in the city. When it began operation, segregation laws banned blacks from entering many establishments.“It was a pretty big deal that there was finally a theater where African Americans could go to the movies, east of the Anacostia,” said Sefton.As the first east-of-the-river motion picture theater, the Strand helped shape the Deanwood community as a destination for people of color. Built by impresario A.E. Lichtman, the property included stores, a dance hall and poolroom, and was located near Suburban Gardens, the only African-American community amusement park in the city.While researching the theater’s history, Sefton met elderly Washingtonians with vivid memories of outings with friends and date nights at Strand.“It was a big part of the socialite [scene] in the Deanwood community for years,” says Sefton. Most often, the theater showed westerns and serial films and sold popcorn to moviegoers. “It was not a very fancy theater, but it was a big part of people's lives.”The Strand eventually closed in the 1970s and reopened for a short stint as a convenience store. Today, it stands vacant and deteriorating, supposedly part of D.C's plans for a town center in the heart of Deanwood.Other endangered buildings seem to have more potential for development.Jim Ross, vice president of the Washington Canoe Club, believes the Georgetown waterfront facility is a treasured landmark.“The structure is original from when our founding members first constructed it in 1904,” says Ross. “It has remained the same for 110 years, which is pretty rare in Washington, D.C., especially on the river.”For over a century, the club has been a training center for competitive canoeing and kayaking, producing numerous national champions and Olympic medalists.The club’s partnership with Team River Runner engages disabled veterans, while collaborations with the YMCA and DC Kids offer life-changing opportunities for youth.“[It’s] a great opportunity to show [youth] that D.C. has this really vibrant river that you can get out on—you don’t just have to take a bridge to cross over it and have it be an annoyance,” says Ross.Youth who learn to canoe and kayak at the center have also earned spots on national and international teams and have paddled throughout destinations in Europe during summer breaks.While the club's primary focus may be on the water, the building itself is also structurally significant. Designed by Georges P. Hales, the fixture is an example of shingle-style architecture. The interior is decorated with a frieze by Felix Mahony, a cartoonist for the Washington Star and the founder of the National Art School, done in 1910 and restored in 1981. Its "flow through" design has survived floods and ice jams with little damage.The Canoe Club was added to the endangered places list in 2012 by its board of directors. While the club was still in operation, it was in desperate need of internal and external rehab.Through a partnership with the National Park Service and a fundraising campaign, Ross hopes to secure a long-term lease for the site and provide substantial upgrades.Further north in town, at 2146 Georgia Avenue, NW, the site of the former Bond Bread Factory has also remained unoccupied for decades. Built in 1930, it was one of many large bakeries that occupied the neighborhood.This structure in particular became known for its state-of-the-art design by bakery architect C.B. Comstock.“It’s basically an industrial building, yet on Georgia Avenue, its front facade is a very distinctive late art deco influence design and it’s white brick to emphasize the cleanliness of the bread that was made in the factory,” says John DeFerrari, who nominated the factory to the endangered list in 2012. “The industrial aesthetic of the building was something that was very unique to the time and demonstrated kind of a civic pride of this factory—it’s not merely a utilitarian structure, it's an important part to of the community.”For years, the Bond Bread Factory rivaled the neighboring Wonder Bread Factory for business. It closed in 1971.“It was sold to the D.C. government, that opened it … as a mini-City Hall, a place where people could get basic services from the city—so it has that heritage, as well,” says DeFerrari.In 2008, the factory was acquired by Howard University, which intended to develop it into a mixed-use facility for students. However, a contract to get the project underway was terminated in June 2013."It's never a good thing for any building to deteriorate physically, and we certainly don't want it to stand empty for a lot longer because it would jeopardize the building's future," says DeFerrari. "So, hopefully, a new redevelopment proposal can be made that would preserve the key elements of the building and still make it useful for a new purpose."The 74-year-old Bavarian opened the door to narcotics officers on Tuesday, who told him that they had come about the cannabis he was growing on the farm – neighbours had noticed the roughly 1,000, three-metre high plants covering the field and called the police.
They took the baffled farmer to the 300 square metre field in the Aschaffenburg area, and pointed out the huge crop of plants that the farmer had failed to recognise were cannabis, local paper the Express said on Wednesday.
The farmer said he had wanted sunflowers, and because he did not have any seeds, had scattered handfuls of bird food across the field and hoped for the best.
But as the bird food was a mix of sunflower and hemp seeds, the man never got his field full of flowers, but instead a vast stretch of leafy green plants he could not identify.
Once the impromptu botany lesson was over, he proceeded to climb in his tractor and destroy the hemp under the watchful eye of the police – who later said in a statement that the plants were not actually strong enough to give anyone a high.
"This kind of thing has never happened in the area before," a police spokesman told The Local. "He only wanted a few nice sunflowers."
The Local/jcwAcross New England, areas like the Swift River Valley (above, left, in the 1880s and in 2010) in Petersham have seen their forests, once cut down and cleared for farmland, replenished in the 21st century.
A wilderness comeback is underway across New England, one that has happened so incrementally that it’s easy to miss.
But step back and the evidence is overwhelming.
Today, 80 percent of New England is covered by forest or thick woods. That is a far cry from the mere 30 to 40 percent that remained forested in most parts of the region in the mid-1800s, after early waves of settlers got done with their vast logging, farming, and leveling operations.
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According to Harvard research, New England is now the most heavily forested region in the United States — a recovery that the great naturalist Henry David Thoreau once thought impossible.
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Meanwhile, some creatures of fur and feather have returned at astonishing speed — herds and flocks where there were just remnant populations; clear evidence of ecosystem revivals occurring over decades or even years, instead of centuries.
Native animals, such as beaver and moose — which the settlers shot out, trapped out, or drove to impenetrable thickets on the far fringes — are thriving again. Deer were down to several hundred in Massachusetts at the outset of the 20th century; today, the white-tailed population in the state tops 85,000.
Bears are back in business in a big way, too, their numbers hitting all-time records in some places. Also newly abundant are gray seals, eagles, and once-rare pileated woodpeckers that now rat-a-tat on old-growth trees right at the edge of Boston. Dive-bombing hawks are an almost ho-hum suburban spectacle.
The changes seem more dramatic and enduring in this region than anywhere else in the United States, say many biologists, conservationists, and other wildlife watchers.
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“The forest recovery is especially breathtaking. New England is a supreme example of forest comeback,’’ said David Foster, director of the Harvard Forest, the university’s 106-year-old center for forestry research whose scientists work in 3,500 acres of wooded tracts and laboratories headquartered in Petersham.
JACKIE RICCIARDI FOR THE GLOBE David Foster, director of Harvard Forest, stood near a rock wall that had been a fence in a pasture during the 1800s, in an area now overtaken by trees.
The many hundreds of miles of stone fence that snake almost invisibly through thick woodlands offer testimony to how radically the region’s landscape has changed. The fences once delineated tilled fields, pruned orchards, and close-cropped pastures, bucolic, to be sure, but every bit as shaped by the human hand as any factory yard or elegant Beacon Hill block.
In 1850, when only about 28 percent of the land in Massachusetts remained in forest, the population of New England was about 4.8 million. The region’s population has since tripled, to about 14.4 million. But even as cities and suburbs swelled, rural regions were abandoned — and nature famously abhors a vacuum.
“It is very difficult to keep trees out of the New England landscape,’’ Foster said.
The natural revival carries a downside. Bears can be unruly neighbors. Gray seals devour cod, haddock, and other commercially valuable species — and may attract dangerous great white sharks. The knockdown of hydroelectric dams to clear way for spawning fish has required rejiggering of the power grid by upping electrical output at other generating stations.
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Most alarming, a sharp rise in cases of Lyme disease, passed from wildlife to humans via ticks, is fast emerging as one of the region’s thorniest health challenges. Deer populations expanding into suburbs are partly responsible for spreading the ticks.
‘Maybe it’s because we got so far away [from nature], most of us truly appreciate seeing it back.’
But by and large, this is a heady era for environmental advocates and ordinary nature lovers.
“It feels almost like we’re entering an age of miracles,’’ said John Banks, director of natural resources for the Penobscot Nation, a tribe in Maine whose fight to topple dams blocking the breeding grounds of migratory fish scored a major victory with July’s breaching of the hulking Veazie Dam near Bangor.
“New England is undoing many excesses of the industrial age,’’ he said in an interview. “Stagnant waters aren’t just stirring — they are finally starting to flow fast. Fish are swimming freely to their ancient spawning places. Great birds are again bold in the sky.’’
Wetlands throb and slither with rejuvenated life. Rivers are quickening even in notoriously compromised corners of the region — the herring run on the Acushnet River in southeastern Massachusetts, for example, has rocketed from a few hundred fish to many thousands.
And bald eagles are soaring in skies that have not borne eagles for decades.
“Until 10 years ago, there were zero bald eagles — none — nesting in Vermont,’’ said John Buck, migratory bird project leader for the Vermont Wildlife Department. “Now there are 14 nesting pairs, hatching about 24 chicks. That sounds small, but it’s a big jump.’’
Chalk it up to taller trees, cleaner water, and plenty of prey, according to biologists.
Sometimes it takes an old picture to tell a new story.
An 1889 lithograph of Barton — a typical, if somewhat tattered, town in northeastern Vermont — shows hillsides shorn as close as a Marine’s haircut. From the village green to the craggy top of May Hill, woodlands sprout relatively sparsely among mile after square mile of open field and pasture. Views are sprawling.
Local vistas these days are markedly more cramped — exactly as nature intended. In Barton, as in nearly everywhere else in New England, you literally can’t see the forest for the trees. Thick woods cover valley and peak. There are still a few dairy farms. But over the generations, most farm families have moved to towns and surrendered their fields to advancing poplar, birch, and spruce.
Environmental bad news tends to grab the big headlines — and for sure there are dangers aplenty, from the global menace of climate change to local lakes sullied by runoff. And the helter-skelter development represents a threat to a century-and-a-half of forest regrowth — Harvard Forest has even reported declines of tree cover in some areas.
But the six-state region is amid a broad and seemingly sustainable environmental comeback from the ruinous cutting, clearing, and damming that started almost from the day the Pilgrims disembarked from the Mayflower.
Some of the revival can be credited to aggressive environmental efforts that have, for example, stoppered the pipes that once spewed raw sewage and industrial toxins into the Connecticut River, spurred the cleanup of Boston Harbor, and checked the threat of acid rain.
But the return of forests has mostly been a matter of economics: As New England became more citified and industrial, and food from western states became cheaper, there was less reason to maintain open land — much less blast every wild critter that might nibble a crop or gobble a goose.
European settlers pouring into New England in the 1600s were confronted by sheer forest broken only by waterways and Native American trails.
But the energetic newcomers and their successors chopped it to urban space or farmland in short order.
“It was cut nearly into non-existence,’’ said Foster, the Harvard Forest director.
Naturalist Thoreau believed the wilderness could never recover in New England.
“Thank God they cannot cut down the clouds!’’ he declared of his hyper-industrious mid-19th century neighbors.
But after the Civil War, farms were abandoned by the thousands as food production moved to the richer, flatter lands across the Appalachians. New England’s population contracted into villages and cities. More recently, industry clustered along rivers — textile mills, machine tool factories — suffered economic collapse.
“The trees have marched back to their old ground,’’ Foster said. “History has given our region an extraordinary second chance to get it right.’’
The change occurred over generations and so is difficult to perceive. “But drive along the back roads or even Route 2 and you can’t miss how much of Massachusetts has reverted to woods and wetlands,’’ Foster said.
A similar change is also underway just outside Boston. Farms have yielded to housing tracts. But much suburban sprawl has slowly become hidden beneath mature, towering trees that have reached fullness since the 1950s.
“It’s false forest, perhaps, but birds don’t know that — it’s heaven for species that used to be extremely rare, like pileated woodpeckers, ravens, and some hawks,’’ said Joan Walsh, director of bird monitoring for the Massachusetts Audubon Society.
“Owls are doing so well that nights can sound like a barred owl bar brawl,’’ she said. “And just when you’re admiring that adorable little songbird feasting at your backyard feeder — bam! — it gets hit by a Cooper’s hawk. That burst of bloody fluff is a sure sign of nature coming back strong and ferocious. Yes, right here in Concord.”
Some 222 species of birds breed in Massachusetts. The ones that require open grassland — bobolinks, meadowlarks, swifts, and swallows — are faring poorly with fewer meadows and crop fields.
But 60 percent of bird species in the Bay State are regarded as stable or soaring, including red-bellied woodpeckers, willets, ospreys, and Carolina wrens, according to MassAudubon.
“Do I dare mention wild turkeys?’’ Walsh asked jokingly.
America’s Bird, as the wily gobblers were known, was “extirpated’’ throughout New England by the 1800s. Starting in the 1960s, wild turkeys trapped live in New York and Pennsylvania were transplanted to western Massachusetts.
Population explosion is an understatement for what came next. Today, the big birds are ubiquitous across the region. They scurry along forest edges, fan across upland meadows, and preen along rural roads and urban intersections. They occasionally swarm small downtowns like beaked biker gangs.
A gang of arriviste wild turkeys has notoriously taken up residence in upscale Brookline. They peck at cars, chase pets, and puff up at human passersby. No one knows what to do. Police caution against annoying the big birds.
Such assertive wildlife, once a bizarre aberration, is starting to seem almost a 21st century trend.
Vermonters have told hoary bear tales around campfires for generations. But few ever glimpsed a real bear.
In the past two decades, however, black bear numbers in Vermont have doubled to more than 6,000, believed to be an all-time record.
Last year a raucous quartet of bears chased Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin out of his Montpelier backyard. And just the other day, a bold bruiser smashed into a Barton farmer’s sugarhouse, clambered to an upper loft, and gobbled down two hives of bees — honey, wax, worker bees, and wriggling queen.
As a state wildlife service spokesman put it: “We seem to have gone beyond the optimal population of these large mammals.’’
Lately, everyone’s got a story about bear naughtiness, and it’s usually firsthand. You don’t have to travel to Vermont to hear one — the burly mammals have become backyard marauders in even suburban Boston.
Meanwhile, mystery surrounds the explosion in numbers of gray seals on Cape Cod and its islands — from a few Canadian strays in the 1990s to today’s 15,000-plus sleek creatures lolling mainly near Chatham.
“This is a marine mammal that had gone extinct in these waters — killed off for bounties,’’ said Stephanie Wood, a biologist who researched gray seals for the National Marine Fisheries Services. “Not everyone is thrilled to see them back, but it’s certainly a huge conservation success story.’’
Fishermen grumble that seals steal their catches. Indeed, there’s considerable grumping about wildlife.
Further inland, suburbanites complain about deer cropping their expensive shrubs. And lately even tree-hugging rural locavores have begun muttering darkly about abundant foxes, fisher weasels, and raptors snarfing up their free-range chickens.
Rising rates of Lyme disease — spread by ticks carried by deer and white-footed mice — point to a darker side of proximity to nature. As does mounting highway carnage caused by collisions of motorists with moose, deer, or bears.
“It’s yin and yang; bad arrives with the good,’’ said John Gobeille, a Vermont wildlife biologist. “The forest is rising, but farms are declining. Wildlife is making strides — but, ‘Yikes, those beasts are trampling my backyard!’ ’’
He added: “I do think that humans are doing a better job of living with nature. Maybe it’s because we got so far away [from nature], most of us truly appreciate seeing it back.’’
And humans have played a hand in some comebacks. Simple projects like putting up wood duck shelters, bluebird houses |
Today Judge Zabel reached the proper conclusion in denying extremists seeking a platform for their anti-gay rhetoric the right to intervene in this case,” said Nadine Smith, CEO of Equality Florida Institute, one of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit. “This lawsuit is about fundamental, constitutionally protected rights that are violated by a measure that does real harm to our families. We look forward to the day when Florida joins the 19 other states and the District of Columbia, where judges have come to the conclusion that such a ban is indefensible.”
As the decision today recognized, it is loving same-sex couples and their families who are directly affected by Florida’s marriage ban, which singles out a group of Floridians in order to treat them unequally, without benefitting anyone.
On Wednesday, July 2, the fight for marriage equality in Florida will have its day in court. Judge Zabel will hear from attorneys who filed a lawsuit in January on behalf of six same-sex couples and Equality Florida Institute. The lawsuit argues that Florida’s laws barring same-sex couples from marriage violate the United States Constitution by denying them the legal protections and equal dignity that having the freedom to marry provides. The plaintiffs are represented by the law firm Carlton Fields Jorden Burt, Elizabeth F. Schwartz, Mary B. Meeks, and the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR).
Read the full text of the Order here: http://eqfl.org/sites/default/files/OrderDenying.pdf
######On Sunday, the Quakes returned to San Jose following back-to-back road games against New England and Houston in a span of four days. Their stay at home will be short-lived, however, as the team is currently preparing to hit the airport again for another away game, this time against MLS newcomer Minnesota United FC.
Although the results last week weren’t what the team was hoping for, it hasn’t dampened the Quakes’ spirits and the team is eager to get back on the pitch for another go at three points.
“That’s the good thing about soccer,” highlighted Earthquakes forward Danny Hoesen. “You can get out the next weekend and try to make it right again. That’s definitely what we want to do.”
Also, it’s easy to forget because of the immediate impact they’ve had on the team, but Hoesen and four other players that featured for the Quakes last week—Nick Lima, Florian Jungwirth, Marco Ureña and Jahmir Hyka—are in their debut MLS season, and no doubt, still acclimating to the rigors of the league’s road games.
That’s not an excuse, of course, as Quakes general manager Jesse Fioranelli mentioned last week during his first Facebook Live Q&A:
“[I’ve] been part of teams that play 57 matches in one single season of 40 weeks and that type of stress I don’t wish on any player,” he said.
“I can tell you that it is a matter of courage and how we approach this season. And so far, what I have seen is that we didn’t lack that and that’s why I’m confident that when we play away, whether it’s this game or other away games, we will want to leave a message.”
With that in mind, the Quakes kicked off the week analyzing their last performances before looking ahead to Saturday’s matchup by breaking down their opponent on tape.
“We’re just looking at some video and trying to make ourselves better as we head to the game,” said Quakes head coach Dominic Kinnear. “A little bit more about us in the beginning of the week, and as we head to Minnesota, we’ll focus on facing them.”
You can catch Saturday’s match against Minnesota United FC live on NBC Sports Bay Area Plus, KNRB 1050 and KZSF 1030. Kickoff is scheduled for 5 p.m. PT.Last March, when President Obama travelled to Argentina to meet with the country’s new President, Mauricio Macri, his public appearances were dogged by protesters who noisily demanded explanations, and apologies, for U.S. policies, past and present. There are few countries in the West where anti-Americanism is as vociferously expressed as in Argentina, where a highly politicized culture of grievance has evolved in which many of the country’s problems are blamed on the United States. On the left, especially, there is lingering resentment over the support extended by the U.S. government to Argentina’s right-wing military, which seized power in March of 1976 and launched a “Dirty War” against leftists that took thousands of lives over the following seven years.
Obama’s visit coincided with the fortieth anniversary of the coup. He pointedly paid homage to the Dirty War’s victims by visiting a shrine built in their honor on the outskirts of Buenos Aires. In an address he gave at the shrine, Obama acknowledged what he characterized as American sins of omission, but he stopped short of issuing an outright apology. “Democracies have to have the courage to acknowledge when we don’t live up to the ideals that we stand for,” he said. “And we’ve been slow to speak out for human rights, and that was the case here.”
In the run-up to Obama’s trip, Susan Rice, the President’s national-security adviser, had announced the Administration’s intention to declassify thousands of U.S. military and intelligence documents pertaining to that tumultuous period in Argentina. It was a good-will gesture aimed at signalling Obama’s ongoing effort to change the dynamic of U.S. relations with Latin America—“to bury the last remnant of the Cold War,” as he said in Havana, during that same trip.
Last week, the first tranche of those declassified documents was released. The documents revealed that White House and U.S. State Department officials were intimately aware of the Argentine military’s bloody nature, and that some were horrified by what they knew. Others, most notably Henry Kissinger, were not. In a 1978 cable, the U.S. Ambassador, Raúl Castro, wrote about a visit by Kissinger to Buenos Aires, where he was a guest of the dictator, Jorge Rafael Videla, while the country hosted the World Cup. “My only concern is that Kissinger’s repeated high praise for Argentina’s action in wiping out terrorism may have gone to some considerable extent to his hosts’ heads,” Castro wrote. The Ambassador went on to write, fretfully, “There is some danger that Argentines may use Kissinger’s laudatory statements as justification for hardening their human rights stance.”
The latest revelations compound a portrait of Kissinger as the ruthless cheerleader, if not the active co-conspirator, of Latin American military regimes engaged in war crimes. In evidence that emerged from previous declassifications of documents during the Clinton Administration, Kissinger was shown not only to have been aware of what the military was doing but to have actively encouraged it. Two days after the Argentine coup, Kissinger was briefed by his Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs, William Rogers, who warned him, “I think also we've got to expect a fair amount of repression, probably a good deal of blood, in Argentina before too long. I think they're going to have to come down very hard not only on the terrorists but on the dissidents of trade unions and their parties.” Kissinger replied, "Whatever chance they have, they will need a little encouragement... because I do want to encourage them. I don't want to give the sense that they're harassed by the United States.”
Under Kissinger’s direction, they certainly were not harassed. Right after the coup, Kissinger sent his encouragement to the generals and reinforced that message by expediting a package of U.S. security assistance. In a meeting with the Argentine foreign minister two months later, Kissinger advised him winkingly, according to a memo written about the conversation, “We are aware you are in a difficult period. It is a curious time, when political, criminal, and terrorist activities tend to merge without any clear separation. We understand you must establish authority.... If there are things that have to be done, you should do them quickly.”
Argentina’s military forces had launched their coup in order to expand and institutionalize a war that was already under way against leftist guerrillas and their sympathizers. They called their campaign the Process of National Reorganization, or, simply, “el proceso.” During the Dirty War, as it became known, as many as thirty thousand people were secretly abducted, tortured, and executed by the security forces. Hundreds of suspects were buried in anonymous mass graves, while thousands more were stripped naked, drugged, loaded onto military aircraft, and hurled into the sea from the air while they were still alive. The term “los desaparecidos”—“the disappeared”—became one of Argentina’s contributions to the global lexicon.
At the time of the coup, Gerald Ford was the caretaker U.S. President, and Henry Kissinger was serving as both Secretary of State and national-security adviser, as he had done under Nixon. Immediately after the Argentine coup, on Kissinger’s recommendations, the U.S. Congress approved a request for fifty million dollars in security assistance to the junta; this was topped off by another thirty million before the end of the year. Military-training programs and aircraft sales worth hundreds of millions of dollars were also approved. In 1978, a year into Jimmy Carter’s Presidency, mounting concerns about human-rights violations brought an end to U.S. aid. Thereafter, the new Administration sought to cut the junta off from international financial assistance. In early 1981, with Reagan coming into the White House, however, the restrictions were lifted.
There have, in fact, been no legal consequences whatsoever to Kissinger for his actions in Chile, where three thousand people were murdered by Pinochet’s thugs, or for those in Vietnam and Cambodia, where he ordered large-scale aerial bombardments that cost the lives of countless civilians. One of his foremost critics was the late Christopher Hitchens, who in 2001 wrote a book-length indictment entitled “The Trial of Henry Kissinger.” Hitchens called for Kissinger’s prosecution "for war crimes, for crimes against humanity, and for offenses against common or customary or international law, including conspiracy to commit murder, kidnap, and torture.”
While Argentina’s Dirty War was taking place, of course, its generals habitually denied that anything untoward was occurring. Questioned about los desaparecidos, the coup leader, General Videla, explained with chilling vagueness, “The disappeared are just that: disappeared. They are neither alive nor dead. They are disappeared.” Other officers suggested that missing people were probably in hiding, carrying out terrorist actions against the fatherland. In fact, the vast majority were being brutalized in secret prisons by government-salaried employees, and then, more often than not, executed. As happened in Germany during the Holocaust, most Argentines understood what was really going on, but kept silent out of a spirit of complicity, or fear. A see-no-evil national refrain was adopted by those Argentines who witnessed neighbors being dragged from their homes by plainclothes men, never to return: “Algo habrán hecho”—“they must have done something.”
We have repeatedly reviewed evidence of Kissinger’s callousness. Some of it is as inexplicable as it is shocking. There is a macho swagger in some of Kissinger’s remarks. It could, perhaps, be explained away if he had never wielded power, like—thus far—the gratuitously offensive Presidential candidate Donald Trump. And one has an awareness that Kissinger, the longest-lasting and most iconic pariah figure in modern American history, is but one of a line of men held in fear and contempt for the immorality of their services rendered and yet protected by the political establishment in recognition of those same services. William Tecumseh Sherman, Curtis LeMay, Robert McNamara, and, more recently, Donald Rumsfeld all come to mind.
In Errol Morris’s remarkable 2003 documentary “The Fog of War,” we saw that McNamara, who was an octogenarian at the time, was a tormented man who was attempting to come to terms, unsuccessfully, with the immense moral burden of his actions as the U.S. defense secretary during Vietnam. McNamara had recently written a memoir in which he attempted to grapple with his legacy. Around that time, a journalist named Stephen Talbot interviewed McNamara, and then also secured an interview with Kissinger. As he later wrote about his initial meeting with Kissinger, “I told him I had just interviewed Robert McNamara in Washington. That got his attention. He stopped badgering me, and then he did an extraordinary thing. He began to cry. But no, not real tears. Before my eyes, Henry Kissinger was acting. ‘Boohoo, boohoo,’ Kissinger said, pretending to cry and rub his eyes. ‘He’s still beating his breast, right? Still feeling guilty.’ He spoke in a mocking, singsong voice and patted his heart for emphasis.”
McNamara died in 2009, at the same age Kissinger is today—ninety-three—but his belated public struggle with his conscience helped leaven his clouded reputation. Now that he is nearing the end of his life, Kissinger must wonder what his own legacy is to be. He can rest assured that, at the very least, his steadfast support for the American superpower project, no matter what the cost in lives, will be a major part of that legacy. Unlike McNamara, however, whose attempt to find a moral reckoning Kissinger held in such scorn, Kissinger has shown little in the way of a conscience. And because of that, it seems highly likely, history will not easily absolve him.WWX 2015 in Paris between 29th May and 1st June!
Andy Li has taken the lead in getting Haxe officially supported on Travis CI with help from Cauê Waneck and Simon Krajewski. Testing your Haxe project has been greatly simplified, checked out the guide to using Haxe on Travis CI. Remember, if you want full cross-platform testing consider travis-hx which provides helpers to test you project on Travis CI, Appveyor and SauceLabs.
Lars Doucet has published proof of OpenFL's BunnyMark demo running on the WiiU! This is in “debug mode (ie slower than release) [with] 2000 bunnies at 25FPS @ 1080p on the WiiU”.
Visual output from a WiiU running OpenFL's BunnyMark by @larsiusprime and team!
A recently released game which can take advantage of the future OpenFL console support is Goumy Sticks by Sebastien Carceles.
Tikids applications allow your children to develop their competences and abilities the way they want. One application for one ability. Tikids gets inspiration with the free Montessori workshops.
Goumy helps your toddlers to learn sorting items
You can download Goumy Sticks for iOS, Android and from Amazon. Sebastien is already working on his next game Goumy Sort which you can keep an eye on over on FaceBook.
The OpenFL team have announced the release of OpenFL Hybrid.
The biggest new feature is OpenFL "hybrid" mode. As you may already know, OpenFL 3 supports two different build modes, the default is a unified OpenFL, that is consistent across all target platforms, for Flash, for HTML5, for desktop, mobile or console native targets. The second build mode is called "legacy", which only works for native desktop or mobile. This is the older OpenFL renderer and platform backend, familiar to OpenFL 1 and OpenFL 2 behaviors.
Juakob has created and released SpreadSheet-Haxe which, I think, allows you to load data from Google Spreadsheets into your OpenFL app.
Adi Reddy Mora's continuous hard work on the Haxe externs for Pixi.js have become an official part of the Pixi.js organisation!
Zebra unicycle by @luboslenco
Sven Bergström continues his hack and slash refinement of the snõw API which he talks about in the latest snõwkit dev log issue 4. As usual its a great read following the changes and decisions going on inside an in flux library.
Darek Greenly has posted his first Gray Scale dev log over on the snõwkit community site about his game he made for the GameBoy Jam last year.
It was made in HaxeFlixel but I wanted more control over my code and be able to easily create lots of enemies with different abilities. After few hours of googling I stopped by a thing called "Component Entity System" and finally found luxe engine (and so far I love it!)
The embedded GIFs look amazing.
Here is game trailer from Hong-Chin for Endless Fight made with HaxeFlixel.
Fuz is back with another completed Haxe challenge which “in this game you’ll have to move the ghosts on ice with a swipe gesture to place them in their correct area”.
Player03 talks about automatic layout in his article Not-so-simple SWF Layout that you can use in your OpenFL projects.Would you be able to defend yourself and your loved ones if someone were to physically attack you? It’s a question most of us don’t want to consider, but violence is, unfortunately, a fact of life. Thankfully, regardless of strength, size, or previous training, anyone can learn several effective self-defense techniques. Here’s how to prepare for and stay safe in common real-world violent situations.
Prevention Is the Best Self-Defense
First, remember that prevention is the best self-defense. Attackers, whatever their objectives, are looking for unsuspecting, vulnerable targets. So be sure to follow general safety tips like being aware of your surroundings, only walking and parking in well-lit areas, keeping your keys in hand as you approach your door or car, varying your route and times of travel, and other personal security precautions.
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Apart from avoiding confrontation, if you can defuse a situation (talk someone down from physically assaulting you) or get away—by handing over your wallet/purse or whatever they want, do that. Hand over your money rather than fight. Nothing you own is worth more than your life or health.
If violence is unavoidable, however, to really defend yourself, you’ll want to know ahead of time how to fight back effectively—it’s possible even against someone bigger or stronger than you. Here are some basic self-defense techniques that can keep you safe:
Get Loud and Push Back
As soon as the attacker touches you or it’s clear that escape isn’t possible, shout loudly (“BACK OFF!”) and push back at him or her (for simplicity’s sake we’re going to use “him” for the rest of the article, although your opponent could be female). This does two things: it signals for help and it lets the attacker know you’re not an easy target. The video at left from Rob Redenbach, a former trainer of Nelson Mandela’s bodyguards, shows why this is the first thing you need to do. It may not dissuade all attackers, but getting loud will warn off those that were looking for easy prey.
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The Most Effective Body Parts to Hit
When you’re in a confrontation, you only have a few seconds and a few moves to try before the fight may be decided. Before an attacker has gained full control of you, you must do everything you can—conserving as much energy as possible—to inflict injury so you can get away. (This is no time to be civil. In a physical confrontation that calls for self-defense, it’s hurt or be hurt.) So aim for the parts of the body where you can do the most damage easily: the eyes, nose, ears, neck, groin, knee, and legs.
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Su Ericksen, who writes the very helpful Self-Defense for Women website, offers techniques for striking these pressure points so you can defend yourself and get to safety. She writes:
Depending on the position of the attacker and how close he is will determine where you will strike and with what part of your body you will employ. Do not step in closer, say, to strike his nose with your hand, when you can reach his knee with a kick. When striking a target on the upper half of the body you will use your hand. Effective strikes can be made with the outer edge of your hand in a knife hand position, a palm strike or knuckle blow for softer targets or a tightly curled fist.
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Here are some photos Su offers on attacking these highly sensitive pressure points (you can view others for additional pressure points on her website):
Eyes: Gouging, poking, or scratching the attacker’s eyes with your fingers or knuckles would be effective, as you can imagine. Besides causing a lot of pain, this should also make your escape easier by at least temporarily interfering with his vision.
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Nose: If the attacker is close in front of you, use the heel of your palm to strike up under his nose; throw the whole weight of your body into the move to cause the most pain and force him to loosen his grip on you. If he’s behind you, you can strike his nose (from the side or front) with your elbow. Either way, aim for the nasal bones.
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Neck: The side of the neck is a bigger target, where both the carotid artery and jugular vein are located. You could possibly temporarily stun your attacker with a knife hand strike (all fingers held straight and tightly together, with thumb tucked and slightly bent at the knuckle) at the side of the neck. (For even more injury, you could thrust your elbow into your assailant’s throat while pitching the weight of your body forward. See the Target Focus Training video below.)
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Knee: Su says the knee is an ideal self-defense target, vulnerable from every angle and easily kicked without risk of your foot being grabbed. Kick the side of the knee to cause injury or partially incapacitate your attacker. Kicking the front of the knee may cause more injury but is less likely to result in imbalance.
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How to Maximize Damage
Use your elbows, knees, and head. Those are the parts of the body that are most sensitive when hit. Now here are the parts of the body used most effectively for inflicting damage: your elbows, knees, and head (they’re your body’s bony built-in weapons). This video from Elite Defense Systems in IL explains how to defend yourself against three most common attacks by using these key body parts.
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Use everyday objects. Everyday objects you carry around with you or things in your environment can also be used to your advantage as weapons. Hold a key or pen between your middle and ring finger while you’re walking home in the dark for more assurance. Outdoors, you can toss some dirt or sand into your attacker’s eyes. Women are often told to spray perfume or hairspray into an assailant’s eyes. The point is, use what ever you can to make your defense stronger (for more inspiration, watch some Jackie Chan movies).
Leverage your weight. No matter your size, weight, or strength in relation to your opponent, you can defend yourself by strategically using your body and the simple law of physics. This is the principle behind martial arts systems like Jujitsu and other self-defense programs where a smaller person is able to defeat a larger one.
Tim Larkin teaches in his Target Focus Training self-defense system that striking is not about punching or kicking, it’s about throwing your body weight strategically at someone. You don’t want to be standing there trading punches or kicks with an attacker; in a violent situation, it’s critical to injure him using efficient, targeted moves. Basically, target those pressure points mentioned above, but leverage your weight to cause the most damage. (Note: The video at left is a bit long, though all of it is insightful; if you want to skip to the demonstration part showing how to use your body weight in this “point of injury” technique, scrub to about the 4-minute mark. Also note that this technique, used by law enforcement agencies, can seriously injure the attacker.)
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Moves for Getting Out of or Defending Against Common Holds or Attacks
Wrist Hold: Gracie Jiu-Jitsu is another school of self-defense, one that offers modified Jujitsu techniques that normal (or even weak) people can carry out. This video from Gracie Academy shows what to do when an attacker has grabbed your wrist. Instead of pulling back to try to get out of the hold, squat down into a strong stance, then lean forward and bend your elbow towards him all the way towards his forearm until he can no longer hold onto your wrist.
Front and Back Choke Holds: Similarly, this video from Ford Models suggests bending your elbow in to get out of the wrist hold, but then pushing upwards to break free. The video also offers techniques to get out of a front choke hold and a back choke hold: Swing one arm across to break the attacker’s hold then use your other arm’s elbow or hand in a knife strike position to hit the attacker.
Bear Hug: Krav Maga is the official hand-to-hand self-defense system of the Israeli Defense Forces, with techniques to defend against realistic grabs and holds. This video shows a Krav Maga defense for when someone holds you from behind: Drop your weight and try to hit his head with your elbows or stomp his feet with your feet. If that doesn’t work, pull his fingers back to force him to release you, rotate out of his hold, and attack him with your knees/kicks. (Pulling fingers is also an effective move in a choke hold in some cases.)
Mount Position: If the attacker has you pinned on the floor, you can pivot to be on top with this Gracie Jiu-Jitsu technique. Hook onto his wrist with one hand and use your other hand to grab behind his elbow, trapping his arm to your chest. Then use your foot to trap his foot and leg, lift your hips and turn over onto your knees to get on top.
Sexual Assault: In my interview with Rener Gracie, whose grandfather established the Gracie Jiu-Jitsu method 90 years ago, he told me there are four phases to nearly all sexual attacks on women: 1) Identify an unsuspecting target, 2) Subdue the target, 3) Exhaust the target, and 4) Execute the sexual assault. We want to fight with all our might and the moves we have above in the second phase. In the third phase, however, right before an assailant executes his sexual attack, all he wants to do is exhaust the victim and gain complete control, so fighting back actually may backfire at that point, wasting energy. Gracie’s Women Empowered training program teaches women to recognize when they’ve entered that phase where they are truly trapped and are no longer in the defensive movements phase—and to feign giving in. Pretend to be compliant (kind of like playing dead for a bear). In those split moments, the predator will think you have given up and will loosen his grip, giving you a chance get away.
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Resources
These are just a sampling of the kinds of self-defense moves and techniques that might protect you one day or at least help you feel safer and more confident. There’s no replacement, however, for taking a self-defense class and practicing the moves in real life.
To find a good self-defense program, the National Coalition Against Sexual Assault offers these Guidelines for Choosing a Self-Defense Course.
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You’ll probably easily find self-defense classes at martial arts centers, but other resources to look into include:
Local colleges or community colleges
Women’s centers
Just Yell Fire—a free self-defense movie specifically for girls age 11-19
C.O.B.R.A. Self-Defense classes—real world self-defense training
Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Academy—online, DVD, and in-person self-defense training
If you know of any other good self-defense tips, techniques, or resources, please share them with us in the comments.
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Su Ericksen is a first degree TaeKwonDo black belt and has taught self-defense workshops. She lives in the Midwest with her family and works at a large medical center in the cardiology clinic.
To read more about women’s self-defense, visit her web site: Self Defense-4-Women.com.
Established in 1925, The Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Academy is a global organization comprised of a network of Certified Training Centers. For more information Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, the Gracie Family, or any of their specialized self-defense programs, please visit www.GracieUniversity.com.In yet another turn of events in Donald Trump’s Russia scandal, Congresswoman Maxine Waters appeared on MSNBC today and stated her position that the alleged Russian sex tape blackmail of Trump is in fact true. While various aspects of the infamous Trump-Russia dossier from former MI6 agent Christopher Steele have been corroborated, including meetings dates and participants, Waters is the first in government to assert that the ‘pee pee tape’ aspect of the dossier is also true.
It’s not immediately clear what Waters is basing her assertion on. Was she merely stating her belief that it’s true, or was she basing this on inside knowledge she has but can’t yet share? Most of her committee assignments in the House of Representatives are finance related, but she is the Ex Officio of Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, so it’s possible she’s seen classified details about whatever illicit blackmail Russia is allegedly holding over Trump’s head. If so, then she’s in the tricky position of being able to allude to what she’s seen, but not able to reveal the specific classified sourcing.
When the MSNBC host asked Congresswoman Waters to elaborate on her basis for asserting that the Russian sex blackmail of Trump is true, she responded by saying that it will all come out if the Trump-Russia investigation in Congress handled properly. She’ll likely be pressed in subsequent interviews to offer more context for her assertion. But Waters has been consistently out ahead on these things and has been subsequently vindicated. And at the least, we’ve reached the point where a member of Congress is asserting that the Russian sex blackmail over Trump is true.
Rep. Maxine Waters claims on @MSNBC that the sex allegations about Trump in the Russian dossier are true. pic.twitter.com/cd5LNmL0eo — Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) March 9, 2017
Watch Rep. Maxine Waters assert on MSNBC that Russia is holding “sex actions” blackmail over Donald Trump. Contribute to Palmer ReportO técnico Tite anunciou nesta quinta-feira a lista com os 23 jogadores convocados da Seleção para o amistoso contra a Colômbia, que será realizado no próximo 25 no Estádio Nilton Santos, no Rio de Janeiro. Destaque para o retorno de Robinho e Diego, que foram revelados pelo Santos e hoje defendem Atlético-MG e Flamengo, respectivamente. Como não se trata de data Fifa, apenas atletas que atuam no futebol brasileiro foram convocados. A partida terá toda a renda destinada para familiares das vítimas da tragédia com o voo da Chapecoense, que caiu em novembro do ano passado próximo a Medellín e deixou 71 mortos.
+ Entre sentimento e preparação, Tite admite torcer por empate em amistoso
Tite convoca apenas jogadores que atuam no Brasil para amistoso contra a Colômbia (Foto: Pedro Martins / MoWA Press)
De acordo com Tite, ao elaborar a lista foram tomados alguns cuidados porque os times brasileiros estão em fase de pré-temporada. Profissionais das áreas técnica e física da seleção brasileira estiveram em contato com os clubes para saber as condições dos atletas, ter garantias de que possam atuar por no mínimo 45 minutos e também não prejudicar as equipes nas primeiras competições da temporada. Foram chamados atletas de 14 clubes diferentes. O Flamengo, com quatro jogadores, foi o clube com mais convocados.
+ Colega de Seleção, Vitor Hugo elogia Dudu e promete não aliviar para Borja
+ Diretor da CBF não se preocupa com baixa procura por ingressos para jogo
Apesar de a partida não ser realizada na data Fifa, e por conta disso apenas jogadores que atuam no futebol brasileiro tenham sido convocados, Tite garante que os atletas que terão chance contra a Colômbia podem seguir com a seleção brasileira nas eliminatórias para a Copa do Mundo de 2018, na Rússia.
- Serve sim. É verdadeiro, é uma possibilidade real de avaliação, de estar presente na Seleção. É uma competição, com toda a homenagem que tem. Em momento algum vou tirar do atleta a chance da competição. Foi muito difícil ser justo e estabelecer critérios. Às vezes um pequeno detalhe pode ser determinante na convocação. Se eu pudesse, convocaria Dorival Junior e Cuca. Ou o Ricardo Oliveira, que poderia e deveria aqui estar, mas está no departamento médico. - afirmou Tite na coletiva de imprensa.
Tite quer estádio cheio para amistoso da Seleção contra a Colômbia (Foto: Pedro Martins / MoWA Press)
O técnico da seleção brasileira também fez um apelo aos torcedores brasileiros para lotar o Estádio Nilton Santos e ajudar os familiares das vítimas da tragédia da Chape. Ele citou a homenagem que a torcida do Atlético Nacional fez pelas ruas de Medellín e no Estádio Atanasio Girardot:
- Quando vi o estádio e as ruas próximas lotadas, isso arrepiou. A gente não precisa que uma desgraça faça a gente colocar o lado humano para fora. Agora também é uma grande oportunidade de retribuir todo o carinho em cima de algo que não gostaríamos de estar fazendo, mas ela é importante. Tenho certeza que quem comparecer também vai demonstrar esse lado humano.
Os ingressos para o chamado Jogo da Amizade estão à venda e custam entre R$ 70 e R$ 150, e os interessados podem comprar os bilhetes pela internet. Além dos fãs que acompanharão a partida no Estádio Nilton Santos, torcedores de outras cidades e estados brasileiros podem dar contribuição aos familiares das vítimas da tragédia comprando o ingresso solidário, que tem um custo de R$ 50. Essa categoria não garante acesso ao jogo, mas quem comprar terá um certificado de apoio e solidariedade.
A seleção brasileira se apresenta ao técnico Tite na próxima terça-feira, no hotel Windsor, na Barra da Tijuca. O treino está marcado para 17h do mesmo dia, no Estádio Nilton Santos.
Confira a lista de convocados:
Goleiros:
Weverton (Atlético-PR)
Danilo Fernandes (Internacional)
Muralha (Flamengo)
Laterais:
Fábio Santos (Atlético-MG)
Fagner (Corinthians)
Jorge (Flamengo)
Marcos Rocha (Atlético-MG)
Zagueiros:
Geromel (Grêmio)
Luan Garcia (Vasco)
Rodrigo Caio (São Paulo)
Victor Hugo (Palmeiras)
Meias:
Camilo (Botafogo)
Diego (Flamengo)
Gustavo Scarpa (Fluminense)
Henrique (Cruzeiro)
Lucas Lima (Santos)
Rodriguinho (Corinthians)
Wallace (Grêmio)
Willian Arão (Flamengo)
Atacantes:
Diego Souza (Sport)
Dudu (Palmeiras)
Luan (Grêmio)
Robinho (Atlético-MG)But as his 21st U.S. Infantry Regiment prepared to attack Canada, — perhaps at Montreal, though Kingston and Prescott were also rumoured targets — Sgt. John Bentley took time in late September 1813 to write a four-page letter to his wife back in Thomaston, Me.
Many of his comrades were sick from fouled water after breaking camp on Lake Erie that fall.
It also rejected a collection of personal narratives from fugitive slaves in Upper Canada dated 1856. The same goes for the correspondences from 1836 to 1839 between senior British officials on the state of Indian tribes in the colonies.
The body charged with accumulating and preserving such Canadian artifacts turned it down.
With a price tag of $1,500, that War of 1812 missive was offered for sale as a quill-and-ink first draft of our history.
A decade-old service, LAC’s interlibrary lending program gave libraries across the country access to its unparalleled Canadian book collection, a reservoir that includes at least two copies of any piece of literature published in the country since the 1950s.
And as of February, it’s barely even lending out books anymore.
Indeed, since 2009, Library and Archives Canada hasn’t wanted a whole lot of the historic letters, journals, books and maps it once collected so dutifully, critics say. It has also, they charge, stopped collecting a comprehensive array of this country’s current cultural and artistic output and limited the access that academics and genealogists have to its Ottawa-based materials.
The lending volume has been declining, in recent years, but LAC still loaned out more than 20,000 books last year through the program, says James Turk, head of the Canadian Association of University Teachers.
That “full stop” is not an entirely accurate description of the LAC policy, says Daniel Caron, the organization’s head. He says discussions are underway to ensure books are still travelling across the country.
In the meantime, Caron says LAC will continue to provide electronic search engines that allow outside librarians to find books and documents in other centers.
But only if searches of all other libraries show the sole copy rests in LAC stacks, will the national centre lend it out. The decision to radically alter its lending program is the latest twist in what many Canadian librarians and academics see as a deliberate move by a secretive federal government to gut the institution, this country’s equivalent of the U.S. Library of Congress.
“The Library and Archives Canada is most assuredly being dismantled,” says Turk, whose organization is helping lead a growing pushback.
“Every country, their equivalent of the LAC... is a national treasure,” Turk says.
The first blow, Turk says, came when the decision was made after |
nuts and poppyseeds. You can swap the fresh cream for milk, if you want to keep its calorie count low. But this easy gravy tops the ‘must-learn' list as it has the power to change a simple meal into gourmet fare. This white gravy forms the basis for indulgences like Malai Kofta, Methi Mutter Malai and that famous Rajasthani royal dish, Safed Maas (mutton). They go one step further in Safed Maas to keep it all white by adding white pepper powder instead of the usual red chilli powder. But that shouldn't be an issue. Make this gravy well and you have officially arrived as a chef. The recipe is simple, the rewards numerous. Check it out.
More on>> Indian CuisineIf voters approve the legalization of recreational marijuana at the polls this year, what appears on the ballot may not be what the state actually ends up with.
We won't know for another week if the marijuana ballot question passes, but Beacon Hill leaders are already talking about altering the rate at which marijuana sales are taxed. Leadership in both branches of the Legislature and in Gov. Charlie Baker's administration floated the idea this week of revisiting the law after voters have their say in order to address questions they have about enforcing new regulations.
The Legislature has a history of tweaking the laws put on the books directly by voters through ballot questions. There was the time they defunded, then eliminated, the voter-approved clean elections law after the fact. And conservatives activists certainly haven't forgotten when voters ordered the income tax rate down to 5 percent and lawmakers ignored it, only to set up their own system of lesser tax rollbacks.
Which brings us to the marijuana ballot question, which asks voters if they want to create a new commission to regulate marijuana sales similar to the way alcohol is managed now. The new regulations would set up a structure for how sellers and growers operate and tack on 3.75 percent to the sales tax for marijuana. Cities and towns could add another 2 percent on to that, creating a steady stream of revenue to fund the administrative costs of managing legal marijuana.
Recent polls suggest that the people on Massachusetts are just fine, for the most part, with legalizing cannabis for more than just medical use. A MassINC poll conducted for WBUR earlier in October found that 55 percent of respondents favored legalizing weed, with 40 percent against and 5 percent undecided. That finding was up from the polling group's previous finding in September where 50 percent said yes to pot and 45 percent said no. Other polls conducted in September and October showed support for marijuana legalization between 50 and 53 percent, with opposition ranging from 40 to 45 percent.
(The same October MassINC poll found that 84 percent of Bay States don't care if people use marijuana in their homes, but 64 percent have a problem with its use in public.)
MassINC's most recent poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4 percent.
But ask the Beacon Hill big shots, and they'll tell you that 3.75 percent excise tax may not be enough to fund the state's efforts managing the new trade.
"I’m not convinced yet that the rate that’s in the proposed law is sufficient to cover all those expenses, but assuming we reach the point that the voters pass it and we now know that we will have a rate that will cover all that, I’m open to going beyond that," Sen. Stan Rosenberg said to reporters Monday after meeting with Lt. Gov. Karen Polito and House Speaker Robert DeLeo.
In a rare display of harmony among the Legislature's branches, DeLeo seems to be on the same page with Rosenberg. Depending on what legislative jukes and maneuvers lawmakers decide to perform if legalization passes, a bill to raise the pot tax would most likely have to originate in DeLeo's House.
"I would think that, should the voters decide on passing it, I think anything and everything would be on the board in terms of whether it's taxation, whether it's regulation or whatever it may be," DeLeo said.
Of course, both Baker and DeLeo oppose the ballot question from the outset and have been outspoken critics of legalizing marijuana this year.
Critics of the ballot measure have pointed to potential problems implementing what the ballot calls for. Revenues from taxation, regardless of the tax rate, won't come in until after shops are operational, leaving the state to pick up the tab for establishing the regulatory framework.
"This ballot question is so deeply flawed and slanted to benefit the marijuana industry that voters should reject this proposal and send it back to the drawing board. Once it's passed, it's very difficult to put the genie back in the bottle," Corey Welford, a spokesman for the anti-Question 4 Campaign for a Safe & Healthy Massachusetts told WGBH News.
Sen. Michael Moore, the vice-chairman of the Senate's special committee on marijuana, said he doesn't think voters will be upset if lawmakers amend a new marijuana law to add safety measures and address revenue concerns to pay for regulation.
"If they pass legalization of recreational and we pass it, but we put certain guidelines in there to make it what we think is going to be safe and marketable and meet the criteria we hope that voters will be happy with, I think that's the important part of this," Moore said.
Moore said the tax rate could go as high as 30 percent to bring it in line with what other states with legalized marijuana charge.
This wouldn't be the first time lawmakers overrode the language passed into law by the people via the ballot. In 2003, the Legislature, under the leadership of then-House Speaker Tom Finneran, put the kibosh on a voter-approved clean elections law by using the General Court's power of the purse to remove the funding source for the state's brand new clean elections system. After another ballot measure that simply asked voters if tax money should be spent on political campaigns, Finneran and the Legislature eliminated the law for good.
So if everything is on the table, where might Democrats meddle further into law passed by voters? When asked, DeLeo's office did not offer any further details on additional taxation or regulation, but House Public Safety Chair Rep. Kate Hogan agrees with the Speaker that the Legislature "will have an opportunity to review the language and make policy recommendations as needed."
"Other states have gone down this path before us and I think it's prudent to look at what their experience has been and what challenges have arisen during implementation," Hogan wrote to WGBH News in a statement.
The Senate has a lengthy game plan laid out in a report it generated this year on how the state should approach marijuana should it become legal. The chairman of the task force that put together the report, Sen. Jason Lewis, came out against this year's measure, saying the language on the ballot isn't the right way to go about legalizing, but the report still outlines suggestions for how lawmakers might want to further crack down on weed sellers and growers given the opportunity.
Lewis did not respond to requests to comment or elaborate on what Democratic leaders said Monday. The fight to defeat the ballot measure goes on for opponents like Lewis and DeLeo who are against Question 4 as election day approaches. But already the gears could be turning behind the scenes to reign in a newborn cannabis sector if the measure is approved.
The Senate report calls for "public health education campaigns aimed at youth" to be funded and launched "as soon as possible" to help crack down on marketing targeting smokers under 21 and illicit black market trade. The report also asks lawmakers to consider "imposing additional limits or restrictions on sales of marijuana products to young adults age 21-24," in future legislation. The Senate report also wants to provide "adequate funding for training of law enforcement, including more drug recognition experts," to crack down on impaired driving, an effort that would raise enforcement costs and make a higher excise tax more attractive to budget-conscience lawmakers.
"Should the voters of Massachusetts decide to legalize marijuana, it will be critical to dedicate sufficient time, expertise, and resources to ensure as smooth an implementation as possible, which nevertheless is likely to be challenging," the report reads.
The Senate report even wants to hide your new pot purchase like it's the newest issue of Penthouse, requiring "plain gray or similar opaque packaging for all products when they are purchased and removed from a retail store." The report calls for child-proof packaging, potency labels and more. It even goes so far as to address how to avoid the Commonwealth becoming awash in bongwater and smelling like your dorm room, with a provision about regulating "wastewater and odor from growing facilities and labs."
For their part, the pro-legal weed side of the ballot question hopes to have a seat at the table should the Legislature weigh further regulations on marijuana.
"But we also urge the legislature to respect the ballot question process, which would allow all parties to publicly testify in front of the individuals, appointed by the Treasurer, on the Cannabis Control Commission, who would establish the regulations," Yes on 4 spokeswoman Francy Wade wrote in an email.
Marijuana for medical use was legalized in 2012, but implementation by the Department of Public Health under then-Gov. Deval Patrick's administration was slow and hampered the licensing and opening of dispensaries. The law allowed up to 35 dispensaries, but as of 2016 there are only five operating in the state. There were under 24,000 certified patients ready to receive medicinal marijuana in the state by the end of 2015, according to the Senate report.
Raising taxes, especially right after voters specifically approved a certain rate, isn't the kind of thing Gov. Charlie Baker typically goes along with when his Democratic colleagues in government put it in front of him. Baker has been staunch about not raising taxes or fees at all, but there seems to be a window of opportunity when it comes to new industries like ride hailing, Airbnb, and now, cannabis.
“Marijuana, this is a whole new landscape and would change the culture, and it’s something, as the speaker said, we’d have to take a look at all of that. Provided that the voters vote for it," Polito said Monday, speaking on Baker's behalf.FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan has taken his share of criticism from the outside world this season while his players struggled to adjust to the new scheme.
Shanahan, who is confident in his system, isn't worried about such perception. He just wants the offense to keep making strides going into next season.
Maybe Dan Quinn will make some coaching changes after the season concludes Sunday against the New Orleans Saints. But Shanahan, in the first year of a three-year contract, sounded confident about continuing to build his relationship with Matt Ryan, Julio Jones, Devonta Freeman and the rest of the offense.
Kyle Shanahan is eager to refine the offense this offseason with Matt Ryan and the rest of the Falcons. Frank Mattia/Icon Sportswire
The 8-7 Falcons enter their final game Sunday ranked ninth in total offense at 371.4 yards per game, but 21st in scoring at 21.5 points per game, an indication of their struggles in the red zone. They rank 17th in rushing yards per game at 101.3, with Freeman carrying the bulk of the load, 20 yards shy of 1,000 for the season. But the offensive balance Shanahan has desired all season hasn't been consistent.
"I think we have accomplished some things this year, but we definitely didn't accomplish what we set out to do," Shanahan said. "And I've never been looking forward to an offseason so much to where I think we can improve in a lot of ways, and I know we're going to. And I really look forward to getting this started next year."
Shanahan was asked about his biggest regret this season.
"Not getting a chance to go to the playoffs," Shanahan said. "You know, that's everyone's goal, to get into the playoffs so you have a chance of reaching the goal that everyone has, and that's winning the Super Bowl. Anytime you don't make the playoffs, that's a big disappointment. And usually, when it's all said and done, there's usually only one team at the end that's happy. I'm pretty much upset every year because I haven't been a part of winning a Super Bowl yet."Chinese dredging vessels are purportedly seen in the waters around Mischief Reef in the disputed Spratly Islands in this still image from video taken by a P-8A Poseidon surveillance aircraft provided by the United States Navy May 21, 2015. REUTERS/U.S. Navy/Handout via Reuters
By David Brunnstrom
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States vowed on Thursday to keep up air and sea patrols in international waters after the Chinese navy repeatedly warned a U.S. surveillance plane to leave the airspace over artificial islands China is creating in the disputed South China Sea.
The Chinese navy issued eight warnings to the crew of a U.S. P8-A Poseidon, the U.S. military's most advanced surveillance aircraft, when it conducted the overflights on Wednesday, according to CNN, which was aboard the U.S. aircraft.
When the American pilots responded by saying the plane was flying through international airspace, a Chinese radio operator said with exasperation: "This is the Chinese navy... You go!"
The Poseidon flew as low as 15,000 feet (4,500 meters), CNN said, and video provided by the Pentagon appeared to have been taken from directly above one artificial island.
The incident, along with recent Chinese warnings to Philippine military aircraft to leave areas around the Spratly archipelago in the South China Sea, suggested Beijing is trying to enforce a military exclusion zone above its new islands there.
Some security experts worry about the risk of confrontation, especially after a U.S. official said last week that the Pentagon was considering sending military aircraft and ships to assert freedom of navigation around the Chinese-made islands.
The senior U.S. diplomat for the East Asia, Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Russel, told a media briefing in Washington the U.S. reconnaissance flight was "entirely appropriate" and that U.S. naval forces and military aircraft would "continue to fully exercise" the right to operate in international waters and airspace.
He said the United States would go further to preserve the ability of all countries to move in international waters and airspace.
"Nobody in their right mind is going to try to stop the U.S. Navy from operating - that would not be a good bet," he said.
"But it’s not enough that a U.S. military plane can overfly international waters, even if there is challenge or hailing query... We believe that every country and all civilian actors should have unfettered access to international waters and international airspace."
A spokesman for China's Foreign Ministry said he was not aware of the incident.
"China has the right to engage in monitoring in the relevant airspace and waters to protect the country's sovereignty and prevent accidents at sea," ministry spokesman Hong Lei said in a regular briefing. "We hope the relevant country can earnestly respect China's sovereignty in the South China Sea."
HIVE OF CONSTRUCTION
Footage taken by the P8-A Poseidon over the new islands, and aired by CNN, showed a hive of construction and dredging activity, as well as Chinese navy ships nearby.
CNN said it was the first time the Pentagon had declassified video of China's building activity and audio of challenges to a U.S. aircraft.
"We were just challenged 30 minutes ago and the challenge came from the Chinese navy," Captain Mike Parker, commander of U.S. surveillance aircraft deployed to Asia, told CNN on the flight.
"I'm highly confident it came from ashore, this facility here," Parker said, pointing to an early warning radar station on Fiery Cross Reef.
Military facilities on Fiery Cross Reef, including a 3,000-metre (10,000-foot) runway, could be operational by year's end, one U.S. commander recently told Reuters, and Washington is concerned China will use it to press its extensive territorial claims at the expense of weaker rivals.
China claims sovereignty over most of the South China Sea, through which $5 trillion in ship-borne trade passes every year. The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei also have overlapping claims.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi last week asserted Beijing's right to reclaim the reefs and said China's determination to protect its interests was "as hard as a rock."
China has also said it had every right to set up an Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) in the South China Sea but that current conditions did not warrant one.
ADIZs are used by some nations to extend control beyond national borders, requiring civilian and military aircraft to identify themselves or face possible military interception.
During the P8-A Poseidon mission, the pilot of a Delta Air Lines flight in the area spoke on the same frequency after hearing the Chinese challenges and identified himself as commercial. The Chinese voice reassured the pilot and the Delta flight went on its way, CNN said.
Delta Airlines did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
(Writing by Dean Yates, additional reporting by Michael Martina in Bejing and David Brunnstrom in Washington; Editing by Paul Tait, Jonathan Oatis and Steve Orlofsky)Something doesn't quite square up between U.S. housing data and what we know about the changing demographics of U.S. metro areas. As Census Bureau data show, growth in cities is tilting ever so slightly back toward the suburbs. Yet multifamily housing, mostly situated in urban centers, is still driving the American housing market. Are developers out of step with demand?
Between 2010 and 2013, several U.S. cities saw more growth than they did over the entire course of the decade between 2000 and 2010. As the Brookings Institution's William H. Frey has reported, cities with populations greater than 250,000 are showing growth rates of slightly more than 1 percent, much higher than the average growth rate for the previous decade.
In McKinney and other fast-growing suburbs and exurbs, rentals are the major force driving growth—just not multifamily rentals.
Yet the Census data also show that this growth rate is falling—albeit marginally. San Marcos, Cedar Park, and Georgetown, all three of them Austin suburbs of about 50,000, are the fastest growing cities in the country. While urban growth still outpaces suburban growth, Frey acknowledges that "the new numbers for 2012–13... suggest a closing of the city-suburb growth gap with the small downtick in city growth and an even tinier suburban growth uptick."
Even though suburban growth is catching up, the multifamily housing boom that has characterized explosive growth in center cities for the last several years is still driving the economy. With winter finally behind us, permits for new housing grew 8 percent in April; construction on new housing jumped a full 13 percent. Most of these new homes come in the form of apartment units. In April, there were 2,000 new permits for single-family homes versus 81,000 new permits for multifamily units. Housings starts showed the same wide divide: 5,000 new single-family homes versus 124,000 new multifamily units.As one Glaswegian makes his way out of Everton, another waits to be ushered in. David Moyes has never made any secret of his desire to manage at the highest level and the lure of Goodison Park, for all its chaotic recent history, should prove too much for this ambitious young Scot to resist.
Moyes may not have the CV wanted by those Evertonians who can recall the heady days when this rudderless club belonged to football's so-called Big Five. But his experiences at Preston over the past four years should go some way to proving that the appointment of a high-profile manager is not always the key to guaranteeing high-quality football.
Sir Bobby Charlton, Brian Kidd and Nobby Stiles - European Cup winners all - have tried and failed at Deepdale whereas Moyes has transformed the proud old club, saving them from relegation to the Third Division in his first season and leading them to the First Division play-off final last year having spent only £3.5m. They lost 3-0 to Bolton Wanderers, but even as he left the Millennium Stadium the feeling persisted that Moyes was destined for the Premiership anyway.
It is three years since Sir Alex Ferguson spoke at length to Moyes, a fellow graduate of Glasgow's Drumchapel Amateurs FC, about the possibility of succeeding Kidd as his assistant at Old Trafford only to opt for Steve McClaren instead.
Opportunities came and went for Moyes at Southampton and West Ham last summer, and Birmingham City's determination to tempt Steve Bruce from Crystal Palace saw his application to St Andrews overlooked earlier this season.
When all said and done, though, it is not difficult to see why Ferguson's research pointed him in the direction of Moyes and why, indeed, the United manager has recently been toying with the idea of offering him the assistant's job at the end of this season.
Quietly and effectively the soft-spoken 38-year-old has developed a reputation as one of the most progressive thinkers in the game. He took his first coaching badge at the age of 22 and used his own money to travel to the 1998 World Cup in France, visiting the various training camps and spending a week with the Scotland squad.
His ability to bring the best out of his players, operating on a tight budget, has transformed Preston from long-ball merchants to a neat passing team and has been noticed in boardrooms the length of the country. There has even been talk that he might join Sir Tom Finney, Bill Shankly and Alan Kelly in having one of the Deepdale stands named after him.
Ironically Moyes counts Smith as one of his closest friends and like the sacked Everton manager, comes with a reputation as a strict disciplinarian, fining players who give interviews without his permission and, according to one local journalist, "generally being a right so and so: what he says usually goes". He was also involved in a fight with two of his players, Paul McKenna and the goalkeeper Tepi Moilanen, on last summer's pre-season trip to Austria.
Despite all the knock-backs it has always seemed to be a question of when, rather than if, Moyes got a chance with a Premiership club. "I have a clause in my contract that says if bigger clubs come in for me I must be informed by Preston, and they have always respected that," he said recently.
"I want to be involved with clubs that win championships, are involved in Europe, and maybe even a national team. I want to get to the very top."
For the time being all that Everton will be able to offer is a fight against relegation, with disillusioned fans and, if the past few years are anything to go by, boardroom buffoonery to confuse matters further. The job will be huge but Everton clearly believe Moyes can transform their fortunes.
· You've read the piece, now have your say. Email your comments, as sharp or as stupid as you like, to the <a href="mailto:football.editor@guardianunlimited.co.uk">football.editor@guardianunlimited.co.uk.A few years ago I embarked on a quest to try and compare Alabama teams historically using what stats were available. Yes, it's virtually impossible to compare teams across several decades due to changes in rules, player physique and advancement in equipment but this is an attempt to glean what we can by what information we do have that is consistent historically.
Initially this was for defense and I pored through the rolltide.com archives, media guides and newspaper stat boxes (finally having to go through bound copies at the Tuscaloosa public library to complete the project). After I compiled the defensive stats I saw I could do the same with offense and followed up.
What I produced is a pair of spreadsheets that I've put on Google Drive so anyone can use the data which you can find at the following links:
The Alabama Crimson Tide's Defensive Statistics 2015-1961
The Alabama Crimson Tide's Offensive Statistics 2015-1971
I will update these every Sunday through the course of the season. A few notes on the information you will find therin.
Eventually I ended up having to use data that was found in the AP game stat synopses that was not standardized until the early 1960s. So for defensive stats things like sacks, tackles for loss and such just aren't in there and what is varies wildly.
I do have some of the raw stats for the offensive numbers going back to 1961 but I wanted to have something more robust than just the basic data I have the defensive stats. It worked out well since 1971 was the start of the Wishbone era.
Just for fun, I have all the points allowed totals for Alabama's championship teams on the page "Championship Seasons." It's of questionable value in terms of anaysis but it's pretty interesting to compare, say, the effectiveness of Wallace Wade's defense and Coach Bryant's.WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama broke the mold on Thursday by choosing a budget wonk to serve as U.S. Treasury secretary, leaving gaps on the international and financial side that could make for a rocky transition.
Jack Lew, Obama’s chief of staff, was chosen to lead the Treasury Department as the White House heads into another round of difficult talks with Congress on how to put the nation on a sound fiscal path.
By tapping a two-time White House budget director, Obama signaled the importance he places on the ongoing budget battles.
If the Senate confirms Lew, as widely expected, the budget expert’s most pressing task will be to ensure that Congress raises the nation’s debt ceiling in time for the United States to avoid a damaging default and credit-rating downgrades.
In selecting a Washington insider, Obama has potentially left the Treasury Department with holes in crucial areas: financial markets, regulation and international economics.
Obama’s outgoing Treasury secretary, Timothy Geithner, was previously president of the New York Federal Reserve Bank, where part of his job was to liaise with Wall Street and regulate big banks. He also had held top positions in President Bill Clinton’s Treasury Department and at the International Monetary Fund.
Geithner’s immediate predecessor, former Goldman Sachs CEO Hank Paulson, was also deeply steeped in the ways of Wall Street, as was Geithner’s boss during the Clinton administration, then-Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin.
“Jack Lew is by all accounts highly qualified to be secretary of the Treasury,” said Dennis Kelleher, the chief executive of the left-leaning group Better Markets, which supports tougher financial regulation.
“The one area of concern is whether or not he is sufficiently committed to quickly and thoroughly implementing financial reform and re-regulating Wall Street.”
WALL STREET SHORT-TIMER
Bankers and other financial services executives privately expressed concern that Lew lacked financial markets experience, even though he worked on Wall Street for two years. Sheila Bair, a former bank regulator, told CNBC television on Wednesday that “someone with a little broader perspective would be good.”
Lew, who is known as a strong administrator, admitted his financial experience was scant when he was vetted by the Senate to serve as a State Department deputy secretary and then as Obama’s budget chief.
At a Senate Budget Committee hearing in September 2010, he was pressed by Senator Bernie Sanders for his views on whether deregulation contributed significantly to the 2007-2009 financial crisis.
“I don’t consider myself an expert in some of these aspects of the financial industry,” Lew responded. “My experience with the financial industry has been as a manager, not as an investment adviser.”
“I don’t personally know the extent to which deregulation drove it, but I don’t believe that deregulation was the, you know, proximate cause,” he added.
Those comments upset Sanders, a political independent who supports tougher regulation. Sanders voted against Lew’s selection as budget chief, and on Thursday said he was prepared to vote against him again.
While Lew is expected to win confirmation, he could face a fair amount of opposition from a combination of left-leaning, pro-regulation lawmakers like Sanders and Republicans who have clashed with the nominee in past budget talks.
During his time on Wall Street, Lew was the chief operating officer of Citigroup’s global wealth management division. He later became COO for Citi Alternative Investments, a largely administrative role that was apart from investment decisions that portfolio managers would have made.
“I found that things he was responsible for doing worked better after he joined,” said Todd Thomson, who headed Citigroup’s wealth management unit in 2006 and hired Lew. “He’s very good at working across an organization, and bringing people together to resolve issues.”
Lew joined Citi on the recommendation of former Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin, who was then chairman of Citigroup’s executive committee. Rubin knew Lew from their time together in the Clinton administration.
LEW WHO?
Outside of Washington policy circles, Lew is little known. A number of financial officials in Asia and Europe drew a blank when asked by Reuters for their appraisal.
“People in the know should know a person who has served as OMB (Office of Management and Budget) chief. To me he is a total stranger,” said one official of a Group of 20 nation.
As Treasury secretary, Lew will not only have to represent the United States on the global stage, but he will have to deal with a host of tricky international economic problems from the challenges presented by China’s growing economic clout to Europe’s debt crisis.
One euro zone official involved in fighting the region’s debt problems said he was encouraged by Obama’s pick.
“The sign it sends is that (the United States) will be serious about the deficit and fiscal policy since (Lew) is an experienced fiscal policy specialist,” the official said.
If confirmed, Lew would come to the Treasury Department at a critical time for regulation. The Treasury secretary is essentially a regulator-in-chief who chairs the relatively new Financial Stability Oversight Council, a panel comprised of the country’s top banking and market regulators.
As chairman, he would have the authority to veto any FSOC initiative, even if all of the other members disagree.
The council is currently receiving comments on a controversial framework that proposes stringent new regulations on money market funds. It is also close to imposing additional rules on a handful of large, complex financial institutions meant to ensure they never threaten the stability of the financial system.
Both initiatives could be put on hold as Lew gets up to speed, or a top deputy could be required to play a bigger role.
QUICK STUDY
The 57-year old Lew is considered a quick study.
He was a rising star when he served as a top policy adviser to then-House of Representatives Speaker Tip O’Neill in the 1980s, a Democrat who worked with Republican President Ronald Reagan to reform the tax code and put the Social Security retirement program on more solid footing.
Former Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Arthur Levitt said Lew could handle any issue and that his lack of regulatory experience was not a problem.
Levitt said Lew was a strong defender of the SEC when Republicans once threatened to cut the agency’s budget over rules Levitt pushed to reduce auditor conflicts of interest. “I would say Jack Lew is probably a better person from an investor’s point of view than anyone I could think of,” he said.
U.S. President Barack Obama announces that White House Chief of Staff Jack Lew (R) will be his nominee for U.S. Treasury Secretary, replacing Timothy Geithner (L), in the East Room of the White House in Washington, January 10, 2013. REUTERS/Larry Downing
The Chamber of Commerce, the country’s biggest business lobby, and other influential trade and lobby groups also said Lew has the skills for the top U.S. economic post.
Lew’s selection could put pressure on the Obama administration to find a deputy with business and financial experience to help round out Lew’s deep knowledge of Congress and the budget. Current Treasury No. 2 Neal Wolin is expected to depart once he assures a smooth transition is in place.
“It’s important (Lew) has people around him who understand the markets,” said Tom Quaadman, a vice president with the Chamber. “So I think it will be more telling, to a degree, who he brings with him into the department itself.”I have a lot to say on this subject but not a lot of time to edit my diary, so this is going to be a bit of a long, winding piece. I apologize in advance. If you missed the link above and aren't aware of the issue, take a moment to read my last diary on the subject: Democrats: Stop the War on Vaping!
Attacking with fallacies
Although on its face this bill looks like just an advertising ban, make no mistake, it would reach throughout the industry due to its attack on flavors. This is a big turning point in the tobacco debate, as flavors have been demonized as "targeting children" when appearing in conjunction with tobacco. However e-cigarettes have no inherent tobacco flavor, or an inherent flavor at all, so almost every liquid is flavored, including tobacco-flavored liquids. Thus the entire industry, which by and large takes pains to keep sales to adults only (and is highly successful in doing it), traffics in flavors. Legislation and/or regulations will have to reckon with flavor on a level I don't think the introducers understand or appreciate.
Thing is, attacking e-cigarette manufacturers is a strawman. Attacking tobacco companies for their ecigarette activities is doubly so. That's because most e-cigarette manufacturers are overseas, and tobacco companies are late entrants into the e-cigarette game.
The vaping industry in the US, by number of companies, is largely importer/retailers and eliquid manufacturers. There are quite a few boutique hardware manufacturers as well. The vast majority of these businesses are small. Big tobacco is competing on the low end of the market, using its wide distribution networks to its advantage, but that is the extent of their activity to date. They have not adulterated the products, nor can they (see below regarding industry self-regulation).
To attack the entire industry as if it were as consolidated and powerful as the tobacco industry, shows a complete lack of understanding of the industry's dynamics and as a result will end up hurting primarily consumers and small businesses.
We're not like the others, we're your friends (literally)
The ecigarette industry is a very decentralized, consumer-driven industry. The great majority of vapor companies are not large enough to have significant advertising footprints, let alone are able to effect any kind of social engineering like the early tobacco company efforts. The ecigarette industry is exploding because of its product -- simply put ecigarettes are the best smoking replacement tool ever invented, allowing users to use nicotine in a minimally damaging way. This has the side effect of ending tobacco use and reducing or eliminating dependence.
The industry is driven by humongous demand for a better alternative to tobacco for people who at some point choose to use nicotine, a legal recreational substance. What makes the alternative better is also what makes the industry largely self-regulating -- it has to be less harmful than tobacco, the safer the better. Consumers seek out safety information on devices and liquids, and companies as a result put safety high on the priority list. Safety is a competitive advantage in the industry!
Evidence clear, data abused
The Democrats' campaign hinges on claims of harm, for which there is no scientific support. All current studies find ecigarettes to be less harmful than tobacco cigarettes by a massive degree. The potential for myriad health consequences is all but eliminated with the elimination of toxins and carcinogens.
The campaign also hinges on statistics showing an increase in use among children. These statistics have been woefully misused. Childhood use rates have increased at a time when general prevalence has skyrocketed, in many jurisdictions outpacing age restriction regulations. So as a baseline, increased childhood use is a foregone conclusion, there's just no way any product like this that is exploding in popularity won't find its way into more kids' hands. But in addition, sometimes it was perfectly legal for the children to acquire and use it (most agree that age restricting regulation is appropriate).
Yet over this period when use rose among children, smoking among children decreased. So there is not only no correlation, there is a negative correlation with smoking. The Senators tried to spin the 76% of teens trying ecigarettes being smokers as ecigarettes being the gateway. But the negative correlation tells the real story -- just like among adults, the vast majority of people who try ecigarettes were already smokers, likely looking for a better alternative.
Teen smoking is on the decline but experimentation with adult recreational substances among teens cannot possibly be completely eliminated. If some of those teens are experimenting with nicotine using ecigarettes rather than tobacco cigarettes -- even if it's their first time -- it's a win for society on balance.
Bad moves may create others
The EU has gone all-in on ecig regulation, making a whole slew of complete nonsense regulations (gigantic health warnings on a product that is shown not to harm health?) There was a huge grass-roots effort to reach out to EU representatives, but in the end the power of big business triumphed. All that is left is taking the issue to European courts.
The rhetoric in Europe shows a troubling dynamic where the presence of tobacco companies in the market is taken as a problem in and of itself, in the face of all evidence, and ignoring the history of the market.
Unfortunately, US legislators and regulators won't be able to help themselves and will likely seize upon this bad move by the EU to confirm their own biases.
There will be consequences
By staking out bad positions like this and then going on the offensive from them, Democrats have put themselves in a lose-lose situation. They stand to lose voters directly on the issue AND damage the brand by seemingly embodying the imperious "nanny state."
For people who have turned to vaping to escape tobacco harm, their friends and their families, this issue is literally one of life and death. Democrats would do well to take a step back and understand that they are playing political games with peoples' lives. Treating ecigarettes like tobacco is incredibly galling and insulting to people who have done the research and decided for themselves to use ecigarettes, and have witnessed firsthand health improvements. The science is rolling in, and it's overwhelming: Ecigarettes are a revolutionary, disruptive product that have the potential to save millions of lives and end society's tobacco problem.
All this leaves the Democratic Party's actions on the issue seeming terribly Machiavellian; the party has traditionally been the stronger of the two on the concept of harm reduction. This also alienates a lot of Democratic supporters, this diarist included -- this is not a partisan issue, many on the left are affected. We progressives don't need such a serious self-inflicted wound.
So again I call for Democrats to End the War on Vaping.As I mentioned in my column this week, the accounting assumptions behind the valuing of government pensions go a long way toward determining whether government workers appear to be overpaid — and also toward determining how much long-term fiscal trouble state and local governments face.
These governments generally assume that pension funds will earn 8 percent a year. That’s roughly the historical return of the stock market. Using that assumption, the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College estimates a current funding gap of $700 billion for all state |
that he told the truth. The only one who lied in this whole matter was Roger."
"As far as we're concerned, it's vindication," Earl Ward, one of McNamee's attorneys, said of the indictment.
"This all came about, ultimately, because of Roger's arrogance. He was the one who demanded the Congressional hearing. He's in this position now because of his arrogance," Ward told ESPN.With Ferrari and McLaren preparing to launch supercars next year, Bugatti is reportedly pulling out all the stops to ensure the models don't steal the Veyron's thunder.
Automobile Magazine reports the company will introduce an extreme Veyron Super at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show. Essentially a SuperSport on steroids, the ultra-prestigious model will reportedly feature additional carbon fiber and an upgraded 8.0- or 9.6-liter engine that develops 1,600 HP (1,177 kW). This could enable the supercar to accelerate from 0-100 km/h in 1.8 seconds and hit a top speed of 463 km/h (288 mph).
Those numbers sound unbelievable, but the magazine says they are possible because of a 249 kg (550 lb) weight reduction over the SuperSport. This means the car would tip the scales at 1,600 kg (3,527 lbs) and have a power-to-weight ratio of one-to-one.
The Veyron Super could cost in excess of $2.5 (€1.9 / £1.5) million.Via Jon Heyman, the Yankees have checked in with the Twins about the availability of Denard Span. Minnesota is unsurprisingly “asking for a ton.” The Yankees will be without Brett Gardner for the rest of the season and Nick Swisher recently went down with a left hip flexor, so the outfield is thin. Heyman reiterated that New York looked into both Shane Victorino and Justin Upton, which is old news.
Span, 28, is a very similar player to Gardner. He’s a left-handed swinger, doesn’t have any power (career.102 ISO), draws walks (career 9.8 BB%), and is a true center fielder with above average defense. Gardner will steal about twice as many bases and is probably better with the glove, but Span will put the ball in play more often (career 12.2 K%). He’s also signed very reasonably — the Twins owe him just $11.25M through 2014 with a $9M club option for 2015. Span would be a great replacement for Gardner this year but replacing Nick Swisher next year? Eh, they’d be lucky to get ten combined homers out of two outfield spots.INIKA McPHERSON has been catching the eye at the World Athletics Championships in London.
The 5ft 4in American high jumper has over 30 tattoos and is known for her striking appearance on the track.
Getty Images - Getty 2 Inika McPherson sported eye make-up during the high jump final
EPA 2 American high jumper Inika McPherson has caught the eye in London
Who is Inika McPherson?
Inika McPherson was born in September 1986 in Port Arthur Texas.
She was 2013 and 2014 US Indoor champion and holds the record for being the only woman of her height of 5ft 4in to clear 6ft 6in.
What was Inika McPherson banned for?
She tested positive for cocaine in June 2014, and served a 21-month doping ban through to March 2016.
McPherson told Fittish: "There was definitely not much in my system. Nothing that could have helped me anyway. I didn’t want any types of drugs to get better."
Was she in a relationship with fellow athlete Regina George?
She and Regina George - a sprinter with Nigerian and Venezualan dual citizenship - appeared to announce on social media that were in a relationship back in 2014 after posting pics together on Facebook.
Regina posted: "What's perfect for me might not be perfect for you."
Though the pair have not shared any pictures together in quite some time.Someone once asked me, if Judy’s uniform is a form of discrimination, just because she’s a small bunny, she needed more protection.
Well, no.
Chief Bogo seems to give a lot of leeway on his officers’ clothing.
In this single frame, we see:
ZPD “Blue” Uniform worn by many
worn by many ZPD Short-Sleeve Uniform worn by Bogo himself
worn by Bogo himself ZPD Tees worn by the wolves
worn by the wolves ZPD Armored / Field Uniform worn by Judy and Rhinowitz
Yes, Judy’s & Rhinowitz’s uniforms are very similar, even down to the Neoprene underclothing with knee protectors.
And, later on, Nick introduced yet another uniform variation: “Blue” Uniform with rolled-up sleeve:
These mammals in the bullpen, they are ZPD’s Finest, handpicked by Chief Bogo himself (except Judy, in the beginning). Bogo’s Pack.
They’ve earned themselves the privilege of dressing any which way with ZPD Uniform.After a strong finish in 2014, Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper is expecting big things as he starts the season leaner than last year and moves to right field. (McKenna Ewen/The Washington Post)
After a strong finish in 2014, Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper is expecting big things as he starts the season leaner than last year and moves to right field. (McKenna Ewen/The Washington Post)
One early March morning, just outside the third base line on a minor league field down the road from Space Coast Stadium, Lucas Giolito stood surrounded by a circle of his fellow prospects, who were listening to the 20-year-old rather than paying attention to infield drills.
Washington Nationals assistant general manager Doug Harris headed toward the huddle, signaling those who noticed not to tell Giolito. He lurked quietly behind the 6-foot-6 right-hander until a few wandering eyes and chuckles from his audience told Giolito he was there.
“Hi, Doug,” said Giolito with a half-guilty grin. “I’m telling a story!”
The players around him looked away determinedly, suddenly fascinated by their colleagues backing up bases. Harris walked away, his mission to refocus the youngsters accomplished. Giolito, considered the best right-handed pitching prospect in the game by Baseball America, called after him in self-defense:
“I was talking about baseball!”
Check out the new Nationals' pitcher Max Scherzer, who recently joined the team from the American League, swing a bat during his first week of hitting practice at spring training. The Nats gave him a seven-year, $210 million contract, but can he successfully lay down a bunt? (McKenna Ewen/The Washington Post)
Giolito and his audience are the future of the Nationals’ pitching staff. They are still developing on-field acumen, off-field maturity and perhaps the stamina to focus through a long day of workouts, but there are more of them now than ever before.
In the 10 years since the franchise moved to Washington, the Nationals never had more than two pitchers ranked among Baseball America’s top 100 prospects. This year, they have five, more than any other team. Some are nearly ready for the majors, others years away.
Names not on that prospect list, such as left-handers Matt Grace and Felipe Rivero, earned notice this spring. Right-hander Taylor Jordan has already proven himself capable of getting outs in the majors. A lesser known name, Dominican right-hander Reynaldo Lopez, rocketed up prospect lists when tweaks to his mechanics helped his power stuff to click. He is the 49th-ranked prospect in the top 100.
Barring injuries to established veterans, few of those players will have a chance this season to break into an overcrowded major league rotation and a bullpen stocked in part with homegrown arms. But their continued development assumes greater importance with the potential departures of Jordan Zimmermann and Doug Fister to free agency this winter, and the impending 2016 free agency of Stephen Strasburg.
“When we came into this thing, kind of our credo was when you have a real major league rotation, anything is possible,” Nationals General Manager Mike Rizzo said. “The early days we were building up. When you lose a lot of games, you pick early and should get pitchers in good drafts. But since then, even as we’ve picked at the bottom, we’ve been able to pluck out those good projectable arms.”
Rizzo picked Zimmermann in his first draft and Strasburg and Drew Storen in his second. Draftees since include Jordan, Lopez, Giolito and Erick Fedde, among others.
“When I first came over here, we were pretty thin,” said former minor league pitching coordinator and current player development adviser Spin Williams. “We didn’t have a lot of guys who threw hard. Through good scouting and drafting, we’re starting to get them at every level.”
Nationals infielder Ryan Zimmerman works on first base drills with manager Matt Williams during spring training. After the 2014 season, the Nationals declined the option for first baseman Adam LaRoche, which moved Zimmerman to the position full time. (McKenna Ewen/The Washington Post)
The Nationals have also sought young power pitchers in trades. A.J. Cole, who would likely be in the rotation in any other season but this one, was originally a Nationals draft pick, traded to Oakland, then re-acquired in the trade that sent Michael Morse to Seattle. Blake Treinen, an unheralded Athletics prospect, came with him. Treinen, 26, looks to be pitching his way into a key bullpen role.
In the deal this December that sent Steven Souza Jr. to Tampa Bay, the Nationals acquired right-hander Joe Ross from the Padres.
“From the little bit I’ve seen him, I think it’s been a really good trade for us,” said Williams, who lauded Ross’s athleticism and 6-4 frame as moldable assets.
Height and athleticism make bodies “projectable,” scout-speak for the ability to add muscle and support it, perfect for power pitching. Rizzo said the Nationals have tried to accumulate as many such pitchers as possible over the years.
“We don’t want to come off like we reinvented the wheel here,” he said, but did say the Nationals build “stringent, strict protocol and pitching plans” for each pitcher, suited to his body, mechanics, and experience levels.
“The development of pitchers here is great,” said Giolito, who said the Nationals monitor pitch counts and workloads meticulously. “You see guys that came through the system that are pitching in the big leagues. It’s not all outside arms. You’ve got Strasburg, Zimmermann, etc. — all developed right here.”
The Nationals have been particularly careful with Giolito, who pitched to an innings limit last year following Tommy John surgery. As evidenced by their much-discussed shutdown of Strasburg in 2012, Washington is willing to be patient, to wait out rehab or still-growing arm strength in the interest of long-term dividends. They selected Fedde, a highly touted right-hander, in the first round of the 2014 draft despite his recent Tommy John surgery. Fedde threw his first bullpen session since the procedure last week.
“That was the best first bullpen after Tommy John I’ve ever seen,” Giolito told Fedde afterward. After two years in the Nationals’ system, he has seen plenty of them. Big-bodied pitchers — some with repaired elbows, others in need of mechanical tweaks, many with mid-90s fastballs — can now be found at most levels of Washington’s system.
Whether Cole, Ross, Giolito and others continue to develop remains to be seen. However effective the Nationals’ draft-and-develop plan has been rejuvenating the minor league system, three of their five major league starters were drafted and developed by other organizations. But when it comes time to plug a hole or rebuild the rotation, the Nationals believe they have replacements on those minor league fields down the road.A24 and DirecTV have acquired U.S. rights to zombie comedy “Life After Beth,” five days after its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival.
The purchase includes a 30-day exclusive window for DirecTV prior to the theatrical release as part of an overall deal announced in September by A24 and the satcaster to jointly acquire films for U.S. distribution.
“Life After Beth” is financed by Starstream Entertainment and Abbolita Prods. Producers are Liz Destro and Michael Zakin of American Zoetrope. Jeff Baena directed “Beth” from his own script, with Aubrey Plaza, John C. Reilly, Dane DeHaan, Paul Reiser and Anna Kendrick starring.
DeHaan plays a man devastated by the unexpected death of his girlfriend, played by Plaza, who mysteriously returns and gives him a second chance at love as his world is upended.
WME Global and CAA repped the U.S. rights while XYZ is handing international.
Geoff Berkshire gave the film an upbeat review at Sundance, calling it “laugh out loud funny.”
The first film covered in the alliance between A24 and DirectTV was “Enemy,” starring Jake Gyllenhaal and directed by Denis Villeneuve.President hires himself as Coach
By Football Italia staff
Maurizio Zamparini take note, as Serie D side Fulgor Molfetta saw their President sack the Coach and take over the bench himself.
Mauro Lanza is a colourful figure at the club, based near Bari, and after firing his tactician, decided there was no need to search for a replacement.
Instead, President Lanza took charge of the games and their training sessions, which for some reason included getting the players to fire shots at the wall as hard as possible.
It proved an inspired change, as Molfetta ended their crisis with a point against AZ Picerno.
Lanza is balancing his many jobs now, as President, Coach and the owner of a petrol station.
Palermo and Brescia, whose Presidents Zamparini and Massimo Cellino have been through dozens of Coaches, must be tempted to follow suit.
However, in Serie A and B, you need a specific licence to work as a Coach.Six persons were arrested by Evanston police and charged with drug violations that involved additional arrests by police in Chicago and several neighboring suburbs, according to Cmdr. Joseph Dugan of the EPD.
A complete news release is awaiting an agreement among the participating departments, Dugan said, but today’s daily crime report lists the names of the Evanston six who were arrested over a four-day period last week.
Drake Allen Norwood, 27, of 2042 W. Farragut Ave., Chicago, was arrested last Monday at 8:40 p.m. at that address and was charged with the manufacture or delivery of 30 grams of cannabis or less.
The other five were charged with “calculated criminal cannabis conspiracy.”
Joshua Rizo, 29, of 930 Judson Ave., was arrested at that address at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday.
Andrew Kung, 27, of 3651 W. Cornelia Ave., Chicago, was arrested at that address at 2:40 p.m. Thursday. Also arrested Thursday were Michael Deandre Singleton, 32, of 2000 W. Warren Blvd., Chicago, at that address, at 3:45 p.m., and Carlisle L. Green, 33, of 919 W. Leland Ave., Chicago, at 22 W. Hubbard St., Chicago, at 9:30 p.m.
Arrested on Friday at 2:30 p.m. was Nicholas English, 28, of 1302 N. Cleveland Ave., Chicago, at that address.
All except English are due in court in Skokie on Oct. 28 at 9 a.m. No court date was released for English.ARM
In the wake of a solid earnings report, ARM's CEO Warren East said Microsoft may have some potential advantages over Android in the tablet market.
ARM processors power the vast majority of tablets and smartphones sold globally. And for the first time with Windows 8, a mainstream Windows operating system will run on both ARM and Intel chips.
Responding to an analyst's question about why consumers would buy Windows 8 tablets when Android tablet sales have been "disappointing," East cited Microsoft's brand recognition among consumers.
Microsoft's brand advantage: "Consumers are familiar with Microsoft and very familiar with Windows and they're less familiar with an Android environment. Microsoft has an awareness advantage with consumers that the Android folks didn't have," he said.
East continued. "It's up to Microsoft [and we'll see] how well they're going to exploit that advantage. But I think that's a fundamental difference."
Give Android more time: That said, East believes Android tablet sales will eventually take off. "Actually when Android phones were introduced, there was a lot of hype. And then, actually, they didn't take off in the sort of way that reflected that hype. Then a few years later--two years later--half a million units a day, 700,000 units a day. [Android phones now are] really...a very successful product," he said.
"I think we should give Android tablets a little bit more time," he added.
Intel has its work cut out for it in the smartphone market: East also made it clear that Intel has a big challenge on its hands as it tries to get traction in the smartphone and tablet market.
"One of the factors that--one of the hurdles--that they have to overcome is the fact that every day there's 700,000 Android phones activated around the ARM architecture and the application developers are working on creating applications that run on ARM," he said.
East continued. "So Intel [is] going to have...to compete with the 20 or so ARM licensees who are very actively supplying apps processors...This is really a question for Intel as to how well they think they're going to be able to overcome those hurdles."
The earnings conference call was streamed live on ARM's investor page.Rosie O’Donnell says she met the daughter of her tormentor-in-chief, Donald Trump, Wednesday night in Manhattan.
“@IvankaTrump in a city of 8 million – we meet face 2 face – i thank u 4 listening – mother 2 mother – on this new years week – my best 2 u,” O’Donnell said on Twitter, referring to the Jewish New Year.
The apparently accidental run-in took place at Nobu on 57th Street at 9 p.m., O’Donnell claimed.
Ivanka Trump has not confirmed the meeting with her father’s long-running adversary, nor has the GOP presidential candidate.
The feud between the two appears to have been sparked in 2006 when O’Donnell lashed out at the mogul for not firing a Miss USA accused of using drugs, underage drinking and sexual indiscretions.
O’Donnell, then a co-host of “The View,” lashed out at Trump for not being “a self-made man” and for being a “snake oil salesman.”
“[He] left the first wife — had an affair. [He] had kids both times, but he’s the moral compass for 20-year-olds in America. Donald, sit and spin, my friend,” she said at the time.
Trump replied by calling O’Donnell “a real loser” and warned: “Rosie will rue the words she said … I’ll most likely sue her for making those false statements — and it’ll be fun. Rosie’s a loser. A real loser. I look forward to taking lots of money from my nice fat little Rosie.”
During the late September presidential debate, Hillary Clinton referred to the war of words, saying: “This is a man who has called women pigs, slobs and dogs.”
The mogul responded, “Some of it I said to somebody who has been very vicious to me, Rosie O’Donnell.”
He added, “I said very tough things to her and I think everybody would agree she deserves it and nobody feels sorry for her.”
That night, Sept. 26, O’Donnell emphatically tweeted: “HE WILL NEVER BE PRESIDENT.”In a press conference this morning Mayor Lee intended to unveil a brand new fleet of 62 biodiesel-electric hybrid Muni coaches. Unfortunately for the Mayor and the Municipal Railway's public relations team, the flagship bus broke down while carrying an all-star load of city officials from the Pier 48 news conference back to work at City Hall.
According to Bay City News, Mayor Lee and his fellow riders had to go through the always-frustrating exercise of hopping off and waiting for the next one. For the mayor, who is normally chauffeured around town in his official Chevy Volt, this must have been an especially trying time. Having done it several times ourselves, we're guessing he strolled into his next meeting 20 minutes late and announced, "Sorry, everybody. Muni broke down," with an exasperated sigh.
According to Muni spokesman Paul Rose, the untimely bus malfunction had something to do with the vehicle's hydraulic system. Update: Rose and Bay City News updated their story later. Apparently, a sensor was incorrectly showing that the rear door was open, preventing it from driving away. While the whole thing seems like a bad omen for the future of San Francisco public transit, now that Mayor Lee has finally had to experience our collective Muni nightmare, maybe he'll have a little compassion the next time he's looking over the budget. At the very least he got some standard San Francisco cocktail party banter out of it.
To counter the bad press, we humbly suggest Mayor Lee take the stage at the next Muni Diaries Live event. Then the joke of a public transit system can come full circle.
In other news: Mayor Lee did get an opportunity to thank Felicia Anderson, the Muni operator who drove her bus to the hospital when one of her riders was shot onboard. So Muni isn't all terrible.
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Abstract
A processor core is the heart that determines the characteristics of a computer architecture. It is where the arithmetic and logic functions are mostly concentrated. The Instruction Set Architecture (ISA) is implemented in this portion of the circuitry. Although it should be noted that in a modern day architecture like Intel® Xeon Phi™ coprocessor, less than 20% of the chip area is dedicated to the core. Let us look at what led to the development of the Intel Xeon Phi architecture that will provide us some hints why the coprocessor core is designed the way it is done.
The Intel® Pentium Pro–based processors designed around long execution pipeline and high degree of out of order instruction execution, reached a power barrier while trying to increase processor performance by increasing frequency. The demand for computing was still in its infancy and the computing industry started the move towards parallel and muticore programming to feed the demand. The technical computing industry needed more compute power than provided by existing multicore architecture to continue modeling real world problems in wide range of fields from oil and gas exploration to biomedical engineering. As an example, in oil and gas exploration field, high performance computing is a competitive advantage for those who can make use of these computing resources to drill efficiently for oil recovery. By reducing the number of holes drilled on earth, in search for oil reservoirs, helps the environment in addition to saving millions of dollars in expenses. However, good simulation needed for this requires processor performance and power efficiency in the near future may not be satiable by current serial or muticore based architecture. Current architectural design and roadmap will need disruptive technology to make each core substantially faster within the power envelope to meet the technical computing demand of the near future.
As a result, the computing industry started looking for alternate attached coprocessor solutions from Clearspeed*, various FPGA solutions, and graphics chips such as from AMD*, NVIDIA*, to improve performance of the scientific applications. However developing and maintaining such software seemed prohibitively costly for practical industrial development environment. What was needed was a universal coprocessor programming language and/or processor architecture to leverage the development and tuning expertise of today’s software engineers to achieve the power and performance goals of future computational needs. The architecture team within Intel found out that the cores based on Intel® Pentium designs could be extremely power efficient on current semiconductor process architecture due to short pipelines and low frequency operations. These cores could also retain many of the existing programming models that most of the developers in the world were already using. For the technical computing industry, the years of investment that has been put in the software development has to be preserved. The underlying hardware may change, however compatibility and ease of portability of existing software plays a critical role in technical computing applications in selecting different hardware platforms.
This decision to use Intel® Pentium cores started the effort to develop Intel’s first publicly available many integrated core architecture dubbed as Intel® MIC architecture.
In this architecture, a single in-order core is replicated up to 61 times in Intel® Xeon Phi™ design and placed in a high performance bidirectional ring network with fully coherent L2 caches. Each of the cores supports four hyper-threads to keep the core’s computing process busy by pulling in data to hide latency. The cores are also designed to run at turbo modes, that is if the power envelop allows, the core frequency could be increased to increase performance.
These cores have dual issue pipelines with Intel 64 instruction support and 16 floating-point (32-bit) wide SIMD units with FMA support that can work on 16 single precision or 8 double precision data with a single instruction. The instructions can be pipelined at a throughput rate of one vector instructions per cycle. The core contains a 32-KB 8-way set associative L1 data and instruction cache. There are 512 KB per core L2 cache shared among four threads and there is a hardware prefetcher to prefetch cache data. The L2 caches between the cores are fully coherent.
The core is a 2-wide processor meaning it can execute two instructions per cycle, one on U-pipe and the other on V-pipe. It also contains an x87 unit to perform floating point instructions when needed.
The Intel Xeon Phi core has implemented a 512-bit Vector ISA that can execute 16 single-precision floating-point or 32-bit integer and 8 double-precision floating-point or 64-bit integer vector instructions. Vector units consist of 32x 512-bit vector registers and 8 mask registers to allow predicated execution on the vector elements. Support for Scatter/Gather vector memory instructions makes assembly code generation easier for assembly coders or compiler engineers. Floating point operations are IEEE 745 2008 compliant. Intel Xeon Phi architecture supports single-precision transcendental instructions for exp, log, recip, sqrt functions in hardware.
The vector unit communicates with the core and executes vector instructions allocated in the U or V pipeline. The core can execute two instructions per clock, one on U-pipe and another on the V-pipe. The V-pipe executes a subset of the instructions and is governed by instruction pairing rules, which is important to account for in getting optimum processor performance.
Calculating Theoretical Performance of Intel Xeon Phi cores
For an instantiation of Intel® Xeon Phi™ coprocessor with 60 usable cores, running at 1.1 GHz, you can compute theoretical performance as follows (for single precision operations):
GFLOP/sec =16 (SP SIMD Lane) x 2 (FMA) x 1.1 (GHZ) x 60 (# cores) = 2112 for single precision arithmetic
GFLOP/sec = 8 (DP SIMD Lane) x 2 (FMA) x 1.1 (GHZ) x 60 (# cores) = 1056 for double precision arithmetic
Note: Since Intel® Xeon Phi™ processor runs an OS inside, which make take up a core to service hardware/software requests like interrupts. As such, often a 61 core processor may end up with 60 cores available for pure computation tasks.
Core Pipeline Stages
The core pipeline is divided into seven stages for integer instructions plus six extra stages for vector pipeline as shown in the Figure 1 below.
Each stage including E and prior stages is speculative since things such as a branch mispredict, data cache miss, or TLB miss can invalidate all the work done up to this stage. Once it enters the WB stage, it is done and updates the machines states.
Each core is 4-way multithreaded; that is, each core can concurrently execute instructions from four threads/processes. This helps reduce the effect of vector pipeline latency and memory access latencies, thus keeping the execution units busy.
Traditional instruction fetch stage (IF) is broken down into two stages. The first two stages PPF (pre thread picker) and PF (thread picker) are called thread picker stages, where it selects the thread to execute. The PPF stage prefetches instructions for a thread context into the prefetch buffers. There are four buffers per thread in the prefetch buffer space and these can contain 32 bytes each per buffer. There are two streams per thread. Once one of the stream is stalled, say due to branch mispredict, a second stream is switched in while the branched target stream is being prefetched.
The PF stage selects the thread to execute by sending the instruction pairs to decode stages. The hardware cannot issue instructions back to back from the same thread in the core. To reach full execution unit utilization at least two threads must be running at all times. This is important to note as this may affect execution performance in some scenarios [see code example below].Each of the four threads has a ready-to-run buffer (prefetch buffer) of two instructions deep as each core is able to issue two instructions per clock (U-pipe + V-pipe). The picker function (PF) examines the prefetch buffer to determine the next thread to schedule. Priority to refill (PPF) a prefetch buffer corresponding to a thread is given to the thread executing at current cycle. If the executing thread has a control transfer to a target not in the buffer, it will flush the buffer and will try to load the instruction from the instruction cache. If it misses the instruction cache, a core install will happen and this may cause a performance penalty. The prefetch function behaves in a round robin fashion when instructions are in the prefetch buffer. It is not possible to issue instructions from the same context in back-to-back cycles. The refill of the instruction prefetch buffer takes 4–5 cycles, which means it may take 3–4 threads running for optimal performance. When PPF and PF are properly synchronized, the core can execute in full speed even with two hardware contexts. When they are not synchronized (as in the case of a cache miss), a one clock bubble may be inserted. One possible solution to avoid this performance loss is to run three or more threads in such cases(useful for optimization).
Figure 1 Coprocessor Core Integer and Vector Pipeline and Simplified Instruction/Data Flow Model
Once the thread picker has chosen an instruction to send down the pipe to instruction decode stages. Stage D0 and D1 decode them at the rate of two per clock. At the D0 stage we do the fast prefix decoding where a given set of prefixes can be decoded without penalty. Other sets of prefixes may imply a two clock penalty (legacy prefixes). The D1 stage ucode ROM is also a source of microcode, which is muxed in with the ucodes generated by the previous decoding stage. The processor reads the general purpose register file at D2 stage, does the address computation, and looks up the speculative data cache. The decoded instructions are sent down to execution unit using two paths called the U and V pipelines, named as such for historic reasons. U is the first path taken by the first instruction in the pair and the second instruction if pairable (there are some pairing rules that dictate which instruction can pair up with the instructions sent down the U-pipe) is sent down the V-pipe. At this stage for integer instructions, the instructions are executed in the ALUs. For scalar integer instructions, once they reach the writeback(WB) stage they are done. There is a separate pipeline for x87 floating point and vector instructions that starts after the core pipeline. For vector instructions, when they reach the WB stage, the core thinks they are done, but they are not done, because the vector unit keeps working on them until they are done at the end of the vector pipeline five cycles later. At this stage they don’t raise any exceptions and will get done.
Intel Xeon Phi processors have global stall pipeline architecture; that is, part of the pipeline will stall if one of the stages is stalled for some reason. Modern Intel Xeon architecture has queues to buffer the stalls between the front and back end.
Many changes were made to the original 32-bit P54c architecture to make it into an Intel Xeon Phi 64-bit processor. The data cache was modified to non-blocking by implementing thread-specific flush. When a thread has a cache miss, it is now possible to flush only the pipeline corresponding to that thread without blocking other threads. When the data is available for the thread that had a cache misses, it will be wake up.
Cache and TLB Structure
The details of the L1 instruction and data cache structure are shown in Table 1. The data cache allows simultaneous read and write allowing cache line replacement to happen in a single cycle. The L1 cache consists of 8 ways set associative 32 KB L1 instruction and 32 KB L1 data cache. The L1 cache access time is approximately 3 cycles as we shall measure in the exploration section. L2 cache is 8 way set associative and 512 KB in size. The cache is unified, that is it caches both data and instructions. The L2 cache latency could be as small as 14-15 cycles as measured in the core exploration section below.
Table 1 Intel® Xeon Phi™ L1 I/D Cache Configuration
Size 32KB Associativity 8-way Line Size 64 bytes Bank Size 8 bytes Outstanding Misses 8 Data Return Out of order
L1 data TLB supports three page sizes, 4 KB, 64 KB, and 2MB, as shown in Table 2. It also has a L2 TLB that acts as a true second level TLM for 2-MB pages or acts as a cache for page directory entries (PDE) for 4-KB and 64-KB pages. If one misses L1 and also misses L2 TLB, one has to walk four levels of page table, which is pretty expensive. For 4-KB/64-KB pages, if one misses the L1 TLB but hits the L2 TLB, it will provide the page directory entry (PDE – see Figure 2) entry directly and be done with the page translation.
The page translation mechanism allows the applications to use much larger address space than physically available in the processor. The size of physical address is implementation specific of the hardware. Intel Xeon Phi supports 40 bit physical address in 64-bit mode that is the coprocessor will generate 40 bit physical address signal on the memory address bus of the coprocessor. Although Intel Xeon Phi supports various virtual address mode like 32 bit, physical address extension (36 bit) mode, we shall focus mainly on 64 bit mode as that is what is implemented through the micro os running on the coprocessor. In 64 bit mode, there is architectural support for applications to use 64 bits linear address. The ‘paging’ mechanism implemented in operating system allows these linear address used by an application to map to physical address which can be less than 64 bit. 64 bit linear address is used to address code, data and stack. The micro os running on the coprocessor uses 4 level hierarchical paging. Linear address generated by an application is grouped in fixed length interval known as pages. The micro-OS running on Intel Xeon Phi supports 4KB and 2MBpage sizes (although 4MB is implemented in the hardware is not supported by current micro-os). Application or OS may chose and move between various page sizes to reduce the TLB misses. The current micro-os as of this writing implements transparent huge page (THP) to automatically promote or demote pages sizes during an application run.
The operating system createsdata structures known as page table data structures which the hardware uses to translate linear addresses into physical address. These page tabledata structures reside in the memory and created and managed by the operating system or micro-os in case of Intel Xeon Phi. There are four levels of page table data structures:
Page Global Directory
Page Upper Directory
Page Middel Directory
Page Table
There is a special processor register, known as CR3 which points to the base of the data structure Page Global Directory. Each data structure contains a set of entries that points to next lower level table structure. The lowest level entries in the hierarchy points to the translated page which when combined with the offset from the linear address provide the physical address that can be used to access the memory location. The translation process is shown in Figure 2.
The linear address can be logically divided into
“Page Global Directory Offset” that combines with the base address of ‘Page Global Directory Table’ found in CR3 register to locate Page Upper Directory table. “Page Directory Pointer entry” that selects an entry from Page Upper Directory Offset table to locate ‘Page Middle Directory Table’. Page Directory Entrythat selects and entry from Page Middle Directory Offset table to determine the page table location in memory, Page Table Entry that selects the physical page address by indexing into the Page Table discovered in step 3 above. Page offset then provides the actual physical address from the page address discovered in step 4. This address is used by the hardware to fetch the data.
The sole work of TLB (translation look aside buffer) is to reduce the page walk necessary to locate the page corresponding to steps 1 through 4 and save the Page address discovered in step 4 in the TLB cache.
Each applications running in the operating system has a separate set of this table structure and switched in and out by changing the CR3 register value corresponding to the application.
Figure 2: Linear to Physical address translation in Intel Xeon Phi Coprocessor
Table 2 Intel® Xeon Phi™ TLB Configuration
Page Size Entries Associativity L1 Data TLB 4KB 64 4-way 64KB 32 4-way 2MB 8 4-way L1 Instruction TLB 4KB 64 4-way L2 TLB 4KB, 64KB, 2MB 64 4-way
L2 Cache Structure
The L2 cache is the secondary cache for the core. L2 cache is inclusive of L1 cache. It is okay to have a cache line in L2 only, but L1 cache lines must have a copy in L2. L2 cache associated with each core is of size 512 KB. The cache is divided into 1024 sets and 8 ways |
"(the) suppression of puberty should be offered when the long-term consequences of delaying treatment are likely to be worse than the likely long-term consequences of treatment."�
Giordano's research said it was difficult, if not impossible, ethically, to be specific about when hormone blockers should be used because children have different experiences at different times. "Hence, the individual nature of readiness for a decision of this kind makes the psycho-therapeutic element all the more important," she stated in the study.
Spack and Leis are among the pediatric specialists who agree that thorough and ongoing counseling is important for transgender children and their families who are considering puberty-blocking medications.
In his personal experience, Spack said, one of 300 transgender youth changed his mind about which sex he was meant to be. "Puberty can always be resumed," Spack added, just by stopping treatment.
Sophie Lynne, 49, a transgender woman who speaks at Philadelphia area colleges and universities on transgender issues, calls her generation "transgender dinosaurs."
"With hormone blockers used earlier," she said, "the next generation won't have to grow up like us."
Freda R. Savana: 215-345-3061; email, fsavana@calkins.com; Twitter, @fredasavanaWhile the debate rages over whether or not Donald Trump’s executive order barring refugees and immigrants from 7 Muslim-majority nations from entering the U.S. is constitutional, there is another element of Trump’s ban that isn’t getting as much attention as it deserves.
According to a courtroom currently trying to rule on an element of the ban, the government has just revealed that the effects of Trump’s ban have already had massive, permanent effects to lawful residents.
In a courtroom in the Eastern District of Virginia, the federal government revealed that more than 100,000 legal visas have been permanently revoked in the aftermath of Trump’s ban, an unlawful effect of the executive order.
Officials were able to unconstitutionally revoke these 100,000+ visas because of an additional measure signed by President Trump last Friday which was not revealed to the public until this past Tuesday.
For those who already believe that Trump’s executive order was overreach and an unconstitutional violation of rights, this new revelation is even more stunning proof.
It appears that due to the lack of direction from the Executive Branch, officials have forced legal visa holders to turn over their legal documents and had their visas taken away from them for good.
Anyone who has gone through the process of obtaining a legal visa knows what was taken cannot so easily be replaced – the process is time-consuming, invasive, and expensive. Now there are 100,000 people stranded who knows where, with no ability to resume their lawful lives in the United States.
These residents and visitors had a legal right to be in this nation. They did everything right, and our government betrayed them and stripped them of their rights. This isn’t just a handful of people who were violated, but any number greater than 100,000.
Even the Republicans who have until now backed the POTUS’s order should declare this element to be clearly unconstitutional and immoral. If they do not, they are betraying the elements of this nation that even they should believe in.
This is an unimaginable crime, and the President should face the full consequences of his actions."The graduate here has learned both the art and the science of preservation and new construction," says Colby M. Broadwater III, a retired Army lieutenant general brought in as president in 2008 to apply some military discipline to the school's finances. "How to build a business, the drawing and drafting that underlies all of it … the language, the math that supports the building functions, the science of why materials fail—all of those things wrapped into a liberal arts and science education."
Every student in the college majors in building arts, but can choose one of six specializations: architectural stone, carpentry, forged architectural iron, masonry, plasterwork, or timber framing. The college seeks to combine a traditional liberal arts curriculum with intensive crafts training, often teaching disciplines like history or math by way of the latter; for example, history is taught with an architectural history focus.
Charleston would recover from Hugo, but city leaders, newly appreciative of high-quality craftsmanship, decided that something had to be done to prevent traditional building arts from disappearing for good. So Riley and a group of local preservationists worked together to found a college. It took a while—the first class graduated in 2009—but today the American College of the Building Arts (ACBA) is the only school in the United States to offer a bachelor's degree in traditional building trades.
These trades had traditionally been passed down by skilled craftsmen to their sons or apprentices, but that old system had long since been fading away. "It was a recognition that a generation of teachers had diminished," says Mayor Joe Riley, who has been in office since 1975.
When Hurricane Hugo hit Charleston, South Carolina, in 1989, its Category 4 winds carried off nearly every roof in town, leaving homes and businesses to be flooded by torrential rain. Not since the earthquake of 1886 had the city seen such devastation, and as residents set about rebuilding, they soon realized they had another problem on their hands: a shortage of artisans trained in skills like masonry, ironwork, and plastering, necessary to repair the city's famous historic buildings.
Broadwater acknowledges that the college had a rocky first few years, with budget shortfalls and administrative upheaval, but its educational program has won wide praise from preservation advocates. In the long run, he argues, the school's mission is about environmental conservation as much as it is about historic preservation, since graduates will be able to sustain careful craftsmanship in an era of aesthetically identical strip malls and vinyl-clad McMansions.
"Most of the work they're doing is new construction,” he says. "If you're building new buildings that aren't designed to be torn down in 50 years, you're not filling up landfills."
The college's current main campus is Charleston's 1802 jail, a handsome, crenellated brick structure where the Confederacy used to hold Union prisoners during the Civil War. It had been vacant for almost 50 years when administrators bought it in 2000, and over the years, students have helped rehabilitate it. This year, if all goes as planned, the college will move into the derelict 1897 Trolley Barn, a much larger space that the city sold to ACBA in November for a nominal $10.
The symbiotic relationship between the college and its city extends further than donated real estate.
But the symbiotic relationship between the college and its city extends further than donated real estate. "Of all the cities that would have a building college, it makes the most sense that it would be Charleston," Mayor Riley says, noting that the city was an early locus of historic preservation. The city also serves as an open classroom for students, who write case studies of historic structures around town.
"I didn't know much about architecture when I started school," admits senior James Hess. "But after four years, I find myself constantly wandering around looking at buildings. This is a wonderful city for that. You would be hard-pressed to find a place as perfect as Charleston."
Hess, who doesn't graduate until this spring, already has three job offers.
Hess is typical of the college's 43 students, whose average age is 23 and who often come to the college after a previous stint in higher education. After graduating from high school in Sumter, South Carolina, Hess followed a path well trodden by smart middle-class kids who aren't sure what they want to do with their lives—he enrolled in a conventional liberal arts college.
Four years later, he graduated with a degree in English and German, along with the certainty that he never wanted to work in an office. He learned about ACBA through a friend and enrolled the very next semester, choosing as his major the challenging trade of timber framing.
Hess, who doesn't graduate until this spring, already has three job offers. Although graduates are in demand, the college has struggled to attract as many students as it needs for long-term stability. That is in part because ACBA is still working to gain accreditation from the National Association of Schools of Art and Design, a lengthy process that Broadwater hopes will be resolved this year. The next goal, he says, is to grow to about 180 to 200 students, a population that the renovated Trolley Barn will easily accommodate.
"The Trolley Barn gives them a future," Mayor Riley says. The city wanted to create an institution that would last, and he's confident that it will. "We'll continue to support them, but I think they're on their way."It is true that similar confusion and uncertainty, and in some cases similar discordance, exist respecting the first principles of all the sciences, not excepting that which is deemed the most certain of them, mathematics; without much impairing, generally indeed without impairing at all, the trustworthiness of the conclusions of those sciences. An apparent anomaly, the explanation of which is, that the detailed doctrines of a science are not usually deduced from, nor depend for their evidence upon, what are called its first principles. Were it not so, there would be no science more precarious, or whose conclusions were more insufficiently made out, than algebra; which derives none of its certainty from what are commonly taught to learners as its elements, since these, as laid down by some of its most eminent teachers, are as full of fictions as English law, and of mysteries as theology. The truths which are ultimately accepted as the first principles of a science, are really the last results of metaphysical analysis, practised on the elementary notions with which the science is conversant; and their relation to the science is not that of foundations to an edifice, but of roots to a tree, which may perform their office equally well though they be never dug down to and exposed to light. But though in science the particular truths precede the general theory, the contrary might be expected to be the case with a practical art, such as morals or legislation. All action is for the sake of some end, and rules of action, it seems natural to suppose, must take their whole character and colour from the end to which they are subservient. When we engage in a pursuit, a clear and precise conception of what we are pursuing would seem to be the first thing we need, instead of the last we are to look forward to. A test of right and wrong must be the means, one would think, of ascertaining what is right or wrong, and not a consequence of having already ascertained it.
The difficulty is not avoided by having recourse to the popular theory of a natural faculty, a sense or instinct, informing us of right and wrong. For- besides that the existence of such- a moral instinct is itself one of the matters in dispute- those believers in it who have any pretensions to philosophy, have been obliged to abandon the idea that it discerns what is right or wrong in the particular case in hand, as our other senses discern the sight or sound actually present. Our moral faculty, according to all those of its interpreters who are entitled to the name of thinkers, supplies us only with the general principles of moral judgments; it is a branch of our reason, not of our sensitive faculty; and must be looked to for the abstract doctrines of morality, not for perception of it in the concrete. The intuitive, no less than what may be termed the inductive, school of ethics, insists on the necessity of general laws. They both agree that the morality of an individual action is not a question of direct perception, but of the application of a law to an individual case. They recognise also, to a great extent, the same moral laws; but differ as to their evidence, and the source from which they derive their authority. According to the one opinion, the principles of morals are evident a priori, requiring nothing to command assent, except that the meaning of the terms be understood. According to the other doctrine, right and wrong, as well as truth and falsehood, are questions of observation and experience. But both hold equally that morality must be deduced from principles; and the intuitive school affirm as strongly as the inductive, that there is a science of morals. Yet they seldom attempt to make out a list of the a priori principles which are to serve as the premises of the science; still more rarely do they make any effort to reduce those various principles to one first principle, or common ground of obligation. They either assume the ordinary precepts of morals as of a priori authority, or they lay down as the common groundwork of those maxims, some generality much less obviously authoritative than the maxims themselves, and which has never succeeded in gaining popular acceptance. Yet to support their pretensions there ought either to be some one fundamental principle or law, at the root of all morality, or if there be several, there should be a determinate order of precedence among them; and the one principle, or the rule for deciding between the various principles when they conflict, ought to be self-evident.
To inquire how far the bad effects of this deficiency have been mitigated in practice, or to what extent the moral beliefs of mankind have been vitiated or made uncertain by the absence of any distinct recognition of an ultimate standard, would imply a complete survey and criticism, of past and present ethical doctrine. It would, however, be easy to show that whatever steadiness or consistency these moral beliefs have, attained, has been mainly due to the tacit influence of a standard not recognised. Although the non-existence of an acknowledged first principle has made ethics not so much a guide as a consecration of men's actual sentiments, still, as men's sentiments, both of favour and of aversion, are greatly influenced by what they suppose to be the effects of things upon their happiness, the principle of utility, or as Bentham latterly called it, the greatest happiness principle, has had a large share in forming the moral doctrines even of those who most scornfully reject its authority. Nor is there any school of thought which refuses to admit that the influence of actions on happiness is a most material and even predominant consideration in many of the details of morals, however unwilling to acknowledge it as the fundamental principle of morality, and the source of moral obligation. I might go much further, and say that to all those a priori moralists who deem it necessary to argue at all, utilitarian arguments are indispensable. It is not my present purpose to criticise these thinkers; but I cannot help referring, for illustration, to a systematic treatise by one of the most illustrious of them, the Metaphysics of Ethics, by Kant. This remarkable man, whose system of thought will long remain one of the landmarks in the history of philosophical speculation, does, in the treatise in question, lay down a universal first principle as the origin and ground of moral obligation; it is this: "So act, that the rule on which thou actest would admit of being adopted as a law by all rational beings." But when he begins to deduce from this precept any of the actual duties of morality, he fails, almost grotesquely, to show that there would be any contradiction, any logical (not to say physical) impossibility, in the adoption by all rational beings of the most outrageously immoral rules of conduct. All he shows is that the consequences of their universal adoption would be such as no one would choose to incur.
On the present occasion, I shall, without further discussion of the other theories, attempt to contribute something towards the understanding and appreciation of the Utilitarian or Happiness theory, and towards such proof as it is susceptible of. It is evident that this cannot be proof in the ordinary and popular meaning of the term. Questions of ultimate ends are not amenable to direct proof. Whatever can be proved to be good, must be so by being shown to be a means to something admitted to be good without proof. The medical art is proved to be good by its conducing to health; but how is it possible to prove that health is good? The art of music is good, for the reason, among others, that it produces pleasure; but what proof is it possible to give that pleasure is good? If, then, it is asserted that there is a comprehensive formula, including all things which are in themselves good, and that whatever else is good, is not so as an end, but as a mean, the formula may be accepted or rejected, but is not a subject of what is commonly understood by proof. We are not, however, to infer that its acceptance or rejection must depend on blind impulse, or arbitrary choice. There is a larger meaning of the word proof, in which this question is as amenable to it as any other of the disputed questions of philosophy. The subject is within the cognisance of the rational faculty; and neither does that faculty deal with it solely in the way of intuition. Considerations may be presented capable of determining the intellect either to give or withhold its assent to the doctrine; and this is equivalent to proof.
We shall examine presently of what nature are these considerations; in what manner they apply to the case, and what rational grounds, therefore, can be given for accepting or rejecting the utilitarian formula. But it is a preliminary condition of rational acceptance or rejection, that the formula should be correctly understood. I believe that the very imperfect notion ordinarily formed of its meaning, is the chief obstacle which impedes its reception; and that could it be cleared, even from only the grosser misconceptions, the question would be greatly simplified, and a large proportion of its difficulties removed. Before, therefore, I attempt to enter into the philosophical grounds which can be given for assenting to the utilitarian standard, I shall offer some illustrations of the doctrine itself; with the view of showing more clearly what it is, distinguishing it from what it is not, and disposing of such of the practical objections to it as either originate in, or are closely connected with, mistaken interpretations of its meaning. Having thus prepared the ground, I shall afterwards endeavour to throw such light as I can upon the question, considered as one of philosophical theory.
UTILITARIANISM
Chapter One
Chapter Two
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Chapter Five
ON LIBERTY
AUTOBIOGRAPHY
JS Mill: Biography
J S Mill biographical details
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This year’s 2017 Google Play Awards include new categories for top VR and AR apps, to which Google has nominated five apps each. The award ceremony will take place on Thursday, May 18th at 6:30PM PT during Google I/O, the company’s annual developer festival.
Ever since the reveal of Google Daydream at last year’s I/O event, and the launch of the first Daydream phone and headset late last year, Google has been making a big push for VR on Android.
Among 12 categories, the company had added two new ‘Best Experience’ categories for AR and VR to the Google Play Awards 2017.
Nominees were selected much like last year by cross-functional teams throughout Google who work hand-in-hand with the relevant categories and product areas. While category specific criteria can be found below, the common requirements across all categories focused on high star rating, technical performance and freshness, requiring a launch or major update since April 2016.
Here’s a look at the nominees:
Best VR Experience
Virtual Virtual Reality – Tender Claws
The Arcslinger – Big Red Button Entertainment
Mekorama VR – Martin Magni
Gunjack 2: End of Shift – CCP Games
The Turning Forest – Media Applications Technologies for the BBC Entertainment
Best AR Experience
Dinosaurs Among Us – American Museum of Natural History
HOLO (beta) – 8i
WOORLD – Funomena
WayfairView – Wayfair
Crayola Color Blaster – Legacy GamesDiscount Tire's anti-marijuana donation spurs calls for boycott
Discount Tire Co. quietly donated $1 million to the campaign opposing the legalization of marijuana for recreational use, prompting calls for a boycott by some who want the drug legal through Proposition 205. (Photo: Dwight Burdette/Special for The Republic)
Discount Tire Co. quietly donated $1 million to the campaign opposing the legalization of marijuana for recreational use, prompting calls for a boycott by some who want the drug legal through Proposition 205.
The tire company chain was founded by Bruce Halle, who lives in Paradise Valley and has an estimated net worth of $6.3 billion, according to Forbes' 2016 list of richest Americans. A spokesman for the company did not respond Monday to The Republic's inquiry about the donation. Halle is an ally of Gov. Doug Ducey, who is raising money to oppose Prop. 205.
Prop. 205 asks Arizona voters to decide whether marijuana should be legal for adults to use in private, transport and grow it in their homes. The measure would create a retail system in Arizona that would be regulated and taxed by the state. The measure creates more lenient penalties for most marijuana violations.
Discount Tire's donation, posted on the Secretary of State's website, is the No on Prop. 205's largest. The disclosure prompted a backlash from supporters of marijuana legalization, who encouraged voters to call the company to complain about the donation, and to withhold their business.
"Really Discount Tire? Maybe we should re-think our decision next time a tire blows out," said one Facebook post.
Another, by Prop. 205 advocate Lisa Olson, ripped the company for siding "with Big Pharma, in keeping cannabis illegal, helping the black market to thrive" and "denying a revenue resource for our public schools..."
She was referring to the $500,000 donation to No on 205 campaign by a Chandler pharmaceutical company that makes the painkiller fentanyl.
"Here we have one natural substance that’s never taken a life, and they are taking money from the makers of someone who makes opioids... we're all beside ourselves, and that's why we're calling for a boycott," said Kathy Inmam, executive director of MomForce AZ and Prop. 205 supporter.
She added: "I'm sure Discount Tire is doing this as an advertising mechanism in Arizona — to look like the good guys — like they're anti drug."
Barrett Marson, a spokesman for the Yes on 205 campaign said the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol is not involved in pushing for a boycott of the tire company.
Earlier this year, the tire chain faced calls for a boycott after several stores posted signs in their windows to "Re-Elect Sheriff Joe Arpaio."
The Marijuana Policy Project, a national group that has helped lead efforts elsewhere to legalize marijuana for recreational and medical use, is a primary funder of Yes on 205. MPP and its related foundation have given about $1 million to the legalization campaign.
Also, the owners of various medical marijuana dispensaries and marijuana-related businesses have donated hundreds of thousands of dollars. They could benefit from a recreational program since medical marijuana dispensaries get the first shot at obtaining retail licenses.
Follow the reporter on Twitter and Facebook. Reach her at yvonne.wingett@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-4712.
Read or Share this story: http://azc.cc/2esYqSZ"I'm not your average girl. I'd rather talk sport," says Kerr. Credit:Frances Andrijich Billy, Samantha's three-year-old boxer, is here, too. Hearing her name, she comes and rests her smoky muzzle on Samantha's knee and looks up at her with an expression of melancholy so irresistibly abject that I'll later find myself googling the breed. "She won't leave my side," says Samantha. "She's missed me." For the past five years, the professional soccer player, now 24, has been contracted to three clubs: Sky Blue FC in the American National Women's Soccer League (NWSL); Perth Glory FC in the Australian W-League; and the Australian national team, the Matildas. Through the northern summer, Kerr is based in New Jersey, and then every October, like an exotic bird pining for warmer climes, she flies back to Perth to play for her home team. At any time of the year, she could be playing international matches in destinations as farflung as China, Germany, Cyprus or Brazil. It's not an easy schedule for someone who doesn't like flying. In recent months, though, Kerr's career has gone supernova. Suddenly everyone, from mums and daughters wearing gold jerseys in shopping malls, waiting patiently for an autograph, to international football governing body FIFA, which recently shortlisted her for the highest accolade the game can bestow – Best Women's Player 2017 – is sitting up and paying attention.
"I play the best and have the most fun and success when I'm just being me," says Kerr. MinkPink hoodie and Camilla and Marc pants, both from David Jones. Nike crop top and ball from Rebel Sport. Credit:Frances Andrijich On July 30, at the inaugural Tournament of Nations competition, Kerr scored a hat trick against Japan in the first half of the game that secured, with breathtaking elan, a 4-2 victory for the Matildas. The crowd inside the San Diego stadium, still reeling from the audacity of it all, could scarcely believe their eyes when a jubilant Kerr, after netting her third goal, executed a perfect backflip. A few days later, at the StubHub Center in Carson, California, the Matildas brought the tournament home, scoring a 6-1 win against Brazil, the universally acknowledged spiritual custodians of the beautiful game. Kerr netted the final, exultant goal of the match in the 81st minute of play, after a pair of braces by captain Lisa De Vanna and Caitlin Foord. Even Malcolm Turnbull and Bill Shorten quit bickering long enough to fire off a pair of congratulatory tweets. Winning this tournament, a series of friendlies between Australia, the US, Japan and Brazil, put the Matildas at the grown-ups' table, but the ultimate test of mettle will be the World Cup in France in two years' time. In the meantime, the momentum keeps building. On September 16, at western Sydney's Penrith Stadium, in front of a record home crowd of 15,000, the Matildas beat Brazil for the second time 2-1, Kerr unleashing a blistering header that left the South American defence gawping. Three days later in Newcastle, in yet another home-soil masterclass on how to summarily dismiss a superpower, Kerr scored two goals and provided an assist for the third to bring about another defeat, this time 3-2, of the Brazilian side. The almost 17,000 fans at the match – a new record – roared their assent. The visitors were so rattled by their third consecutive loss to Australia that they refused to shake hands after the game. When defender Rafaelle walked past Kerr's outstretched hand and, seconds later, dismissed Alanna Kennedy's, Kerr lifted her shoulders and raised her palms in the universal gesture of bewilderment. But the Matildas' coach, Alen Stajcic, was about as chuffed as anyone can be: "She's just flying, isn't she?" he told reporters.
Sammy's got everything. She is tremendously fast. Her speed change is astronomical; I haven't seen anything like it, especially in a female footballer. Perth Glory coach Bobby Despotovski The Matildas have come a long way since 1999 when, badly in need of a profile, they made the decision to pose for a nude calendar. The following year, with a spot at the Sydney Olympics guaranteed, they lost their first game of the tournament, against Germany, 3-0. Brazil then delivered a 2-1 coup de grâce, swiftly terminating any ambition they had of making it past the first round. The ignominy was complete. Daniel is making short work of a bowl of unidentified leftovers from the fridge. "You know," he says with infinite gravity, "Sam'll tell you I taught her everything she knows about soccer, but I don't like to take the credit for it." Everyone in the room turns to look at him. It turns out Daniel, who's 10 years older than his sister, has a killer smile. The Kerr offspring are gene-pool bounty made manifest. Roger was born in Calcutta to an English father, a metallurgist and featherweight boxer for Bengal, and an Indian, basketball-playing mother; they moved to Perth when he was 10. His children – or, at least, his first- and last-born who are here today – have inherited his smooth, nut-brown skin, abundant dark hair and even, white teeth. Australian-born Roxanne also comes from a sporty family. Her father and uncles all played in the West Australian Football League (WAFL) – she is related to famous players Con Regan and Shaun McManus – while another uncle, J.J. Miller, won the 1966 Melbourne Cup on a horse called Galillee. "We grew up going to the footy," Kerr says.
An easy athleticism inhabits the sinewy Kerr frame. Roger is a former WAFL and South Australian National Football League player who went on to coach the South Fremantle Colts and Claremont (he now has a client-servicing role in an electrical accessories firm). Daniel, meanwhile, played 220 games with the West Coast Eagles, including the 2006 AFL grand final. And Samantha … well, she's no longer known only as Daniel Kerr's little sister. "Both her and Daniel, from year 1 onwards, they won every race going," says Roxanne. "And they did it without even trying." There are two other siblings: Levi, 31, who owns a car wash, and 28-year-old Madeline, a primary-school teacher. "Levi wasn't particularly into sport and Madeline wasn't good enough to play with," says Daniel. "But Sam could play cricket like an adult from year one. And we played soccer in the house. She was good enough to make it a challenge for me. "The most I've ever enjoyed sport in my life was watching her play in Sydney. I quite enjoyed it when Brazil wouldn't shake their hands; it meant that they'd got under their skin. It's good for the game." The Kerr kids, from left: Levi, Madeline and her fiance Pascal Kuhn, Samantha and Daniel (with daughter Lola). Credit:Courtesy of Sam Kerr
We're chatting in late October; in just three days' time, the Australian W-League will kick off with its first match of the season, a replay of last season's grand final between Perth Glory and Melbourne City. Last February, Kerr's side lost 2-0. This year, as everyone acknowledges, things feel a little different. The Glory's favourite daughter, who helped liquidise the US, Japan and Brazil in recent months, has come home from the US to wear the number 20 purple jersey again. "Last year, we were the underdogs," says Kerr, who'll also be wearing the captain's armband. "This time, there'll probably be a little bit of a target on my back." Later, on an unseasonably cool night at the Alan J. Routman Maccabi Pavilion in northern Perth's Yokine, Glory coach Bobby Despotovski takes his newly reassembled squad through their paces in preparation for Friday night's match. They practise playing out from the back, with goalkeeper Melissa Maizels kicking the ball out to the left flank to defender Natasha Rigby, who in turn passes it to midfielder Nicola Bolger, who despatches it forward to Kerr and fellow attacker Raquel Rodríguez. The ball then begins its return journey, up the other flank, back to Maizels. The aim of the exercise is to cultivate in every player a sense of confidence and poise over the ball. The black frizzy ponytail of Costa Rican Rodríguez bobs distinctively on the pitch; so, too, the long blonde plait of American Nikki Stanton. Sky Blue teammates of Kerr, they've also made the long journey to Western Australia from New Jersey. As the moon turns into a luminous fingernail paring high in the sky and the floodlights airbrush the pitch to a manicured, bowling-green perfection, the girls retreat to the changing room to catch up and set some targets for the coming season. "Sammy's got everything," Despotovski tells me. "She is tremendously fast. Her speed change is astronomical; I haven't seen anything like it, especially in a female footballer. I remember her as a 14-year-old: she was born with that speed."
Matildas' coach Alen Stajcic also remembers the first time he saw the 13-year-old Samantha Kerr play: "She got the ball in her own half and ran with it for about 70 metres before scoring a goal for Western Australia against Queensland." A pause. "It's abnormal that a person can run the ball that far at 13 years of age against 15- and 16-year-olds who are the best in their state. Her speed and mobility are the best in the world and her awareness of space and how to use it are extraordinary and very instinctual." Then there's that elusive "X" factor: Kerr's ability to create dangerous situations for herself that makes her almost impossible to mark. The Kerrs were an AFL family in an AFL town: it made sense that Samantha, like her dad and big brother, would also play football. But when it became apparent that she had talent, a code that allowed advancement for girls had to be found. "We knew she had something at a very young age," says Roger. "Her hand-eye co-ordination was excellent with any kind of ball, even just playing cricket in the house. And she was ambidextrous." "One hundred per cent I would have stayed with football if I could," says Kerr. "I was all AFL. I didn't really like soccer that much. It's actually a completely different skill. I think anyone can pick up an AFL ball and have a go: you throw the ball down and kick it. A soccer ball, though, it takes a lot more skill. Think about how hard it is to use your left hand when you're right-handed; it's so much harder to use your left foot." Kerr started playing soccer when she was 12. In 2009, at just 15, she made her debut with the Matildas, playing against Italy in Canberra (the side was hammered 5-1). Kerr attributes her lightning pathway to always having played with boys. "My advice to any young girls playing soccer is, stay with the boys as long as you can. A 12-year-old boy is always going to be faster, quicker and stronger. It's a totally different game and it requires more from you. I see young girls who train with us and I say to them, 'You guys think you're working hard, but you've gotta give 10 times more.' They've been playing with other girls the same age as them their whole lives."
Kerr played her first game for the Matildas at age 15. Credit:AAP Three other players also stood out from the rest in the youth national team at that time: Stephanie Catley (now with Melbourne City), Emily Van Egmond (Newcastle Jets) and Caitlin Foord (Sydney FC); all of them are fellow Matildas. "We were fast, aggressive and we made things happen," says Kerr. "To this day, we're that kind of player. Physically fearless." Kerr considers herself lucky to have played in a good soccer club, the Western Knights in Perth's Mosman Park, where the boys accepted her as one of their own. "I have a great bunch of girlfriends, but I'm not your average girl," she says. "I'd rather talk sport." On Samantha's 10th birthday, Roxanne made her invite one girl to her party: "She reckons it was the worst mistake she's ever made because she just felt so sorry for her. She sat in a corner and spoke to no one all afternoon while I ran off to kick a ball around with the boys." In 2013, the 19-year-old Kerr signed with the Western New York Flash for the inaugural season of the NWSL. A YouTube video shows her hanging out with Flash midfielder Carli Lloyd, 10 years Kerr's senior, who has since become one of the all-time greats of the game. In the clip, Kerr can barely stop giggling long enough to answer a series of light-hearted "getting to know you" questions: her favourite movie, she manages to get out between incapacitating bouts of laughter, is Law Abiding Citizen (Jamie Foxx and Gerard Butler); her favourite song is Greyhound by Swedish House Mafia; her favourite athlete is David Beckham ("Because he's hot"); the things she misses most about Australia are "Tim Tams and my dog" This may not have been entirely accurate. While Kerr thrives on the experience and skill escalation that being inside the toughest women's football league in the world for six months a year gives her, she's often very homesick. She and Roxanne FaceTime two hours every day and Roxanne travels to the US whenever her full-time work as a sales representative for a snack food company allows.
Roxanne will never forget sitting with the locals in a New Jersey beer garden on August 20 last year watching Sky Blue FC, Kerr's team since a 2015 transfer, claw their way back into contention from a 3-0 half-time deficit against Seattle Reign. In the 71st minute of play, Kerr iced her second hat-trick of the season, dribbling the ball all the way from the 50-yard line, with four defenders unable to shut her down, to release a precision jab into the net. Seattle scored another goal with just five minutes to go, only for Sky Blue to equalise again. And still they weren't done. In the 94th minute, Kerr headed home a corner kick to win her fourth goal of the night. As Reign players looked on stunned, Kerr knee-ploughed into the grass and was soon obliterated from view as her teammates piled on top of her. She had become the first NSWL player to score four goals in one game. "It was crazy," says Nikki Stanton. "In games Sam does stuff that you don't even think is possible. I've never seen a forward defend as hard as she does and when you're on a team and you see that kind of defensive effort, it just pumps everyone else up. And she's always such fun. She keeps practices light-hearted and lifts everyone up." Still, Kerr admits to feeling pressure earlier this year. When you're known for putting balls inside nets, you can start to feel a little … well, paranoid when you don't. "Up until the Tournament of Nations, I always played really well for my club, but not great for the national team," she says. "I did okay, but I didn't score. And I'd started to |
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Not just a blanket, but a SHEEP blanket! There's also a strategically placed warming pad on the back of the blanket, for all my back heating needs! Taking care of both the front and the back, as I like to say.yesIrealizethereisnopicturedetailingthismasterpiecebutsomeofusaretoolazytotakenon-bathroomselfiebootyshots
Winter may be coming late this year for the Northeast, but as someone raised in Texas, fall weather always warrants snugglies. Thanks Santa! I will use this blanket so hard. Use 'em and abuse 'em, as they say. Well, actually they don't. Or shouldn't, at least.
I consider my first Secret Santa a success! Love you Santa!
(Now all I need to do is wait for my santee to post-- I'm so excited!)The big disappointment in Australia's Q1 private sector capital expenditure (capex) report was not the unabated decline in the mining sector, but the fact that the services sector fell back sharply. This is a one-off deterioration.
"After all, services exports are expanding solidly (by 9% yoy in Q2) and domestic private consumption expenditure is also holding up well. Hence, a notably smaller decline is expected in total capex in Q2 than in Q1", says Societe Generale.
However, much of the improvement is likely to have occurred in the buildings and structures component, which does not flow into the GDP calculation, rather than in the equipment, plant and machinery component, which is used in the national accounts.
"Much attention is likely to be paid to capex plans for FY 15/16, which began in June. It is hard to imagine that capex plans in the mining sector will have deteriorated even further from the -35% revealed in the Q1 survey, but not much improvement is expected either. In contrast, it is difficult to believe that capex plans in the services sector are really as weak as the Q1 survey suggested (-10% in 2015/16 compared with 2014/15), some improvement is awaited here", added Societe Generale.December 10, 2012
Jason Netek explains why a determined fight against racism has to be at the center of the struggle for a strong union movement in the South.
THE SOUTHERN U.S. is well known as a hostile environment for organized labor. The rules are stacked heavily in favor of the bosses, union density is low, and we haven't seen the kind of struggles that can change labor's fortunes for a long time. In order to turn things around, Southern workers will have to toss out the old rulebook and build a new labor movement on different foundations.
From the days of slavery, through the Jim Crow era, right up to the present day, the legacy of racism in the South has been a major barrier to the economic advance of working people. From its beginnings in the decades following the Civil War and the end of slavery, the mainstream of American labor largely tolerated the formal segregation and deeply rooted racism that persisted in the South and made little effort to organize unskilled laborers.
Unions in the South maintained segregated locals so as to not upset the "Southern way of life." For many years, the vast majority of Black workers remained outside the unions. The bosses often used unemployed Black workers as strikebreakers against unions that wouldn't have them as members, and in turn, white chauvinists would feel vindicated in maintaining their prejudices.
Tobacco Workers on strike near Winston-Salem in 1946
Nationally, the Great Depression of the 1930s transformed the situation for unions. The stock market crash and ensuing economic free fall threw millions out of work and into struggle. The most militant workers sought to organize beyond the confines of craft in favor of all-out, industry-wide campaigns.
This was an era of a new and defiant unionism that rested on the strength of an informed and empowered rank and file and the ever-present threat of mass action. This approach, and the conscious anti-racism of a new generation of communists and socialists, meant that the color line was intentionally crossed like never before.
Whereas Black membership in unions was never higher than a few thousand before the Depression, several million were organized into industrial unions by the late 1940s. Labor was leaps and bounds ahead of where it had been at the end of the 1920s. But the majority of newly organized workers were to be found in the North and on the West Coast.
IN THE aftermath of the Second World War, the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO), then a rival to the more conservative American Federation of Labor (AFL), embarked on a campaign to organize the South. "Operation Dixie" was intended to consolidate labor's successes by expanding into new territory--12 Southern states where racism was an especially powerful tool for keeping workers divided.
The most far-sighted trade unionists understood that if this section of the country remained non-union, it would present opportunities for Northern businesses to escape the more union-dense North. They also understood that a Jim Crow South would never be an organized South. The CIO was well placed to carry out the campaign thanks to the experiences gained in the struggles of the Depression era.
But the breakthrough was not to be. In 1947, employers were handed a new weapon in the form of the Taft-Hartley Act. The law allowed states to pass so-called "right-to-work" laws, which did away with the closed shop. Taft-Hartley also barred unions from taking part in sympathy strikes and secondary boycotts, and it required union leaders to take an oath affirming that they weren't communists--an obvious attempt to rid the unions of many of their most talented and battle-tested organizers.
This harsh attack on the democratic rights of American workers was a major blow, but the final nail in Operation Dixie's coffin came when union leaders scuttled the project in order to strengthen labor's coalition with the Democratic Party, including its segregationist "Dixiecrat" wing.
A series of anti-communist witch-hunts in the unions heralded the shift, and by 1955, the CIO had merged with its former rival, the AFL. The class struggle unionism of the CIO's glory days had given way to a more compliant policy of "business unionism," based on the wrong assumption that workers and capitalists both have an interest in maintaining profitability, for the good of the nation as a whole, even if it means accepting pay cuts and layoffs once in a while.
Nearly 60 years later, the South has a low union-density--no state is above a 9.8 percent unionization rate--with correspondingly low wages and rising poverty rates. For all that Southern politicians bluster about their job-creating policies, nine of the poorest 10 states are in the South.
By all standards, Southern workers lag far behind their Northern counterparts despite the economic power of Southern-based businesses in every sector, especially in technology and finance. Significantly, major auto companies have opened or are opening new plants in Alabama, South Carolina, Kentucky, Mississippi, Texas and Tennessee.
SEVEN OF the last 13 presidents have been Democrats, thanks in no small part to near-total union support in any given election--and yet labor has had less and less to show for it.
The Democratic Party's absolute contempt for its union base was on full display earlier this year when Charlotte, N.C., was chosen as the site for the Democratic National Convention (DNC). With a unionization rate of just 4.1 percent, North Carolina ranks dead last in the country for union membership.
More positively, the day before the DNC, 300 people gathered at Wedgewood Baptist Church in Charlotte for the Southern Workers Assembly in order to draw attention to the crisis in Southern labor and to call for a new approach to unionizing in "right-to-work" states that doesn't require workers to wait for politicians to finally enact some progressive labor laws.
Another key element to organizing in the South is fighting racism. Despite the end of legal segregation, racism is alive and well, and it creates barriers to class solidarity. A disproportionate number of Black workers are unemployed, and the pillar of Black economic stability, public-sector jobs, is under assault by the bipartisan austerity agenda.
Successful unions today will be part of the movement for jobs and unemployment relief as well as vehicles to safeguard the living standards of their members. They will also be a part of the immigrant rights movement, because workers with the least protections under the law are the most easily exploited and are seen by bosses as the best replacements for workers with jobs protected by contracts.
Finally, labor needs to recognize that the most effective campaigns for building a new movement will be creative, flexible and rest primarily on the energy and initiative of the rank and file.
Campaigns like OUR Walmart show new potential for organizing under Southern conditions. OUR Walmart seeks to build workers' confidence through actions such as the Black Friday walkouts, utilizing the "mic check" made famous by the Occupy movement and employing mobile pickets to go from store to store.
In an age of chain stores and franchises, union organizing can't effectively be done one store at a time. Black Friday actions affected 1,000 stores across 46 states, according to organizers. The effectiveness of the campaign is in breaking through Wal-Mart's anti-union monologue and demonstrating the power that the employees have right now.
Plus, the campaign has actively sought to tap into the broad resentment of Wal-Mart--the rolling walkouts and protests over the last few months have had a decidedly community-wide flavor to them. This sort of direct-action and social-justice unionism needs to once again become the norm.Summary
These are slip-on vise pads that are easily adjustable in OpenSCAD. If you want to securely hold screws, bolts, or unthreaded rods and you don't want jaw marks imprinted on your work-piece either, these pads will do the job. These pads slip around the entire jaw of your vise so they don't easily fall off during use. To adjust these pads for your bench vise's jaw dimensions, change viseX, viseY, and viseZ parameters (please refer diagrams above). Increase your measurements by 1% to account for ABS shrinkage. See tips below to prevent warping! The thickness of the top, bottom, sides, and face are adjustable in millimeters.
Print Settings
Printer:
i3 clone, made in China
Rafts:
No
Supports:
Yes
Notes:
A raft is not required. I suggest a 10mm brim to minimize warping on the face (you should print the pads face-down). You need the clamp to press on the "face" of the grain (layers) and not on the edges; otherwise, your pads will crack under pressure. You are going to absolutely need to keep the whole temperature hot since warping is going to be a problem. In the OpenSCAD script, I recommend setting "overhang" to zero. This will prevent severe warping. If you minimize viseZ then you will have little or no warping at all (pictured above). These pads are very good under compression. If you intend to use very high pressure on your vise while using these pads, print at 30% infill, 1.6mm walls, and 1.6mm top/bottom thickness and I will be surprised if you can crack these pads by hand. In the script, you can increase your vise dimensions by a percentage to account for shrinkage. I recommend adding 1% to your jaw dimensions when printing with ABS. Using 1%, I am able to slip these pads on and off by hand with no slop. Using the OpenSCAD script, you can change the size of the rod you can hold by changing the value of rRad to the radius of the rod (defaulted to 10mm). You need to manually adjust the position along the viseX dimension using the value rOffset. For the first face, you should use rod(rRad=,rOffset=). When printing the reverse face, you should use reverseRod(rRad=,rOffset=) to automatically mirror the rod positions. This only matters if "overhang" is nonzero.
Post-Printing
Removing Supports
I use a knife and pliers. Only use a file if you have good filtration.
Clean enough!
Prevent Warping
Set overhang to zero and you will have very little warping.
Pretty Flat
Bad Examples of Warping
Somehow the overhang warps the rest of the piece.
Badly Warped
Overhang Difference
I guess if you minimize your viseZ value and make it uniform around the entire piece you will minimize your warping problem.
Left-to-Right: Flat (no overhang), Warped, Flat (no overhang), Warped
Threading
I have threaded screws, bolts, and rods without these pads and it takes a lot of pressure; enough to mar the clamped area. I don't have to squeeze so hard when using these pads.
Testing the pads by adding a few threads (M5-0.8 screw).
Proof
I added about 1cm of turns to one of the screws. I posted it here so you know in advance that these pads work fine.
It works fine~
How I Designed This
OpenSCADCritics have pointed out how President Obama chose to remain on the golf course and not being with the grieving families in Louisiana during last week's devastating floods. As for Gov. John Bel Edwards, he's apparently not thrilled with GOP nominee Donald Trump for being there.
Trump and his vice presidential running mate Mike Pence are currently touring the destruction the flood left in Louisiana, passing out supplies and meeting with the affected families. Yet, before his arrival, Edwards was not impressed, seeing it as nothing more than a photo op for the presidential candidate.
Trump surrogate and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani had something to say about Edwards' chilly reception for the Republican ticket, reminding him that during the September 11 attacks, he welcomed all leaders to the Empire State, regardless of their politics. Trump, the mayor argued, has acted more presidential than the president himself.
Giuliani statement on Louisiana's governor criticizing Trump trip: "During the September 11 attacks, I welcomed..." pic.twitter.com/wFDRW5qhyi — Bradd Jaffy (@BraddJaffy) August 19, 2016
As for Hillary Clinton, she opted to give the governor a phone call instead of a visit.Marijuana tickets in Chicago View Full Caption DNAinfo
THE LOOP — After Gov. Pat Quinn signed a law making medical pot legal in Illinois, Tammy Jacobi, who ran a legal weed shop in Michigan, announced plans to start a medical marijuana clinic in Wicker Park.
She might want to consider Portage Park instead.
Police wrote more pot possession tickets in the Northwest Side working-class enclave than anywhere else in town between August 2012 and April 1, a DNAinfo.com Chicago review of public records shows.
Portage Park was where police issued 64 of 540 pot tickets during that seven-month period. That’s more than double the number of tickets in any other neighborhood, records show.
Ald. Tim Cullerton (38th), who represents Portage Park, said he analyzed city ticket data earlier this year and found that many of the people ticketed for pot possession didn't live in his ward.
"A good percentage of people cited weren't even from the city," Cullerton said. "I see that our undercover units are aggressive stopping cars, and most of these tickets were issued during vehicle stops. We have a lot of people passing through."
Though Cullerton said he "never smoked a joint" in his life, he said he has smelled pot smoke in the neighborhood.
"I go up to the Jewel, and sometimes there's somebody waiting in a car for someone, and you can smell them smoking a joint," he said. "Who knows where those people are from?"
Portage Park's relatively high number of pot tickets might have something to do with his neighborhood's lower crime rate, Cullerton said.
"In other areas, police find marijuana when they're looking for guns and gangbangers, and crime here comparatively isn't as bad as somewhere else," he said. "So if they find someone, they write it up, when maybe somewhere else [officers] are on to bigger and better things."
The City Council, with Mayor Rahm Emanuel's backing, moved to decriminalize possession of less than 15 grams of marijuana.
Starting last August, police were given authority to ticket people caught with pot rather than hauling them to jail on misdemeanor charges that carry sentences of up to six months in jail and a $1,500 fine, but rarely lead to convictions.
Police wrote at least one pot ticket in 67 of Chicago’s 77 community areas, the data shows.
Most tickets were issued in mostly minority parts of town, including Austin, where police wrote 30 pot tickets, North Lawndale (28) and Roseland (21).
Neighborhoods with vibrant night life where you can get hand-blown glass pipes and 3-foot water bongs typically used for smoking weed — Lakeview and West Town, among them — saw significantly fewer pot tickets.
For instance, police wrote just three pot tickets in West Town, which includes the Wicker Park neighborhood where Jacobi plans to open her clinic. Only seven people received pot tickets in Lakeview, the data shows.Trump and GamerGate
The gaming community is still reeling from the GamerGate of yesteryear, and now the dude-bro president-elect has set the board for its resurgence.
By Mari Landgrebe, Texas State University
Look, 2016 has been an overall shit-show and the worst part is that entering 2017 doesn’t sound like a healthy move either.
Much of that can attributed to the president-elect, who has yet to let go of his Twitter account even though it’s clearly time for him to be weaned from his rant-blanket.
The general health of American society is in danger, but so are the various communities that live and once thrived in the Land of Opportunity™. Women and minorities have been disparaged, demeaned and demoralized by the election of a buffoon and his band of cronies. The general health of American society is in danger, but so are the various communities that live and once thrived in the Land of Opportunity™. Women and minorities have been disparaged, demeaned and demoralized by the election of a buffoon and his band of cronies. Prince John sucks his thumb anew.
And or those that seek solace in an “Overwatch” match or the nostalgia of bygone days with long-awaited game franchises like “Final Fantasy XV,” the beleaguered peace of the gaming community is once again threatened.
Gamers of America, trouble is afoot.
If you don’t know what If you don’t know what GamerGate is about, your ignorance must be bliss, and I am sorry to either ruin that embattled bliss or, gods forbid, vindicate it.
Image via Fit for Kings
The movement started when a jilted ex-lover of a game designer, who happened to be a woman, posted a rambling rant about their relationship. One thing led to another, and the dark corners of the 4chan gaming community began a war of harassment against the “invasion” of such ideas as respecting women (feminism) and consideration of sexual orientation, race/ethnicity and of course, gender (political correctness or, more accurately, inclusivity) in video games and the industry. Several prominent women developers where doxed and their private information broadcasted so that other “anti-Social Justice Warriors” could send threats of rape and murder to these women and any of their supporters.
GamerGate on its own would require an article at least as long as the blogpost that sparked the movement (which was over 9,000 words long). This is the home of fuckbois who only want to see scantily clad, unnecessarily big-chested women, and/or would rather not believe people of color can—and did—exist in history, space and fantasy.
This subgroup is a haven for gamers who are enamored with the president-elect. Trump’s disregard and derision of women in particular and minorities in general is a prime locus towards which the now disparate pockets of gamer dudebros can now galvanize. And these anonymous cells, however quiet they This subgroup is a haven for gamers who are enamored with the president-elect. Trump’s disregard and derision of women in particular and minorities in general is a prime locus towards which the now disparate pockets of gamer dudebros can now galvanize. And these anonymous cells, however quiet they may have seemed in recent months, have been given a red-carpet return to their agenda.
Trump, however, is a businessman through and through, however much of a Trump, however, is a businessman through and through, however much of a failure he is at it, and you never want to alienate your existing customer base when trying to gain new consumers. GamerGate is chockfull of man-children who, for whatever reason, can’t stand anyone who isn’t like them, least of all when gaming. Trump is the kind of celebrity that only hears the loudest squeaky wheel that interests him, panders to it and agrees with the vitriol that spews from its maw. And in gaming, that’s the GamerGate community.
After all, he did bring the former After all, he did bring the former executive chairman of “ Breitbart,” the alt-right sesspool of a news website, into his administration as chief strategist and senior advisor. This appointment is practically an endorsement of the exclusiveness of racism and misogyny that bleeds from Trumps supporters. Trump himself may have only used words, but his supporters have been aggressive in their demonstrations of the Trump’s political positions. And the problem is, some gamer dude-bros have proven far more willing to actively terrorize anyone who publically disagrees with their agenda.
Image via Fusion
Many video game Many video game venues news sites and companies have decried the activities and agendas of GamerGate. The International Game Developer’s Association ( IGDA ) and several tech companies have developed or reinforced resource collections initiatives and programs to not only combat the activities of the subgroup, but to address the very problems within the industry that the movement has tried to maintain as the status quo. More diversity in video game companies and a study on how minorities are represented in the games, in part thanks to the gamers who felt these things were encroaching on their sacred spaces of white supremacy and fetishized digital women.
With the With the burgeoning diversity in the demographics that play video games has come the awareness of how those games treated women and minorities. As the industry grows and more people want to make video games, so has the stark reality of the white boys-club culture in studios and publishers. It has become nearly necessary for game makers to be more inclusive in order to retain new gamers and new talent.
There are still many of the entrenched, life-long gamers who have spent a significant portion of the billions of dollars the industry earns each year who don’t care about diversity in video games. Instead, they feel attacked by the notions that women have a purpose other than to be sexually appealing and minorities are more than their stereotypes. Trump is their mainstream champion, an elected official of the highest office in ‘Murica.
If you’re a gamer who doesn’t hate having more women and minorities in your games—and I hope you are—so long as the story is great and the gameplay addicting, then the tasks ahead are twofold: defend against the misogyny and racist attitudes of Trump, his impending administration and his supporters; and support the gaming news sites, developer associations, studios and publishers who condemn the GamerGate actions and agenda, and are working to become more inclusive in their games and the industry.
And if you’re a gamer who prefers to eyefuck a digital woman’s unrealistically large tits in a sea of white characters, well, I’m sorry life has treated you in whatever terrible ways that has made you resistant to accepting the diversity and complexity of reality into the sanctuary of your games.A dried plum of any cultivar
This article is about the fruit trees and their fruit. For the trimming of fruit tree branches, see fruit tree pruning. For pruning of trees and plants in general, see Pruning. For other uses, see Prune (disambiguation)
Prunes
Raw plums which have not been dried into prunes
A prune is a dried plum of any cultivar, mostly Prunus domestica or European Plum. The use of the term for fresh fruit is obsolete except when applied to varieties grown for drying.[1]
Most prunes are freestone cultivars (the pit is easy to remove), whereas most other plums grown for fresh consumption are clingstone (the pit is more difficult to remove).
Production [ edit ]
More than 1,000 plum cultivars are grown for drying. The main cultivar grown in the United States is the Improved French prune. Other varieties include Sutter, Tulare Giant, Moyer, Imperial, Italian, and Greengage. Fresh prunes reach the market earlier than fresh plums and are usually smaller in size.
Name [ edit ]
In 2001, plum growers in the United States were authorised by the government to call prunes "dried plums".[2] Due to the popular U.S. perception of prunes being used only for relief of constipation, and being the subject of related joking, many distributors stopped using the word "prune" on packaging labels in favour of "dried plums".[3]
Health effects [ edit ]
Prunes contain dietary fiber (about 7% of weight; table) which may provide laxative effects,[4]. Their sorbitol content may also be responsible, a conclusion reached in a 2012 review by the European Food Safety Authority. The report also demonstrated that prunes effectively contribute to the maintenance of normal bowel function in the general population if consumed in quantities of at least 100 grams (3.5 oz) per day.[5]
Nutrition [ edit ]
Prunes are 31% water, 64% carbohydrates, including 7% dietary fiber, 2% protein, and less than 1% fat (table). Prunes are a rich source of vitamin K (57% of the Daily Value, DV) and a moderate source of several B vitamin and dietary minerals (10-16% DV; table).
Phytochemicals [ edit ]
Prunes and their juice contain phytochemicals, including phenolic compounds (mainly as neochlorogenic acids and chlorogenic acids) and sorbitol.[4]
Uses [ edit ]
Prunes are used in preparing both sweet and savory dishes.[5]
Contrary to the name, boiled plums or prunes are not used to make sugar plums which instead may be a nut, seed, or spice coated with hard sugar, also called a comfit.[6]
See also [ edit ]The Senate Armed Services Committee’s defense budget proposal will give the United States greater authority to support Iraqi agencies tasked with securing the homeland.
The upper chamber’s version of the National Defense Authorization Act, set for release next week, allows the Office of Security Cooperation in Iraq — a US office tasked with developing Iraq’s military — to extend their support to police and civilian security organizations, including the Ministry of the Interior, according to a committee aide.
The Office of Security Cooperation, housed in the US Embassy in Baghdad, has traditionally focused on supporting Iraq’s Ministry of Defense and Counterterrorism service. The bill, aides say, will give US officials more leeway to support Iraqi police and homeland protection agencies as they develop a long-term strategy to secure the country.
Those plans are progressing as US-led troops and Iraqi forces clear out the final streets of the strategically vital city of Mosul after more than eight months of intense block-by-block combat that has left much of the city in ruins. On Thursday, officials for the US-led coalition said that Iraqi security forces had pushed into the last 500 square meters of Islamic State (IS) holdings in the city.
The multinational coalition fighting in Iraq is currently working on a two-year plan for the Ministry of Defense. It also is continuing to work with the Ministry of Interior on a plan that aims to prepare Iraq’s police and border guards for duty in provinces that have been liberated from IS.
The specific amounts authorized for the office will appear in the full version of the Senate bill, set for release next week. But a summary of the bill that appeared last week authorizes nearly $1.3 billion for the US-led anti-IS coalition — fulfilling an entire Defense Department request made in May — to train and equip Iraqi troops and police units over the next year, providing them with thousands of M16 and AK-47 assault rifles, as well as hundreds of Humvees and armored vehicles.
That assistance could continue for some time. In a briefing on Thursday, Canadian Brig. Gen. D.J. Anderson, the director of force for the country coalition fighting IS in Iraq and Syria, told reporters that the effort had trained 106,000 Iraqi security force members, including 40,000 army soldiers, 15,000 police and 14,000 counterterrorism fighters.
On Thursday, Anderson also announced a $50 million coalition initiative to provide “police in a box” to Iraq that will begin later this summer: Using 100 mobile shipping containers that include equipment such as vehicles, weapons and GPS trackers, that can help Iraqi quickly establish ad hoc police stations in areas devastated by IS fighters.
A Defense Department budget request submitted to Congress in May said Iraqi counterterrorism forces will require coalition financing for the next three years to grow to 20,000 members. The Pentagon expects its costs for training and equipping Iraqi forces to fall in next year’s budget and beyond as Baghdad gets better at sustaining its own military or those funds are shifted to other US security assistance programs.
But Anderson did not put exact timelines on coalition support or when Iraqi security forces could fight on their own.
“We'll be here as long as we need to be here,” Anderson said. “Our mission is to make sure that it's a self-sustaining force, and a self-sustaining force means that it's able to train itself, it's able to feed itself and it's able to fight by itself.”A torrent of court records since 2012 show Mahogany’s – which the state shuttered this week for unpaid sales tax – has a history of unpaid state taxes and fees.
The records show at one point Mahogany’s owner Liz Rogers owed Ohio taxpayers at least $61,338, the Enquirer found.
Rogers’ lawyer, Rob Croskery, told the Enquirer Wednesday that Rogers owes only about $17,000 – which is what she’ll need to re-open after the state shut her down for failure to pay sales tax.
Croskery said he’s looking into the possibility that the state overlooked a payment Rogers sent earlier this month. He believes the matter could be cleared up – and the restaurant reopened – by the end of the week.
The restaurant sits in a prime location in The Banks, the city’s riverfront development. City taxpayers acted as the restaurant’s investors, providing nearly a $1 million in startup money.
The $61,338 owed the state is on top of the past due amount of $31,796 that Rogers owes Cincinnati taxpayers on her $300,000 small business loan, part of the $1 million she got from the city. City officials continue to work with Rogers on a repayment schedule.
In all, Rogers has owed taxpayers $109,552, the Enquirer found after researching court and city records.
A look at the past-due debts:
• Tax lien cases against Mahogany’s total $61,338, though she has made payments on those, Rogers previously told The Enquirer.
• The State Bureau of Workers Compensation filed claims against Mahogany’s for another $16,418. Those cases remain open.
• And, she owes the $31,796 to the city, a figure city officials updated Wednesday. The $31,796 in overdue payments is part of a larger amount - $266,646 - that she will eventually have to repay on the city’s $300,000 loan.
Some of the problems stem from her former City of Hamilton-based Mahogany’s, which Rogers closed when she brought her soul food cooking Downtown.
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.
The state shut down The Banks restaurant Tuesday for failing to pay its taxes, but Rogers called the closure a misunderstanding and said she’ll reopen within days.
The state tax commissioner posted a pink notice on the front door of the restaurant that said the business is under suspension for failing to pay its sales tax.
The Ohio Department of Taxation did not disclose the amount of taxes Mahogany’s owes. State spokesman Gary Gudmundson said the state typically shuts down a business if it fails to pay taxes for two consecutive months or three total months in a year.
“When it gets to a posting, it’s not a surprise to the business,” Gudmundson said.
It’s the latest twist in a troubled two years for Mahogany’s, which has struggled to pay its bills since opening to great fanfare in July 2012.
Gudmundson said his office estimates 75 percent of businesses the state shutters pay up the same day; after all, being closed means no revenues are generated.
Rogers could not be reached for comment Wednesday. She exclusively told the Enquirer Tuesday that she has a plan that includes new management, a new menu.
“It’s time for our hard work to start paying off,” Rogers said in that Enquirer interview. “I am working with the city.... I’m working toward having my life back.”
The state issues nearly 1,000 shut-down notices to businesses each year and has a program that works with businesses that repeatedly struggle to pay taxes on time.
Mahogany’s has been scrutinized since the city gave the restaurant a $684,000 grant and $300,000 small-business loan in 2012. The money was to be used to improve its building on East Freedom Way and buy furniture, fixtures and equipment and have working capital. The 10-year loan called for Rogers to pay $3,000 a month.
The money was part of an incentive package the city created to lure a minority-owned business to the high-profile riverfront development.
Rogers fell behind on her loan payment earlier this year. She attributed the financial struggles to the brutally cold winter and an overall slow start for The Banks, which hasn’t drawn the expected visitors. The development does not have a long-promised hotel, and it has not become a significant entertainment destination on days the Reds and Bengals aren’t playing.
Read or Share this story: http://cin.ci/1tLq3ZYNew figures obtained by The Daily Telegraph from Nielsen Media Research, show that the Central Office of Information (COI) – the Government department responsible for communications and marketing – topped the list of the UK’s largest spenders in the first 10 months of 2008.
The Government spent £158m on advertising from January to November 2008 and it is understood to have spent at a similar rate for the remainder of the year.
While the Government has always had a considerable marketing budget, the last time it topped the list of the country’s biggest advertisers was in 2001. In 2001, the COI increased spend by about 40pc in an election year, while other marketers reduced budgets on the back of the recession.
In the first 10 months of 2008, Procter & Gamble has cut advertising spend by £16m. From January 1 to November 2007, the owner of brands such as Bounty, Crest, Pampers and Head & Shoulders, spent £161m on UK advertising and was the country’s biggest spender on marketing. In the same period this year, that figure has fallen to £144.8m and P&G is in third position.
P&G’s decision to reduce marketing spend comes as a surprise as the consumer products group is well known for continuing to spend on marketing in a downturn.
The group’s philosophy of spending during economic downturns dates back to the 1930s. The Great Depression caused hardship for many US corporations as well as for individuals, but P&G emerged virtually unscathed following its sponsorship of the first soap operas on the radio.
However, some advertisers could simply be cashing in on the lower prices of television advertising, with TV advertising currently selling at 1992 prices.
Unilever appears to have learned from the P&G of the past and has increased spend. The consumer products group behind brands such as Colman’s, Hellman’s, PG, Flora and Marmite, spent £147m on advertising in the 10 months to November 2008, up £3.5m on the same period in the previous year.
BSkyB is in fourth place in the list of 2008’s biggest advertisers, having spent £96m on UK advertising. However, this was a fall of 21pc on what it spent in the same period the previous year. Elsewhere, major retailers such as Marks & Spencer and car manufacturers such as Ford and Vauxhall have slashed their marketing budgets in the six months to October as the financial crisis has taken its toll, while supermarkets have boosted ad spend in a battle to prove that they offer the most competitive prices. Tesco boosted spend by 24pc to £77.6m, making it the fifth biggest spender on advertising, while Asda’s spend increased by 56pc to £56.93m, making it the 12th largest spender, up from 31st place the previous year.
M&S dropped from 16th to 29th placeQuick, my brethren of the nineties: What did you learn from Disney princesses?
Snow White (1937): Beauty is everything, women are good at housework, the only way out of your terrible life is for a man (or 7) to save you
Cinderella (1950): The only way out of your terrible life is for a (rich) man to save you
Sleeping Beauty (1959): Necrophilia? Totally cool. (Also terrible life, man saving you, etc)
The Little Mermaid (1989): A man won’t like you unless you get your lady parts and shut up, and it’s important he likes you because he’ll be replacing your culture, lifestyle, and everyone you’ve ever known or loved
Beauty and the Beast (1991): Don’t worry about that abusive relationship, girls, you can totally change him. Also, beauty is a reward, both literally and figuratively, because only pretty people can be good.
Aladdin – Jasmine (1992): Seriously, all you’re good for is marriage.
Pocahontas (1995): There are cliffs in southeastern Virginia.
Okay, that last one |
types when we were young. He mentions the Stuyvesant and Bronx Science students he met at a program at Columbia; when I attended Stony Brook as an undergrad many of the students had come from Stuyvesant and Bronx Science.** And although I don’t suffer from the kind of deep depression that Peter describes, I certainly had bouts with it, especially in my younger years. I could go on.
But why focus on these similarities? Because I know where Peter is coming from, and because I know this, I am disappointed at the reception of his Dewey Lecture, on the blogs and on social media. Yes, people praised it to the skies, and others were so moved they cried. However, before I read it myself I had the impression that the focus of the lecture was the public acknowledgment and struggle with depression by a member of the profession. This is the emphasis, for example, of the open thread on Daily Nous.*** It seemed that the lecture offered support to those who have lived in fear, terrified that their closeted or ‘damaged’ selves would be exposed, destroying their careers. I thought, Bravo! for Peter, for raising this issue and putting himself out there. The personal is political.
But the issue of depression only appears toward the end of the lecture, the fourth of four life lessons Peter addresses, and it is preceded by the following remark:
I’d like to roll my three life lessons together to make a fourth. (Beware narrative unity!) The stunning reversal of age-old attitudes toward gay marriage came about, not simply because the heterosexual population became “educated” about homosexuality so that they no longer “thought” it a stain on one’s character. It came about, I believe, through experience-based moral learning of the kind Dewey continually emphasized. Enough gay individuals courageously took things into their own hands and came out publicly. (p. 13)
In the narrative preceding the depression discussion, which only accounts for three or so pages of the fifteen-page lecture, Peter is actually casting his net wider. It’s worth noting the title of his talk here, which is clearly meant to suggest a broader range of concerns: “Innocent Abroad: Rupture, Liberation, and Solidarity.” Peter is addressing several issues: he wants to emphasize the connections between thinking and doing, the importance of experience or practice, the value of working with others even when it takes time from our own personal projects, and the ways in which privilege, of various kinds, deforms people’s lives. By extracting the depression discussion and focusing on it out of context, we risk missing—or evading—the more general challenges of his address, most notably, how we often let our personal fears, desires, interests, etc., get in the way of doing the right thing, or even trying to do the right thing. If we miss this, we fail to see that doing the right thing, or at least trying to do it, is itself a crucial part of a moral education. I take it that Peter is perfectly well aware of the fact that this last claim will not sit well with people committed to making philosophy ever more specialized and technical, while dismissing alternative approaches as inherently inferior, or at best outdated. For these philosophical technocrats the nature of what they do no more requires them to think about practices than, say, a theoretical mathematician qua mathematician. But Peter is trying to highlight another dimension of the relationship between thought and practice, one that Dewey would find congenial.
Once again, Dewey was right—once we allowed ourselves to think—and act—in our own right, beyond existing boundaries and institutions, seemingly immoveable aspects of the system could be put in jeopardy. But we would have to accept placing ourselves in jeopardy as well. The slogan of the Free Speech Movement in Berkeley had been, “We must throw our bodies on the gears of the machine,” and by laying their bodies on the line, Berkeley students had won the right to hold political meetings and distribute information freely on campus. (p. 6)
Peter also revives another Deweyan concern: myopic assumptions about what constitutes being good at philosophy, which can be damaging to philosophy, as well as to the lives of individual philosophers. (Dewey railed against what he called the “epistemology industry” in his day.) We have limited ourselves by overvaluing one set of skills, restricting philosophy to one kind of game, to the point of dismissing those who have other virtues and aptitudes.
Other philosophers pay one’s work the respect of taking it seriously enough to listen for the arguments … and then attempt to find and apply the most telling stress test. You’re smart if you can meet and beat the challenge. (p. 11)
This can be of tremendous value. But is it really all that’s going on? Is this really entirely about the selfless pursuit of truth? And is this the only way of showing respect for work, or learning from dialogue, or testing our views? How did smartness get to be so central in evaluation in a discipline that is supposed to be seeking knowledge and wisdom? And what is it doing to us as students, teachers, colleagues, and researchers to allow this culture to persist? What are the full costs of this culture, in which we all to some degree participate, even if only passively? (p. 11)
Our ideology of smartness may work against an ideal of inclusiveness. So it’s no longer cute—can we also make it no longer cool? (p.12)
Contrary to the way in which people in the profession often think about philosophy, Peter argues (1) that thought and practice should not be seen as inhabitants of different realms, and (2) that people in the profession shouldn’t overvalue a certain kind of cleverness—one might say a set of skills involved in particular language games—to the detriment of other aptitudes and skills that philosophers may possess. But his critique of academia and philosophy doesn’t begin and end here. He is going after the big enchilada: privilege.
The deep truth, as I saw it, was that the factories and office floors and slippery decks of fishing boats were full of people just as intelligent and curious as the people I’d met at university, but whose abilities were never going to have the chance to develop that was enjoyed by those more privileged. Their lives would be a succession of days filled with work that was necessary just to get by. Thereby they generated the tremendous surplus that kept afloat the privileged classes in the style to which they were accustomed. This aspect of our economy, this relentless pressure for productivity at the bottom and the resulting fundamental inequality of fates across the social hierarchy, has gotten worse, not better, in the years since. (p. 8)
Peter understands that the system, as we fondly once called it, thrives on what Marcuse called the productivity principle. (One doesn’t have to agree with all of Marcuse to catch his drift here.) It’s everywhere. It hasn’t stopped. And it’s seeping deeper and deeper into academia. How many articles is it necessary to have now in order to be competitive for an entry level tenure track position? One or two—or eight, or ten? Instead of resisting this machine in philosophy–a discipline with a poor stonemason as its exemplary figure, one highly critical of fame and who opposed having his thoughts cast in writing—philosophy is getting sucked further and further into the machine. First, we as a profession have gone along with the commodification of recognition. (We don’t sell our wares, but we do publish them and hope that they get passed around. And when they are widely traded, we bank the recognition in various ways.) Now we have commodified reputation. (Yes, this criticism is pointed at rankings systems, especially the reputational sorts, which are damaging to philosophy and support the status quo. Rankings are somewhat like the SATs—well-intentioned support for meritocracy gone awry. The SATs predict little but correlate extremely well with parental income, thereby extending and underwriting existing privilege. I don’t know if Peter shares these views, but given his ethics and politics I expect he would.) Worse, people who succeed can come to believe they deserve their status on the merits, because they have won the productivity game, imagining–as some winners in the capitalism game do–that they have personally earned all of their rewards, conveniently ignoring what the social scientists who have examined professionalism tell us about how affiliation and networks can trump merit. (See “Systematic inequality and hierarchy in faculty hiring networks.”)
The way some people who have succeeded, or who are on the way up, think about entitlement and privilege poisons our relationships to each other and to our discipline. And while the successful sometimes seem to think that it is politically incorrect to fail to show support for less fortunate colleagues, I am sure that many secretly believe that underemployed philosophers haven’t made it because, well, they don’t have the right kind of smarts. Even if we don’t consciously think this, the system fosters implicit attitudes of this sort.
We need to examine what we do to find ways to make education more affordable and inclusive, and to take, as well as resist, initiatives. This is today’s challenge for activism. Such activism won’t be either comfortable or glamourous, and it will mean a lot more meetings. In particular, those of us who are beneficiaries of the extraordinary privileges of senior academic life have to take up the cause of helping to make it the case that those at the beginning of academic careers have real prospects of secure and productive professional lives. If the philosophical profession can show solidarity with our most vulnerable members, even as they show solidarity with the many communities they aspire to serve, then Dewey will look down upon the philosophical world and smile. (p. 10)
The challenge here is clear: “those of us who are beneficiaries of the extraordinary privileges of senior academic life have to take up the cause of helping to make it the case that those at the beginning of academic careers have real prospects of secure and productive professional lives.”
Peter’s talk indeed raised the question of a humane and decent response to the issue of depression in the profession. Our neglect here is only one instance of the many ways we fail to do the right thing in philosophy. And doing the right thing involves more than thinking—or talking—about the right things. There lies the challenge of Peter’s Dewey lecture.
Can we, like good Deweyians, combine theory and practice to create the open and diverse community of inquirers that was the ideal represented in the best spirit of the 1960s and 1970s—even if, in truth, we very often fell short. The thing is, we are still falling short. And we’re running out of excuses. (p.12)
______________
*See, “I Am Not a Kook: Richard Nixon’s Bizarre Visit to the Lincoln Memorial,” The Atlantic. I arrived after Nixon had been there for a while. The Atlantic article captures the bizarreness of the event, to a degree. At some point I may write a more detailed account of what I saw; I can say here that it was genuinely scary. Nixon appeared drugged and out of it. His voice would rise and fall in odd ways. He was not well. (In response to a question about Bobby Seale, the Black Panther, he responded in muffled tones, “how would you like to have an ice pick in your stomach?”) And he was the guy with the finger on the nuclear button.
** Stony Brook was being billed as the new Berkeley or the Berkeley of the East by no less than Governor Rockefeller. It was flush with funds—we had heard that C. N. Yang, the noble laureate in physics, was making $100K a year—in the early 1970s, a huge sum at the time.
*** A noteworthy exception is here, in a post by Eric Schliesser (the title consciously or unconsciously echoes this post by Bharath Vallabha). Schliesser responds to Railton’s call to action with gratitude for Railton’s contribution to “re-igniting the conversation” about the relation between theory and practice. In that capacious re-framing, Schliesser asserts the “right” of everyone to “exit from activism:”
To be clear: everybody has the right to exit from activism, even ones that are merely symbolic or small gestures. The world needs thinkers as much as it needs activists. As Hobbes notes humanity’s actions proceed from opinions, and the activity that shapes the content of these opinions is a philosophical task.
Schliesser casts the re-ignited conversation in terms of “professional norms” that weigh in the balance with “personal morality or individual conscience.” In the scary chasm between moral activism and institutional slavery, he locates an exciting opportunity to reconsider the “prudential decisions” that “all of us make” in light of the demands of the “public role(s) of philosophy.” Not, perhaps, what Railton had in mind here, but surely well-intentioned.
———–
The inferiority cartoon in the post is from here.A company that protects against DDoS attacks, Prolexic Technologies, released its attack report for Q3 2011. There’s a lot to the report, including that Prolexic mitigated what it claims is the largest event in 2011 (in terms of packet-per-second volume). That attack occurred between November 5-12 and, according to Prolexic, portends the increasing scale and complexity of DDoS attacks.Indeed, the report shows that DDoS attacks are increasing in terms of bandwidth (up 66% from Q3 2010) and packets-per-second, which is up nearly four-fold from the same time period a year ago.What is perhaps most notable, however, is where the attacks are coming from. The report found that China was the biggest offender, responsible for over half (55%) of all DDoS attacks. For perspective, number two on the list is India, with 8.69% of the attacks.Further, China is responsible for most of the botnets being sent out; it’s the country of origin for the two largest ASNs. One accounts for 43.88% of them, and the other 21.79%. Again, for perspective, the third-largest botnet is from Turkey and gobbles up just 9%.A New York state senator will offer legislation that would require presidential candidates to make their tax returns public after 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 broke decades of precedent by refusing to disclose how much he paid in taxes.
State Sen. Brad Hoylman (D) will introduce the Tax Returns Uniformly Made Public Act — the TRUMP Act — when New York’s legislature convenes next year. The bill would require candidates to submit five years’ worth of federal taxes with New York’s state Board of Elections 50 days prior to a general election.
New York’s electoral college members would be prohibited from voting for any candidate who did not file their tax returns. Any candidate who refuses to submit the returns would be barred from the state’s ballot.
“For over four decades, tax returns have given voters an important window into the financial holdings and potential conflicts-of-interest of presidential candidates,” Hoylman said in a statement. “Sadly, President-elect Donald Trump repeatedly refused to release copies of his federal income taxes prior to the election, denying voters this crucial information. This isn’t normal.”
Presidential candidates, like any candidates for federal office, are required to file personal financial disclosure reports with the Federal Election Commission. Those forms show a candidate’s assets and liabilities, though in broad financial ranges that offer fewer hints than a tax form. Trump’s disclosure form claimed his net worth was in excess of $10 billion.
Polls conducted before the election showed voters wanted to see Trump’s tax returns. Documents published by The New York Times showed Trump declared a loss of $916 million on his 1995 income taxes, which meant he could have legally avoided paying taxes for as many as 18 years.Thank you for doing this interview! Can you please introduce yourself?
My in real life name is Sam but I go by “zlz” on HackerOne and Twitter. I’m from the central United States and I’ve been hacking for about three years now. I got started after spending some time on a game called “Runescape” and exploiting non-technical logical issues like invisibility through a series of permitted actions within the client. I’m in love with HackerOne as of now and will probably be staying for a while.
Q: How do you manage your personal life, work, and bug bounties? Do you do bug bounties as a job or a hobby?
At the moment my only obligations I have are my work, girlfriend, and family. I’ll spend pretty much every night (11:00 P.M.-4:00 A.M.) on my computer either reading or hacking stuff, but this will change once the summer is over. If you haven’t already guessed bug bounty is just a hobby for me, but one that consumes a huge portion of my interests. It’s sometimes hard to manage my personal life because I’ll get super obsessed with an endpoint to the point of having it cloud my thoughts the next day. I’ve learned to systematically schedule my day so each event is isolated from one another, but it can be hard to mentally force myself into this pattern.
Q: How much time do you spend on Hunting for Bugs? On average, how many bugs do you think you report per month?
Each day I’ll spend maybe six hours doing infosec related stuff, but only about two of those are designated to actual hunting. Based on that I’m probably spending anywhere between 14-18 hours hunting bugs. I think it’s very important to spend time reading up on current events and techniques you have little experience with because one day you’ll glance over something during pentesting and either say “hey, I think I know what this is! <insert payload” or if you haven’t been reading that much “that is confusing, but I guess I can come back to it or phone a friend”. I’ll report anywhere between 5 and 15 bugs in a month but lately I’ve been spending more time searching for more critical bugs so that number has dipped.
Q: How long did it take you until you found your first significant/high impact/payout vulnerability?
Seven months, ten duplicates, four N/As, and one valid low severity.
Q: Of all the bugs you’ve found, what was your favorite/most interesting?
My favorite (and most interesting) bug was when I was able to inject carriage-return line-feed symbols into a Yahoo mail function. What I was able to accomplish was (1) ability to pretend to be any “@yahoo.com”, and (2) spear phish victims using malicious attachments and hyperlinks. This bug was really interesting because I hadn’t ever seen anyone exploiting this nor write about it. It was very similar to HTTP header injection but just with email headers. You can read the writeup here if you’d like.
Q: When and how did you have your breakthrough? When did you realize hacking and bug bounties was something you wanted to dedicate your time to? Please share your insights and the problems you faced to becoming an established bug bounty hacker?
Thinking back in time a little bit I had two moments when I knew I wanted to get fully involved with bug bounty. The first was when I received a $250 bounty from PornHub after emailing their security handle and stating that they invalidly closed my report, and the second was when I met Jon Bottarini and he invited me to the “bug bounty forum” slack group. It may sound super staged since this AMA is being hosted on bug bounty forum, but when I joined the community I felt super comfortable since everyone was super friendly and resourceful. From that point forward I established relationships with people who are now really close friends. One of my biggest insights as a hacker is that the “HTTP tamper” firefox extension shouldn’t be my go-to proxy tool. For any new hackers out there, please learn how to use BURP Suite. It’s an AWESOME tool that may look a little intimidating at first, but provides such an extensible array of tools that can be used in your day-to-day arsenal. One of the biggest issues I had was overcoming the mental gap of “the vulnerabilities on this host are few and far between, so it’s not worth pentesting”. The way in which I did so was deciding to primarily target the host I was so scared of until I identified SOMETHING vulnerable. It worked because when I did find that vulnerability, I felt as if there were dozens more just around the corner.
Q: What do you do to keep up with all the new trends?
I’ll spend a few hours on Twitter reading blogs, articles, and forum listings relative to infosec. I’d really recommend establishing a network of hackers to follow in order to easily get updates and content from within the community.
Q: Do you collaborate with other hackers? Can you name a few?
Of course. I spend a lot of time pentesting on Yahoo with @thedawgyg, speak to @jon_bottarini frequently, and keep in touch with @ibram and @RojanRijal about potential and current projects we’re working on.
Technical Questions
Q: How do you approach a target? What is your routine like? What is your recon process like? What kind of information do you seek in your information gathering process? And how does this information help you?
Before I ever start a scan (if it’s a new host) I’ll just load the website normally and try to understand its structure. I’ll keep notes of directories that I’ll go back and dir bruteforce later, file extensions, and different servers (noticing altering patterns of nginx, apache, etc.). After a while I’ll switch to a more active session where I’ll check each request one-by-one as well as any areas that I’ve marked as potentially vulnerable (file uploads, update profile, etc.). After a while I’ll brute force subdomains and fingerprint each one individually. The information I’m looking for is anything that will help increase severity of a discovered vulnerability or vulnerabilities themselves. I’d recommend a session spent understanding a host before actively looking for vulnerabilities. If you see something you’ve never seen before then spend some time getting to know it. There have been times where I’ve replicated environments so I could see what would work, wouldn’t work, and the result of each request.
Q: Do you always look for all vulnerabilities types when you approach a website?
Both yes and no. If I see something that looks vulnerable to something specific, I’ll attack it with whatever’s specific. Most of the time I approach a website with an open mind, but if there’s something individually I want to look for then I’ll orient myself to look for that. I keep references of file upload, image update, and interesting little functions that may one day be vulnerable to something cool (an example is the recent FFmpeg vulnerability).
Q: Do you use any tools? Do you have your own tools that you have written to automate/facilitate your work? What Burp extensions do you use? Is there a tool that not a lot of people use that you think they should?
I’ll use sublist3r and dirsearch, but that’s about it. No. I’d recommend using “PwnBack” for BURP Suite as it allows you to check the site as it was in the past. A lot of the time you’ll discover that developers never deleted that old vulnerable file. I’d love to start developing my own tools but don’t have an issue that I’d like to solve as of now.
Q: This is one of our most popular questions: How do you test for Server Side vulnerabilities such as RCE, SQLi, etc?
I’ll use input like “sleep” when checking for code/command/SQL injection but host a separate domain that logs all DNS requests for SSRF. This area can be iffy, because most of the time you’re attempting one of these server side vulnerabilities there won’t be a window to see what’s going on. My best tip for this is to check the programs policies. If they don’t want you to use an automated scanner, then don’t use an automated scanner. If that’s not listed then by all means use SQLmap to prove that there is in fact a vulnerability. As a hacker you shouldn’t ever overextend your engagement unless explicit permission is granted. There are dozens of stories where people will lose 50-100% of their bounties for sending “cat dbpasswords.txt” instead of “touch iwashere”.
Q: How often do you find a bug that has been overlooked after a bounty program has been established and a horde of researchers have been digging?
Pretty often. Something that stands out was an XSS I reported on sports.yahoo.com where I was able to inject inside the parameter instead of the parameter value. The request looked something like?value[“a”]=1, but I changed it to?value[“<script>”]=1 and it executed. This is a good example because I’ve never seen an automated tool that scans the parameter itself meaning that a pair of human eyes on a “scanned to death” portion of the site is all it really takes to find something interesting.
Q: Do you think being a pentester, web developer, or being in a related field, helps you with bug bounties? Where should they start?
Yeah of course! There are DOZENS of places to start, but I’d personally suggest developing with a LAMP/WAMP stack (PHP, Apache, MySQL) in order to both create code and break code for those first couple poorly designed applications. I’ve known people who come from reverse engineering backgrounds as well as completely non-technical backgrounds.
Time to wrap it up!
Q: What kind of music do you listen to?
I listen to a lot of everything, but mainly Ska.
Q: What do you do when you aren’t hacking?
Breaking and entering - duh. Just kidding. I spend a lot of time job hunting and preparing for college.
Q: What kind of impact/role have bug bounties played in your life?
After just a few months of doing bug bounty I was able to purchase a car that everyone in my family uses. We used to be somewhat financially bent, but things have progressed since then. I’ve been working less at my fast food job and focusing more on school/career related ventures.
Q: What is an advice you received as a beginner that helped you with your bug bounty career?
Nothing comes easy. Sure - maybe you hit the jackpot and find something by mistake - but that won’t repeat often. If you dedicate your time towards widening your scope of knowledge instead of slashing a knife at a program blindfolded you’re more likely to make a career out of it.
Q: What is one area of hacking (web, mobile, hardware, etc) you wish you knew more about / plan on focusing your learning on?
Low level stuff! Assembly! C! If it deals with memory, I couldn’t tell you more than a couple sentences about it.
Q: If someone with basic technical background asked you, “where should I start?”, what are 3 things you would recommend they do before diving into bug bounties?
Put some time towards understanding the basics of the internet. What is HTTP? How does it work? What is a “SYN” request? Find a programming language you like and code in it for a while. You don’t have to get super involved, but spend some time making mistakes. Come to the realization that you’re probably not some genius who knows more than everyone. I’ve seen so many people fail in this because they feel that they’re some incredible computer prodigy because they succeeded in a smaller environment.
Q: Someone was eager to know, what do you put on your toast?
Cinnamon and butter!
Q: What’s your worst bug bounty story/experience?
Having something marked as invalid because it fell under the realm of “social engineering” through existing as a technical attack. Note: this was not me attempting to talk to a staff member, but an embeddable image being used to trigger “HTTP 401 Basic Authentication” on every page on the website. You seriously couldn’t browse without being asked to enter credentials that would go to my domain, and in addition it logged your browser agent and IP address.
Q: If you had to pick one hacker to collaborate with, who would it be?
I’d probably pick @dawgyg. He’s a great hacker and we have matching approaches that work well together.
Q: What’s the one feature you would like to see in the platforms?
Additional documentation, tutorials, and demonstrations on how to manage taxes. There are a lot of people making a lot of money who don’t know anything about taxes.
Q: What’s your favorite text editor?
Notepad++. I’m a windows fan boy.BLOOMINGBURG, N.Y. (JTA) – This is how you launch a Hasidic shtetl in 21st-century America.
Step 1. Find a place within reasonable distance of Brooklyn where the land is cheap and underdeveloped.
Step 2. Buy as much property as you can in your target area – if possible, without tipping off locals that you plan to turn it into a Hasidic enclave.
Step 3. Ensure the zoning is suited to Hasidic living: densely clustered homes big enough for large families and within walking distance of the community’s vital infrastructure.
Step 4. Build the infrastructure: Houses, a synagogue and beit midrash study hall, kosher establishments, a mikvah ritual bath. Lay the groundwork for a school. Launch a shuttle service so Hasidim who don’t drive or don’t own cars can get from the new shtetl to shopping outlets and other Hasidic communities in the region.
Step 5. Market to the Hasidic community and turn on the lights.
That, essentially, is the playbook developer Shalom Lamm is following for what is shaping up to be America’s newest Hasidic shtetl — the town of Bloomingburg in upstate New York.
Located in Sullivan County about 80 miles north of Brooklyn, Bloomingburg is a tiny village of 400 people dotted with small farms, run-down homes and a couple of old churches. There’s just one stoplight, and there’s not much to the small businesses clustered around it: a hardware store, bank, tattoo parlor, barbershop and thrift shop.
This is the way things were for decades until Lamm — son of Rabbi Norman Lamm, Yeshiva University’s president from 1976 to 2003 — came to town a few years ago and started snapping up properties like they were sample-sale sweaters.
He bought the white house with blue shutters and a front porch just across from the barbershop. He bought the Hickory apartments just off Main Street, adjacent to a trailer park. He bought the hardware store and a pizza shop. He bought a large warehouse built to house antique cars with the idea of turning it into a girls school.
Lamm didn’t stop there. He bought a group of farms on 200 acres of unincorporated land about half a mile from the stoplight and in 2006 got the village to annex it and rezone it for residential development in exchange for building a new $5 million sewage treatment plant for the area. He bought the airport in the nearby village of Wurtsboro. He bought 635 acres five miles away. He also bought a house for himself in Bloomingburg and moved in (Lamm also lives in West Hempstead, on Long Island).
Soon, changes started happening in the village.
Homes were fixed up and repainted. The Hickory apartments, originally built as a senior housing development, were renovated and turned into 12 units, with a synagogue and study hall built in a basement. Most notably, in 2012 rows of attached five-bedroom townhomes began going up on the 200 acres he had gotten rezoned from agricultural — the first of at least 396 units planned for construction in a development Lamm dubbed Chestnut Ridge.
Meanwhile in Brooklyn, a two-hour drive away, Yiddish-language newspapers began to run advertisements touting a new Hasidic housing development going up in Bloomingburg. The ads noted its location near the Catskill Mountains and just 30 minutes north of the Satmar village of Kiryas Joel, home to more than 20,000 Hasidim.
Once the locals upstate caught onto what was happening — when Chestnut Ridge broke ground in 2012 — opposition materialized almost immediately. Village meetings were organized, accusations flew, angry protesters took to the streets and lawsuits were filed. The Town of Mamakating (pop. 12,000), in which the village of Bloomingburg is located, tried to annex the village so that it could gain zoning power over Bloomingburg and thwart the Hasidic-friendly construction, but the bid failed.
Lamm and his defenders, including the public relations consultant he eventually hired, cast their opponents as anti-Semites or anti-Hasidic, and for some that characterization seemed apt. The window of the kosher grocery was repeatedly shattered, and some early protests outside Shabbat prayer services included anti-Jewish epithets.
But for many locals, it was a case of not-in-my-backyard syndrome: They lived in a quiet, albeit poor, country village, and the dense housing and Hasidic influx would indelibly alter Bloomingburg’s character. They believed Lamm and his investment partner, Kenneth Nakdimen, had hoodwinked the village into annexing and rezoning the agricultural land he was turning into a dense residential development.
Last month, Mamakating and Bloomingburg filed a federal lawsuit against Lamm, accusing him of fraud, bribery, racketeering, voter fraud and corruption of public officials — saying he bribed a former mayor, used a frontman to help mislead the village about his intentions for Chestnut Ridge and engaged in racketeering by promoting an enterprise that was corrupt on multiple levels. Lamm denies the accusations and has filed lawsuits of his own against the town.
If Bloomingburg was going to look like any of the other Hasidic communities north of New York City – New Square, Kiryas Joel, or the hamlet of Monsey in Ramapo – there were plenty of cautionary tales to give local residents pause. Overcrowding in those places was taxing local infrastructure to the breaking point, and in Ramapo the school board had been taken over by a Hasidic majority that was stripping local public school budgets and selling off public school buildings to yeshivas at cut-rate prices.
For the Hasidim, the appeal of Bloomingburg over Brooklyn was clear. It offered much cheaper living, less congestion and fewer of the sorts of urban temptations that could ensnare a devout Jew. With so few residents, the village also offered the prospect of something else: political power that could give local Hasidim nearly unfettered control over their own destiny.
It wasn’t long before the first Hasidic families began to arrive.
Some were older couples from points south looking for a quiet place near the mountains in which to spend summers or weekends. But soon full-timers started coming, too — mostly young families from Satmar and other Hungarian Hasidic sects looking for more affordable alternatives to Brooklyn’s Williamsburg neighborhood and a quieter lifestyle than that available in Kiryas Joel or in Monsey, the sprawling Orthodox stronghold in Rockland County an hour to the south.
Bloomingburg’s first Hasidic pioneers arrived with almost no Orthodox infrastructure in place. There wasn’t much suitable food available locally — one early newcomer quipped that the only produce available at the local grocery store was two-week-old tomatoes — and kosher food had to be delivered by special order from Kiryas Joel or nearby Middletown. There was no weekday minyan. There was no women’s mikvah (and still isn’t — the zoning appeals board has rejected Lamm’s site for one).
Then, last summer, the city got its first kollel – a Jewish study collective where men learn Torah full time and receive stipends in return from community supporters (in this case, apparently, Lamm). Lamm also bought a 22-seat minibus and a passenger van and began running shuttles to large shopping areas and to Kiryas Joel, where some of Bloomingburg’s adults work and kids go to school.
By fall, there were enough Orthodox families in Bloomingburg to support a daily minyan — the quorum of 10 men needed for public prayer. Weekday services start at 9 a.m.
Mendel Kritzler, 25, moved to Bloomingburg in mid-April with his wife and three boys from a fourth-floor walkup in Williamsburg. Now he lives in a ground-floor apartment within walking distance of everything he needs: the shul and study hall where he spends his days, the kosher grocery Lamm opened up right before Passover, and the new Hasidic day care that now has 10 kids enrolled between the ages of 3 and 4. He doesn’t own a car.
“I was a little nervous before coming here, but since I moved I’ve really been enjoying it; it’s the Garden of Eden,” Kritzler said. “It’s quiet. There’s peace of mind. It’s much, much cheaper – half the price of Williamsburg.”
Lamm’s rentals begin at $350 per month for small one-bedrooms to $1,200 for large three-bedrooms. One of his tenants noted that, unlike her landlord in Monsey, Lamm isn’t so strict about the rent.
At the now-fully occupied Hickory apartments, young Hasidic women gather in the late afternoons and sit on plastic lawn chairs, rocking infants in their laps and watching their toddlers run around while they chitchat in the springtime sun. Once a month, the Hasidic women in town get together in someone’s house or the local kosher pizza-and-sandwich shop for an evening devoted to bonding, noshing and spiritual inspiration. A recent gathering featured slides on the Jewish value of modesty.
The men studying at the kollel come home in the early afternoon for a break. Some walk up the hill to the small kosher grocery, where the shelves are well stocked but the aisles mostly empty of customers. Those who commute to work in Kiryas Joel are generally home by early evening.
Despite the sleepy feel in town, there’s a sense of excitement among the Hasidim – a feeling that they’re the trailblazers in a noble experiment of establishing a new outpost for Hasidic life in New York State.
“I’m the pioneer, really,” said a young Belgian-born Hasid named Yossele who said his was the second full-time family to move in.
So far, only 27 Hasidic families live full time in the village, according to Yechiel Falkowitz, a 22-year-old Hasid who moved in last summer and compiled a head count of the families in early May. Another 20 or so families live part time in Bloomingburg |
ideas. It is an honour to be asked to lead this wonderful institution and to renew it for the digital age, helping new audiences to encounter the wonderful things serious music and culture can bring. I stumbled upon Radio 3 when I was a teenager, and it opened a door to an endlessly fascinating world of sound and thought that has nourished me ever since. I want everyone to have that chance and am proud to be able to make sure they will.”
Peter Bazalgette, Chair of Arts Council England, said: "Alan has been a brilliant Chief Executive of the Arts Council, not least because he has an abiding passion for and knowledge of music. The BBC and Radio 3 is fortunate to get him."
Alan Davey was appointed Chief Executive of the Arts Council England in November 2007. In that time the Arts Council has expanded its reach to cover music education, museums, libraries and cultural property, and increased public audiences for culture by 10%.
He was Director for Culture at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport from 2003, having previously worked in the department as Head of the Arts Division since 2001. In an earlier stint at the then Department of National Heritage he was responsible for designing the National Lottery.
Alan has also worked at the Department of Health. He has been a visiting Fulbright/Helen Hamlyn Scholar at the University of Maryland, has degrees from the universities of Birmingham, Oxford and London, and honorary degrees from the universities of Birmingham and Teesside. He is a member of the Creative Industries Council, of the Council of the University of Birmingham and also chairman of IFACCA - the International Federation of Arts Councils and Cultural Agencies.
Alan succeeds Roger Wright, who stepped down from the role earlier this year after 15 years as Controller.
Notes to Editors
Radio 3 broadcasts high-quality, distinctive classical music and cultural programming, alongside regular arts and ideas programmes, jazz and world music.
The station features more live classical music programming than any other and is the home of the BBC Proms - broadcasting every Prom live and more than 600 complete concerts a year - alongside daily speech programming, 90 full-length operas, over 25 drama commissions and over 20 new BBC music commissions a year.
Radio 3 is the most significant commissioner of new musical works in the country and is committed to supporting new talent, from composers to writers and new young performers, through schemes such as New Generation Artists and New Generation Thinkers.
AHShockwaves are reverberating around the Kremlin after an extraordinary meeting called by Vladimir Putin yesterday during which the Russian president said that “95% of the world’s terrorist attacks are orchestrated by the CIA,” and the St. Petersburg metro bombing must be investigated “with this in mind.“
Speaking at a behind closed doors forum for the highest echelons of government and staff in his home city of St. Petersburg, Putin responded to questions about the metro blast by pointing out who is responsible for the vast majority of world terror attacks: the U.S. deep state, and the radical Islamic groups they sponsor to destabilize key regions in the world.
Putin slammed his fist on the table and exclaimed, “If the CIA have Russian blood on their hands, they will forever regret stirring the Russian bear from its peaceful slumber,” according to sources close to the President. Putin then vowed to ramp up investigations into the terrorist attack even further.
When questioned by a top aide as to whether the 95% figure was accurate, Putin sighed heavily and fixed the assembled group with his trademark stare before explaining that in regards to how the world is run, all is not how it seems.
Putin claims that the CIA is a rogue element of the deep state, and “an expression of the will of world oligarchy and their vision for a New World Order.“
Resisting gentle attempts by close aides to stop the President “going there,” Putin said that the evidence was everywhere, and that he personally had intimate knowledge of their dealings.
Suffice it to say, the CIA exists today as part of America – but it is certainly not American. “The CIA does not work on behalf of the American people or act in their interests.”
Asked if he thought the St Petersburg bomb was the beginning of a CIA plot to oust him from power, as has been suggested in the media, Putin said, “It will take more than a bag of tricks in a subway to make me blink.“
Putin also said that mankind has been manipulated to become “unconscious” through the use of programming by media and politics, the perfect example being the public’s submissive response to the recent WikiLeaks Vault7 leak.
Rather than kicking off worldwide protests about the CIA’s overreach and illegal activities, the mainstream media have actively dumbed down the masses and lulled them into a state of compliance.Ciro Immobile scores twice for Torino as they hammer Chievo 4-1 at home in Serie A.
Torino have come from behind to get the better of Chievo 4-1 in Turin in Serie A.
The Flying Donkeys took the lead as early as the ninth minute when Cyril Thereau latched onto Gennaro Sardo's pass and shot home from close range.
It took until the final minute of the first half for the hosts to restore parity, as Alessio Cerci released Ciro Immobile to find the target from the centre of the Chievo box.
Immobile scored his second goal of the afternoon 20 minutes into the second half when he fired in from outside the area.
Giuseppe Vives made it 3-1 to Torino in the 80th minute, thanks to good work from Cerci, who himself wrapped up the scoring in the third minute of injury time.‘We are certainly living in strange times’ is how Elisabeth Roudinesco’s Philosophy in Turbulent Times begins. Roudinesco’s reader, too, is in for a turbulent and strange time, starting with the introduction, a five-page polemic against the spirit of our age:
Has France become decadent? Are you for Spinoza, Darwin, Galileo, or against? Are you partial to the United States? Wasn’t Heidegger a Nazi? Was Michel Foucault the precursor of Bin Laden, [and] Gilles Deleuze a drug addict …? Was Napoleon really so different from Hitler?
And women: are they capable of supervising male workers on the same basis as men are? Of thinking like men, of being philosophers? Do they have the same brain, the same neurons, the same emotions, the same criminal instincts? Was Christ the lover of Mary Magdalene, and if so, does that mean that the Christian religion is sexually split between a hidden feminine pole and a dominant masculine one?
The father has vanished, but why not the mother? Isn’t the mother really just a father, in the end, and the father a mother? Why do young people not think anything? Why are children so unbearable? Is it because of television, or pornography, or comic books? …
Jean-Paul Sartre – for or against? Raymond Aron – for or against? … Should we take a blowtorch to May 1968 and its ideas … seen now as incomprehensible, elitist, dangerous and anti-democratic? Have the protagonists of that revolution … all become little bourgeois capitalist pleasure seekers without faith or principles, or haven’t they? …
Do these questions strike you as ‘the absolute nadir of contemporary interrogation’? Do they articulate your sense of the ills of the present cultural moment? Do you want to hear more of them? Would you like to have a long conversation with someone who feels the same way? If so, you will enjoy the latest English translation of a book by Roudinesco, the author of Lacan & Co, Why Psychoanalysis? and, most recently, La Part obscure de nous-mêmes (not yet translated). If not, you might enjoy parts of the book anyway. Roudinesco has a novelist’s talent for distilling the scattered nonsense of a certain sociohistorical milieu into pithy soundbites. How economically she skewers That’s Not What I Meant! and The Da Vinci Code! One is often reminded of Flaubert’s Dictionary of Received Ideas (‘novels: Pervert the masses’; ‘students: All of them … smoke their pipes in the street, and never study’). Roudinesco, like Flaubert, is dissatisfied with an intellectual discourse which increasingly resembles ‘a vast ledger full of entries for things and people – or rather people who have become things’.
Flaubert the satirist buried Bouvard and Pécuchet alive beneath an avalanche of names and things and methodologies; Roudinesco the philosopher is offering us a conceptual shovel. What one immediately notices about this shovel is its close resemblance to the avalanche: Philosophy in Turbulent Times: Canguilhem, Sartre, Foucault, Althusser, Deleuze, Derrida looks very much like a vast ledger full of entries for ‘people who have become things’. (Would Bouvard and Pécuchet feel or think any better if they found such a thing in the garden shed?) For most of its length the book has the same ‘talking-head’ effect that initially seemed to be an object of parody. As in Flaubert’s dictionary, ideas and names rain onto the page in a chronologically chaotic barrage: Roudinesco is the kind of writer who breezily refers to ‘the tradition of philosophical conceptuality to which belonged names like … Gaston Bachelard, Spinoza, Hegel, Montesquieu and Freud’. As Flaubert’s dictionary is alphabetically ordered, so Roudinesco proceeds from one argument to the next on the basis of puns or metaphors.
Take her treatment of ‘revisionism’, which she identifies as one of our chief contemporary ailments. Because we are determined ‘to oppugn the idea of rebellion’, we give unprecedented prestige to ‘revisionist attacks on the foundations of … every emancipatory adventure’: on feminism, socialism, Marxism, Freudianism and ‘every kind of critique of the norm’. Roudinesco likens these ‘revisionist attacks’ to Holocaust denial and the subject of Holocaust denial leads her to redefine revisionism as the ‘necessity to “relativise” heroism’, which is what we do when we disparage the French Resistance, or when we call Salvador Allende ‘a racist, an anti-semite and a eugenicist, for the purpose of denigrating the putative founding myths of socialism around the world’. Heroism, socialism and rebellion turn out to be synonymous, and the ledger entry for ‘revisionism’ unites Holocaust denial, free-market capitalism, psychopharmacology, the neurological study of gender differences and the badmouthing of Salvador Allende.
Such are the ills of our time, which flounders between apocalypse and normalcy. Are we in a crisis, or aren’t we? On the one hand, Roudinesco rejects the ‘catastrophic outlook’ of those who announce ‘the end of history, the end of ideology, the end of towering individuals, the end of thought, the end of mankind, the end of everything’, and who claim ‘to bear witness to a new malaise of civilisation’. On the other hand, this seems to be just the kind of malaise she claims to be witnessing:
Never has psychological suffering been more intense: solitude, use of mind-altering drugs, boredom, fatigue, dieting, obesity, the medicalisation of every second of existence … As for social suffering … it seems to be constantly on the rise, against a background of youth unemployment and tragic factory closings. Set free from the shackles of morality, sex is experienced not as the correlate of desire, but as performance, as gymnastics, as hygiene for the organs … How does one climax, and bring one’s partner to climax? What is the ideal size of the vagina, the correct length of the penis? How often? How many partners in a lifetime, in a week, in a single day, minute by minute? … It would seem impossible not to detect, in this curious psychologisation of existence … that is contributing to the rise of depoliticisation, the most insidious expression of what Michel Foucault and Gilles Deleuze called ‘little everyday fascism’.
A peculiar claim: how can Roudinesco possibly know whether more psychological and social suffering is caused by obesity, youth unemployment, factory closures and – one rather admires the leap – the hygienisation of sex, than, say, by the bubonic plague, the Spanish Inquisition or the slave trade? And haven’t any of our gains offset our losses? Thanks to hygienisation, sex has become less spontaneous … but we don’t all have syphilis. (‘syphilis: Pretty much everyone has it.’) It is a terrible irony of the Foucauldian anti-medicalisation argument that Foucault himself died of Aids at the age of 57, that he didn’t practise safe sex, and didn’t know about HIV transmission until a few months before his death. (It is even said that Foucault initially discounted Aids as a mythical homosexual-targeting disease invented by the medical superstructure to control male homosexuality; in this sense, he was a literal victim of his own conspiracy theories.) In other words, we might all have benefited had Foucault undergone some ‘medicalisation’ and ‘hygienisation’.
‘Health fascism’, which appears in the OED, does of course have an empirical reality. It’s not great to be told that one should quit smoking, cut down on coffee, go to the gym more often and regularly submit to screenings for various cancers. Nobody likes to sit on a metal table, wearing a paper ‘gown’, awaiting the arrival of a doctor who is increasingly likely to be younger than oneself. But who is the fascist here: the medical institution or the human body? What can doctors do if our bodies crave things which are harmful to us?
And if we are being subjected to socially determined aesthetic and ethical norms, under the guise of biological ones, is the ‘biocracy’ really responsible? Personally, I blame the fashion magazines, according to which a 5’9’’ woman ideally weighs 110 pounds, rather than the medical superstructure, according to which she should weigh between 125 and 165 pounds. Is anybody making us read these magazines: the same magazines, by the way, which order us to be constantly reaching orgasm? (No word on that from the surgeon general’s office.) But is living in a culture that produces fashion magazines really a source of unprecedented misery? In 1908, repressed sexual thoughts led to hysterical neuroses; in 2008, medicalised sexual thoughts make us obsess about having enough orgasms. With how much certainty can anyone say things are getting worse?
A lot of our modern plagues seem to have been around for an awfully long time, especially in France. To quote the Dictionary again: ‘gymnastics: One can never do enough. Wears children out’; ‘hygiene: Must always be maintained. Prevents illnesses, except when it causes them.’ Roudinesco’s tendency to sound like a 19th-century satirical dictionary doesn’t do much for her claim to acute contemporaneity. Flaubert’s catalogue already includes such major and minor exercises in revisionism as the defence of slavery, the celebration of censorship and the denial of the St Bartholomew’s Day Massacre (‘an old wives’ tale’). It includes the dictum: ‘Say about a great man: “He is completely overrated.” All the great men are; besides, there are no great men.’ It also includes catastrophism, mistrust of technocratic free-market capitalism and anti-Americanism: ‘There will no longer be any ideals, religion, morality. America will conquer the earth.’
Roudinesco seems to be describing not a topical crisis but a matter of ‘human nature’ in the longue durée. It’s true that Flaubert, whom some Marxists consider to be a Marxist visionary, did his share of railing against modern times; his complaints are, in their details, historically specific, and would provide material for an interesting Foucauldian history of complaining: when, exactly, did children become so unbearable? (Certainly, no later than the 18th century, and probably earlier. ‘Il n’y a plus d’enfants!’ Molière wrote in 1673.) But Flaubert’s primary target was larger, more amorphous, nearly timeless. ‘Human stupidity,’ he wrote in 1875, ‘is a bottomless abyss, and the ocean I see from my window seems to me quite small in comparison.’ The implication is less that we have scaled historic heights of catastrophism, stupidity and complaining, than that humans have long been a catastrophic, stupid bunch of complainers.
Roudinesco, however, attributes our stupidity, like our unhappiness, to political causes – specifically, to fascism. She is a strong advocate of ‘politicisation’, which appears to mean the redescription of everything one doesn’t like in terms of the Third Reich. Thus cognitive science, which uses ‘biological, neuronal or cerebral reasons to “explain” the supposedly innate differences between the sexes and the races’, turns out to be a mere step away from eugenics, which is synonymous with … Nazism! By extension, any science which equates mind and brain is fascist, as is the belief that emotional ‘health’ can be determined by physical exercise. Neuroscience, psychopharmacology and calisthenics turn out to be nothing more than what the Marxists called reification: treating people as things.
Perhaps the greatest intellectual leap Roudinesco requires of her anglophone readers is to entertain, at least temporarily, the notion of ‘continental’ philosophy as a means to combat social ills. Because all our problems are caused by fascism and reification, they can be cured through the practice of the kind of philosophy represented by the generation of postwar Freudo-Marxist philosophes engagés, and characterised by a categorical refusal ‘to serve the project to normalise the human being’. Her six chapters are not overviews or introductions to the philosophers in question. Roudinesco concentrates on one text per philosopher, and it is a strength of the book that she often chooses relatively little-known texts by these much discussed writers.
In her first chapter, ‘George Canguilhem: A Philosophy of Heroism’, Roudinesco relates Canguilhem’s work as a doctor in the French Resistance to The Normal and the Pathological, the influential book in which he challenged the prevailing definition of normality. Canguilhem defined health as the ‘stable’ condition of life, and pathology as a reaction or a process rather than a ‘fixed constitution’. Roudinesco plausibly argues that Canguilhem’s thesis was informed by his experience tending to wounded résistants under an occupation which must have presented all the features of an unfathomable pathology. For Canguilhem the maquisard, the Resistance had to be assimilated into the realm of the possible – just as, for Canguilhem the philosopher of medicine, pathology had to be assimilated into the realm of normality.
Canguilhem is particularly useful to Roudinesco as the rare instance of a philosopher whose philosophical work apparently benefited from his political activity. Canguilhem is also the author of a biography of Jean Cavaillès – a philosopher of mathematics and résistant shot by the Gestapo in 1944 – in which he famously, ironically, observed that none of the ‘philosophers of existence and of the person’ had risked their lives for the Resistance, as Cavaillès and the philosophers of mathematics, logic and science had done: fields ‘apparently more speculative and remote from any form of subjective and political commitment’.
It’s an interesting question: why did the philosophers of logic pass the test of political commitment, while the philosophers of subjectivity failed? Roudinesco proposes logic itself as a ‘philosophy of heroism’, making a link between the lack of authorial subjectivity in Cavaillès’s philosophical writings and his selflessness in sacrificing his life for his country. By following ‘the logic of the Resistance’, Cavaillès, like Canguilhem, established ‘a logical coherence, grounded in the primacy of the concept, between political commitment and intellectual activity’. This claim, which seems to imply the politicisation of logic itself, strikes me as very strange. Is one to understand that the philosophers of commitment lacked the logic to live according to their writings? That the only people who had enough logic to do it were logicians? What, then, drew the philosophers of logic to the philosophy of commitment in the first place?
To my mind, a more likely solution would involve the formal affinities between logical philosophy and mathematics, on the one hand, and existentialist philosophy and the novel, on the other. Mathematicians and logicians, unlike novelists and existentialists, often achieve greatness at an early age, and without having written hundreds of pages. It took Cavaillès fewer than a hundred pages to launch the French ‘philosophy of the concept’, composed in a prison camp in a few months in 1942. And Wittgenstein wrote the 80-page Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus, his revolutionary critique of Russell and Frege, from the trenches of the First World War.
It does nothing to belittle the achievements of Cavaillès and Wittgenstein to observe that, if Sartre had been active during the Resistance, he wouldn’t have managed to publish an 850-page philosopho-novelistic brick like Being and Nothingness by 1943. Sartre and the Freudo-Marxist philosophers of the self were, like novelists, discursive thinkers, who needed the long process and materiality of writing in order to discover their own thoughts. Canguilhem’s observation that there was no existentialist equivalent of Cavaillès may be true, but if there had been a future Sartre fighting at Cavaillès’s side and if that future Sartre had also been shot in 1944, he would surely have died without committing very much to paper. As a counter-example, take Hannah Arendt: a philosopher of existence and the human condition who spent the years between 1933 and 1939 working full-time for various Jewish refugee organisations in Paris, and who published her first important work, the 700-page Origins of Totalitarianism, only in 1951. If Arendt had been killed in the war, she, unlike Cavaillès, would now be totally forgotten. Roudinesco probably wouldn’t like this explanation, which relies on the ‘mechanical’ factor of how long it takes to write a book of a certain length.
Canguilhem, who shares with Roudinesco a mistrust of cognitive science and the ‘mechanisation’ of the human body, might not have liked it either. In medical treatment, for example, he always valorised ‘the clinic’ (the doctor’s examination of the patient) over ‘the laboratory’ (scientific tests), on the grounds that test results can be interpreted correctly only in the light of the patient’s history. Television viewers may recognise in Canguilhem’s hierarchy the premise on which House is based. In this hospital drama, test results are inconclusive, genetic factors are a red herring and the missing key invariably turns up in the patient’s lived history. (In one episode, a metal key literally turns up in the intestines of a magician, who swallowed it as part of a trick.) A CIA agent, stationed in Brazil, gets selenium poisoning from Brazil nuts; a Hasidic convert turns out to be suffering from a floating kidney dislodged when she was lifted on a chair during a wedding. The eponymous diagnostician, Dr House, regularly orders his medical staff to search the patient’s house: the non-biological, autonomously chosen counterpart of the human body. Sartre would have liked House, in which people get sick from existence rather than essence.
Sartre, perhaps the most omnivorous and omnipresent of the 20th-century philosophers, is the subject of Roudinesco’s second chapter, ‘Psychoanalysis on the Shadowy Banks of the Danube’, which details Sartre’s foray into film-making: his abortive collaboration with John Huston on a screenplay about Freud.
Roudinesco begins by situating Huston’s choice of Sartre as screenwriter within the context of America’s hygienisation, medicalisation and corruption of psychoanalysis. Apparently, the one oasis in America where ‘emigrants from old Europe’ sustained the ‘high tradition’ of Freudian analysis was Hollywood, which Roudinesco represents as a European-operated machine for ‘criticising the ideals of the American way of life’. Huston, although an American – or ‘American born’, as Roudinesco charitably puts it – decided to make a movie about this Freud: the European, anti-American one.
Another way of looking at it would be to say that Huston, following the great American biopic tradition, wanted to make a movie about how Freud became Freud. But in either case Sartre, the pre-eminent and ultra-European philosopher of becoming, was an ideal choice. He completed a 95-page screen treatment in 1958. The protagonist of Sartre’s script was Freud the young neurologist, who had reached a ‘desperate impasse’ in his treatment of Anna O. and in his theory of the sexual etiology of hysterical neurosis. For the part of Anna O., incidentally, Sartre had his eye on Marilyn Monroe, who was discouraged from taking the role by Anna Freud and by Monroe’s own psychoanalyst, Marianne Kris, whose father had been Freud’s tarot partner.
The Huston-Sartre collaboration fell apart in 1959, when Sartre travelled to Huston’s home in Ireland to work on the script. The two didn’t work well together. ‘There was no such thing as a conversation with him,’ Huston later recalled. ‘He talked incessantly, and there was no interrupting him. You’d wait for him to catch his breath, but he wouldn’t.’ Meanwhile Sartre, in his letters to Simone de Beauvoir, described Huston as ‘perfectly vacant, literally incapable of speaking to those whom he has invited’. Evidently he didn’t realise that Huston was waiting for him to catch his breath. The philosopher went on to compare Huston’s ‘inner landscape’ to ‘heaps of ruins, abandoned houses, plots of wasteland, swamps’: ‘He is empty,’ Sartre concluded, ‘except in his moments of infantile vanity, when he dons a red tuxedo, or goes horseback riding (not very well).’ (Huston, of the infantile red tuxedo, was equally bemused by Sartre’s wardrobe, its stark invariance: ‘I never knew if he owned one grey suit or several identical grey suits.’)
Who can fail to be entertained by this picture of Sartre criticising somebody for being a bad rider? Or by the anecdote about how he once had toothache and refused to go to Dublin, as Huston suggested, to get it treated? Huston didn’t know any local dentists, but Sartre found one, from whose surgery he emerged in a matter of minutes, having had his tooth extracted. Huston – who, despite his scepticism about America, had evidently not totally renounced the ‘hygienism’ of his native country – wondered at Sartre’s casual attitude to his teeth, but concluded that ‘a tooth more or less made no difference in Sartre’s cosmos.’ Here you see the entire charm of the existentialist way of life.
The theoretical story Roudinesco tells has it that, through his work on the Freud screenplay, Sartre finally surmounted ‘the doctrinal superego of his own existential Freudo-Marxism’, which was impeding his work on a long-projected ‘existential biography’ of Flaubert (eventually published, in 1971-72, as The Family Idiot). The premise that Freud enabled Sartre to write about Flaubert is an interesting one, but Roudinesco’s explanation remains murky. It apparently involves Freud’s realisation that not all fathers were child molesters, and that his own father was not a child molester. This realisation, which the historical Freud reached in an exchange of letters with Wilhelm Fliess, is dramatised by Sartre as a conversation with Anna O., in a carriage ‘between a bordello and the shadowy banks of the Danube’. By virtue of this fictional dramatisation which asserts the primacy of ‘history over structure’, Sartre overcomes his doctrinal superego and is able to become an autonomous biographer.
‘Through a Freud more Freudian than the original,’ Roudinesco writes, ‘Sartre in part renounces his own former anti-Freudian philosophical stance, and links a conceptual moment to an act of subjective liberty. Only in part, though, because this renunciation leads him to an even more radical anti-Freudianism.’ Such clarifications bring to mind the tortuous locutions that finally drove Don Quixote insane: ‘The reason of the unreason which has afflicted my reason, debilitating my ability to reason, so that it is with good reason that I complain of your beauty.’ Some sense is apparently being made somewhere but it’s hard to put your finger on it.
The irony of Foucault is that reading his books can be such an exciting, liberating experience. Language breaking off its kinship with things, Cuvier smashing the glass jars in the museum of natural history, and immutable nature itself turning out to be a human construction: it all sounds like a marvellous adventure. In Foucault’s archaeologies, as in Freud’s dreams, seemingly arbitrary dates, names and images line up to produce a secret meaning and a message about the future. And yet, Foucault’s work is somehow also a mill for grinding out disciplined bodies subject to the normalising gaze. The stethoscope turns out to function exactly like the Panopticon, which does justice neither to the seriousness of incarceration, nor to the Foucauldian conception of heterogeneity.
Unfortunately, in her chapter on Foucault’s History of Madness, Roudinesco turns out to be operating a similar mill, the mill of ‘politicisation’, which takes the most disparate entities and tries to make them resemble totalitarian regimes. The account starts out straightforwardly enough, with an introduction to Foucault’s groundbreaking structural definition of insanity, which took the form of a history of the ways in which the mad have been isolated from the sane. Roudinesco helpfully associates Foucault with Canguilhem and Saussure, through a redefinition of mental ‘norms’ as being relative and social rather than absolute and biological. She also identifies the legacy of Sartrean ‘bad faith’ in Foucault’s project, which exposes ‘the retroactive illusion that madness was already a given in nature’.
But the discussion of Foucault gives way to a ‘politicised’ history of psychoanalysis in France. First, Roudinesco challenges some anti-Freudians who apparently believe that ‘the so-called Freudian revolution was no more than a totalitarian revival of the Jacobin revolution of sinister memory,’ and thus ‘the foundational act of the abominable Gulag to come’. The potentially interesting analogy between Freudianism and Marxism – between superegos and ruling classes, psychosexual fetishism and commodity fetishism – ceases to be useful when Freudianism is taken to be a politico-economic theory, disguised for some reason as a theory of the individual psyche. Although the proposition that Freudianism is ‘no more than’ Jacobinism or Stalinism is very nearly meaningless, Roudinesco readily engages with it. Stalin and the Nazis, she explains, both despised psychoanalysis as being bourgeois and/or Jewish, and psychoanalysts perished in both the gas chambers and the Gulag.
In a daring rhetorical coup, Roudinesco then one-ups the anti-Freudians: Freudianism, she argues, in its emphasis on personal and sexual history at the expense of hereditary or genetic factors, is essentially anti-eugenicist and … anti-Nazi! QED: You, sir, are the Nazi! Maybe the point of such games is to train us to recognise Nazis, on the grounds that we weren’t quick enough the first time around. But really all they train us to do is to liken more and more different things to Nazis. To fail to notice that all things are political – i.e. potentially fascist – is naive, bourgeois, complacent, immoral. Rigour and logic then consist in assigning all phenomena a fundamental pro or anti-fascist meaning.
Politicisation takes a particularly ugly form in the next chapter, on The Future Lasts a Long Time, a memoir Althusser wrote after he murdered his wife, Hélène, and was judged mentally incompetent to stand trial. The text is well chosen, and might have given Roudinesco the opportunity to unite the big themes of the previous chapters. Instead, she turns it into an apologia for Althusser, a key to the supposedly political and philosophical significance of the murder.
The impetus for Althusser’s memoir came from an article in Le Monde about Issei Sagawa, a Japanese citizen who, while living in Paris, killed and ate a young Dutch woman. Like Althusser, Sagawa was judged mentally incompetent – until he returned to Japan, where he was set free and went on to enjoy ‘a career as an actor in pornographic films and a bestselling author’. The Le Monde article made a passing reference to Althusser, to the effect that both he and Sagawa received more media attention than their victims. It seems a legitimate, if banal, observation, but it filled Roudinesco with outrage. Althusser, she reports, suffered tremendously from this comparison with the ‘Japanese cannibal’, whose fate was ‘so radically different from his own’. Sagawa was an opportunist, who had exploited a shortcoming in the Japanese criminal justice system; Althusser was a victim of the normalisation of mental health, ‘robbed of his own deed and deprived of a trial’.
In the context of her own long friendship with Althusser, Roudinesco’s heated defence is understandable and even sympathetic. (Althusser was apparently so fond of Roudinesco’s apartment that he became obsessed with the idea of buying it, ‘to the point of persuading himself, and convincing Hélène, that I had put it up for sale’.) But to someone who never knew Althusser personally, his suffering from being compared to a Japanese cannibal seems less compelling than Hélène’s suffering from being emotionally abused and eventually strangled by the most famous Marxist in postwar France.
Hélène was a Russian Jewish émigrée, a Resistance fighter (unlike Althusser, who spent the war in a prison camp), eight years older than her husband, and not beautiful. By the time she got married all her closest friends had been killed by the Nazis. Her parents had died long, slow deaths from cancer before she was 14; the family doctor, her only friend at this time, betrayed her by abusing her sexually and eventually forcing her to euthanise her own parents with morphine injections. Life with Althusser was never easy either. In his manic periods, the philosopher compulsively seduced younger, more attractive women and brought them home to ‘show’ his wife. The actual murder took place when he was giving Hélène a ‘neck massage’ – on the front of her neck. The great Marxist pressed his thumbs ‘into the hollow at the top of Hélène’s breastbone and then, still pressing, slowly moved them both … up towards her ears’, squeezing so hard that he felt pain in his forearms. He noticed this pain before he noticed his wife’s glazed eyes and protruding tongue.
In The Future Lasts a Long Time, Althusser breezes through Hélène’s monstrous childhood in less than two pages, but returns again and again to the scene of his own symbolic ‘rape’ by his mother, which occurred after he began having wet dreams, and consisted of his mother pointing at his sheets and announcing: ‘Now you are a man, my son.’ Such passages alternate with confessions, self-recriminations, Freudian self-analyses and sentences like ‘I know you are waiting for me to talk about philosophy, politics, my position within the Party, and my books,’ creating an impression of parodic egotism.
One can excuse Althusser for writing an unbalanced book, because he was deeply unbalanced when he wrote it. But Roudinesco, who refuses to treat people like objects or books as symptoms, is obliged to read his memoir as a heroic assertion of human autonomy. Althusser, she explains, was answering the imperative to transform the strangulation of Hélène ‘into a work’: ‘otherwise it would be endlessly reproduced, recounted, disseminated, falsified, interpreted, by countless witnesses or non-witnesses’ who would audaciously speak in place of the true ‘author of the crime’.
Roudinesco is here tacitly invoking the Foucauldian authorial principle, which ‘impedes the free circulation, the free manipulation, the free composition, decomposition and recomposition of fiction’. She describes Hélène’s murder as a ‘work’ on which Althusser may have the final say, as an author has the final say on the content of her book. The problem is that the authorial function was never meant to apply to human actions. Nietzsche can have the last word on what Zarathustra said, and Tolstoy the final interpretation of how Ivan Ilyich died, but Althusser can never be the final author of his crime – if only because, as Arendt puts it, ‘real stories, in distinction from those we invent, have no author.’ This is a key point in Marxist history: every human action is always immediately absorbed into an ‘already existing web of human relationships, with its innumerable, conflicting wills and intentions’: although each individual may be, as Sartre put it, the author of his self, none is the author of a historical outcome.
Nonetheless, having posited the murder of Hélène as a ‘work’, Roudinesco sets about reconciling it with the rest of Althusser’s output: viz, books of Marxist philosophy. This reconciliation is again an application of the author function, which, according to Foucault, serves to resolve all contradictions within a single author’s writings in terms of ‘evolution, maturation or influence’ – in terms of the author’s ‘thought or desire, of his consciousness or unconscious’. It’s a brilliant piece of literary theory – but can human identity be said to comprise the sum of human |
. And it turns out that there are several sides to this complexity: for the banks and the high-frequency traders who exploit it, it's a marketing tool for bamboozling investors and a means of intimidating regulators; and for smart programmers and entrepreneurs it offers limitless opportunities to play the system.
"From the point of view of the most sophisticated traders," Lewis writes, "the stock market wasn't a mechanism for channelling capital to productive enterprise but a puzzle to be solved."
For society, the system's complexity is dangerous, because complex systems are intrinsically unpredictable and nobody really understands this one as a whole – which means that catastrophic failure is always a remote but finite possibility.
At first sight, the modus operandi of high-frequency traders seems so outrageous that one assumes it must be illegal. In its review, the Economist came up with a useful everyday analogy: high-frequency traders are like "the people who offer you tasty titbits as you enter the supermarket to entice you to buy; but in this case, as you show appreciation for the goods, they race through the aisles to mark the price up before you can get your trolley to the chosen counter". How, one wonders, can it be legal for a handful of insiders to operate at faster speeds than the rest of the market and, in effect, steal from investors?
But it is legal, and for an interesting reason. In 2004 the US Securities and Exchange Commission discovered that some traders in the old New York stock exchange were exploiting the discretion then allowed to them in choosing the time to execute a deal. The following year the SEC passed a new regulation, known as Reg NMS, which obliged traders to seek "the best price" for a security.
What the SEC did not anticipate was that in the new fragmented system of a dozen virtual exchanges, this provided the opportunity for high-frequency traders to outrun the market while staying within the law. Reg NMS was a well-intentioned measure to restore equality of opportunity in the US stock market. But instead, as Lewis points out, "it institutionalised a more pernicious inequality. A small class of insiders with the resources to create speed were now allowed to preview the market and trade on what they had seen."
This is a good illustration of one of the central problems that society will have to address in the coming decades: the collision between analogue mindsets and digital realities.
Software is pure "thought-stuff". The only resource needed to produce it is human intelligence and expertise. This has two implications. The first is that attempting to regulate the things that it creates is like trying to catch quicksilver using a butterfly net.
The Edward Snowden disclosures about the US National Security Agency have revealed how difficult it is to bring this stuff under effective democratic control. Lewis's account of how high-frequency trader geeks have run rings around the regulators suggests that much the same holds true in civilian life. This technology can easily run out of control.
The second implication is that what one might call the politics of expertise will become much more important. Mastery of these technologies confers enormous power on those who have it. Sed quis custodiet ipsos custodes and all that. So in addition to wondering who will guard the guardians, we may have to start thinking about who is going to guard the geeks.George Osborne will announce plans this week to plug gaps in the school skills shortage by offering highly qualified maths and physics postgraduates £40,000 salaries if they go straight into teaching.
The scheme to place PhDs in non-selective state schools – which is to start in September – is sponsored by major employers such as GlaxoSmithKline, Nationwide Building Society and BAE Systems, with each contributing £75,000 over three years to cover the additional pay and training costs.
The £40,000 starting salary for holders of PhDs in maths and physics compares favourably to basic starting salaries of £21,600 to £27,000 for newly qualified teachers in the state sector.
The teachers, to be known as "maths and physics chairs", are expected to undertake on-the-job training for a teaching qualification.
The scheme will be run through a new initiative called Researchers in Schools, which supports trainees to become classroom teachers while maintaining a research profile. The chairs will also be expected to import recent expertise into classrooms and help pupils get work experience at the businesses that have sponsored them.
The Department for Education said the chairs could conduct masterclasses for pupils in networks of schools, establish links between schools and universities, and share their skills through online teaching resources.
"By getting experts into schools we can build a pipeline from GCSE through to A-level and beyond into the world of work. Teenagers studying these subjects will go to underpin a flourishing UK economy," said Liz Truss, the schools minister.
The numbers recruited are likely to be small, given the relatively small numbers of domestic postdoctoral students in physics and maths in the UK. However, a shortage of university-level jobs and the low-paid, temporary contracts prevalent in the sector could make teaching an attractive option.TouchArcade Rating:
Last month, Candy Crush Saga creator King.com angered the entire internet by announcing their intention to trademark the word “candy" (and the word “saga" but that’s another, er, saga). People were outraged that a company would try to own the rights to a common word like candy, and it brought up all sorts of bad memories of the long battle Mobigame fought with patent troll Tim Langdell over their game Edge. But the trademark and patent system itself is something of a mess, and there are countless games that have tried to ride the coattails of Candy Crush Saga‘s success by purposefully using the word “candy" and trying to create consumer confusion. King argued they had a right to defend their IP, and was quick to explain that they wouldn’t go after every instance of “candy" being used in a video game. King’s CEO Riccardo Zacconi even posted an open letter addressing everyone’s concerns about their IP protection practices.
However, CandySwipe ($2.99) developer Albert Ransom has posted his own open letter to King today, and according to his account of what’s transpired between himself and King, any benefit of the doubt the Candy Crush Saga maker had been given in regards to their IP protection philosophy has gone straight out the window. CandySwipe originally launched on Android way back in November of 2010, several months before Candy Crush even appeared on King’s website, and a full two years before Candy Crush Saga would appear on the App Store. Ransom, like any good developer should do, was quick to trademark the word “candyswipe" to protect his creation, and was granted the trademark in July of 2011. So when King tried to trademark “candy crush saga" he opposed it, not simply because of them using the word candy in the title but because the game itself was strikingly similar to his own CandySwipe game which predated any version of Candy Crush. Check out what I mean.
The pieces of candy and even the “Sweet!" in Candy Crush Saga were just too similar to CandySwipe’s to be coincidence, and unfortunately once Candy Crush Saga became a huge sensation people actually were confused by the two titles, most thinking that CandySwipe was just another cheap knockoff of King’s game. Obviously this was tough to deal with for Ransom, as he legitimately was there first, but he kept quiet during the whole “candy" trademark drama last month in hopes that the matter would be settled through the trademark system, though he did tell Gamezebo in January that he’d planned on opposing their “candy" trademark in addition to his current opposition of the “candy crush saga" trademark.
Well, it didn’t end well for Ransom, as King went out and purchased an even earlier trademark for “candy crusher" which according to King covers game software and mobile apps dating back to 2004. Now they are using this earlier “candy crusher" trademark to invalidate Ransom’s trademark on “candyswipe." Basically, this goes against everything King’s CEO explained in that open letter about how they only wish to “protect our IP and to also respect the IP of others." King.com has not commented on this particular matter just yet, but if they do we’ll let you know.
[Gamezebo]Four-star recruit Aaron Thompson verbally committed to Butler, Chris Holtmann on Tuesday, he told Scout.
"I think me and coach Holtmann, we hit it off when I went out there," Thompson said. "Me and my family thought it was a good situation for me basketball wise and academic wise. If I get my degree from there, it can open doors for me. I feel like they make it to the tournament every year and with the recruiting class coming it could be special class."
Thompson recently became one of the top available prospects, after backing out of a Letter of Intent to Pittsburgh on April 21st.
http://www.scout.com/player/185541-aaron-thompson
Thompson, a 6-foot-3, 175-pound point guard, took an official visit to Butler last Thursday. He picked the Bulldogs over VCU, who he visited this past weekend.
"I think it was more of a family decision," he said. "It's kind of where I feel comfortable and I know they feel comfortable."
There's an opportunity to get early playing time at Butler and that played a role in his decision making.
"I think it factors into it a lot," Thompson said. "I think there is a clear path to playing time at Butler. I feel like that would help me in a great way to play early and get some experience."
Thompson had an impressive high school career playing at Fairfax (Va.) Paul VI, where he averaged 10.9 points a game as a was named to the Washington Post's All-Met First Team. Thompson played for Team Takeover on the EYBL circuit.
Thompson ranks as the No. 27 overall point guard in the 2017 recruiting class.
"I can lead the team even as a freshman," Thompson said when asked how he could help them. "I have good leadership skills. On the defensive end me and Kamar [Baldwin] can create some choas. He's a great defender and gets steal and we can run in transition."
With the addition of Thompson, Holtmann has five recruits headed his way in 2017. Thompson joins a class that also includes four-star forward Kyle Young, as well as three-star recruits David Christian, Cooper Neese and Jerald Butler.Friends star Matt LeBlanc has been announced as one of the new presenters of Top Gear.
Friends star Matt LeBlanc has been announced as one of the new presenters of Top Gear.
'Friends' star Matt LeBlanc to join Top Gear as presenter - here's why he's perfect for the gig
The news was announce via BBC2's Twitter feed this morning with LeBlank posing alongside Chris Evans and The Stig.
The news will come as a surprise to fans of the show who had been speculating about who would join Evans in a presenting role.
“As a car nut and a massive fan of Top Gear, I’m honoured and excited to be a part of this iconic show’s new chapter,” said Matt. “What a thrill!”
We can reveal that @Matt_LeBlanc will be joining @achrisevans to drive #TopGear into a new era. pic.twitter.com/6NKaitFgQ8 — BBC Two (@BBCTwo) February 4, 2016
“We can’t wait to share what we’ve been up to on screen later this year,” he added.
On Tuesday LeBlanc posted a tweet declaring, 'I Love Top Gear' and holds the record as the fastest-ever Star in a Reasonably Priced Car with 1m 42.1s in the Kia cee'd.
He also drove The Stig around in a McLaren MP4-12C and recently presented the standalone spin-off Top Gear: The Races.
Original presenters Jeremy Clarkson, James May, and Richard Hammond departed the show last year in the wake of Clarkson's bust-up with producer Oisin Tynan which resulted in Clarkson not having his contract renewed.
The trio will present a new car show for Amazon Prime.
The new series of Top Gear premieres in May.
LeBlanc is also gearing up to shoot a new season of Episodes in April, which will broadcast in January 2017.
Here's why he's perfect for the gig:
Online EditorsTaxi drivers surround a GrabCar driver outside the SPAD headquarters in Kelana Jaya, September 30, 2015. — Picture by Kamles Kumar
KELANA JAYA, Sept 30 — A group of taxi drivers protesting the continued operations of private hire vehicle companies managed to get the Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) to arrest a GrabCar driver today after they lured him to their gathering outside the agency’s office in Kelana Jaya.
During the protest, one of the taxi drivers, Jay Rohezan, hired a car to SPAD’s office using the GrabCar service to prove that the firm’s drivers are still operating illegally without licenses.
“I just booked this guy to see if he comes to SPAD headquarters or not. See these private hire vehicles, they are so daring already,” he told reporters.
SPAD had in July said that although Uber and GrabCar are legal as “service matching” businesses, the manner they operate is not.
The commission has since been carrying out enforcement on all unlicensed vehicles and drivers attached to the firms, and slapping them with compounds for operating illegally.
Today, when the GrabCar driver arrived in a grey Nissan Almera, he was ambushed by the over 30 taxi drivers who had turned up for the protest.
Police and building security officials managed to break up the crowd later and two SPAD officers then announced that they would arrest the driver and take action.
It is not known, however, the actual reason for the arrest.
The SPAD officers later took over from the driver and drove off in his car with the man in the backseat.
“They told us that they are going to bring him to the depot or main headquarters and process him. Hopefully, they take a stern action,” Jay explained, without offering details on why the GrabCar driver was arrested.
GrabCar is an online service offered via the MyTeksi app, which allows passengers to hail ordinary cars, and in which drivers need not possess a public driver’s licence to register.
To date, there are over 91,000 taxi drivers in the Southeast Asian region that have registered with MyTeksi and GrabCar
A group of approximately 100 taxi drivers protested earlier today at the SPAD headquarters demanding the suspension of the transport-hire mobile applications like Uber and GrabCar, which they claimed have been affecting their livelihood.
The demands made by the taxi drivers include exemption of Goods and Services Tax (GST) on taxi related products, reducing the NGV price as well as giving individual permits to drivers.The Book of Suffering - Now available and FREE!
You got dressed 20 minutes ago and have been sitting in the chair since then. Finally, you rise. You look at the bike. The bike on the turbo trainer. You adjust the straps on your shoes - but they don't need more adjusting. Enough delay. Get on with it.
You approach the book on the counter - you open it, seeking inspiration from words, from images of other lonely bike torture chambers. "Know how sublime a thing it is to suffer and be strong," says Longfellow. You close the book - The Book of Suffering - and get on the bike.
You proceed to beat the absolute hell out of yourself.
Sufferlandrians, we give you The Book of Suffering. It's a collection of our favourite quotes about suffering, and includes a bunch of shots of Bike Torture Chambers around the world. (Thanks to all those who provided Bike Torture Chamber shots over the past two years - I wish I could have used all of them!)
The book is free. Share it with your friends. Put up your favorite quotes on your wall. Enjoy the suffering.
It's a PDF, 6mb and just over 100 pages. I recommend printing it out on a color printer, double sided in A4 or Letter sized.Fires are raging in the Middle East, from Syria and Turkey to Yemen and Iraq. Located at the heart of the region, Iran has been a true island of stability. But this stability could be threatened by the historic elections for the Assembly of Experts and parliament on February 26. While the battle over daily aspects of power between the reformists and the hard-liners in Iran has caught the attention of many Iran watchers, a more hidden, yet earth-shattering, process is shaping the trajectory of the domestic power struggle within the country.
The surprising victory of Iran’s moderate President Hassan Rouhani in the Islamic Republic’s presidential election in June 2013 had many on the edge of their seats. Few predicted his victory in a regime-controlled milieu, especially in the atmosphere of disappointment that followed the controversial election of 2009. But just when many thought most Iranians would call for a boycott, objecting to what seemed like the regime’s decision to determine the outcome of the election, a wave of support for former presidents Khatami and Rafsanjani changed course and directed toward Rouhani.
Bringing a new tone to nuclear talks and the growing domestic economic crisis, Iran’s “Diplomat-Sheikh” convinced Iranians to vote for him. But he could not have been able to get this unexpectedly remarkable victory without his strategic alliance with the “Man of Shadows”: Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani.
Since his defeat in the presidential election of 2005, Rafsanjani has been highly criticized by the hard-liners. The acme of these verbal-practical assaults was during, and after, the controversial presidential election of June 2009, which was followed by the emergence of the Green Movement.
But winning the election is only the first step toward the accomplishment of his mission. In fact, what persuaded Rafsanjani to run for office, and then support his aide Hassan Rouhani in the presidential election, was not resolving the international and economic crises. Nor does it seem to have been a narcissistic impulse or an insatiable desire for power. Rather, Rafsanjani’s entry into the fray had a message and the goal of controlling a significant process—the process of succession in the Iranian regime.
The issue of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei’s succession has been at the epicenter of public discussion in recent years. Beyond who will be the next leader, what is important is that the institution of the rule of the jurist, under Khamenei’s leadership, has become even more powerful than it was under Ayatollah Khomeini’s rule. All in all, what lurks beneath Iranian domestic politics has been deeply intertwined with this process.
This explains the gist of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s speech to supporters in the last month of his presidency, in April 2013: “a little patience will change the condition.” Ahmadinejad was referring to a complete substitution of the first generation of revolutionary elites. While almost all of the highest-ranking, mostly clerical, elites of the Islamic Republic are in their seventies and eighties, Ahmadinejad and his team were in their forties and fifties. They had money and networks, as well as opportunities to mobilize people, particularly the marginalized. Had they come to power after the recent election, considering Ayatollah Khamenei’s age, they would have had a unique opportunity to become kingmakers. Rafsanjani came onto the presidential scene to prevent them from manipulating this process.
In the wake of the crucial elections for the Assembly of Experts and parliament, the situation has changed. President Rouhani and Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif have been able to dispel the fog of another war in the Middle East and sign a historical agreement with the P5+1—an agreement that was mostly seen as favorable to Tehran, particularly by Israel, Saudi Arabia, the Republican Party in the United States and the Arab sheikhdoms of the Persian Gulf. The nuclear pact has also transformed the balance of power in Iran’s favor and made the West recognize the revisionist country as a regional power.
Within this situation, Rafsanjani’s aim is to control the critical succession process. To achieve this strategy, he needs some factor to tilt the balance of power in his favor. One of these critical factors was a letter that was unexpectedly neglected on the eve of the presidential election.
When the Guardian Council decided to disqualify Rafsanjani for the 2013 presidential election, Zahra Mostafavi, Ayatollah Khomeini’s daughter, criticized Rafsanjani’s exclusion, calling on the supreme leader to reverse the Guardian Council's decision.
“On the same day I heard Imam’s [Ayatollah Khomeini] confirmation of your leadership from his own mouth, and I have consistently repeated that theory whenever necessary. I also heard him confirm the qualification of Brother Hashemi Rafsanjani, because Imam mentioned his name after your name. Fortunately and deservedly, you received the votes of the Experts; therefore, I did not see it necessary to mention any of this so far,” Mostafavi wrote.
Right after Khomeini’s death in 1989, Khamenei was elected as the new supreme leader. But he could not become the most powerful man of Iran without Rafsanjani’s word that Khomeini wished Khamenei to be the next leader of the Islamic Republic. His speech played a crucial role in persuading the Council of Experts to back Khamenei’s leadership.
The significance of this letter, which deserves to be called historic, was not Khomeini’s daughter’s support of Rafsanjani, nor was it a critique of Khamenei. For the first time, a public letter pointed to Khomeini’s attitude toward Rafsanjani as a potential candidate to succeed him as the supreme leader; a message that could effectively make a powerful alternative for Ayatollah Khamenei. This means that in the future, the currently hidden process of succession beneath the fluid dynamics of the Iranian politics will be revealed.
Enjoying deep, broad sociopolitical support within Iranian society, Rafsanjani has shown that the source of power is not military and brute force; rather, it is derived from the people. Putting emphasis on this issue in his various speeches, Rafsanjani has been able to resuscitate his image and gain symbolic political capital. Amid the presidential election, he was clever enough to invest this acquired capital in his closest aide, President Hassan Rouhani.
At this stage, Rafsanjani has no capability to challenge the hard-liner directly, though the recent election has shown that he is still a genius in Iranian politics. Thus, his strategy would be a gradual challenge: a “War of Position” in Gramscian terms. The coming election of February 26 is a key step in his War of Position.
From now on, the story of the Islamic Republic will be seen as a clash between brute force and the people over the process of succession.
The destiny of the Islamic Republic has been bound up with that of a “man for all seasons”: Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani. His last season has just begun.
Arash Reisinezhad is a research fellow at the Middle East Studies Center and an adjunct professor at the School of International and Public Affairs at Florida International University.Full Disclosure mailing list archives
By Date By Thread Securing SAP Systems from XSS vulnerabilities Part 2: Defense for SAP NetWeaver ABAP From: Darya Maenkova <d.maenkova () erpscan com>
Date: Wed, 24 Jun 2015 21:03:39 +0300
From the developer’s perspective For all generic Web applications where you accept input parameters, you must use encoding methods provided by the ICF handler. The implementation of the encoding is available as an API in two variants: •ABAP built-in function ESCAPE (available as of SAP_BASIS >= 731); •Class implementation in CL_ABAP_DYN_PRG. In releases higher or equal to SAP NetWeaver Release 7.0 enhancement package 3 (SAP_BASIS >= 731), use the ABAP built-in function ESCAPE(). For more information, see the ABAP keyword documentation for the ESCAPE() function. HTML / XML out = escape(val = val format = cl_abap_format=>e_xss_ml). JavaScript out = escape(val = val format = cl_abap_format=>e_xss_js) URL out = escape(val = val format = cl_abap_format=>e_xss_url) CSS out = escape(val = val format = cl_abap_format=>e_xss_css) For lower releases (SAP_BASIS 702, 720 and below), there is an ABAP OO implementation. The implementation is in class CL_ABAP_DYN_PRG. Context Method HTML / XML out = CL_ABAP_DYN_PRG=>ESCAPE_XSS_XML_HTML(val) JavaScript out = CL_ABAP_DYN_PRG=>ESCAPE_XSS_JAVASCRIPT(val) URL out = CL_ABAP_DYN_PRG=>ESCAPE_XSS_URL(val) CSS out = CL_ABAP_DYN_PRG=>ESCAPE_XSS_CSS(val) For more information about the delivery of these extensions, see SAP Security Note 1582870 [4]. For WebDynpro ABAP For WebDynpro ABAP, you do not have to care about XSS at all. The security is ensured through the framework itself. For Business Server Pages (BSP) For BSP, you should use the page directives. For more information, see SAP Security Note 1600317 [5] and SAP Security Note 1638779 [6]. These BSP page attributes have the advantage that the BSP framework ensures that the most secure version of encoding is used. For BSP, you should use the page directives: /<%@page language="abap" forceEncode="html|url|javascript|css"%> / After importing SAP Security Note 1600317 [7], the existing page directives also use the updated BSP compiler that supports HTML encoding of all print statements on the page. In the following example, all print statements use HTML encoding. It only affects print statements on BSP pages and does not have anything to do with tag parameter passing that uses the same syntax, but has different semantics. BSP example: <%@page language="abap" forceEncode="html"%> <html><body><form> <% data: inputvalue type string. inputvalue = request->get_form_field( 'x' ). %> <input type=text name=x value="<%=inputvalue%>"> <input type=submit> </form></body></html> The global page attribute defines the default encoding used within the page and all included page fragments. Besides the global page attributes, you can use the following notations for controlling the encoding behavior of a special print event (overriding the global settings): •<%html=...%>: HTML encoding •<%url=...%>: URL encoding for parameter names or values of URLs •<%javascript=...%>: JavaScript encoding •<%css=…%> : CSS encoding •<%raw=...%> (no encoding, that is, a global encoding that was set in the page directive is switched off) Using forceEncode within a page directive in a page fragment has no effect. The encoding within page fragments is always controlled by the including page. For BSP Online Text Repository (OTR) One aspect that is similar to an XSS attack is a translation-related change that breaks the HTML or JavaScript code.// Example: <script> var msg = '<otr>Hello</otr>'; </script> <input name=xyz value="<otr>Replace 'dog' with 'cat'</otr>"> Therefore, there is an extra page attribute that you can set. When this attribute is set, all OTR texts are effectively encoded directly after they have been retrieved in their language-dependent form. For BSP ORT, you should use the page directives: /<%@page language="abap" forceEncodeOtr="html|javascript"%>/HTML example //<%@page language="abap" forceEncodeOtr="html"%> <script>var msg = '<otr>Hello</otr>';alert(msg); </script> JavaScript example <%@page language="abap" forceEncodeOtr="html"%> <script> var msg = '<%JavaScript=<otr>Hello</otr>%>'; alert(msg); </script> For BSP Extensions For the BSP HTMLB library, you must set the attribute forceEncode of the <htmlb:content> tag to ENABLED to switch on the internal encoding because it is set to disabled by default. ENABLED means that the extension will use an appropriate encoding depending on the context within a value is used: /<htmlb:content forceEncode="ENABLED|BACKWARDS_COMPATIBLE">/ •ENABLED: This means to always encode everything. This overwrites all other encode attributes and they no longer have to be set; •BACKWARDS_COMPATIBLE: This is the default value. The usual encode attributes are active as previously defined. In addition, the attribute design of htmlb:content specifies the possible designs as a page supports. Valid values are CLASSIC, DESIGN2002, DESIGN2003, or DESIGN2008, or combinations separated by a plus (+) sign. The older designs CLASSIC and DESIGN2002 are no longer supported (and possibly insecure) and are therefore not to be used anymore: /<htmlb:content forceEncode="ENABLED" design="DESIGN2003+DESIGN2008">/ If you do not specify a design, then design=CLASSIC is used. Therefore, we recommend overriding this default with one of the supported designs mentioned. Mixed BSP page with HTML and HTMLB tags The attribute forceEncode of the BSP page directive @page and the attribute forceEncode of the HTMLB content tag are independent of each other. The first one controls the encoding of variables outside any extension, whereas the last one controls the encoding with the extension HTMLB. Therefore, for a mixed page using HTML in combination with BSP Extensions, you must set both parameters as described in the sections above. <%@page language="abap" forceEncode="html"%>... <htmlb:content forceEncode="ENABLED">... <htmlb:textView text="<%=param%>"/> (1) <%=param%> (2)... </htmlb:content> In this example, the encoding of the variable param in line (1) is controlled by the forceEncode attribute of the htmlb:content tag, and the param in line (2) is controlled by the forceEncode attribute of the page directive. The BSP encoding directive <%url|html|javascript=...%> has no effect when passing values to attributes of extension tags and is simply ignored. In the following example, the directive to do HTML encoding is ignored, instead of the htmlb tag decides internally which encoding is appropriate. <htmlb:content forceEncode="ENABLED">... <htmlb:textView text="<%html=param%>"/>... </htmlb:content> For Internet Transaction Server (ITS) and HTML Business For the Internet Transaction Server (ITS) and HTML Business, the following encoding functions are available: •xss_url_escape() •xss_html_escape() •xss_wml_escape() •xss_css_escape() •xss_js_escape() HTML Business When addressing values of variables using the HTML Business notation: that is, using back quotes (`) or the <server> delimiter, the encoding is controlled by the global parameters: •~auto_html_escaping=1: globally activates encoding •~new_xss_functions=1: globally activates the use of the updated XSS library This can be overruled locally in the templates by setting the parameter ~html_escaping_off=1/0 in order to switch off or turn on the escaping. Where and how these parameters are specified depends on the SAP_BASIS release: •For the external ITS (Release <= 6.40), maintain them in the properties of the Internet Service in SE80. •For the internal ITS (Release >= 6.40), maintain them in the GUI properties in transaction SICF as follows: oRelease 6.40-7.11: ~auto_html_escaping=1 and ~new_xss_functions=1 oRelease >=7.20: ~auto_html_escaping=1 As of Release 7.20, there is no need to set the parameter~new_xss_functions as the updated XSS library is used in all cases. You must thoroughly test the application when using this approach because there may be cases where the encoding is too generic and can lead to false encoding. In such cases, you can use set the parameter ~html_escaping_off=”X” to deactivate the automatic encoding and manually call the functions named. For more information, see SAP Security Note 1488500 [8]. For Business HTML (BHTML) The functions of the HTMLBusiness Template Library (for example SAP_TemplateNonEditableField()) always properly encode and cannot be switched on or off. For more information, see SAP Security Note 916255 [9]. For Manual Encoding You can also manually encode output by using the functions named above. In this case, encode all output. From the administrator’s perspective The administrator has to set the parameters to improve security: •*http/security_session_timeout = 900*; Enable session timeout to minimize potentialattack window. •*icf/set_HTTPonly_flag_on_cookies = 0*; Declaring a cookie as HttpOnly increases the security of your system because it eliminates access to this cookie in the Web browser from client-side scripts, applets, plugins, and the like. Set httpOnly flag to secure cookies and Logon Tickets from transmitting them into the malicious host using XSS vulnerability. To change the parameter activate the RZ10 transaction, select (in the field Profile) necessary profile (for example DEFAULT.PFL if the parameter should be applied globally for the SAP system). To create, change or delete the parameter in a profile select <i>Extended maintenance</i> and press the change button. When changes are made, select the Copy button. From incident response perspective To be able to identify the real attack happened because of the XSS vulnerability and also from some other web-based vulnerabilities, it is recommended to configure the following parameters. •Configure */icm/HTTP/logging_0/ *parameter oset LOGFILE valueto path_to_file oSеt PREFIX value to “/”. If URL prefix="/"(root directory), or empty which means that all HTTP requests will be logged. If prefix value equal "/Directory", the server will log only requests which call "/Directory" directory and subsequent. oSet FILEWRAP value tooff. Old log files will be saved for future analysis •Configure*/icm/security_log/* parameter, oset LOGFILE valueto path_to_fileoset VERBOSITY value to 3. To be able to save all necessary data inoSet FILEWRAP value to off. Old log files will be saved for future analysis -- <https://www.linkedin.com/company/2217474?trk=ppro_cprof> <https://twitter.com/erpscan> <http://erpscan.com/> ------------------------------------------------------------------------ e-mail: d.maenkova () erpscan com <mailto:d.maenkova () erpscan com> address: 228 Hamilton Avenue, Fl. 3, Palo Alto, CA. 94301 phone: 650.798.5255 erpscan.com <http://erpscan.com> _______________________________________________ Sent through the Full Disclosure mailing list https://nmap.org/mailman/listinfo/fulldisclosure Web Archives & RSS: http://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/ By Date By Thread Current thread: Securing SAP Systems from XSS vulnerabilities Part 2: Defense for SAP NetWeaver ABAP Darya Maenkova (Jun 24)Steve Bellamy, Chairman and CEO of The Ski Channel television network, announced today that it has entered into a long-term distribution agreement with Comcast that will provide the channel’s original programming, Warren Miller movies, Greg Stump films, destination travel, instructional videos and events to Comcast customers. This deal brings the 18-month-old network to more than 43 million US households between all television distributors.
“Comcast is the Holy Grail for The Ski Channel because they happen to own so many cable systems in either ski resorts, local ski feeder markets like Denver and Salt Lake, as well as destination ski feeder markets like Boston and Washington D.C.,” said Bellamy. “The Ski Channel is like a regional sports network in so many of their systems. It is great that a little independent network like us can get a long term deal Comcast.”
Markets will start rolling out in September and October in time for this years upcoming ski season. “The Ski Channel brings great independent programming to our customers and is a unique and targeted fit for many of our local markets,” said Matt Strauss, Senior Vice President of New Media at Comcast.
“Also, I would add this,” said Bellamy. “There are some surprises in this deal. As cool as this is, you will be hearing more about this deal that will be jaw dropping.”Led by a veteran lineup and some outstanding goaltending from current Jets rookie Michael Hutchinson the St. John’s IceCaps won the Eastern Conference playoff title before falling to the Texas Stars in the 2013-14 Calder Cup finals. With Hutchinson and several key players from that team playing elsewhere this season, the IceCaps struggled to start the year but are playing better of late.
The roster openings presented opportunities for some of the younger prospects to make their mark and several have made the most of that chance. While the team has still struggled to score goals at times, St. John’s is closing in on the.500 mark.
The Jets do not have as many true “blue-chip” prospects at the AHL level as there are in the junior and NCAA ranks but the fact that the IceCaps have several prospects contributing in their first season of pro hockey is a bonus for the Jets organization.
AHL
Connor Hellebuyck, G, 21
A highly-regarded prospect who turned pro following his sophomore season at Massachusetts-Lowell, Hellebuyck has been a big reason for the IceCaps’ turnaround. In one stretch in November he won six of seven starts — including two shutouts. The only loss during that stretch was a 2-1 overtime loss to Hamilton. As a result, his goals against average -which stood at 3.02 after six games- was at 2.45 heading into December. In his first 25 professional games he is 14-9-2 while posting a.926 save percentage. Winnipeg acquired veteran Peter Budaj just prior to the start of the season and the 32-year-old has no doubt been a positive influence on a player many feel can be the Jets’ starter one day.
Eric O’Dell, C, 24
O’Dell had a 30-game stint with Winnipeg last year and was one of the IceCaps’ top scorers in the Calder Cup playoffs. He opened the year with the Jets but suffered an upper-body injury before appearing in any games. After returning from the injury he passed |
Ridge on the project.
Atomic nuclei can be thought of as concentric shells of protons and neutrons. The most stable nuclei occur when the outermost shells are filled. Some theories predict this will happen with 184 neutrons and either 120 or 126 protons: the presumed center of the island of stability.
What happens beyond that point is anyone’s guess, said Kenton Moody, a radiochemist on the team at Livermore. “The question we’re trying to answer is, ‘Does the periodic table come to an end, and if so, where does it end?’ ” Dr. Moody said.BETWEEN 1992 and 2007, according to Ian Hutcheon of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, in California, 17kg of highly enriched uranium was seized from smugglers around the world, along with 400 grams of plutonium. In neither case is that enough for a proper atom bomb, but it is still worrying. Presumably, more is out there. Even if it is not, the material that has been found could have been used to make a “radiological” weapon, by blowing it up and scattering it around a city using conventional explosives. Dr Hutcheon is one of those charged with analysing this captured material, to discover how dangerous it really is and where it came from—and thus whether it has been stolen from legitimate nuclear projects or made on the sly. At the AAAS meeting in San Diego, he showed off some of the tricks of his trade.
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His main tool is a device called a secondary-ion mass spectrometer. This measures the flight path of ions (electrically charged atoms) through a magnetic field. The lighter an ion is, the more the field bends its trajectory. The spectrometer can thus distinguish between, say, 235U (the fissile sort, from which bombs are made) and 238U (which has three extra neutrons in its nucleus and is much less fissile). Natural uranium has only seven atoms per thousand of the former. Weapons-grade uranium is 95% 235U. The “depleted” uranium used in armour-penetrating shells, by contrast, is almost pure 238U.
Uranium that has been in a reactor, though, has other isotopes in it, 233U and 236U, for example. The quantities of these, plus isotopes of elements such as plutonium that are also created in reactors, vary from one reactor to another. The isotopic signature is changed, too, by the centrifuges used to separate 235U from 238U during the process of enrichment, and radioactive decay after processing creates yet further elements that can be detected this way. These give some idea of a sample's age.
The result is a profile that is often characteristic of a particular type of reactor or centrifuge, and sometimes of an individual machine—and can also indicate how long ago the processing took place. That enables the good guys to improve security in the case where something has been pinched, the bad guys to be admonished if they have been up to something they should not have been doing, and everyone else to sleep more easily in their beds.Image caption There is evidence of at least two forts on the site, experts said
Archaeologists have uncovered evidence of at least two Roman forts at a supermarket construction site near Falkirk.
Artefacts including bones, jewellery and coins were discovered at the development in Camelon.
Contractors Barr Construction, who are currently building a Tesco store on the site, are to put the excavated items on public display.
Experts believe the forts date back to the first and second centuries AD.
Two other excavations at the site, one in the 1900s and the other in the 1970s also found evidence of Roman occupation.
Strategic location
Leather shoes, ceramics and ovens were found in this latest dig.
Martin Cook, chief archaeologist at the site, said the fort was at the north-west frontier of the Roman empire and would have had a significant strategic role, as well as being one of the most heavily populated areas of Scotland in Roman times.
"The Roman fort at Camelon would have been one of the most important forts in Scotland," he said.
"It had a port and was a central location in Scotland."
Mr Cook said his team had dug "less than 5%" of the fort, with plenty more artefacts to be found by future generations of archaeologists.
Project manager Craig Nairn, from Barr Construction, said witnessing the archaeologist's discoveries had "captured the imagination" of the teams involved in the Tesco project.
"We hope the history hut created by Barr with help from AOC Archaeologists, Falkirk Council and Tesco Stores Limited will give people a real chance to get a glimpse of life here in Roman times," he said.
All the items will be displayed in a portable cabin on the building site for a month.After being attacked by a shark, a New Zealand doctor reportedly fought back with a knife, stitched his wound closed on the beach, then hit the pub for a beer before driving himself to the hospital on the weekend.
James Grant was spearfishing with friends when he felt a tug on his leg, he told the website news.com.au.
"(I thought) bugger, now I have to try and get this thing off my leg."
He had a knife in his hand that he used to stab at the animal — possibly a seven-gill shark — which eventually let go.
Grant made it back to shore where he saw the bites — up to 5 cm long. He used a first aid kit to give himself stitches before he and his friends went to a nearby tavern for a beer. While there, a staff member gave him a bandage because he was dripping blood on the floor. He then went to the hospital for more stitches.The Details Of Why Judge O'Grady Rejected Cox's DMCA Defense: Bad Decisions By Cox May Lead To Bad Law
from the ugh dept
The record conclusively establishes that before the fall of 2012 Cox did not implement its repeat infringer policy. Instead, Cox publicly purported to comply with its policy, while privately disparaging and intentionally circumventing the DMCA’s requirements. Cox employees followed an unwritten policy put in place by senior members of Cox’s abuse group by which accounts used to repeatedly infringe copyrights would be nominally terminated, only to be reactivated upon request. Once these accounts were reactivated, customers were given clean slates, meaning the next notice of infringement Cox received linked to those accounts would be considered the first in Cox’s graduate response procedure.
Numerous emails in the record, portions of which are reproduced below, support these conclusions. Even viewed in the light most favorable to Cox, the Court finds the contents of the emails cannot be explained away. Cox’s attempts to recast the emails are unavailing. Nor can they be pinned on low level employees whose views had no real significance. The name that appears again and again on these emails is Jason Zabek, Cox’s Manager of Customer Abuse Operations. In 2009, Zabek sent an email titled, “DMCA Terminations,” to the abuse group that said:
As we move forward in this challenging time we want to hold on to every subscriber we can. With this in mind if a customer is terminated for DMCA, you are able to reactivate them after you give them a stern warning about violating our AUP and the DMCA. We must still terminate in order for us to be in compliance with safe harbor but once termination is complete, we have fulfilled our obligation. After you reactivate them the DMCA ‘counter’ restarts; The procedure restarts with the sending of warning letters, just like a first offense. This is to be an unwritten semi-policy... We do not talk about it or give the subscriber any indication that reactivating them is normal. Use your best judgment and remember to do what is right for our company and subscribers.... This only pertains to DMCA violations. It does not pertain to spammers, hackers, etc.
In June, a senior engineer in the abuse group said this about a customer who had been given a final suspension and advised to remove all P2P file-sharing programs: “This customer will likely fail again, but let’s give him one more change [sic]. [H]e pays 317.63 a month.”
Although Cox was under no duty to monitor for infringement, Cox did not have leeway to wait until an account holder was adjudicated as an infringer to find that circumstances were appropriate for termination. As explained above, the Court disagrees that a repeat infringer policy applies only to those who have been held liable in a copyright suit. Rather, an account holder must be considered an infringer, at minimum, when the service provider has actual knowledge that the account holder is using its services for infringing purposes. Nor do service providers have complete discretion to define “appropriate circumstances.” Appropriate circumstances arise when an account holder is repeatedly or flagrantly infringing copyrights. Thus, when Cox had actual knowledge of particular account holders who blatantly or repeatedly infringed, the responsibility shifted to Cox to terminate their accounts.
At the threshold, the Court questions the evidence relied on by those courts that purportedly establishes that distribution is interchangeable with publication. Those courts build upon comments in legislative history as well as an excerpt from the Supreme Court’s decision in Harper & Row Publishers, Inc. v. Nation Enterprises.... Legislative history cannot override the plain meaning of “distribution” under § 106(3), however, and Harper & Row involved a narrow discussion of first publication and not the meaning of distribution and publication generally....
Nor does the definition of “publication” support a broader reading of the distribution right. The Act defines “publication” as the distribution of copies or phonorecords of a work to the public by sale or other transfer of ownership, or by rental, lease, or lending. The offering to distribute copies or phonorecords to a group of persons for purposes of further distribution, public performance, or public display, constitutes publication....The first sentence of the definition tracks the language in § 106(3), making it clear that all distributions are publications. It does not follow from that proposition that the inverse—all publications are distributions—is also true.... In short, § 101 provides no support for BMG’s “making available” theory.
As we noted a couple of weeks ago, Judge Liam O'Grady rejected Cox Communication's attempt to protect itself under the DMCA's safe harbor concerning a "repeat infringer policy." At the time, he only said he would explain his reasons later, and late yesterday he released his full opinion. It, unfortunately, brings to mind the phrase "hard cases make bad law."As we explained when BMG and Round Hill Music (with the help of Rightscorp) first sued Cox Communications, the company seemed like a slightly odd choice. While it was the largest of the internet access providersto sign onto the so-called "voluntary" six-strikes "Copyright Alert System" hammered out between the RIAA/MPAA and big ISPs, it already had a reputation for actually disconnecting those accused of repeat infringements. None of the other major ISPs do that. In fact, a key prong of the whole six strikes thing was that no one would be getting kicked off the internet.However, the RIAA has long insisted that the DMCA's 512(i) required ISPs to kick people off the internet -- even as that theory had never really been tested until now. Many others had assumed 512(i)'s "repeat infringer" policy only really referred to service providers who actually had direct control over content -- i.e., a YouTube or SoundCloud style site. Kicking people entirely off the internet because one person who uses their account to infringe is quite draconian.The issue here, however, gets muddied, because Cox madeof its "repeat infringer policy." Yes, it alone among the major ISPs will kick people off.(and this is the important bit), itswas apparently to kick people off... and then allow them to sign right back up for new service, at which point the count on "infringements" would be reset to 0. For obvious reasons, thatpretty sketchy, and it's the key point that Judge O'Grady focuses on. Doing something that feels sketchy will often obscure the more important legal arguments. Judge O'Grady basically tosses aside all the other issues because of this "bad behavior" by Cox, as immortalized in some internal emails.And, based on that, the court decides that Cox does not have a "reasonably implemented" termination policy for repeat infringers. There are a bunch of other similar emails, indicating that this absolutely was Cox's policy. Of course, all of that obscures the question of whether or not 5129(i) is meant to apply to access providers, rather than online service providers.Separately, the judge buys BMG's claim that in late 2012, Cox actually stopped terminating accounts almost entirely (leaving aside, again, that). Again, some questionable internal behavior by Cox comes back to bite them. The judge highlights a case where Cox internally kept discussing a user who was frequently accused of infringing, and who they threatened to cut off... but didn't -- even admitting it's at least partly because of the large amount of money the customer pays.The judge uses this and other examples to note that Cox knew of "repeat infringers" but didn't terminate them. Of course, the vague language of 512(i) doesn't say that you have to terminate someone as soon as you know they're repeat infringers -- just that you have a "reasonably implemented policy." However, Judge O'Grady uses these examples to suggest the policy implementation is not reasonable.Cox's defense to that is it can't know for sure if people are infringing based solely on accusations. This is correct, but Judge O'Grady doesn't care.That, alone is quite troubling. Kicking people off the internet based merely onof infringement is, especially given the number of false infringement allegations that we see.The one good thing is that the court rejects BMG's troubling definition of "making available." This has been a fight that's been going on for ages. Copyright law says that one of the exclusive rights given to a copyright holder is the "distribution" right. What is not settled law at all is whether or not "making available" violates this distribution right, or if copyright holders have to show. The courts are somewhat split on this, with O'Grady recognizing that merely making available is not distribution.There's some more in the ruling, but it seems pretty clear that Cox's own internal emails and policies really sunk the company here, and out of that could come some potentially dangerous law. Some have been making a big deal over the fact that Cox's insurance company, Beazly, has filed for declaratory judgment that it's not responsible for any judgment in this case -- but again, that seems to focus on Cox's own actions, which may not apply more broadly to other providers.Also, important is the fact that the trial still is about to go forward. Losing the safe harbor protections does not, necessarily, mean that Cox will lose the overall case, but it's an ominous start. Judge O'Grady's rulings and statements so far certainly do not bode well for the company. It's also a little bit ridiculous that O'Grady focuses so much on Cox's bad behavior, but leaves out Rightscorp's much worse behavior -- but I can see where he's coming from.In the end, this is unfortunate and it's certain that this case will be appealed, no matter how it turns out. But the bad behavior by Cox poisons the well a bit in terms of focusing on the rather important question of what 512(i) actually means, and whether it really applies to internet access providers. As it stands right now, however, a potentially dangerous precedent could be set, whereby people could be forced to completely lose internet access based on mere accusations of copyright infringement. It's hard to believe that Congress intended such a result, but that's how Judge O'Grady is now reading the law.
Filed Under: 512i, copyright, dmca, liam o'grady, repeat infringer, safe harbors, termination policy, three strikes
Companies: bmg, cox, cox communications, rightscorpPolitics is filled with sloganeering and feel-good promises that have little if any chance of being delivered.
And that's the best way to describe NDP Leader Tom Mulcair's renewed promise to abolish the Senate after the auditor general reported Wednesday that too many senators treat taxpayers' money as a kind of personal expense account over which they accept few controls and even less oversight.
No one's questioning whether Mulcair's sincere in his determination to make the Senate an election issue this fall, or that he can make a convincing case using Michael Ferguson's report to argue that the upper chamber is so corrupt, so filled with partisan hacks, so bereft of credibility, that it must be abolished.
"People are telling me they want us to work towards Senate abolition," says NDP Leader Tom Mulcair. (CBC)
What makes this promise a non-starter is a Supreme Court of Canada ruling from April 2014, when the country's highest court said abolishing the Senate would require the consent of all 10 provinces.
As of today, only one premier, Brad Wall of Saskatchewan, is in favour of abolition. This week he compared reforming the upper chamber to lavishing money on restoring an old car, knowing it will never run properly.
But Wall made it clear he has no intention, as in none at all, of actively campaigning to scrap the Senate.
"Everyone knows Saskatchewan's position," he said. "I would like to see other provinces come on board but if they don't, even in light of this latest mess, then it's not really worth the effort to try to change their minds."
In other words, good luck there, Mulcair.
'Not in Quebec's interest'
On the other side is the premier of Mulcair's home province of Quebec.
Premier Philippe Couillard insisted Wednesday that the Senate's troubles are what he called ''administrative dysfunction" that can be fixed. He vowed to fight any effort to scrap the Senate because it would eliminate the important role the chamber plays, as an institution, in balancing regional interests.
"Of course it's not in Quebec's interest to recommend abolition of the Senate," says Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard. (Radio-Canada)
"Of course it's not in Quebec's interest to recommend abolition of the Senate."
Mulcair said he recognizes the historical context of the Senate and understands how nuanced the issue is. But he's undeterred.
"People are telling me they want us to work towards Senate abolition. That is what we are going to talk to Canadians about during the election campaign," he said Wednesday. "And the NDP will be seeking a mandate in October from the Canadian voting public to continue our work of trying to abolish the Senate."
NDP leader Thomas Mulcair says he's "never" met a Senator doing important parliamentary work. Is the NDP's plan to scrap the Senate realistic? 9:40
Mulcair has ample ammunition from the auditor general's findings.
Michael Ferguson's report is littered with example of mis-spending, of examples where taxpayers paid for fishing and golf trips, wedding anniversaries and funerals.
That's bad enough. What's worse, says the NDP, is that the 30 senators flagged for inappropriate spending rejected his findings, defending their right to those expenses. Most are planning to challenge the AG's findings before a special arbitrator. None will face the same, immediate judgment of suspension without pay dispatched to former colleagues Mike Duffy, Patrick Brazeau and Pamela Wallin.
"Everyone knows Saskatchewan's position," says Premier Brad Wall. The Senate needs to go. (CBC)
But is that enough to galvanize Canadians to vote NDP, or to crystallize public anger around abolition instead of reforming the upper chamber to make it more representative?
Reform, of course, is the route the Conservatives took when they came to power in 2006. But since the last year's Supreme Court ruling, Stephen Harper has shown little interest in opening up talks with the provinces on even his preferred reforms of electing senators and imposing term limits.
Those changes, the court said, could be made under the Constitution's general amending formula that requires seven provinces representing 50 per cent of the population to agree.
Let the people decide?
Some Conservatives privately float the idea of a national referendum on those reforms, but so far the party is saying little publicly about how it will counter Mulcair's push for abolition in an election campaign.
The official line on Wednesday is that Canadians aren't seized with Senate reform, that the initiative for reform must come from the provinces.
In the meantime, the prime minister isn't filling any vacancies that arise. There are now 20. More are on the way. Don't bother applying.
"We are focusing on jobs," says cabinet minister Tim Uppal. (Adrian Wyld/Canadian Press)
"We are focusing on jobs, economic growth and what matters to Canadians,'' said junior cabinet minister Tim Uppal, one of many to make the same point. "We will not be drawn into long constitutional battles with the provinces."
But the Conservatives also can't abandon the field to the NDP.
New Democrats are already taking every opportunity to remind potential voters that Harper appointees Mike Duffy and Patrick Brazeau are currently before the courts, and that another handful are among the group of 30 senators flagged by the auditor general this week for claiming improper expenses.
The Liberals are just as keen to exploit any inch the Conservatives might give. Party leader Justin Trudeau tried this week, challenging Harper to follow his lead in banishing senators from the Conservative caucus.
"After a decade Canadians don't want excuses, they want to know why Conservative have done nothing for real, meaningful Senate reform.''
So cue the sloganeering. Just don't expect anything to actually change.The latest look at Christopher Nolan's sci-fi epic Interstellar goes farther into space, tracing the outline of the project more than its initial teaser.
The clip begins with Matthew McConaughey soul-searching about humanity's place in the universe before relatively quick shots show the space-based scenes. The rest of the clip mostly revolves around the blastoff of the shuttle, though there's some intriguing 2001: A Space Odyssey imagery that gets a quick first look.
Paramount has been slowly teasing Interstellar since the first trailer broke last year, but things have been picking up steam in the past few days. Nolan surprised fans in San Diego last week with an appearance at Comic-Con, and the movie just debuted a complex interactive site. That said, this is still Christopher Nolan, and the filmmaker is undoubtedly keeping plenty of secrets under wraps before the film hits theaters on Nov. 7.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
Eurotunnel services have been suspended after a "massive invasion" of more than 100 migrants in Calais.
A "large and co-ordinated" group broke through fences and stormed the Channel Tunnel at around 12.30am, Eurotunnel said.
A spokesman said: "It's a massive invasion and intrusion by a very large and co-ordinated group of migrants.
"They are being gathered up by the police authorities."
(Image: AFP/Getty Images)
(Image: AFP/Getty Images)
He added: "It's clearly an organised attack when it comes in such a large number, there are over 100 in this one group.
"They arrived together an in a well-organised manner, broke through the fences and all clearly knew where they were going."
Services have been suspended but there are no trains stopped in the tunnel and passengers have been directed to use the ferry to carry on with their journey.
Eurotunnel has implemented extra security to try to prevent migrants getting onto the tracks.
"Quite probably because the security at the tunnel is strengthening every day, with the new fences being put up, new security installations and additional staff, it's becoming much harder for migrants to get through in small numbers," the spokesman said.
"This looks like quite a carefully co-ordinated and organised attack, possibly to raise the profile of their situation or as last-ditch attempt before the new fences are up."
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Thirteen migrants have died trying to reach Britain since the start of the crisis in June.
An Eritrean man in his 20s, was killed on Wednesday and is believed to have been hit by a freight train near the tunnel entrance at around 1am.
Early on Tuesday morning a 20-year-old Iraqi man was crushed to death after apparently sneaking on board a lorry to reach the UK.
The HGV driver discovered the body in the back of his vehicle near Calais port as he inspected his load after he was forced to brake suddenly.
An estimated 5,000 migrants displaced from countries including Syria, Libya and Eritrea are believed to be camped in and around Calais.
At its peak, the number of attempts to board lorries or trains was around 2,000 a night - but that has since fallen.
The crisis in Calais is part of a wider migrant surge in to Europe from countries in North Africa and the Middle East.by Frank Jamger
IT IS TIME for White Americans to fight back, to save our great people and nation. The mantra of the destroyers is: “The United States was founded on genocide and built on the backs of slaves.” That is nonsense, as I will demonstrate.
1. The United States, a nation renowned for individual rights and freedom, was created by Whites for their posterity.
The United States, a nation world-renowned for its individual rights, freedom, prosperity, and generosity, was built by the ingenuity and work of White pioneers who carried over values and traditions of Europe. The Founding Fathers recognized the U.S. as a White nation and citizenship was originally limited to Whites [1]. It remained about 90% White until the madness of the Cultural Marxist revolution of the 1960s [2]. Our great nation is infinitely more precious than the mere land it sits upon.
2. White America’s excellent technology and prosperity has been a boon to the whole world, including the non-Whites living here.
The great technological and industrial productivity of the United States has benefited not only the non-Whites fortunate enough to live here, but the entire world that dreams of living here. American inventions include the sewing machine, typewriter, telephone, records, cameras, television, computers, cars, airplanes, space shuttle, light bulbs, dishwasher, air conditioning, anesthesia, vaccines, hearing aid, defibrillator, heart-lung machine, and the artificial heart [3]. We’ve shared our technology far and wide, leading to greater prosperity throughout the world. Non-Whites fortunate enough to live here enjoy far higher standards of living than their kin in their own homelands, and they’re in no hurry to go back.
3. White Americans, including our dear ancestors — brave pioneers and settlers, have always been good, caring people.
Contrary to Cultural Marxist propaganda, there certainly was nothing evil about our ancestors, the virtuous White American settlers who built this great nation. We were the same good people then as we are today: honest, compassionate and generous. White Americans donate more to charity than any other people on Earth [4]. We’ve always been generous to the poor of all races, giving out free cash, medical care, education, and services. The maligned Jim Crow governments provided separate but equal facilities and services to Blacks, paid for by White tax-payers. Even White slave owners were remembered fondly by their former Black slaves for the care they provided [5]. Of course, Blacks and Amerinds receive high rates of welfare, food stamps, housing assistance, etc [6]. We’ve also cared for the land, protecting huge tracts of wilderness in parks and reserves [7], and making great strides in minimizing pollution [8].
4. There was plenty of open space in America when White Americans came. We built a civilization from scratch upon wilderness.
Amerinds only sparsely occupied the vast area of the United States at the time Whites settled it, the majority of it being empty wilderness. This was partially due to tragic disease epidemics that swept the country, estimated to have killed 90-95% of the population [9]. Amerinds were mainly nomadic hunter-gatherers to begin with, having low population density. There were perhaps one to two million Amerinds in the entire U.S. before Europeans settled it [10]; there were estimated to be only 20,000 in all New England in 1640 [11]. Whites were mostly just peaceful settlers looking to start a new life for themselves, building homes from scratch on open land. They befriended Amerinds when possible, though sometimes their first contact came in the form of a murderous surprise attack. Whites had no interest in taking over the primitive Amerind settlements, though some forced relocations ultimately became necessary because Amerinds rejected civilization.
5. Whites didn’t want much from the Amerinds, who were Stone Age primitives who had created little of value.
Whites took very little from Amerinds in America beyond bare land. The Amerinds encountered were Stone Age primitives who didn’t have metal implements, nor the wheel, nor a written language. What farming they had was primitive, making minimal if any use of fertilizer [12]. No major towns nor industry nor stores of goods were taken from them. They had none.
6. Amerinds have been well compensated for the loss of land they occupied, which had minimal value at the time.
Amerinds have received huge compensation from the United States for their lost land, as well as ongoing benefits and privileges such as lucrative casinos [13]. It’s not Whites’ fault that much of this money has been squandered. They’ve also received the benefits of U.S. citizenship including loads of welfare, as well as our technology and civil institutions. Amerinds have also retained or received in compensation much land to this day [14], their sovereign possessions, in addition to normal properties around the country.
7. Most Amerinds were not the original, true natives. They replaced — often violently — peoples who preceded them, some of them likely White.
Previous peoples in North America, some relatively advanced, were replaced by the primitive Amerinds encountered by European settlers. Few if any of the so-called “natives” encountered by settlers were the original and true natives of their lands. Some Amerinds are part-White, and some of the displaced or exterminated American peoples of the past were evidently White; see 14 Reasons Amerinds not true natives of America. Some aggressive Amerinds, such as the Pequots, Apaches, and Comanches [15], had long histories of conquering other peoples [16]. At this point in history, there was no international law and people around the world took for granted the right of possession by the strongest. The harsh reality was that weaker Amerinds were going to be ruled by one conqueror or another, and being ruled by Amerinds is no picnic.
8. Many Amerinds were hostile and cruel, and had a long history of attacking and oppressing other tribes.
Contrary to popular myth, Amerinds tended to be untrustworthy, hostile, oppressive, and cruel. They attacked, oppressed, and sometimes massacred other tribes. Some tribes, such as the Pequots and Apaches, had a martial culture based on raiding and exploiting other Amerinds; these oppressed tribes gladly allied with Whites to fight for their freedom. Many Amerinds had traditions of making fiendish rituals or sports of extracting the maximum possible agony from captives before killing them, and their women were sometimes the most enthusiastic participants. Some of their favorite kinds of torture were skinning alive, cutting off all facial and body parts one by one and putting hot coals in the wounds, roasting people alive on a spigot, and spinning seated little girls around on sticks impaled in their anuses. They also liked to cut off body parts such as scalps to cannibalize or save as mementos. [16] Our kindly ancestors could hardly be blamed for disliking such folk.
9. Whites never attempted to genocide Amerinds; rather, they were sympathetic toward them. Warfare was usually started by Amerinds.
Amerinds were not genocided. There was no plan nor intention to genocide them. On the contrary, the majority of White Americans were friendly or sympathetic toward Amerinds — those Whites who didn’t bear the brunt of their hostilities. Great efforts were made to assimilate them [17]. The myth of the noble Amerind living in harmony with nature is a very old narrative that author Mark Twain ridiculed in his satirical essay The Noble Red Man (1870) [18]. It is of course true that many Amerinds died of diseases spread unintentionally [9]; but the claim that Whites deliberately infected them with blankets is scarcely credible [19]. In fact, President Jefferson launched a 30-year vaccination program for them in 1801. There was sporadic warfare over the centuries between Whites and Amerinds, usually started by a surprise Amerind attack [20]. There are presently about three million Amerinds in the U.S., more than as many as there were when White American settlers first encountered them [10], and they still possess massive tracts of territory [14].
10. The actual number of Amerinds killed by Whites was relatively small.
Against the nonsensical claim of genocide, there are actual estimates of Amerinds killed in warfare and massacres. The U.S. Census Office in 1890 estimated that 45,000 Amerinds were killed in all warfare with the United States since its founding [21]. William Osborn in The Wild Frontier: Atrocities During The American-Indian War… counted 7,193 deaths of Amerinds via “atrocity” by Whites between 1511-1890, versus 9,156 Whites killed in atrocities by Amerinds [22]. In comparison, about 500.000 Americans were killed during the U.S. conquest of the Confederacy, 1861-5.
11. Amerinds didn’t teach Whites farming and fertilizer use; rather, Whites taught them.
Contrary to myth, Whites did not learn how to farm from Amerinds. Amerinds lacked basic agricultural technology that Whites had been using for centuries, such as metal implements for efficient tilling, use of fertilizer, and the wheeled cart. Squanto learned about using fish for fertilizer from Europeans amongst whom he had lived. Whites in Europe and Newfoundland had long been using fish for fertilizing crops, including corn. Amerinds, who were primarily hunter-gatherers, relied on shifting cultivation sites. [23]
12. Blacks did not build the United States, Whites did. Blacks were only a tiny portion of North and West states, and only menial workers in the South.
Blacks and other non-Whites did not build the United States, in any sense. U.S. civilization from the beginning has been an outgrowth of Europe, not of Africa or anywhere else. The infrastructure, laws, culture, morals, and values of traditional America are characteristically European-White. The U.S. was founded by Whites and created by White ingenuity. Blacks were only a tiny percentage (under 3%) of the Northern and Western states to 1930 [24], which developed as advanced a society as the Southern ones. Even in the South, Black slaves did mostly menial farm labor that the least skilled of Whites could have done, and low-wage free men did in fact do after the war. The overall economic benefit of Black slavery to the U.S. was minimal at most [25].
13. Blacks have been compensated for their mostly menial work. They would only have been worse-off slaves if not brought to America.
Blacks, who have been mostly menial laborers, were compensated for their work with at least basic necessities and care, even as slaves. Low-skilled workers, whether slave or free, whether in Africa or America, generally don’t accumulate wealth, anyway. Black Americans would have been slaves in Africa whether Whites had purchased them or not [26], and were worse off in Africa before being sold by other Blacks to be transported to America. Many White workers at that time were also essentially slaves and sometimes treated worse [27]. Former Black slaves generally recalled their former masters fondly when interviewed about their experiences [5]. Since slavery ended, they have received enormous transfers of wealth from Whites in the form of welfare, special education, law enforcement, pervasive anti-White discrimination in education and hiring, healthcare and other insurance costs driven up by Blacks, etc. [6,28]
14. The Ethno-Masochist Left is pro-immigration except when it comes to Whites, who were good “immigrants” who gave much and took little.
The hypocrisy of the Left on immigration is astounding. They’re all in favor of open borders and immigration for welfare-leeching non-Whites, but say White “immigrants” (pioneers, actually) who built homes from scratch on the American wilderness were “wicked.” The truth is, White Americans — unlike non-Whites — were super “immigrants” who bore a great gift: civilization. They were independent, hard-working pioneers who took nothing from anyone except in some cases bare land which they developed and made prosperous, and later compensated the former occupants. They did not wish to intrude into Amerind towns, to take over their neighborhoods, or leech their sustenance. Modern non-White immigrants, on the other hand, intrude into White societies for that very purpose. Instead of civilization, they bring envy, demands for handouts and enforced equality, rampant crime, oppression of women, and even Sharia law.
Sources:
1a- “What the Founders Really Thought About Race.”
http://www.npiamerica.org/research/category/what-the-founders-really-thought-about-race
1b- The Federalist Papers : No. 2; “a people descended from the same ancestors”.
http://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/fed02.asp
1c- Naturalization Acts of 1790 and 1795.
http://www.indiana.edu/~kdhist/H105-documents-web/week08/naturalization1790.html
1d- The Immigration Act of 1924 (The Johnson-Reed Act).
https://history.state.gov/milestones/1921-1936/immigration-act
2– Historical Census Statistics On Population Totals By Race, 1790 to 1990, and By Hispanic Origin, 1970 to 1990, For Large Cities And Other Urban Places In The United States; Table A-1. Race and Hispanic Origin for the United States: 1790 to 1990.
https://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0076/twps0076.pdf
3– “Technology Timeline: 1752 – 1990.”
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/telephone/timeline/timeline_text.html
4a- “Americans are the most generous people in the |
. Russ Roberts: That's a great point. Just what I was going to say, actually. So, what I was going to say is that, if you are telling me that at the micro level, we know that it's good to give people more access to financial markets--the ability to borrow--because they are often financially constrained. Or, we know that if we give them things they will be better off--it's not so interesting, really. But it really comes to what I think is the crux of the matter. Which is, the, what I would call, the real essential point that Pritchett was upset about in that previous episode, which is the following. He is claiming that--and I have mixed feelings about this, but I don't care, it doesn't matter; whatever you have to say--he's claiming that the real problem isn't poor people. It's poor countries. These people are in places with bad economies: Bad government, bad economies. And to put a band aid on their economies with a chicken is the wrong thing to be spending time on. We ought to be spending time on [?] we ought to figure out how to liberate their economy, liberate the skills to cooperate together in a market setting--which is how we know, that's [?] how you get to $20,000. When you get to $20,000, you've got to have a vibrant labor market. You've got to have a vibrant skills market. You've got to have people trade and exchange with each other within a country and outside of a country. And, we know all that already. And so that's what we ought to be spending our time on, not whether 5 chickens are going to improve somebody's life. Of course they would. They'd improve mine, too. I'd eat them. I like chicken. My wife, she's a vegetarian, but she'd be happy to see me happy. We know all that. So, what's the--what is the defense of the approach that you are suggesting of these micro-experiments to get people truly out of poverty? We understand--what you're saying is all true. It's not important. Chris Blattman: So, you know, these things aren't in complete contradiction. So, if you want to make--I think Lant's larger--he's got two big points. Lant--I think I've mentioned to you in the past--Lant is, I mean, Lant was one of my first teachers in Development, and still remains sort of one of my idols in Development. And everything of his I can read, I do read, because I think he's got--you know, he has a really, he says a lot of original things and he has his finger on the pulse of these things. And he's made two points here that I think are true. One is that the Development community at large has tended to focus on sort of this weird, extreme form of poverty rather than just thinking of other people who are vey poor instead of extremely poor. So, there's this artificial threshold of $1, $2 a day that distorts a lot of policy. That's fine; I agree with that; and a lot of things--all the chickens and cash stuff I'm talking about, you can ignore that concern. You could say, 'Well, I think the chickens and cash could help someone who is extremely poor and very poor and just a little bit poor.' All these people have limited access to capital. I think that's what we would, what we are learning from the evidence, what we would learn from my experiment. His bigger point is that there is maybe a misallocation of time and policy in academia: That, a lot of people are just focused on the small stuff; that there are these bright, shiny [?]s that come along; it's very appealing to get an answer that a lot of people--there's all this data and computer technology that lets us do, answer a lot of small questions while [?]-- Russ Roberts: You get an article real quick; you get an article on your CV (Curriculum Vitae). Chris Blattman: Yeah. And so there's two--with a profession--the world would be a better place if more smart policy-makers and more smart economists and political scientists were spending more sweat and brains and money on big questions about growth in this case[?]. And then, and so--and I think that's probably right. I think we probably do have a slight misallocation--I think you could make a good argument. But that doesn't mean--it doesn't mean--he sort of made a--he sort of exaggerates as some do and say, 'We should only focus on growth. Most people should focus on growth.' And I think that's wrong for two reasons. One is, I think it's wrong big thing to focus on. And we could get to that. But I think more immediately, I think you can't ignore the poverty. Because, what this says--so listen: If I say, 'I'm going to--everyone needs to be focused on growth.' If we just dedicate all this time, even if he's right, and we were able to make future unborn generations better off, because we're spending all this time and money and brains and energy, on growth, the fact is that there's still a lot of horribly-off people today. Now, if you, if you sort of--some people make that tradeoff. They'll say, 'Listen. Better make 20 generations much better off than trade off making them slightly better off just to make these people less poor.' That's just--someone who is, say, a utilitarian who wants to make the most good for the most people, would say we need to sacrifice today's generation and help these future generations. That's the way to maximize the good. But if you have sort of a different moral calculus--that if you think, for example, that we're only as good as, say, the least among us; or that we have a responsibility to help the very, very least among us even if that means we wealthy people or future wealthy people who are not yet born will be substantially worse off--that's also a defensible claim. And I guess I would say I'm willing to make that tradeoff, to some degree. And I think a lot of--I think that's fundamentally why so much policy is dedicated toward alleviating poverty. That, even if we knew how to make future generations off with certainty, it would still make sense to spend a lot of time worrying about poverty today. That's a--not everyone is going to feel that way, but it's a totally justifiable way. And that's how I feel.
36:03 Russ Roberts: So, I'm not a utilitarian. But I do think we should improve future generations at the expense of the current one--for a different reason. So, let me lay that out. And you can respond. The people themselves who are alive today would want us to do that, because they love their children and their grandchildren. And if I said to them, 'I'm going to give you a choice. I'm going to give you a bunch of chickens and I'm going to make your suffering less dire,' or, 'You're not going to get any chickens. You're going to lead a miserable life, but your children and grandchildren are going to lead very, very greatly improved, materially improved lives,' I think most, if not all people would jump at the chance. And we see that people do that all the time. They take risks, and they impoverish themselves. They risk death to come to richer countries. So, that would be my argument there. But I think, to me, the real issue is just the severity of the poverty. For people who are, you know, near death, that, yes, we need to do something for those people now. For people who are just having a hard time--if we can, I add that proviso of course, if we know how. And I think people should choose morally to do that. But for people who are just uncomfortable, I think they'd be thrilled to live with that discomfort and have their children thrive. Chris Blattman: Right. So, I mean, we can debate this. On some level it's a moot point to--yeah, I mean, it's a moot--sort of the defense of my argument--where we should--and I want--I'm, personally in my life, I agree with Lant[?]; I spend too much time on stupid randomized control trials and on poverty alleviation. It's important, but this is not what I think is really important or really where I can, you know, contribute in some way. So, in some sense I'm unbalanced. I fundamentally agree. But still I think this experiment, this grand thing that I pitched to Bill, Bill Gates, is important. And I would even work on it. The last thing I really want to do--it's really miserable to run these--it's really, really hard and miserable. I hate running these things. It's so logistically and managerially intensive. And you don't think. You just sort of make things happen. And I'm okay at that, I'm pretty good at that. But I don't enjoy it. And I would rather spend my time on something else. But I will do it, if I have to. Because nobody else seems to be doing it. I will do it, because we live in a world not where we are making these grand, philosophical choices, but how to orient aid--and we live in a world where the rich countries and poor countries have made the decision that we are going to spend $10 or $100 billion a year giving the very poorest people stuff. And if I can do a little thing, spend, like 10% of my time for 3 years and $15 million dollars, somebody else's money, to sort of say, 'Guess what? You could be twice as effective and really make an impact on people's lives if you just killed this bad idea and did something less bad,'--that's a huge thing. There's a way to just sort of--given the world we live in, on the margin, there's a handful of studies that I think could really reallocate how this giving people stuff is done. And, and that would be a big thing. And I think that's actually what--I think because I look back at the last 10 years and the cash-transfer work that's been done, including my own experiments--and I say, 'That's the impact this had.' Despite the fact that I wasn't working on what I really wanted to work on, it was important to work on and I actually think that had a lot more immediate impact, precisely because we live in a world where there's just buckets of money, pipelines of money going to these places, being spent poorly. And that can be improved, on the margin. Russ Roberts: Superbly said. I salute that. Beautiful.
39:41 Russ Roberts: Has Bill Gates responded? Chris Blattman: No. And, you know what? Someone pointed out to me-- Russ Roberts: Sound of crickets-- Chris Blattman: Well, I even--I got a chance to--so, someone pointed out to me after I wrote this letter that, 'Do you know that Bill Gates follows your Twitter?' Then it turns out he only follows, like, 300 people; and a number of them are development people, for obvious reasons; and one of them, it turns out, was me. So, I thought--I had no idea. I'm going to direct-message Bill Gates. Maybe he reads his Twitter feed. Like, why else would he only follow it, 2-300 people? So I even direct-messaged him on Twitter--politely, saying, 'With all due respect, this was my [?]; I'd love to have a conversation about this, if you're interested.' And then: Crickets. Russ Roberts: Well, I don't know that he listens to EconTalk; but this could put him over the edge, if he does. You may be getting--when this comes out, you'll probably get a summons. And I'd be happy to interview Mr. Gates, by the way. Chris Blattman: I'm a marginalist, right? I think that every little bit matters. Russ Roberts: Definitely raised the probability. And I want to just say publicly I would love to interview Bill Gates for EconTalk. So, Bill, if you are listening, or if someone who knows you is listening and thinks that would also be a good idea, please get in touch. But it is an interesting question. By the way--this is a sub-point; and you're sort of--I think you have feet in all the various camps: The academic world--there's the academic world; there's the money world--which would be the Gates foundation--and then there's this weird, nether-region of international organizations like the World Bank that has academic people in it, in and out of it--they come and go. So, that whole thing is--they all have their own rules. I'd like to hear you react to the idea that the incentives are what ruin where development economists spend their time. Of course, people have written not-so-nice things about the appeal of traveling to exotic places and having nice meals and Range Rovers to carry you around, and all that. But, talk about the incentives that you experience as an academic, but also as somebody who is in these different worlds, even if you're not--you don't get calls from Bill Gates's cellphone. Chris Blattman: Mmmhmmm. The incentives to go do these kinds of-- Russ Roberts: Whatever it is. I mean, they are incentives that encourage some people to just do all kinds of things--articles on this or that, spend time in a particular country because the World Bank funds it. And all of the--we do what we like, and we also care, most of us do, about what makes the world a better place. As you point out. And you confessed a minute ago that you wish you'd maybe spent a little less time on some of these things and more on the bigger things. So, just reflect on that. Chris Blattman: Well, answering the bigger questions would still put me firmly, even more often, in foreign places. Like, right now, I'm really interested in, I happen to be studying a lot of gangs in Latin America and also in Chicago. And, the thing that's holding me back from being more effective is my lack of tie-in to go and spend time in these places. One of the fundamental incentives is that, I think that to answer important questions about other parts of the world, you have to spend a lot of time in other parts of the world. And you also--not just talking to people and collecting data, but also building relationships with other academics who are there or other policymakers. Because it's not an individual production function. So, that's--answering the question requires be there, big or small question, whatever if you are going to do this right. The incentives in the economics profession, for a long time, and to a lesser extent now, were always against young economists and especially graduate students going and spending lots of time in the field. And in some sense, there is still a discouragement to spend a lot of time often in other countries: still spend relatively little time compared to other academic disciplines. And it used to be zero. There's--an interesting set of people to bring on would be people like Michael Kremer, Chris Utry, who are development economists who broke the path in the, maybe the 1980s and 1990s by spending a lot of time in places like Ghana in Chris's case, and Kenya in Michael's case, doing this kind of work, pioneering it. There are others as well. They sort of stand out in my mind. And showing that you could do important work, and making development economics credible again in the profession. And showing--and sending their students to Ghana--like, this is why--why was I in Busia[?], Kenya running this deworming experiment? Because Michael's student, Ted Miguel [?], he sent to run some experiments and collect data. And Ted did his dissertation there; and he started his own studies in Busia[?], Kenya. And then I showed up at Berkeley, and Ted was this young prof, maybe just one or two years in, who became my dissertation adviser. And he sent me to Kenya, my first semester. And then, why did I end up working on violence in northern Uganda? Because the second time I got sent to Kenya, I was sitting in a cafe, and I met a woman--because it takes 20 minutes or 30 minutes for the Hotmail page to load up, which should tell you what year it was. And so I struck up a conversation with a woman next to me who was doing this qualitative study of children affected by conflict and child soldiers in northern Uganda. And then a year later I was landing by plane in northern Uganda to run a survey that looked a lot like what Ted was doing in deworming except I was studying the effects of violence. And that became my dissertation. And it also so happens that we produced several papers and a marriage, and now two children. Because they're more important than the papers. Russ Roberts: Yeah; of course it is. But the best part about that story is--most unintended consequences are negative. But here we have the positive unintended consequence of a lousy internet access. That you were sitting there for 20 to 30 minutes waiting for your page to load, and you meet your future wife. What a great-- Chris Blattman: Right. But my--then I've sent my students to go work on my project in northern Uganda, and later Liberia; and now, Colombia. And now, they are graduating, they're Ph.Ds., they're getting jobs; and they are doing amazing research; and they are sending their students to these--or wherever they happen to work. And so, this has been this amazing thing that has happened: You talk about the incentives. It's against the grain, against the incentives to go and invest all this time really understanding a place. All the inputs required for all these experiments, or any big study, data--you have to collect your own data in a place like Africa. Most of the time. And so, the incentives are all against that. So, why are people doing it? I think they are really passionate about the questions. And, of course, now there's its own set of esteem[?], and you have your own dysfunctions as a profession; and we're doing a lot of the wrong things; and so on, and so on. But, nonetheless, like, this is still a big, positive change. And I've always said that the most important thing about randomized control trials is not the causal effect that lots of people, we've identified. The effect of like--the important part about the deworming experiment in all this time in Kenya by all these people is not--it's now[?] the fact that Ted Miguel and Michael Kremer could lecture you for hours on Kenyan politics and development in a very sophisticated way that has nothing to do with the causal estimate. Economists now have a much richer understanding of the way world works, how the aid sector works, what the political and social and organizational dysfunctions are from everything from USAID (United States Agency for International Development) to some government in some far corner of the world. There's this rich knowledge that was just not there before that I think is really affecting the way the theories were developing. It's affecting the cognitive teaching; it's affecting the questions we're asking; it's affecting the advice. And I think that's been so much more important than any stupid little causal effect. Russ Roberts: That's great. And I think Adam Smith would be happy about it. Maybe I'm wrong. I like to think of Adam Smith--maybe I'm romanticizing, which I am prone to--but I do think of him as open to the richer understanding of human activity than our sort of blackboard theories; and obviously was a student of many aspects of human life, not just the financial and monetary side. Chris Blattman: Right, right. Russ Roberts: What you are really arguing is that it's good that we've become more like sociology. Which could be true.
48:37 Russ Roberts: I would have argued that the reason we shouldn't work on big picture issues and big picture questions is because we don't know much about them. So, I think most people would argue that governance, political institutions are a big problem. I suggested recently that what we should do with that $15 million dollars, say, is pay a leader to leave, and replace him with someone more--of course, obviously, replace him with another dictator is the problem. But if you could change a political system, that would be the way you'd spend your money. We don't know how to do that. And the idea that we should be spending more time understanding that doesn't necessarily follow; the idea that that's the most important thing. If we can't figure out the levers to improve it, it really doesn't matter. So, what are your thoughts on that? Chris Blattman: I'm more hopeful. I think we don't know a lot about it. I think we also--I think that--I actually teach a class on this, and it turns out Lant Pritchett has just written a book on this as well, with two co-authors. He's focused more on building, on something a bit narrower, which is building state capabilities--which is basically making states more effective. And that includes public sectors and governments. It's actually a free book online, and I think it's actually one of my favorite books I've read this year. So, he didn't talk about that, but-- Russ Roberts: What's it called? Chris Blattman: I think it's called Building State Capabilities. Russ Roberts: We'll put a link up to it, for this episode. Chris Blattman: Exactly. And he even negotiated to be able to get this free online. And I think he has a course, as well, where you can go along this as well. And so, there's both a book and a free course online. And I teach a class. Sometimes I call it "Order and Violence." Sometimes I call it "Political Economy Development." But, it's really about these big questions about saying: You know what? What doesn't--I think Lant would agree with this: Growth is the wrong way to think about this. We don't need more people focused on economic growth. I think we need more people focused on understanding state capabilities, and democratization, and politics in these countries. There's a fair amount already: most other political science--there's a lot of bad research; there's a lot of good research. And I--by spending a lot of the last 10 years reading that research and trying to teach it, and learning it; and when I say I want to reorient what I do, in some ways, I--this is the book I would like to write. Probably I won't write it for 10 years. But one day I will write this book about this kind of political development, if you will. And I think that's fundamentally the problem. And it's hard for me to believe, partly because I've read so much that really has changed the way I think about how the world works; and I think if it could be translated into terms, sort of messages that people could absorb and understand in a less academic way, I think it would be really impactful. So, one, I think we could translate more; two, I think we could do more of it. But it kind of a big--it's a big risk. It's hard to see immediate payoffs. Yet, I guess the reason I think it can't be ignored is, maybe you could put it simply like this: That, China and Brazil and Russia and Vietnam and a whole host of countries that are currently like middle income, or a little poorer or a little richer, are generally growing, you know, at a reasonably quick pace--like, say, I don't know, maybe it's 5% a year. In some years that will be higher; in some years that will be lower. But they are basically on their way to being high-middle, or upper-middle--or even upper-income countries. So, they are growing. And as long as there is no major world cataclysm, then in 20 years, those are going to be basically rich countries. And that's going to be most of the population of the world. And that's probably most countries in the world. But there's a bunch of countries, a couple in, you know, Central and South America, maybe Bolivia, certainly Guatemala, and maybe like a Honduras or Jamaica, and much of sub-Saharan Africa, and some parts of Central Asia that are just not growing at all, or they are growing a little bit but not very fast. Or, they are growing a little bit but there is a lot of inherent political instability and it's hard to imagine that growth lasting for long before there's some tanking[?]. So, it's possible that in 15 or 20 years there will be about 20 or 30 countries in the world that are still enormously poor and unstable, next to what are generally a relatively homogenous group of middle- and high-income countries. And that's going to be a bad situation. It's not--it's a better situation than today, where we've got a lot of poor people. But there's going to be this growing inequality; and these are going to be places of instability. And there's going to be a lot of negative spillovers for the rest of the world. So, Somalia, piracy is one. And extremist groups in the Middle East or parts of Central and West Africa is another. And, they might make life troublesome for us, here. But they are definitely going to make life very difficult for the modestly successful or very successful neighbors they have. And so, that's sort of--these fragile states--that's the unfortunate name; I don't have a better name for them--these fragile states are going to be the fundamental security and development problem in the world in 15 or 20 years. And so, what choice does the rest of the world have but to think really, really hard about this?
54:24 Russ Roberts: Why are you going to wait 10 years? Chris Blattman: Oh, to write the book? Russ Roberts: Yeah, because: First of all, even if you finish it, it's going to be 11; and then it's got to get published--that's 12--and I will be 74 years old. I mean, I'll be here; EconTalk may be here; you're not going to get an EconTalk episode out of it. Write it sooner, and we can talk about it. Chris Blattman: Yes. I-- Russ Roberts: I'm teasing you. I'm half-serious. Chris Blattman: Yes. I am half--I would like to think I could write it in the next couple of years. I guess I just started to put, not into paper, but keyboard to word-document, and talking to friends who have written books. It always takes longer than they think. So--and you know how it is to be in our position, where you are pulled and under different directions. Not least of it is the problem with these randomized control trials is they do crowd out the rest of the things you are trying to do. So, I do--I've made a big, conscious effort to actually reduce the number of things I'm working on so I can create some space for it. So, we'll--people--I put all my slides from my class online. They are descriptive enough that, you know, people can get a sense that if people want to preview, it's on my website, and I know you'll provide a link to those. Russ Roberts: [?] >Chris Blattman: Yes. And, um, so, yeah, we'll see. Maybe it will be sooner. I would like it to be sooner. You know, the thing is, is it's not--this isn't my research area. And I--you know, I don't--every time I spend a few--I've got a huge, I've got a like about 40 books piled up that I want to read that are part of this. And every time I read 5 of them, I rethink what I want to say. And, but, I rethink it a little less each time. So, I'm narrowing down to something where my own views are stable. And maybe that's the wrong way to think of a book. But, if you sort of have spent the last--if you've spent your entire career being, like an applied microeconomist who is doing very, very precise things, it's very, very hard to sort of willfully be sloppy and make mistakes. It's a big change. Russ Roberts: Well, I recommend against that 'willfully sloppy' part. But I think you do have to sometimes say, 'We are not sure but it seems like...'. And I think that's probably okay-- Chris Blattman: right-- Russ Roberts: and to put those ideas out into the public discussion would be a good thing.Aritz Parra and Ciaran Giles, The Associated Press
BARCELONA, Spain -- Spain's constitutional Court on Thursday ordered Catalonia's parliament to suspend a planned session next week during which separatist lawmakers wanted to declare independence -- further fueling Spain's worst political crisis in decades.
Catalan regional authorities previously have ignored constitutional Court orders, so it was not immediately clear if the session would go ahead and if all parties would attend.
The court said its order could be appealed but also warned Catalan parliament speaker Carme Forcadell and other members of the speakers' board that they could face prosecution for failing to halt the session.
Speaking to reporters, Forcadell called the suspension a "violation of freedom of speech."
"I won't allow censorship to enter Parliament," she said without clarifying if the meeting would go ahead or not.
Earlier, Spain's Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy urged the separatist leader of the regional Catalan government, Carles Puigdemont, to cancel plans for declaring independence in order to avoid "greater evils."
In an interview with Spain's official EFE news agency, Rajoy said the solution in Catalonia "is the prompt return to legality and the affirmation, as early as possible, that there will be no unilateral declaration of independence, because that way greater evils will be avoided."
Rajoy's remarks were the first since Sunday, when Catalonia held a banned referendum on independence, amid police violence. Puigdemont said the results of the vote validated the push to secede.
On Wednesday, Puigdemont toned down his defiant stance by calling for mediation in the conflict, although he maintained the plan to declare secession next week.
The court order came as political uncertainty over Catalonia's secession bid started spreading to the economy, with stock markets falling and big Catalan firms relocating or considering a move to elsewhere in Spain.
Banco Sabadell, one of Catalonia's largest banks and Spain's fifth in volume of assets, said in a statement to the Spanish stock regulator on Thursday that it was relocating the bank's base to the eastern city of Alicante.
The move is largely symbolic, given that the headquarters would still remain in the Catalan regional capital, Barcelona, but is aimed at remaining under the protective umbrella of the European Central Bank, Spanish private news agency Europa Press reported citing internal sources.
Banco Sabadell couldn't be immediately reached for comment.
News of the possible move pushed the bank's shares up more than 6 per cent in Thursday's trading, following heavy losses of almost 10 per cent this week.
On Wednesday, Spanish stocks suffered the biggest drop since the Brexit referendum in the U.K. last year. The main Madrid stock index is down 2.5 per cent this week in volatile trading.
Barcelona-based Caixabank, Spain's third largest bank in global volume of assets was expected to study relocation plans in a meeting on Friday, as the government readied a decree to make it easier for Catalan companies to move their base.
In a sign that investors are taking seriously the financial risks of independence, the biotech firm Oryzon Genomics saw its shares jump 23 per cent since announcing Wednesday it would move its headquarters out of Catalonia.
About 40 per cent of Catalonia's electorate of 5.5 million voted in the divisive referendum marred by violence when police moved in to close polling stations and confiscate ballot boxes. As expected, the "Yes" side scored a landslide victory, because most of those who want Catalonia to remain in Spain ignored the referendum that the courts had suspended.
Catalan authorities and the Spanish central government are at odds over the legitimacy of the vote. Spain's 1978 Constitution bars any attempt to secede and rules that all Spanish nationals must have a say in the country's sovereignty.
Catalonia's regional parliament called the meeting Monday to evaluate the results of the referendum. Pro-independence lawmakers say the declaration will be made then.
As the deadline approaches, the clamour for dialogue and mediation in the crisis is gathering momentum, although Rajoy's government seems to be sticking to its stance of not talking to those wanting to break up the country.
Barcelona Mayor Ada Colau called on European institutions to consider setting up a task force of experts to mediate after meeting consular representatives of European countries.
Officials in the European Union have called for dialogue, but have supported Spain's conservative government in blaming the political crisis on Catalonia's regional government.
On Wednesday, Barcelona lawyers set up a commission to promote talks bringing together trade unions, economists and even the city's famed Barcelona soccer club.
Pablo Iglesias, the leader of the Spanish opposition party Podemos, called Rajoy and urged him to seek mediation. But Rajoy insists that regional president Carles Puigdemont must first drop the threat of declaring independence, which was seen by some as a slight easing of his opposition to talks.
Rajoy has been under pressure to act without further tarnishing his image or inflaming separatist sentiment in the region, where a strong cultural identity has mixed with years of grievances for what many Catalans see as an unfair economic treatment of the region, one of Spain's richest.
On Thursday, some of the additional police officers deployed in the region were seen checking out of a hotel in the coastal town of Pineda de Mar amid two sets of protesters -- one side yelling at them to leave and another showing support.
Protests mushroomed following the Oct. 1 vote, condemning police violence and urging the "occupying forces," as many demonstrators have called them, to leave Catalonia.
Many other demonstrations have taken place around the country in support of Spanish unity.
The government has praised the police response, calling it proportionate.
Spain's Interior Ministry said the departures Thursday had been previously scheduled, as contracts ended with some of the hotels hosting the police reinforcements.
Because of difficulties in finding accommodations on land, some of the more than 5,000 extra forces deployed in the region have slept on three ferries docked in Barcelona and nearby Tarragona.
Giles contributed from Madrid.Resigned Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) Director Benjamin delos Santos on Friday said he will not heed the call of Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II for him to stay on pending action on his resignation.
READ: BuCor chief quits amid talk of revived Bilibid drug trade
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“In the interest of service and in order not to hamper the operation of the BuCor, you are hereby directed to continue functioning as Director General of the BuCor, pending appropriate action on your resignation by the President,” Aguirre said in a memorandum issued Friday addressed to Delos Santos.
But Delos Santos, in a text message, said Aguirre can appoint an officer-in-charge (OIC) or an undersecretary to ensure the continuity of the BuCor operation.
Last year, Deputy Director for Operations Chief Superintendent Rolando Asuncion was appointed OIC after the retirement of BuCor chief Reinier Cruz. He was OIC for five months until Delos Santos took over in November 2016.
Asuncion, however, resigned after Aguirre asked him to go on leave and ordered an investigation following an accusation from an inmate that he received a vehicle from a high-profile prisoner involved in drugs.
He denied the allegation and welcomed the investigation saying he would rather quit his post than be accused of corruption. JPV
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MOST READDavid Brock oversees an anti-Koch brothers operation known as the Bridge Project. Yesterday, The Hill reported that Brock's not-so-clandestine venture has "moles" in the billionaires' empire. These moles have allegedly been gathering information on Koch political and corporate activities. And everything they find is fed back to Brock's team, lying in wait.
David Koch speaking at the Defending the American Dream Summit in Columbus, Ohio, in August 2015.
But if, like us, you were compelled to determine exactly what it is Brock has on the Koch brothers, prepare to be disappointed.
We did some digging and it turns out much of Brock's claim is hot air…
The "Proof" of Informants at Koch Brothers Industries
David Brock's Bridge Project hasn't physically produced much proof of what it's purportedly obtained from behind the mysterious doors of the Koch Empire.
Here's what they've presented so far:
Documents from a Libertarian Party archive – which the Bridge Project directed The New York Times to – that resulted in an investigative story on David Koch's failed 1980 Libertarian campaign. While the story itself wasn't particularly damaging, it did reveal that, at the time of his political run, David's brother Charles was getting fed up with how much money his bid was costing the family. Leaked recordings from two right-wing groups linked to the Kochs:
One recording in which a speaker from the Heartland Institute verbally attacked the Pope's recent "left-wing political craze" about global warming.
The other recording is of Charles Koch speaking to the Wichita Chamber of Commerce about his New York Times bestselling book, "Good Profit, How Creating Value for Others Built One of the World's Most Successful Companies."
And that's it. None of the leaked content featured recordings or documents average folks couldn't have uncovered themselves via the Internet. Nor did it reveal any sort of secret information.
One of Brock's associates at the Bridge Project, Eddie Vale, countered skepticism regarding this material by defending the importance of anonymity.
"This is the part I'm trying to keep vague," he said. "We get information from people in their network." Vale went on to explain that the informants are both current and former Koch Industries employees. He said the information they typically relay is done via word-of-mouth. Why? "Because I know they have crazy internal surveillance of |
And if all this isn’t enough, a patio will sit out front, offering patrons a beer garden to enjoy when the weather is nice. The common denominator through it all will be the beer.
“When a brewer leaves here,” Malloy said of a partner brewer growing out of the space. “We won’t be crying into our beers. Honestly, we’ll throw a party.”
Boston's first contract brewery and second full-pour taproom.Coming down heavily on BJP MPs who are urging Hindus to increase their numbers for strengthening the religion, ruling alliance partner Shiv Sena reminded the government that excess population was a factor behind India's "misery" and said that such views cannot be supported. Some seers and BJP MPs "advocate four marriages for Hindus and maximum possible children to give a tough fight to Muslims.
"Instead of we making comments on such statements, either senior BJP leaders or the government should make their stand clear on the issue. Strength cannot be enhanced merely by increasing population," the Sena on Wednesday said in an editorial in its mouthpiece, 'Saamana'. It also said that RSS should prevail upon the government to make family planning laws stricter.
Hitting out at Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Pravin Togadia over his purported remarks in this connection recently at the Kumbh Mela in Nashik, Sena said that while on the one hand slogans like "small family, happy family" are propagated, statements are made on the other advocating "4-5 children".
According to Sena, Togadia recently told reporters in Nashik that, "We will start a helpline for those Hindu families who do not have children. We will treat such families and encourage them to have four children."
Criticising such statements, the editorial said, "We are currently dealing with a population explosion in India. Excess population is one of the causes of our misery. Increasing population also gives rise to unemployment and poverty. On one hand, we talk of family planning and chant slogans like 'Small Family, Happy Family' and, on the other, we are forcing people to have 4-5 children."
Even as it stated that not having children was no curse, Sena said that the "happiness of being a parent cannot be described".
"You do not need four children to experience this happiness. One child would also suffice," the editorial added.
BJP MP Maharaj had courted controversy earlier this year when he had asked Hindu women to have at least four children.Fat, once a dirty word when it came to diet, has been edging back toward respectability. New results from a huge international study help continue to reshape its image while at the same time casting doubt on the wisdom of eating lots of carbohydrates and questioning the “more is better” recommendations for eating fruits and vegetables.
The latest evidence comes from data released Tuesday by the international Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiology (PURE) study. Its research team recorded the eating habits of 135,000 adults in 18 countries — including high-income, medium-income, and low-income nations — and followed the participants’ health for more than seven years on average.
Among the PURE participants, those with the highest intake of dietary fat (35 percent of daily calories) were 23 percent less likely to have died during the study period than those with the lowest fat intake (10 percent of calories). The rates of various cardiovascular diseases were essentially the same across fat intake, while strokes were less common among those with a high fat intake.
Upending conventional wisdom, the findings for carbohydrate intake went in the opposite direction. PURE participants with the highest carbohydrate intake (77 percent of daily calories) were 28 percent more likely to have died than those with the lowest carbohydrate intake (46 percent of calories). The results were presented at the European Society of Cardiology meeting in Barcelona, and published in the Lancet.
“These results point to the fact that human biology is very similar across the globe,” said Dr. Eric Rimm, professor of epidemiology and nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. “It’s not healthy to eat highly processed carbohydrates no matter where you live.”
In a related paper, the PURE results challenged two widely held beliefs about fruits and vegetables. While most dietary guidelines stress the importance of eating more vegetables, among the PURE participants, eating more fruits, and more seeds and beans, was associated with greater benefits than eating more vegetables. Guidelines also tend to stress that if eating some fruits and vegetables is good, more must be better. But among the study participants, those whose diets included three to four servings of fruits and vegetables a day were no more likely to have died as those whose diets included eight or more servings a day.
In a nutshell, a healthy diet based on the PURE results would be rich in fruits, beans, seeds, vegetables, and fats, include dollops of whole grains, and be low in refined carbohydrates and sugars.
“One of the most important take-home messages from the PURE study is that bioactive foods that give rise to new plant life, like fruits and seeds, should be an important part of everyone’s diet,” said Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian, dean of the Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy.
As an observational study, PURE can’t prove cause and effect. In an effort to eliminate the biases that are common in observational studies, the researchers took blood samples from the majority of the study participants and analyzed them for cholesterol and other lipids. Participants with higher intakes of fats, or lower intakes of carbohydrates, had lower levels of low-density lipoprotein (so-called bad cholesterol) and triglycerides, and higher levels of protective high-density lipoprotein (so-called good cholesterol). Those tests help corroborate the main findings.
The PURE results provide strong support for evidence accumulating over the past decade on what makes a healthy diet, said Mozaffarian. “Cutting back on starch and sugar and adding more fat and more foods from plants, especially bioactive fruits and seeds, is where we should be headed,” he said.
This article is reproduced with permission from STAT. It was first published on August 29, 2017. Find the original story here.Documents and a whistle-blower affidavit obtained by The Daily Caller charge that House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, Illinois Democratic Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., and Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr., participated in an unethical — and possibly illegal — effort to force 76 employees of an Illinois state agency to engage in political activity on the taxpayers’ dime.
According to the whistle-blower, Rev. Jackson also encouraged the government employees to load first-generation and low-income college students up with student loan debt — because Democrats in Congress, he allegedly promised, would eventually pass laws to forgive that debt later. “[T]hose people will continue to vote Democratic,” Jackson Sr. said, according to the whistle-blower.
On March 3, Pelosi flew to Chicago to endorse Rep. Jackson Jr., 17 days ahead of a heated March 20 Democratic primary he later won. Pelosi was scheduled to make the endorsement at a press conference later in the day, after she participated in an hour-long “forum” hosted by the elder Jackson at the headquarters of his progressive Rainbow PUSH Coalition.
Pelosi politicized that forum, jumping the gun and endorsing Jackson Jr. earlier than planned.
“One of the reasons I am here, and I will do this following this wonderful meeting, is to publicly state my endorsement of Jesse Jackson Jr. for re-election,” Pelosi said at the Rainbow PUSH forum. “I do so with great pride. I remember when he came to the Congress with a great name and a great tradition of his parents. But he came and he made his own mark in the Congress from his own generation.”
Adam Andrzejewski, chairman of the For The Good of Illinois PAC and a former 2010 GOP gubernatorial candidate endorsed by Polish Solidarity movement founder Lech Walesa, told TheDC that a state government agency forcing workers to go the event was likely illegal. Even if it failed to violate any specific law, he said, the activity was undoubtedly unethical.
“Democrats in Illinois raised taxes by 67 percent and at the same time they are using taxpayer dollars and resources for blatantly political purposes,” Andrzejewski wrote in an email. “This is unethical, possibly illegal, and taxpayers, families, and seniors have a right to be outraged.”
Marcy Bailey, a 22-year-old who worked for the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) Corps on March 3, swore out an affidavit on August 9 describing what happened that day.
In the signed and notarized affidavit obtained by TheDC, Bailey said she “did not want to attend this event,” and charged that the Rainbow PUSH forum “was soon overflowing with negative political energy directed towards the Republican Party. The two [Pelosi and Jackson Sr.] discussed many adverse things about the Republican Party, using harsh, derogatory remarks, while they reminded their audience about what they called the wonderful things that the Democratic Party was doing for the people.”
“Although e-mails from an ISAC supervisor would lead one to believe that my attendance was optional, during phone calls from Sara Henschen, my regional coordinator, and from Kim Galvan, ISACorps manager, I was told that I ‘must attend,’” Bailey wrote in her affidavit. “Repeatedly, my supervisors told me that ‘without a prior conflicting commitment, your attendance is mandatory.’ I stated that I did not feel comfortable going, but my supervisors told me that I did have to go.”
Bailey explained how Galvan told her to report her travel hours to and from Chicago — “approximately five hours and 500 round trip miles” from her residence — on her time sheets so she would be paid for the time. The agency also reimbursed her and her fellow ISACorps employees for hotel rooms and meals. She also stated that her coworker, who drove to Chicago and back, “would have been reimbursed for mileage.”
She and her coworkers were told to arrive at Rainbow PUSH headquarters, according to her affidavit, by 9:30 a.m. that day even though the Pelosi event didn’t start until 10:00 a.m.
“When I arrived at the meeting location, our ISAC directors instructed us to go to the second floor and congregate in a side hallway outside of zwhere Jesse Jackson Sr. was speaking to a group of individuals, including candidates and other political figures that were being addressed as ‘judge’ and ‘senator,’” Bailey wrote. “With cameras flashing, Jesse Jackson Sr., candidates and politicians left the conference room, and we were staged to look like we were political supporters. In other words, we were used as props during a campaign season.”
The ISACorps workers then moved into the forum where Pelosi and Jackson Sr. were set to speak. Bailey wrote that the event began as a non-political gathering — a forum for Pelosi to see the ISACorps workers — but later became “largely a political rally, and there was no opportunity for those of us who were not there to participate in a political rally to leave without it being noticeable.”
“As the program continued, Nancy Pelosi endorsed Jesse Jackson Jr. for Congress,” Bailey continued. “No one from our state agency left the room or objected to our participation at a blatantly partisan political event, including my supervisor. I was fearful that any objection or other false move on my part would place my job in jeopardy. We were being videotaped and any disagreement would have left a record. I felt considerably isolated and intimidated by this. I felt sick to my stomach.”
In a phone interview with TheDC, ISAC spokesman John Samuels denied that the event was political. “You’re full of shit,” he said.
Samuels also objected to TheDC referring to House Minority Leader Pelosi as “House minority leader,” saying, “It really pains you to call her ‘Speaker Pelosi’ doesn’t it?
“Rep. Jackson apparently had a second event where Speaker Pelosi endorsed him,” Samuels added, “Because I wasn’t present and no one from ISAC was present, nor were we asked to nor would we attend because it is a partisan event. That was covered by dozens of Chicago reporters, any one of whom would say ISAC was not there.”
After the Rainbow PUSH forum, however, Bailey and her coworkers were moved into a back room for a private meeting with Jackson Sr. and Rainbow PUSH organizer Rev. Janet Wilson, where Bailey said they received “job coaching.”
“Jesse Jackson Sr. said to work hard to help as many students as possible acquire student loans. Jackson Sr. encouraged us to network students, hold rallies and organize for ‘student loan forgiveness legislation,’” she wrote in her affidavit.
“Jesse Jackson Sr. also told us not to worry about loading students up with too much college debt, because Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats will eventually forgive all student loan debt. On the promise of debt forgiveness, ‘those people will continue to vote Democratic.’”
Bailey added that Jackson Sr. “asked how many ISACorps workers would be able to come to future events because our massive support looked great both in-person and on television.”
“Several workers raised their hand in response,” Bailey wrote.
The “job coaching” meeting with Jackson Sr., she said, “horrified” her.
“I thought our mission was to try to help students navigate the complexities of college choices,” she wrote, “and to help them to make good choices (including financial choices) so that they can lead better, more productive lives. Instead, Jesse Jackson Sr. seems to want to push less well-off college aspirants into more debt. And he does this not to improve their lives, but so that he has more political pawns to gain political power, since, as he explained it, people with debt will have to vote for Democrats if they want to get out of their student loans.”
Samuels did not deny that meeting with Jackson Sr. took place, saying he “was present” for it.
“He [Jesse Jackson Sr.] said that he believes that what we’re doing is important work,” Samuels said, “that education is one of the most important issues facing the country right now and he offered to have his picture taken with the group. Period.”
When asked if any “job coaching” occurred in that back room, as Bailey alleges, Samuels replied, “No. None whatsoever.”
When presented with Bailey’s allegation that Jackson Sr. advocated ISACorps workers increase first-generation college students’ debts because Democrats would eventually forgive their loans in exchange for Democratic Party votes, Samuels said, “That’s not true.”
Samuels did, however, add that the Rev. Jackson Sr. “expressed concern over the levels of student debt. But that’s — anybody can do that.” And he conceded that the Rainbow Push leader “expressed the interest that Operation PUSH people are pushing for debt forgiveness.”
Samuels also acknowledged another detail in Bailey’s account, repeating her recollection that Jackson Sr. asked the room, “Who here today has their own student loan debt?” Like Bailey, Samuels recalled many people raising their hands.
In addition to Bailey’s affidavit, an email chain the For The Good of Illinois PAC obtained from ISACorps indicates that on March 6, ISAC College Access Initiatives Managing Director Jacqueline Moreno tried to orchestrate a meeting with Rev. Janette Wilson of Rainbow PUSH. She planned to create at that meeting a “more structured relationship that feeds into a national framework.”
Moreno wanted to see Rainbow PUSH and ISACorps “work together in a more formal way.”
As additional confirmation of what happened in that room, Bailey cited a defensive email that ISAC Education Services Director of Post Secondary Education Services Aimee Melgar sent to the agency’s staff on Wednesday, March 14.
“Reverend Wilson from PUSH talked about rallying groups together on college campuses to address student loan forgiveness, etc,” Melgar wrote. “As a state agency, we cannot be involved in lobbying, signing petitions, having Facebook conversations on work Facebook accounts, or taking any stance around student loan debt on work time or on work accounts.”
“To clarify my point further, ISAC cannot be involved in helping PUSH with their student loan forgiveness efforts,” Melgar added.
Andrzejewski told TheDC that that March 14 email “first confirms the story of our whistle-blower and then repeats a problem probably far too common in the history of Illinois: a public denial with no teeth.”
“Two weeks later, ISACorps sent two members with Rainbow PUSH on a national tour of colleges,” he said.
On her way home from that Rainbow PUSH event in Chicago, Bailey said she “wrestled with what had just occurred.”
“How many others in that audience were like me, and effectively coerced into participating in what was really a political event?” she wrote. “Did the public know that this is what their money was paying for? … I personally felt used and just couldn’t continue to work at ISAC.”
Samuels did eventually confirm that the workers’ hotel and travel expenses were paid for with federal taxpayer money from a grant the agency receives annually.
“There were … a little bit less than $3,500 of reimbursements that I’ve seen, and I’ve seen the entire employee package,” Samuels said.
“Those were legitimate expenses that were paid for out of the federal [College Access Challenge] grant. … [M]ost of [the workers] were already attending other events in town. So, again, it’s not an incremental expense.”
Illinois law prohibits the use of “public funds” to “be used to urge any elector to vote for or against any candidate or proposition, or be appropriated for political or campaign purposes to any candidate or political organization.” ISAC may not have broken that law, though, as state law defines “public funds” as having been “appropriated by the Illinois General Assembly or by any political subdivision of the state of Illinois.” ISAC used federal taxpayer dollars for the March 3 event.
Using federal dollars, however, may violate the federal Hatch Act, which the U.S. Office of Special Counsel says requires that state and municipal workers “may not use official authority or influence for the purpose of interfering with or affecting the result of an election or nomination for office” when their “duties [are] in connection with an activity financed in whole or in part by federal funds.”
Samuels said he was unsure whether Jackson Jr., Jackson Sr., Pelosi, or their staffs were aware that the government workers were required to atend.
“I’m not sure if they [the Rainbow PUSH Coaliton] were aware,” Samuels said. “I know that when you send an Outlook in a calendar invite there’s a category called ‘required’ and anybody’s name who you put into that field comes out as required. But it was a required event. [ISA]Corps members have required events.”
Asked if Pelosi or Rep. Jackson Jr. were aware that state employees were required to attend, Samuels responded, “I have no idea.”
Representatives for Jackson Jr., Jackson Sr. and Pelosi have not responded to TheDC’s requests for comment.
Follow Matthew on TwitterOfficials: Edward Snowden's Leaks Were Masked By Job Duties
More than three months after Edward Snowden revealed details of NSA secret surveillance activities, intelligence officials are still assessing the fallout from the former contractor's disclosures. But they already know how the leaks happened.
"We have an extremely good idea of exactly what data he got access to and how exactly he got access to it," says the NSA's chief technology officer, Lonny Anderson.
His job was to do what he did. He wasn't a ghost. He wasn't that clever. He did his job.
In interviews with NPR, two government officials shared that part of the Snowden story in one of the most detailed discussions of the episode to date.
According to the officials, the documents Snowden leaked — the memoranda, PowerPoint slides, agency reports, court orders and opinions — had all been stored in a file-sharing location on the NSA's intranet site. The documents were put there so NSA analysts and officials could read them online and discuss them.
"Unfortunately for us," one official said, "if you had a top secret SCI [sensitive compartmented information] clearance, you got access to that."
The importance of such information-sharing procedures was one of the lessons of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Law enforcement and intelligence agencies were unable to "connect the dots" before the attacks because they were not always aware of what other agencies knew.
As a systems administrator, Snowden actually had the responsibility to go to the NSA intranet site and move especially sensitive documents to a more secure location. The assignment was the perfect cover for someone who wanted to leak documents.
"It's kind of brilliant, if you're him," an official said. "His job was to do what he did. He wasn't a ghost. He wasn't that clever. He did his job. He was observed [moving documents], but it was his job."
Snowden's supervisors, however, did not realize that he was making digital copies of the secret documents. The officials interviewed by NPR would not say how Snowden managed to take the files out of his workplace, citing the ongoing investigation.
As of June, when Snowden's disclosures became public, some NSA computers were equipped with USB ports where thumb drives could be used. As the NSA's chief technologist and information officer, Anderson is responsible for implementing security reforms to guard against future data leaks. NSA security officers have now limited the options employees have for storing data on their own, thumb drives included.
"One thing we have done post-media leaks," Anderson says, "is lock those down hard, so those are [now] all in two-person control areas."
With new security reforms in place, it should be impossible for people like Snowden to work completely on their own. "We're going to remove anonymity from our network," Anderson says. "If you've got privileged access to our network, like a systems administrator [has], if you're being given a privilege that very few people have, you're not going to do anything alone."
The NSA will now be "tagging" sensitive documents and data with identifiers that will limit access to those individuals who have a need to see the documents and who are authorized by NSA leadership to view them. The tagging will also allow supervisors to see what individuals do with the data they see and handle.
"Someone today could [still] get access to that intranet [location]," Anderson says, "because it still exists. Could someone today do what [Snowden] did? No."
Among the questions raised by the NSA's security reforms, however, is whether the changes will inhibit the kind of information-sharing the agency wanted to promote in the first place.
"You can't make good policy if you can't keep more than one idea in your head at the same time," warns Joel Brenner, a former NSA inspector general. "One of those important ideas is that we have to do a really good job of sharing information and disseminating it to people who really need to know it and doing it fast. The other really important idea is that a lot of this information, if it gets into the hands of people who ought not have it, hurts us badly. So that information has to be protected. You can't separate those ideas."Adjusted Net Yards per Attempt is the best simple measure of quarterback play. ANY/A is defined as (Gross Passing Yards + 20 * PassTDs – 45 * INTs – Sack Yards Lost) divided by (Pass Attempts + Sacks). Relative ANY/A, or RANY/A, is simply ANY/A minus league average.
I looked at the 100 players with the most rushing yards in football history. Then, for each player, I calculated the average weighted RANY/A of the offenses he played on. As usual, to come up with a career grade, I gave more weight to a player’s best seasons. If a running back had 18% of his rushing yards come in one season, well his team’s RANY/A for that year was responsible for 18% of his career RANY/A grade.
For example, in 2001, the good Jake Plummer showed up for the Cardinals, and Arizona had a RANY/A of +0.53. But since Thomas Jones rushed for only 380 yards that year — just 3.6% of his career total — only 3.6% of his career RANY/A is based on the +0.53. Conversely, Jones set a career high with 1,402 rushing yards in ’09 for the Jets, representing 13.2% of his career total. New York, behind a rookie Mark Sanchez, had a RANY/A of -1.69 that year, which matters a lot more when calculating Jones’ career grade. In fact, Jones played with bad passing offenses for most of his career: as it turns out, among all players in the top 100, it’s Jones who played with the worst passing offenses in his career.
In the table below, I’ve listed the players in the top 100 in career rushing yards, and where they rank in that category. I have also listed their career RANY/A grade as described above, and where they rank in that metric among the players in this table. The table is fully sortable and searchable: sort by the far right column to find the not-so-shocking answer to the question of which running back played with the best passing games.
Let the debates begin!The Great Recession hit all of us, but it didn't hit all of us equally. It turns out the more you had to lose, the less you lost. The chart below from Amir Sufi, a professor of finance at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, shows us this depressing story in three graphs.
The Economist pointed out, three words -- cash, houses, stocks -- explain these three charts. The 25th percentile get their wealth from jobs, but not from housing or stocks; the 50th percentile get their wealth from jobs and housing, but not from stocks; and the 90th percentile get their wealth from all of the above, but particularly from stocks. And like that, two decades of gains for the bottom half of households were gone. Not that it's exactly been a banner decade for the top 10 percent of households either -- but at least they're still 80 percent wealthier than they were 20 years ago. This shouldn't surprise us. As Ryan Avent ofpointed out, three words -- cash, houses, stocks -- explain these three charts. The 25th percentile get their wealth from jobs, but not from housing or stocks; the 50th percentile get their wealth from jobs and housing, but not from stocks; and the 90th percentile get their wealth from all of the above, but particularly from stocks.
That's exactly the story we see above. The 25th percentile barely saw their wealth increase during the housing bubble years because they weren't buying houses, and wages barely kept up with inflation. But then wealth evaporated as jobs did after panic hit in 2008. Meanwhile, median households did see their wealth shoot up sharply during the housing bubble, as their homes rapidly appreciated in value. But then wealth evaporated as housing equity did after the boom turned to bust. And then there's the 90th percentile -- their wealth barely budged since less of it was in housing equity, and more of it was in equities that quickly rebounded in 2009.
in a serious way. The recovery will continue to be nothing but a rumor for all but the richest among us until we can engineer a recovery in the housing market and not just the stock market. There's finally a nascent pick up happening in housing -- which should translate into more jobs -- but more refinancings and writedowns would speed this up. It's almost as if this is an issue the campaigns should be talking about
Until then, 2012 will keep feeling like 1992 for half the country.
We want to hear what you think about this article. Submit a letter to the editor or write to letters@theatlantic.com.Original PS3 owners who can submit proof of purchase and proof that they actually used the feature that allowed Linux to be installed on a partition of the console's hard drive are entitled to a $55 payment. If you can submit only proof of purchase and state that you intended to use the tool, you'll receive $9. Proof that you installed Linux can be submitted in the form of a screenshot/photo or documentation of communication between you and Sony or a third party. The installation would've had to be done before April 1, 2010.
Sony reached a proposed settlement with the plaintiffs this summer and received preliminary approval from a federal judge last month. The settlement is still pending final approval from the court. The deadline to submit a claim is December 7th. A hearing where the court will decide whether or not to approve the settlement is scheduled for January 24, 2017. If approved, payments will be sent out about 40 days after.
The "Other OS" suit was filed in 2010 after Sony pushed a mandatory software update to the PS3. That download forced users to nix the ability to install Linux or lose the ability to play online. The company said at the time that security concerns were the reason for change. Note that the PS3 "Slim" model that debuted in 2009 isn't included in the litigation even though it debuted during the aforementioned time frame. The "Slim" never had the Linux feature, so that's why owners of that console aren't eligible to file a claim as part of this class-action.Facebook
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NORTH TEXAS (CBSDFW.COM) – Areas across North Texas were hit with hail as storms moved southwest to northeast, from county to county.
Areas including Alvarado, Midlothian and Waxahachie reported quarter-size hail as the severe storms came through. There are reports that hail completely blanketed some areas.
Jamie Moore, the emergency management coordinator for Johnson County, said, “It’s very easy to look out across people’s yard and across these pastures here and see these bits of hail scattered everywhere.”
Moore is surveying the aftermath of the storm and checking up on people who found themselves in its way. “Some of them live in houses with metal roofs and they said that it was quite the event and quite the thing to hear,” he said. “Quarter-size pieces of hail or a little bit bigger are dotted all across the landscape here in this part of the county.”
A separate storm developed over parts of Collin County. The reports of 1″ hail over Frisco were confirmed by the National Weather Service and from CBSDFW Facebook users.
The storms moved from Frisco to McKinney, continuing to drop hail up to 1″ in parts of that city. The storms are continuing to move northeast, but severe weather development is possible across North Texas, throughout the afternoon. Any storms that develop will have the potential to produce heavy rains, hail and occasional lightning.
The CBS 11 Storm Team is monitoring weather as it happens. Find out the latest information online on our Facebook page and through the CBSDFW Weather App.The promise of democracy lies in its potential to cultivate political virtue over time. But Egypt's liberals, unnerved by the policies of the legitimate Muslim Brotherhood government, refused to wait.
Supporters of Egypt's deposed president Mohamed Morsi outside Rabaa al Adawiya mosque in Cairo, on the eve of Eid al Fitr, August 7, 2013. Photograph: Jonathan Rashad
On February 11, 2011, after eighteen days of protests, Hosni Mubarak resigned as President of Egypt. Now, three years later, the Egyptian security state appears to have re-established political control of the country.
Why did the democratic transition fail? Answers range widely. Some blame the poorly designed transition process, which made trust among different political groups unachievable. Others point to a lack of leadership within Egypt’s political organizations, particularly the Muslim Brotherhood. Still others focus on a devastating economic crisis that post-Mubarak governments could never address given the political divisions within the country.
These explanations are plausible and not mutually exclusive. But they all miss something important. The January 25 Revolution was also a striking failure of political theory. More precisely, it was a failure of the theories embraced by the most idealistic revolutionaries. Their demands were too pure; they refused to accord any legitimacy to a flawed transition—and what transition is not flawed?—that could only yield a flawed democracy. They made strategic mistakes because they did not pay enough attention to Egypt’s institutional, economic, political, and social circumstances. These idealists generally were politically liberal. But the problem does not lie in liberalism itself. The problem lies in a faulty understanding of the implications of political liberalism in the Egyptian context—an insufficient appreciation of factors that limited what could reasonably be achieved in the short term. A more sophisticated liberalism would have accounted for these realities.
The Balance of Forces
Although the masses in Tahrir Square appeared unified on the day Mubarak fell, three broad groups were vying for power.
The first, associated with the military, took a minimalist view: the Revolution was simply about removing Mubarak and his cronies from power, and ensuring that his son, Gamal Mubarak, did not succeed him to the presidency. Given this group’s desire to preserve as much as possible of Mubarak’s order (without Mubarak), it was able to reconcile with old-regime elements. This first group originally lacked a distinctive ideology, but it eventually adopted a nationalist, sometimes even xenophobic, posture that distinguished it from the cosmopolitanism of Islamist, liberal, and socialist revolutionaries.
According to a second group, the Revolution aimed at broad reforms of the Egyptian state without uprooting it entirely. For this reformist group, the crisis stemmed from corruption. Mubarak, they argued, had undermined the state’s integrity by usurping its institutions to fulfill his and his allies’ personal and political ends. The Revolution needed to reform the state’s institutions so that they would meet the formal requirements of a legal order, accountable to the public will. Formal democracy was a crucial demand of this group because it was seen as the only way to ensure that the state would not again be hijacked to further the interests of a narrow group of Egyptian elites. The Muslim Brotherhood and its allies belonged to this second group.
The third group, composed largely of young Egyptians, understood the Revolution as an attempt to fundamentally restructure state and society. The Revolution provided an opportunity to create a virtuous state. Doing so would, however, require a complete rupture with the ancien regime. This radical group had an ambivalent relationship with formal democracy. Although elections were desirable, the most important goal was the substantive transformation of the state and society. “Revolutionary legitimacy” trumped whatever legitimacy formal representative democracy could provide.
The support enjoyed by each of these three groups remains uncertain. No one disputes that the youth, the third group, served as the revolutionary vanguard, having planned and executed the anti-regime demonstrations on January 25. The Muslim Brotherhood joined later, and the military, for obvious reasons, was the last to take up the banner.
Egypt's most idealistic revolutionaries didn't understand the implications of political liberalism.
Still, one should not exclude the military from the revolutionary coalition. The protestors at Tahrir welcomed the military, which they believed to be more sympathetic to their cause than the detested police. Demonstrators treated the military as a legitimate authority. For example, when protesters caught agents provocateurs working for the regime, they were turned over to the military.
Other actions also underscored the willingness of Tahrir revolutionaries to recognize the continued legitimacy of at least parts of the old order. For example, prominent liberal lawyers within the revolutionary camp continued to abide by the constitution that Mubarak had put in place in the waning years of his presidency. This constitution included a series of amendments, adopted in spite of gross procedural irregularities, which were intended to ensure his son’s succession. During the Revolution one liberal lawyer even published an appeal to Mubarak in the Washington Post demanding that he perform the formal steps required of a legal transition.
The more restrained interpretations of the Revolution continue to have strong support among Egyptians even when Mubarak resigned. Subsequent elections confirmed this. In the March 19th referendum, voters favored a quick transition and rejected radicals’ appeals to complete a draft constitution before selecting a new government. In the subsequent parliamentary elections, Islamist-affiliated parties won almost 70 percent of the seats, while post-revolutionary liberal parties took only 10 percent. And in the presidential elections of 2012, with Mohamed ElBaradei withdrawn from the race, the liberals could not even field a candidate. The top two vote-getters in the first round, Ahmed Shafiq, Mubarak’s last prime minister, and Mohammad Morsi, of the Muslim Brotherhood, were affiliated, respectively, with the minimalist and reformist camps.
Whatever else can be said about the political preferences of Egyptians as revealed by their post-revolutionary voting patterns, elections demonstrated that a successful and peaceful democratic transition would require a coalition of minimalists, reformists, and radicals. Each group would have to accommodate the other two.
The Challenge of Pluralism
Accommodations are hardly unusual in societies emerging from a long period of authoritarian rule. Consider Chile, where General Pinochet was granted immunity in the aftermath of his bloody regime. All over Latin America, citizens accepted a substantial continuing role for free market economics, even though it had been a tool of dictators. Successful democratic transition inevitably requires some degree of compromise with old ways.
The challenge Egyptians faced throughout the transition was to build an inclusive polity in the face of their deep divisions. They could resolve these divisions either by suppressing disagreements through a forceful exercise of state power or by competing at the ballot box. The former strategy requires massive state violence in the short term and almost always leads to suspension of formal democracy, without any guarantee of a return to democracy in the medium or long term. The latter strategy involves less force, establishes at least the formal elements of democratic rule, and preserves the possibility of additional democratic gains in the future, even if it requires concessions to undemocratic or illiberal political groups in the present and is marked occasionally by episodes of political violence.
Both liberal and Islamic political theories endorse the second option. Traditional Islamic political theory prioritizes social peace in circumstances where achieving a more ideal polity would require widespread violence. Preserving social peace is also a crucial moral value of such political thinkers as Thomas Hobbes and John Rawls. These theories applied in Egypt: a formally democratic regime that allowed for fair and nonviolent competition over political office was the only means of including all three of Egypt’s political forces and thus the most likely to preserve social peace. Any attempt to suppress one of the three groups, on the other hand, would contradict this fundamental moral precept and would launch the country into civil war or else result in the imposition of emergency law. Both outcomes would foreclose meaningful politics.
From a Rawlsian perspective, Egypt’s divisions meant that social peace could only be achieved through a constitution establishing a temporary agreement among the parties. Such a constitution could do no more than guarantee formally democratic procedures of governance. It could not satisfy the requirements of justice, since it would be grounded in a particular balance of social power rather than an overlapping consensus on a conception of justice. Nevertheless, such a constitution, in Rawls’s view, is usually a necessary step toward the establishment of a just, well-ordered society.
The 14th century Arab Muslim political thinker Ibn Khaldūn’s |
Iraq war.[102] Accepting a controversial large estimate of casualties due to sanctions,[103] Walter Russell Mead argued on behalf of such a war as a better alternative than continuing the sanctions regime, since "Each year of containment is a new Gulf War."[104] However, economist Michael Spagat "argue[s] that the contention that sanctions had caused the deaths of more than half a million children is [as were weapons of mass destruction claims] very likely to be wrong."[105]
Oil [ edit ]
Oil not a factor in the Iraq war [ edit ]
In 2002, responding to a question about coveting oil fields, George Bush said "Those are the wrong impressions. I have a deep desire for peace. That's what I have a desire for. And freedom for the Iraqi people. See, I don't like a system where people are repressed through torture and murder in order to keep a dictator in place. That troubles me deeply. And so the Iraqi people must hear this loud and clear, that this country never has any intention to conquer anybody." [106]
Tony Blair stated that the theory that the Iraq invasion had "some[thing] to do with oil" was a "conspiracy theory"; "Let me first deal with the conspiracy theory that this is somehow to do with oil...The very reason why we are taking the action that we are taking is nothing to do with oil or any of the other conspiracy theories put forward."[107]
Then Australian Prime Minister John Howard has dismissed on multiple occasions the role of oil in the Iraq Invasion: "We didn't go there because of oil and we don't remain there because of oil."[108] In early 2003 John Howard stated, "No criticism is more outrageous than the claim that United States behaviour is driven by a wish to take control of Iraq's oil reserves."[109]
2008 Republican Presidential Candidate John McCain was forced to clarify his comments suggesting the Iraq war involved U.S. reliance on foreign oil. "My friends, I will have an energy policy that we will be talking about, which will eliminate our dependence on oil from the Middle East that will prevent us from having ever to send our young men and women into conflict again in the Middle East," McCain said. To clarify his comments, McCain explained that "the word 'again' was misconstrued, I want us to remove our dependency on foreign oil for national security reasons, and that's all I mean."[110]
Scholar Jeff Colgan writes that "Even years after the 2003 Iraq War, there is still no consensus on the degree to which oil played a role in that war."[111]
Oil a factor in the Iraq war [ edit ]
In 2008, President Bush issued a signing statement, declaring that he would ignore any law that prohibited using federal funds "to establish any military installation or base for the purpose of providing for the permanent stationing of United States Armed Forces in Iraq" or "to exercise United States control of the oil resources of Iraq."[112] According to former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, the United States didn't need to invade Iraq to control the oil. The New York Times reports that in February 2003, Baghdad had offered to give the U.S. first priority as it related to Iraq oil rights, as part of a deal to avert an impending invasion. The overtures intrigued the Bush administration but were ultimately rebuffed.[113] The primary reason for invading Iraq, according to those attending NSC briefings in 2002, was "to create a demonstration model" to deter anyone with the temerity to "flout the authority of the United States" in any way.[114]
Bush's Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill said that Bush's first two National Security Council meetings included a discussion of invading Iraq. He was given briefing materials entitled "Plan for post-Saddam Iraq," which envisioned peacekeeping troops, war crimes tribunals, and divvying up Iraq's oil wealth. A Pentagon document dated March 5, 2001, was titled "Foreign Suitors for Iraqi Oilfield contracts," and included a map of potential areas for exploration.[115]
In July 2003, the Polish foreign minister, Wlodzimierz Cimoszewicz, said, "We have never hidden our desire for Polish oil companies to finally have access to sources of commodities." This remark came after a group of Polish firms had just signed a deal with Kellogg, Brown and Root, a subsidiary of Halliburton. Cimoszewicz stated that access to Iraq's oilfields "is our ultimate objective".[116]
One report by BBC journalist Gregory Palast citing unnamed "insiders" alleged that the U.S. "called for the sell-off of all of Iraq's oil fields"[117] and planned for a coup d'état in Iraq long before September 11.[117] It was also alleged by the BBC's Greg Palast that the "new plan was crafted by neo-conservatives intent on using Iraq's oil to destroy the OPEC cartel through massive increases in production above OPEC quotas",[117] but in reality Iraq oil production decreased following the Iraq War.[118]
Speaking at the Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law in 2008, Chuck Hagel, the former United States Secretary of Defense, defended Greenspan's comments regarding oil as a motivation for the invasion of Iraq: "People say we're not fighting for oil. Of course we are."[119] General John Abizaid, CENTCOM commander from 2003 until 2007, said of the Iraq war during a round table discussion at Stanford University in 2008, "Of course it's about oil, it's very much about oil and we can't really deny that."[120][121]
Many critics have focused upon administration officials' past relationship with energy sector corporations. Both George W. Bush and Dick Cheney were formerly CEOs of oil and oil-related companies such as Arbusto, Harken Energy, Spectrum 7, and Halliburton. Before the 2003 invasion of Iraq and even before the War on Terror, the administration had prompted anxiety over whether the private sector ties of cabinet members (including National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice, former director of Chevron, and Commerce Secretary Donald Evans, former head of Tom Brown Inc.) would affect their judgment on energy policy.[122]
News outlets in mid-2000-2002 carried articles about Saddam's efforts to sell oil on markets exclusively in Euros.[123][124]
Prior to the war, the CIA saw Iraqi oil production and illicit oil sales as Iraq's key method of financing increasing weapons of mass destruction capability. The CIA's October 2002 unclassified white paper on "Iraq's Weapons of Mass Destruction Programs," states on page 1 under the "Key Judgments, Iraq's Weapons of Mass Destruction Programs" heading that "Iraq's growing ability to sell oil illicitly increases Baghdad's capabilities to finance weapons of mass destruction programs".[125]
Private oil business [ edit ]
Iraq holds the world's fifth-largest proven oil reserves at 141 billion barrels (2.24×1010 m3),[126] with increasing exploration expected to enlarge them beyond 200 billion barrels (3.2×1010 m3).[127] For comparison, Venezuela—the largest proven source of oil in the world—has 298 billion barrels (4.74×1010 m3) of proven oil reserves.[126]
Organizations such as the Global Policy Forum (GPF) have asserted that Iraq's oil is "the central feature of the political landscape" there, and that as a result of the 2003 invasion of Iraq, "'friendly' companies expect to gain most of the lucrative oil deals that will be worth hundreds of billions of dollars in profits in the coming decades." According to the GPF, U.S. influence over the 2005 Constitution of Iraq has made sure it "contains language that guarantees a major role for foreign companies".[127][128]
Strategic importance of oil [ edit ]
Oil exerts tremendous economic and political influence worldwide, although the line between political and economic influence is not always distinct. The importance of oil to national security is unlike that of any other commodity:
Modern warfare particularly depends on oil, because virtually all weapons systems rely on oil-based fuel – tanks, trucks, armored vehicles, self-propelled artillery pieces, airplanes, and naval ships. For this reason, the governments and general staffs of powerful nations seek to ensure a steady supply of oil during wartime, to fuel oil-hungry military forces in far-flung operational theaters. Such governments view their companies' global interests as synonymous with the national interest and they readily support their companies' efforts to control new production sources, to overwhelm foreign rivals, and to gain the most favorable pipeline routes and other transportation and distribution channels.[129]
Critics of the Iraq War contend that U.S. officials and representatives from the private sector were planning just this kind of mutually supportive relationship as early as 2001, when the James Baker III Institute for Public Policy and the Council on Foreign Relations produced "Strategic Energy Policy: Challenges for the 21st Century," a report describing the long-term threat of energy crises such as blackouts and rising fuel prices then playing havoc with the state of California. The report recommended a comprehensive review of U.S. military, energy, economic, and political policy toward Iraq "with the aim to lowering anti-Americanism in the Middle East and elsewhere, and set the groundwork to eventually ease Iraqi oil-field investment restrictions."[130] The report's urgent tone stood in contrast to the relatively calm speech Chevron CEO Kenneth T. Derr had given the Commonwealth Club of California two years earlier, before the California electricity crisis, where he said:
It might surprise you to learn that even though Iraq possesses huge reserves of oil and gas—reserves I'd love Chevron to have access to—I fully agree with the sanctions we have imposed on Iraq.[131]
Oil and foreign relations [ edit ]
Post-Iraq invasion opinion polls conducted in Jordan, Morocco, Pakistan, and Turkey showed that the majority in each country tended to "doubt the sincerity of the War on Terrorism," which they characterized instead as "an effort to control Mideast oil and to dominate the world."[132] Although there has been disagreement about where the alleged will to control and dominate originates, skeptics of the War on Terror have pointed early[133] and often[134] to the Project for a New American Century, a neoconservative think tank established in 1997 by William Kristol and Robert Kagan. The organization made plain its position on oil, territory, and the use of force in series of publications, including:
a 1998 letter to President Bill Clinton:
It hardly needs to be added that if Saddam does acquire the capability to deliver weapons of mass destruction, as he is almost certain to do if we continue along the present course, the safety of American troops in the region, of our friends and allies like Israel and the moderate Arab states, and a significant portion of the world's supply of oil will all be put at hazard. [...] The only acceptable strategy is one that eliminates the possibility that Iraq will be able to use or threaten to use weapons of mass destruction. In the near term, this means a willingness to undertake military action as diplomacy is clearly failing.[135]
a September 2000 report on foreign policy:
"American forces, along with British and French units...represent the long-term commitment of the United States and its major allies to a region of vital importance. Indeed, the United States has for decades sought to play a more permanent role in Gulf regional security. While the unresolved conflict with Iraq provides the immediate justification, the need for a substantial American force presence in the Gulf transcends the issue of the regime of Saddam Hussein."[136]
a May 2001 call to "Liberate Iraq":
Twice since 1980, Saddam has tried to dominate the Middle East by waging wars against neighbors that could have given him control of the region's oil wealth and the identity of the Arab world.[137]
a 2004 apologia:
His clear and unwavering ambition, an ambition nurtured and acted upon across three decades, was to dominate the Middle East, both economically and militarily, by attempting to acquire the lion's share of the region's oil and by intimidating or destroying anyone who stood in his way. This, too, was a sufficient reason to remove him from power.[138]
Of 18 signatories to the 1998 PNAC letter, 11 would later occupy positions in President Bush's administration: Elliott Abrams, Richard Armitage, John R. Bolton, Paula Dobriansky, Francis Fukuyama, Zalmay Khalilzad, Richard Perle, Peter W. Rodman, Donald Rumsfeld, Paul Wolfowitz, and Robert B. Zoellick.[135] Administration officials Dick Cheney, Eliot A. Cohen, and Lewis Libby were signatories to the 1997 PNAC "Statement of Principles."[139]
Wolfowitz Cabal [ edit ]
Just after US invasion of Afghanistan, London Observer, [140] and The Guardian [141] reported plans to invade Iraq and seize its oil reserves around Basra and use the proceeds to finance Iraqi oppositions in the south and the north. Later the US intelligence community denied these claims as incredible and that they have no plan to attack Iraq. [142] On October 14, 2001, The Guardian reported:
"The group, which some in the State Department and on Capitol Hill refer to as the 'Wolfowitz cabal', after Deputy Secretary of Defence Paul Wolfowitz, was yesterday laying the ground for a strategy that envisions the use of air support and the occupation of southern Iraq with American ground troops to install an Iraqi opposition group based in London at the helm of a new government. Under the plan, American troops would also seize the oil fields around Basra, in south-eastern Iraq, and sell the oil to finance the Iraqi opposition in the south and the Kurds in the north, one senior official said." [143]
Combating terrorism [ edit ]
In addition to claiming that the Saddam Hussein government had ties to Al-Qaeda, the Bush Administration and other supporters of the war have argued for continued involvement in Iraq as a means to combat terrorism. President Bush consistently referred to the Iraq war as the "central front in the war on terror."[144]
In contrast with this rationale, a few intelligence experts claim that the Iraq war has actually increased terrorism, even though no acts of terrorism have occurred within the US. London's conservative International Institute for Strategic Studies concluded in 2004 that the occupation of Iraq had become "a potent global recruitment pretext" for jihadists and that the invasion "galvanized" Al-Qaeda and "perversely inspired insurgent violence" there.[145] Counter-terrorism expert Rohan Gunaratna has called the invasion of Iraq as a "fatal mistake" that has greatly increased terrorism in the Middle East.[146] The U.S. National Intelligence Council concluded in a January 2005 report that the war in Iraq had become a breeding ground for a new generation of terrorists; David B. Low, the national intelligence officer for transnational threats, indicated that the report concluded that the war in Iraq provided terrorists with "a training ground, a recruitment ground, the opportunity for enhancing technical skills.... here is even, under the best scenario, over time, the likelihood that some of the jihadists who are not killed there will, in a sense, go home, wherever home is, and will therefore disperse to various other countries." The Council's Chairman Robert L. Hutchings said, "At the moment, Iraq is a magnet for international terrorist activity."[147] And the 2006 National Intelligence Estimate, which outlined the considered judgment of all 16 U.S. intelligence agencies, held that "The Iraq conflict has become the 'cause celebre' for jihadists, breeding a deep resentment of US involvement in the Muslim world and cultivating supporters for the global jihadist movement."[148]
Al-Qaeda leaders have also publicly cited the Iraq war as a boon to their recruiting and operational efforts, providing both evidence to jihadists worldwide that America is at war with Islam, and the training ground for a new generation of jihadists to practice attacks on American forces. In October 2003, Osama bin Laden announced: "Be glad of the good news: America is mired in the swamps of the Tigris and Euphrates. Bush is, through Iraq and its oil, easy prey. Here is he now, thank God, in an embarrassing situation and here is America today being ruined before the eyes of the whole world."[149] Echoing this sentiment, Al-Qaeda commander Seif al-Adl gloated about the war in Iraq, indicating, "The Americans took the bait and fell into our trap."[150] A letter thought to be from Al-Qaeda leader Atiyah Abd al-Rahman found in Iraq among the rubble where al-Zarqawi was killed and released by the U.S. military in October 2006, indicated that Al-Qaeda perceived the war as beneficial to its goals: "The most important thing is that the jihad continues with steadfastness... indeed, prolonging the war is in our interest."[151]
Other rationales [ edit ]
Bringing democracy to the Middle East [ edit ]
One of the rationales that the Bush Administration employed periodically during the run-up to the Iraq war is that deposing Saddam Hussein and installing a democratic government in Iraq would promote democracy in other Middle Eastern countries.[152][153] The United States also proclaims that monarchies Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the military ruled Pakistan are allies of America, despite the human rights abuses and subversion of democracy attributed to them respectively. As Vice President Dick Cheney argued in an August 2002 speech to the annual Veterans of Foreign Wars convention, "When the gravest of threats are eliminated, the freedom-loving peoples of the region will have a chance to promote the values that can bring lasting peace."[154] At a 2003 Veterans Day address, President Bush stated:[155]
Our mission in Iraq and Afghanistan is clear to our service members—and clear to our enemies. Our men and women are fighting to secure the freedom of more than 50 million people who recently lived under two of the cruelest dictatorships on earth. Our men and women are fighting to help democracy and peace and justice rise in a troubled and violent region. Our men and women are fighting terrorist enemies thousands of miles away in the heart and center of their power, so that we do not face those enemies in the heart of America.
Establishing long term Middle East military presence [ edit ]
U.S. General Jay Garner, who was in charge of planning and administering post-war reconstruction in Iraq, compared the U.S. occupation of Iraq to the Philippine model in a 2004 interview in National Journal: "Look back on the Philippines around the turn of the 20th century: they were a coaling station for the navy, and that allowed us to keep a great presence in the Pacific. That's what Iraq is for the next few decades: our coaling station that gives us great presence in the Middle East", "One of the most important things we can do right now is start getting basing rights with (the Iraqi authorities)", "I hope they're there a long time.... And I think we'll have basing rights in the north and basing rights in the south... we'd want to keep at least a brigade", Garner added.[156]
Also, the House report accompanying the emergency spending legislation said the money was "of a magnitude normally associated with permanent bases".[157]
Divine inspiration [ edit ]
Nabil Shaath told the BBC that according to minutes of a conference with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, Bush said, "God inspired me to hit al Qaeda, and so I hit it. And I had the inspiration to hit Saddam, and so I hit him."[158] Haaretz provided a similar translation of the minutes. When an Arabist at the Washington Post translated the same transcript, Bush was said to have indicated that God inspired him to, "end the tyranny in Iraq," instead.[159]
In a 2003 interview, Jacques Chirac, President of France at that time, affirmed that President George W. Bush asked him to send troops to Iraq to stop Gog and Magog, the "Bible's satanic agents of the Apocalypse." According to Chirac, the American leader appealed to their "common faith" (Christianity) and told him: "Gog and Magog are at work in the Middle East…. The biblical prophecies are being fulfilled…. This confrontation is willed by God, who wants to use this conflict to erase his people's enemies before a New Age begins."[160][161][162]
Purported Iraqi intelligence plots [ edit ]
David Harrison claims in the Telegraph to have found secret documents that purport to show Russian President Vladimir Putin offering the use of assassins to Saddam's Iraqi regime to kill Western targets on November 27, 2000.[163]
On October 12, 2002, Newsmax wrote that CNSNews correspondent Jeff Johnson reported US Senator Spector wanted a probe of the Oklahoma City bombing link to Iraq after receiving 22 affidavits by Oklahoma residents identifying 8 Middle Eastern men, including a former Iraqi Republican Guard (Hussain Al-Hussaini) from former KFOR-TV reporter Jayna Davis.[164] Jayna Davis had theorised on the purported links between the Oklahoma City bombing, Iraq, and Al-Qaeda.[165]
Abdul Rahman Yasin, a suspect detained shortly after the 1993 US World Trade Center Bombing attacks, fled upon release into Iraq. Shortly after release, the FBI had discovered evidence linking him to the creation of the bomb. After the invasion, Iraqi government official documents translated from Arabic to English described Saddam's regime provided monthly payments to Yasin while in residing in the United States. Yasin is on the FBI's most wanted terrorists list, and is still at large.[88][89]
John Lumpkin, Associated Press Writer, consolidates statements made by Vice President Cheney concerning the 1993 WTC bombing and Iraq. Cheney indicated Saddam's Iraqi government claimed to have FBI Fugitive Yasin, alleged participant in the mixing of the chemicals making the bomb used in the 1993 WTC attack, in an Iraqi prison. During negotiations in the weeks prior to the invasion of Iraq, Saddam refused to extradite him.[165]
Fox News claimed that evidence found in Iraq after the invasion was used to stop the attempted assassination of the Pakistani ambassador in New York with a shoulder fired rocket.[166]
U.S. government officials have claimed that after the invasion, Yemen and Jordan stopped Iraqi terrorist attacks against Western targets in those nations. U.S. intelligence also warned 10 other countries that small groups of Iraqi intelligence agents may be readying similar attacks.[167]
After the Beslan school hostage crisis, public school layouts and crisis plans were retrieved on a disk recovered during an Iraqi raid and had raised concerns in the United States. The information on the disks was "all publicly available on the Internet" and U.S. officials "said it was unclear who downloaded the information and stressed there is no evidence of any specific threats involving the schools."[168]
Pressuring Saudi Arabia [ edit ]
The operations in Iraq came about as a result of the US attempting to put pressure on Saudi Arabia. Much of the funding for Al-Qaeda came from sources in Saudi Arabia through channels left over from the Afghan War. The US, wanting to staunch such financial support, pressured the Saudi leadership to cooperate with the West. The Saudis in power, fearing an Islamic backlash if they cooperated with the US which could push them from power, refused. In order to put pressure on Saudi Arabia to cooperate, the invasion of Iraq was conceived. Such an action would demonstrate the power of the US military, put US troops near to Saudi Arabia, and demonstrate that the US did not need Saudi allies to project itself in the Middle East.[169]
Criticisms of the rationale for the Iraq war [ edit ]
Despite these efforts to sway public opinion, the invasion of Iraq was seen by some including Kofi Annan,[170] United Nations Secretary-General, Lord Goldsmith, British Attorney General,[171] and Human Rights Watch[172] as a violation of international law,[173] breaking the UN Charter (see Legitimacy of the 2003 invasion of Iraq) especially since the U.S. failed to secure U.N. support for an invasion of Iraq. In 41 countries the majority of the populace did not support an invasion of Iraq without U.N. sanction and half said an invasion should not occur under any circumstances.[174] In the U.S., 73 percent of United States supported an invasion.[174] To build international support the United States formed a "Coalition of the Willing" with the United Kingdom, Italy, Poland, Australia and several other countries despite a majority of citizens in these countries opposing the invasion.[174] Massive protests of the war have occurred in the U.S. and elsewhere.[175][176][177] At the time of the invasion UNMOVIC inspectors were ordered out by the United Nations. The inspectors requested more time because "disarmament, and at any rate verification, cannot be instant."[178][179]
Following the invasion, no stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction were found, although about 500 abandoned chemical munitions, mostly degraded, remaining from Iraq's Iran–Iraq war, were collected from around the country.[180][181][better source needed] The Kelly Affair highlighted a possible attempt by the British government to cover-up fabrications in British intelligence, the exposure of which would have undermined the Prime Minister's original rationale for involvement in the war. The U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence found no substantial evidence for reputed links between Iraq and Al-Qaeda.[182] President George W. Bush has since admitted that "much of the intelligence turned out to be wrong".[183][184][185] Although evidence of weapons of mass destruction was searched for by the Iraq Survey Group, their final report of September 2004 stated, "While a small number of old, abandoned chemical munitions have been discovered, ISG judges that Iraq unilaterally destroyed its undeclared chemical weapons stockpile in 1991. There are no credible indications that Baghdad resumed production of chemical munitions thereafter, a policy ISG attributes to Baghdad's desire to see sanctions lifted, or rendered ineffectual, or its fear of force against it should weapons of mass destruction be discovered."[186] In the March 2005 Addendum to the Report, the Special Advisor furthermore went on to state that "ISG assesses that Iraq and Coalition Forces will continue to discover small numbers of degraded chemical weapons, which the former Regime mislaid or improperly destroyed prior to 1991. ISG believes the bulk of these weapons were likely abandoned, forgotten and lost during the Iran-Iraq war because tens of thousands of CW munitions were forward deployed along frequently and rapidly shifting battlefronts."[187] (For comparison, the U.S. Department of Defense itself was famously unable in 1998 to report the whereabouts of "56 airplanes, 32 tanks and 36 Javelin command launch units".)[188] ISG also believed that Saddam did not want to verifiably disarm Iraq of weapons of mass destruction, as required by U.N. resolutions, for fear of looking weak to his enemies.[189]
Clare Short claims that in July 2002, UK government ministers were warned that Britain was committed to participating in a U.S. invasion of Iraq, and a further allegation was that "the decision by Blair's government to participate in the U.S. invasion of Iraq bypassed proper government procedures and ignored opposition to the war from Britain's intelligence quarters.".[190] Tony Blair had agreed to back military action to oust Saddam Hussein with an assessment regarding weapons of mass destruction, at a summit at President George W. Bush's Texas ranch. Also present at the meeting were three other British officials – Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon, Foreign Secretary Jack Straw and Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) head Sir Richard Dearlove.
In Europe the peace movement was very strong,[191][192] especially in Germany, where three quarters of the population were opposed to the war.[193] Ten NATO member countries did not join the coalition with the U.S., and their leaders made public statements in opposition to the invasion of Iraq. These leaders included Gerhard Schroeder of Germany,[194] Jacques Chirac of France,[195] Guy Verhofstadt of Belgium,[196] and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of Turkey.[197] Public perceptions of the U.S. changed dramatically as a consequence of the invasion.[198][199] China and Russia also expressed their opposition to the invasion of Iraq.[200]
Other possible U.S. objectives, denied by the U.S. government but acknowledged by retired U.S. General Jay Garner, included the establishment of permanent U.S. military bases in Iraq as a way of projecting power (creating a credible threat of U.S. military intervention) to the oil-rich Persian Gulf region and the Middle East generally.[201] In February 2004, Jay Garner, who was in charge of planning and administering post-war reconstruction in Iraq, explained that the U.S. occupation of Iraq was comparable to the Philippine model: "Look back on the Philippines around the turn of the 20th century: they were a coaling station for the navy, and that allowed us to keep a great presence in the Pacific. That's what Iraq is for the next few decades: our coaling station that gives us great presence in the Middle East";[202] (see also Philippine–American War). Garner was replaced by Paul Bremer after reports came out of his position in SY Coleman, a division of defense contractor L-3 Communications specializing in missile-defense systems. It was believed his role in the company was in contention with his role in Iraq.[203] The House Appropriations Committee said the report accompanying the emergency spending legislation was "of a magnitude normally associated with permanent bases."[204] However, the United States House of Representatives voted in 2006 to not fund any permanent bases in Iraq.[205]
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References [ edit ]
Further reading [ edit ]Adrianne Wadewitz, a feminist scholar at Occidental College who was a prolific editor for Wikipedia, died after a rock-climbing accident. She was 37. (Karen Sayre/Wikimedia Foundation)
When Adrianne Wadewitz became a Wikipedia contributor 10 years ago, she decided to use a pseudonym, certain that fellow scholars at Indiana University would frown on her writing for the often-maligned “free encyclopedia that anyone can edit.”
But Dr. Wadewitz eventually came out as a Wikipedian, the term the encyclopedia uses to describe the tens of thousands of volunteers who write and edit its pages. A rarity as a woman in the male-centric Wikipedia universe, she became one of its most valued and prolific contributors as well as a force for diversifying its ranks and demystifying its inner workings.
Her goal was “empowering everyday Internet users to be critical of how information is produced on the Internet and move beyond being critical to making it better,” said Alexandra Juhasz, a Pitzer College professor of media studies who worked with Dr. Wadewitz to address gender bias in Wikipedia.
Dr. Wadewitz, who trained scores of people, particularly women, to participate in Wikipedia as editors, died April 8 in Palm Springs, Calif., 10 days after sustaining head injuries in a fall while rock climbing in California’s Joshua Tree National Park, said her partner, Peter B. James. She was 37.
A postdoctoral fellow at Occidental College’s Center for Digital Learning and Research, Dr. Wadewitz worked with faculty members and students to use technology and the Internet effectively in the classroom. As a campus ambassador for Wikipedia, she also tackled widespread skepticism about the online source’s trustworthiness and biases.
An expert in 18th-century English literature, she merged her interests in Wikipedia, where she wrote articles on famous writers including Jane Austen and Mary Wollstonecraft and pioneering female rock climbers such as Steph Davis and Lynn Hill.
Dr. Wadewitz had more than 50,000 “edits” or contributions to her credit. She also was the author of 36 “featured” articles, the highest distinction bestowed by other Wikipedians on the basis of accuracy, fairness, style and comprehensiveness.
“She was one of the top 10 editors in terms of producing a lot of high-quality content,” said Sue Gardner, executive director of the Wikimedia Foundation, the San Francisco-based nonprofit organization that operates Wikipedia.
Dr. Wadewitz did not fit the profile of the typical Wikipedia editor. According to a 2011 Wikimedia Foundation survey, only 9 percent of more than 100,000 Wikipedians were women, and of those, 22 percent reported that editing for Wikipedia was “an unpleasant experience.”
When Dr. Wadewitz emerged from behind her moniker (she initially identified herself as “Awadewit”) she was greeted by a range of responses from other Wikipedians that spurred her to think about the Web site’s gender gap.
“When I used my real name, all of a sudden there was a lot of commentary,” she told a Scripps College audience this year. “ ‘Oh, you’re a woman’ or ‘You can’t really be a woman’ or ‘You don’t write like a woman.’ Or all of a sudden, my arguments were not taken as seriously or were judged as hysterical or emotional.... So I got much more interested in why this was happening.”
She began to cast herself as a bridge between Wikipedia and a distrustful public that regarded the online encyclopedia as unreliable and error-prone. She began leading workshops called “edit-a-thons” where she took participants on a tour of the Web site and explained how entries are produced, vetted and constantly updated and revised.
Adrianne Wadewitz was born Jan. 6, 1977, in Omaha and grew up there and in North Platte, Neb. She received a bachelor’s degree in English literature from Columbia University in 1999 and a doctorate from Indiana University in British literature in 2011.
Besides her partner, survivors include her parents, the Rev. Nathan R. Wadewitz and Betty M. Wadewitz.
When she began taking rock-climbing classes, she “felt silly because I could not do basic exercises that seemed effortless for other people,” she wrote last year in an essay, “What I Learned as the Worst Student in the Class.” In time she celebrated her successes, such as the first time she balanced on a small foothold.
“For me, one of the most empowering outcomes of my year of climbing has been the new narrative I can tell about myself. I am no longer ‘Adrianne: scholar, book lover, pianist, Wikipedian.’ I am now ‘Adrianne; scholar, book lover, pianist, Wikipedian, and rock climber.’ ”
— Los Angeles TimesNewsGender
The first in a series to be published daily in the next week. Day two can be found here.
WASHINGTON, D.C., January 10, 2017 (LifeSiteNews) — Walmart, AT&T, and Comcast were among the major corporate sponsors of the International LGBT Leaders Conference held December 8-10 to promote homosexual- and transgender-affirming laws, abortion, illegal immigration, and other “progressive” Democratic agendas.
The conference, put on by the Gay and Lesbian Victory Institute — also known simply as the Victory Institute — was first envisioned as a recruiting event and strategy session to help place LGBTQ activists in a sympathetic Hillary Clinton administration.
But with Donald Trump's surprise victory on November 8, the event turned into a series of panel discussions on how to resist a Trump presidency and GOP-controlled Congress. The conference was hosted by the Washington Hilton Hotel, where President Ronald Reagan and three other men were shot in an assassination attempt in 1981.
LifeSiteNews attended the Victory Institute conference, which drew more than 500 homosexual, bisexual and “transgendered” lawmakers as well as allied political and corporate activists from across the globe. This is the first of several articles on the conference, which offered a glimpse into President Obama’s success in pushing his LGBTQ policies in the United States and abroad and how difficult it will be to overturn them if President-elect Trump is so inclined.
Victory Institute is associated with the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund, a political action committee that works to elect openly homosexual, bisexual, and transgendered individuals to public office.
Among Victory Fund’s co-founders in 1991 is homosexual activist and major Democratic Party fundraiser Terry Bean, who in 2014 at age 66 was arrested by Portland, Oregon, police along with his 25-year-old ex-boyfriend, Kiah Lawson, on charges of sodomizing a 15-year-old boy. As LifeSiteNews reported, Bean, who is also a co-founder of the LGBTQ lobby group Human Rights Campaign, was charged with two felony charges of third-degree sodomy and one count of third-degree sex abuse.
The sex abuse charges against Bean were dropped after the boy fled and refused to testify following “an offer by Bean to end the case with a so-called 'civil compromise' in which Bean would pay the young man $225,000 and avoid a criminal trial,” Willamette Week reported. A transcript of a police interview with Lawson reveals that Bean reportedly knew the boy he was “hooking up” with sexually was underage and tried to coach him to say he was 18.
A corporate-funded "gay insiders" army
Far more than on the abortion issue, in the LGBTQ "culture war" the homosexual-transgender lobby has a huge advantage over its pro-family opponents in both funding and the number of fully engaged activists.
As homosexual power grew especially through two Obama terms, these conferences have gained more and more funding and sponsorships from large corporations, which have embraced the LGBTQ movement’s paradigm of viewing homosexualism and transgenderism strictly from a “civil rights” perspective.
The Victory Institute conference was no exception. Most speaker panels were sponsored by a major corporation whose representative gave opening remarks touting that company's commitment to LGBTQ issues.
Here are some of the themes observed at the International LGBT Leaders conference:
Openly “gay” and homosexually “married” American ambassadors — all men — discuss how living "out" proudly and publicly with their same-sex “husband” changes minds in the foreign nations in which they serve. They understand their role in normalizing “gay marriage” and the immoral homosexual lifestyle abroad.
LGBTQ activists in the military discuss how they pushed for open homosexuality and then open transgenderism in the Armed Forces, and how transgender activists used key meetings with the Pentagon’s top brass to advance their gender-confusion agenda (without Congress).
Why homosexual and transgender activists think it will be difficult to “roll back” many pro-LGBT policies enacted by President Obama — even transgenderism in the military.
Representatives of major corporations (all conference sponsors) discuss how they are crucial to stopping “religious freedom” legislation at the state level. Corporate power is now central to LGBTQ lobbying nationwide.
Homosexual (illegal) “immigration” activists apply homosexual activist “coming out” and victimhood tactics to their push for amnesty — comparing coming out as “gay” or “transgender” to coming out as an “undocumented” immigrant.
How LGBTQ activists work hand-in-hand with other “progressive” agendas including abortion-on-demand, amnesty/“rights” for illegal immigrants, gun control and radical feminism — almost exclusively working with Democrats. When corporate America funds the LGBTQ movement, it mostly finances the left.
LGBTQ activists adore President Obama for so aggressively pushing homosexual, bisexual and transgender policies at all levels of the |
ign consequences. Opposition to the Common Core is surging because Washington, hoping to mollify opponents, is saying, in effect: “If you like your local control of education, you can keep it. Period.” To which a burgeoning movement is responding: “No. Period.”
Read more from George F. Will’s archive or follow him on Facebook.It's hard to say why we save the things we save when someone dies. Why a particular shirt feels meaningful or why it's hard to delete certain voicemails. The list of things a loved one leaves in a will might be long. It's often what they didn't have to include in the will that sticks with you.
Among other things, Jim Buss saved a voicemail from his father from Jan. 20, less than a month before the Lakers' Hall of Fame owner, Jerry Buss, died after an 18-month battle with cancer. He has replayed it so many times he knows it by heart.
" 'Hey Jim, it's your dad,' " Buss says, mimicking his father's squeaky voice. " 'What an incredible waste of talent. Oh well. The experiment didn't work.' "
Buss had missed the call. His dad had wanted to talk to him about the Los Angeles Lakers' disappointing season. Run though all the decisions they'd made together that hadn't turned out the way they'd hoped. The offseason trades for Steve Nash and Dwight Howard that were supposed to make the $100 million Lakers title contenders, but ended up turning into an injury-riddled flop. The early-season firing of coach Mike Brown and surprising hire of Mike D'Antoni (over Phil Jackson) that could have made them look like savvy geniuses but instead came off as misguided and hurried. They had discussed those things backward and forward a thousand times already, and all roads came back to the same place.
"My dad was disappointed, just as all Laker fans should be disappointed that we didn't get to realize the dream of four Hall of Famers on the same team," Buss said in an interview with ESPNLosAngeles.com. "But hey, we went for it. What the hell....
"You fix it, and you move forward. You don't dwell on the past. You fix it, and you move on.
"We could've sat there and cried and said, 'Boy, oh boy, we just lost this kind of money.' We could've done this or that. But we were all on board. Every decision was made as a team. And we went down as a team. We'll live in the future the same way."
If ever there was a perfect articulation of Jerry Buss' philosophy, that might be it. Dr. Buss ran his basketball team like he had a big stack of chips in front of him at a high-stakes poker table. Every move was calculated risk and he was usually in the mood to gamble.
But when Jim Buss says something like that, Lakers fans get nervous. Actually, when Jim Buss says anything, Lakers fans get nervous.
Jim Buss, left, says if his father, Jerry, didn't have the confidence in him leading the Lakers into the future, his dad would have come up with an alternative plan. Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images
That was always going to be Jim Buss' destiny, until he did enough on his own to change it. His father made that clear to him from the start of the extended apprenticeship he's served in the family business, preparing him to lead the club's basketball operations once his father was gone.
"He always said, 'You have to have a shell and be able to repel water because you're going to get pelted," Buss said. "And I said, 'Dad, I have no problem with that as long as I believe that you believe in me and we believe in this philosophy.' "
Like everything in Lakerland for the past 35 years, Jerry Buss' judgment gave everyone comfort. He'd won enough big bets in his life that if he said something was a good risk, people tended to trust in it. In his last 10 years of life, and in his final will and testament, Jerry Buss trusted his son Jim to make the basketball decisions for the Lakers.
"If he didn't think I was capable of doing this, I guarantee he wouldn't have put me here," Buss said. "He would have arranged something else.
"But over years of dealing with him on every level and every contract and every negotiation and every thought of building a philosophy to win championships... My dad trusted me. I know for a fact that if he didn't believe in what I was doing, he would not have just said, 'Well you're my son. Here you go.'
"No. That's not how I got this job."
Jim is not an extrovert. He's shy in most social situations, preferring to stay in the background with a baseball cap on and observe from a distance. He doesn't seek the spotlight. He avoids it. He stayed in the owner's suite at Staples Center after the Lakers won the 2010 NBA title. He watched the 2009 NBA Finals from Los Angeles, with his father. He has never participated in an on-court public ceremony for the Lakers. But he knows he must come out of the shadows now and let people get to know him. He knows he needs to talk about himself and his life, and the way he'll help run the franchise his father built into one of the most valuable and popular in all of sports.
"Change scares everybody," Buss said. "I understand that.
"We lost a great person, a great Laker fan, and by far and away, to me, the best owner in sports. But the stability and the passion with which we do our work is still there 100 percent."
Buss says that like he means it. And he does. He had plenty of opportunities to turn back from this life over the past two decades and didn't. Buss didn't grow up wanting to run the basketball operations for the Lakers; he wanted to be a math teacher. Jerry didn't even own the franchise until two years after Jim had graduated Palisades High in 1977.
But in 1981, a tragedy would change his life forever. His best friend was killed in a motorcycle accident during a vacation in Hawaii. Jim was devastated and lost. He turned away from the small businesses he and his friend had invested in together and let them wither. "You don't get over it," he said, more than 30 years later. "It just gets a little easier to think about as time goes on.... I did every single thing with him. So when he was gone, it was like I'd lost half my personality."
Eventually, Jim eased back into work, selling tickets at the Great Western Forum in the same office as his sister, Jeanie, who was running the LA Strings franchise of World Team Tennis. It was never officially stated that Jerry was evaluating his children at the same time he was training them, but it was understood.
"It was just who he felt was making right decisions," Buss said. "Or who had the drive or the feel for it. I don't think it was planned from when I was a kid or after he bought the Lakers he said 'Jim's this guy. He's my buddy.' It was never planned like that. Jeanie worked her way up, too."
After a while, it was time to go out on his own, earn his own paycheck and make his own way. Jim left his father's business at the Forum and got into horse racing.
"I approached horse racing as I approach everything," he said. "I learn from observations and talk and ask questions, a lot of questions.
"I'm not afraid to ask simple questions. And I think people appreciate that because I'm not trying to know it all before I even know it."
Jim spent a decade learning the basketball business from his father and general managers Jerry West and Mitch Kupchak before he was entrusted with real power within the Lakers' organization. Gradually, his father gave him more and more responsibility. The last four or five years, he has been the primary day-to-day decision-maker. But until probably the last month of his life, the final word always rested with Dr. Buss.
"He'd say, 'Jim, you have the final hammer.' " the younger Buss said. "I said, 'No, I don't. My final hammer is to say you are the final hammer.'
"He liked that one."
Jerry was hospitalized for the final seven months of his life. Jim went to see his father almost every day.Ether still in grips of bullish pattern against the US dollar and bitcoin. ETH/USD is following an ascending channel and looks poised to extend gains.
There is a crucial rising channel forming with support at $270.00 on the 2-hour chart of ETH/USD.
Ether continues bullish pressure against the US dollar as its price settled above $270.00.
Technically, the 2-hour chart indicators continue to extend moves in the bullish territory.
Ether Price to Gain Momentum?
The ETH/USD pair built on previous session’s gains against the US dollar and advanced to the $275.00 level. On the other hand, continuous gains in bitcoin price prevented the ETH/BTC pair from moving above the 0.082BTC resistance.
Looking at the 2-hour chart of ETH/USD, there is a crucial rising channel forming with support at $270.00. The last 4 candles on the chart clearly point to a slow and steady advance in Ether’s price above the $265.00-270.00 levels.
The recent high was $275.86 and it seems like the price may soon break it to form a new monthly high. On the upside, the channel resistance sits at $288.00. Therefore, there are chances of ETH/USD extending gains above the $295.00 level in the near term.
Provided that the channel support remains intact, the pair could even gain momentum for a run towards the $300.00 handle during the upcoming sessions.
When looking at the 30-minute chart of ETH/USD, the pair recently breached a connecting bearish trend line at $273.00. It has opened the doors for further gains above $275.00.
On the downside, there are two key bullish trend lines forming with supports at $273.00 and $270.00. The latter one is also the 50 percent Fibonacci retracement level of the last wave from the $265.10 low to $275.86 high.
These bullish trend lines and the $270.00 support are likely to play an important role. If buyers succeed in keeping Ether’s price above $270.00, there can be an extension of the current rally above $285.00.Getting through the line at the TSA can be a long and uncomfortable process. For one Chattanooga teen and her mother, the process turned into a scary nightmare.
Nineteen-year-old Hannah Cohen was returning home from St. Jude's Hospital with her mother for treatment of her brain tumor (a trip they had made for 17 years), when Hannah somehow set off the metal detector at the security checkpoint.
TSA wanted to do a further scan on Hannah, but she was reluctant. Hannah's mother, Shirley Cohen, tried to inform the agents that her daughter was disabled. She is partially deaf and blind in one eye, paralyzed, and becomes easily confused. “They wanted to do further scanning, she was reluctant, she didn't understand what they were about to do," Shirely said.
Despite her concerns, Shirley was kept away from her daughter by police. Hannah, obviously afraid, tried to get away from the grips of the TSA. “She's trying to get away from them but in the next instant, one of them had her down on the ground and hit her head on the floor. There was blood everywhere,” said Shirley.This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.
I... tht... he says all three one of the hottest selling PBA games in America... Gagne which plays spiked to survival... in a post apocalyptic Washington DC... it's violent night doubts... that now the Supreme Court is being asked to decide if it's too violent to children... and whether they should be banned from playing polo at three and hundreds of games like it... the high seas in essence an issue of free speech... and one that has to be a cane industry I'm happy... Sir when a specific instance they're trying to carve out videogames... as a form of entertainment and treated differently... than than everybody else sets that down to scenes that appear in any in any U R rated movie... scenes of violence for example... on that okay NFL and... they are saying I'm not OK and and you can... like to film and music industries... BDI GameStop already self regulation... the Entertainment software rating Board... or IIa Saadi has a rating system that the ageing retailers choose to enforce... but in this case brought by the state of California is successful... it would make it a crime for retailers to sell certain games to minus... he finds his company that is the Softworks created for the three... says it might lead some retailers to avoid carrying said gangs... they would impact... on how we tell would react to carrying these kinds of products what kind of... on issues and hopes they would have to jump to as a result of whether they be... will it take those risks... you know that FX publishers to publish again but it... affects people who may begin to affect the people were to play the games... it would change the landscape of video games in a way that we think is wholly unfair and... and and quite honestly on Constitution... the study of California's case is by some studies that say children who play violent EA Games... um or trying to acts of violence... in two thousand five the site and anyone under eighteen from buying or renting games... that appeal to a deviant or morbid interest... but when the case went before the Supreme Court last year... several of the justices expressed doubts that the evidence linking violent BA games with acts of actual violence... where this is the Andersons that is is that the... that compliance is the same for both money and so does his provider in... the deal... so... in the legislature know... because it has started soon... we can out what was going on... talk about the job I T's and expanding child the hijab... and he believes violent the egg aims to increase a child's respect for violent behavior no apparent comes to me and asks me you know it's him I can play violent video games... you know as a mental health professional course and then I say no I don't think they should... he says the evidence is far from completion... and the children UK fight violent EA Games... he concedes the games themselves are really the only factor involved in cases of actually... I think there's a lot of other things they have to think about... ALM so in my assessment many decamping thing and do they have the social emotional maturity to deal with that kind of... um you know... content in these video games do they have the ability to distinguish between fantasy in real life... do they understand what the consequences of violence are... ALM so I think it's a it's a much more complicated issue... the Supreme Court will return with the judgment in the case before July... for The Wall Street Journal... this is Neil Hickey in Washington...encoding="utf-8"?
Sarebbe “sessuale” il movente dell’omicidio del ragazzo cinese di 20 anni ucciso a Modena e nascosto in una valigia nella sua stanza. A confermarlo la procuratrice capo Lucia Musti, la quale ha spiegato che la vicenda era “legata a un rapporto che poi evidentemente non era più gradito non alla vittima ma a uno dei cinque indagati”. Per l’omicidio di Congliang Hu, per tutti Leo, sono stati fermati nella notte tre minorenni di origine cinese. Il fermo è stato eseguito dalla squadra mobile di Modena in collaborazione con quella di Prato. I tre 17enni, infatti, risiedono a Prato. Due di loro sono stati bloccati in due appartamenti, un altro in un internet point. Altre due persone sono ricercate. In particolare il movente sarebbe legato al fatto che il giovane amante di Leo, divenuto suo assassino, avrebbe voluto troncare questa relazione scrive la ‘Gazzetta di Modena’. La vittima non si sarebbe rassegnata e da qui il ricatto. “Se mi lasci dico che sei gay”, sarebbe quindi stata la molla che avrebbe spinto uno dei 5 indagati a chiedere aiuto agli amici per “fargliela pagare”. (Continua dopo la foto)
Come confermato dalla procuratrice capo di Modena “il cadavere è stato riposto diciamo così ancora caldo, maneggevole, nella valigia subito dopo il fatto e lì è stato poi ritrovato dalla madre”. Non è ancora stata stabilita le causa della morte del giovane che potrebbe essere stato soffocato. I tre fermati sono stati portati nel carcere minorile di Firenze, a disposizione della procura di Modena. Intanto, mentre viene allo scoperto il movente che avrebbe agito la mano dell’assassino, emergono altri particolari sulla vicenda. Mentre il ventenne cinese veniva ucciso, probabilmente soffocato, dal gruppo di cinque connazionali (tre minorenni fermati e due sono ancora ricercati), scrive il Resto Del Carino… (Continua dopo le foto)
la madre del ventenne e il compagno di lei, avvocato modenese,erano all’interno della stessa abitazione, ma in un’altra camera. Emerge anche questo dettaglio sull’omicidio di piazza Dante a Modena.
I cinque avrebbero dunque ucciso il ragazzo nel massimo silenzio, molto probabilmente soffocandolo, per poi nascondere il corpo in una valigia, forse per prendere tempo ed allontanarsi. Poi la macabra scoperta fatta dalla madre e del compagno di lei. Nella prossime ore dovrebbe essere fatta piena luce su quanto accaduto. I funerali del giovane non sono ancora stati fissati.
Dramma a Modena. “C’è un odore orribile in cantina, correte!” I vicini chiamano la polizia e quando arrivano scoprono l’orrore. Non immaginerete mai che cosa ha fatto un uomo di 50 anni alla sua ex compagna…SINGAPORE, Friday 4 June 2010 (AFP) - A Swiss man has been arrested in Singapore on suspicion of breaking into a high-security subway depot and spray-painting graffiti on a train, an offence punishable by caning, police said Friday.
"We confirm that a 33-year-old Swiss male national has been arrested in relation to the case," a spokesman for the Singapore Police Force told AFP.
No further details were available pending the investigation into the incident, which took place in May.
The Swiss embassy in Singapore had no immediate comment.
Subway operator SMRT said it was helping police with the investigation, but gave no further information.
The train has been scrubbed clean but a clip on video-sharing site Youtube -- still visible at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CV4JYKBEQo -- shows the vandalised train as it left a suburban station.
The Straits Times newspaper reported Friday that the suspect was believed to have cut his way into the depot, a restricted zone surrounded by fences topped with barbed wire.
Singapore, a close US ally, considers itself a prime target of Southeast Asian extremists and lists the train system among possible points of attack, along with the airport and US-linked establishments.
Vandalism is punishable in Singapore by three to eight strokes of the cane as well as jail terms of up to three years and a maximum fine of 2,000 Singapore dollars (1,424 US).
An American teenager, Michael Fay, garnered global headlines in 1994 when he was jailed and caned in Singapore after he was found guilty of vandalising several cars. Fay was caned despite a US appeal for clemency.06 Jul 2017, 06:54pm
An attempted coup on 15 July 2016 prompted a massive government crackdown on civil servants and civil society. Those accused of links to the Fethullah Gülen movement were the main target. Over 40,000 people were remanded in pre-trial detention during six months of emergency rule. There was evidence of torture of detainees in the wake of the coup attempt. Nearly 90,000 civil servants were dismissed; hundreds of media outlets and NGOs were closed down and journalists, activists and MPs were detained. Violations of human rights by security forces continued with impunity, especially in the predominantly Kurdish southeast of the country, where urban populations were held under 24-hour curfew. Up to half a million people were displaced in the country. The EU and Turkey agreed a'migration deal' to prevent irregular migration to the EU; this led to the return of hundreds of refugees and asylum-seekers and less criticism by EU bodies of Turkey’s human rights record.
Background
President Erdoğan consolidated power throughout the year. Constitutional amendments aimed at granting the President executive powers were submitted to the Parliament in December.
Armed clashes between the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and state forces continued, mainly in the majority Kurdish east and southeast of the country. The government replaced elected mayors from 53 municipalities with government trustees; 49 mayors were from the Kurdish, opposition Democratic Regions Party (DBP). Along with many elected local officials, nine MPs from the Kurdish-rooted left-wing Peoples’ Democracy Party (HDP) were remanded in pre-trial detention in November.1 A UN fact-finding mission to the south-east was blocked by the authorities who also obstructed national and international NGOs, including Amnesty International, from documenting human rights abuses in the region.
In March, the EU and Turkey agreed a “migration deal” aimed at preventing irregular migration from Turkey to the EU. It also resulted in muting EU criticism of human rights abuses in Turkey.
On 15 July, factions within the armed forces launched a violent coup attempt. It was quickly suppressed in part by ordinary people taking to the streets to face down tanks. The authorities announced the death toll to be 237 people including 34 coup plotters and 2,191 people injured, during a night of violence that saw the Parliament bombed and other state and civilian infrastructure attacked.
Following the coup attempt the government announced a three-month state of emergency, extended for a further three months in October, derogating from a list of articles in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the European Convention on Human Rights. The government passed a series of executive decrees that failed to uphold even these reduced standards. Nearly 90,000 civil servants including teachers, police and military officials, doctors, judges and prosecutors were dismissed from their positions on the grounds of links to a terrorist organization or threat to national security. Most were presumed to be based on allegations of links to Fethullah Gülen, a former government ally whom the government accused of masterminding the coup. There was no clear route in law to appeal these decisions. At least 40,000 people were remanded in pre-trial detention accused of links to the coup or the Gülen movement, classified by the authorities as the Fethullah Gülen Terrorist Organisation (FETÖ).
In August, Turkey launched a military intervention in northern Syria, targeting the armed group Islamic State (IS) and the Peoples’ Defence Forces, the PKK-affiliated Kurdish armed group. In October Parliament extended a mandate for Turkey to conduct military interventions in Iraq and Syria for another year.
Freedom of expression
Freedom of expression deteriorated sharply during the year. After the declaration of a state of emergency, 118 journalists were remanded in pre-trial detention and 184 media outlets were arbitrarily and permanently closed down under executive decrees, leaving opposition media severely restricted.2 People expressing dissent, especially in relation to the Kurdish issue, were subjected to threats of violence and criminal prosecution. Internet censorship increased. At least 375 NGOs, including women’s rights groups, lawyers’ associations and humanitarian organizations, were shut by executive decree in November.
In March, a court in the capital Ankara appointed a trustee to the opposition Zaman media group in relation to an ongoing terrorism-related investigation. After police stormed Zaman offices, a pro-government editorial was imposed on the group’s newspapers and television channels. In July, Zaman group media outlets were permanently closed down along with other Gülen-linked media. New titles, set up after the government take over of the Zaman group, were also shut down.
In May, Cumhuriyet editor-in-chief Can Dündar and the daily’s Ankara representative Erdem Gül were convicted of “revealing state secrets” and sentenced to five years and ten months’ imprisonment and five years’ imprisonment respectively, for publishing articles alleging that Turkey’s authorities had attempted to covertly ship weapons to armed opposition groups in Syria. The government claimed the trucks were sending humanitarian supplies to Turkmens. The case remained pending on appeal at the end of the year. In October, a further 10 journalists were remanded in pre-trial detention for committing crimes on behalf of both FETÖ and the PKK.
In August, police closed the offices of the main Kurdish daily Özgür Gündem on the basis of a court order for its closure due to ongoing terrorism investigations, a sanction not provided for in law. Two editors and two journalists were detained pending trial and prosecuted for terrorism offences. Three were released in December while editor İnan Kızıkaya remained in detention.3 In October under an executive decree, Özgür Gündem was permanently closed down along with all the major Kurdish-orientated national media.
Signatories to a January petition by Academics for Peace calling for a return to peace negotiations and recognition of the demands of the Kurdish political movement were subjected to threats of violence, administrative investigation and criminal prosecution. Four signatories were detained until a court hearing in April; they were released but not acquitted.4 By the end of the year, 490 of the academics were under administrative investigation and 142 had been dismissed. Since the coup, more than 1,100 of the signatories were formally under criminal investigation.
Internet censorship increased, with the authorities issuing orders rubber-stamped by the judiciary to withdraw or block content including websites and social media accounts, to which there was no effective appeal. In October, the authorities cut internet services across southeast Turkey and engaged in throttling of various social media services.
Freedom of assembly
The authorities banned the annual May Day marches in Istanbul for the fourth year running, and the annual Pride march in Istanbul for a second year running, on spurious grounds. Police used excessive force against people peacefully attempting to go ahead with these marches. After July, the authorities used state of emergency laws to issue blanket bans preventing demonstrations in cities across Turkey. And again, the police used excessive force against people attempting to exercise the right to freedom of peaceful assembly regardless of the bans.
Torture and other ill-treatment
There was an increase in cases of torture and other ill-treatment reported in police detention, from curfew areas in southeast Turkey and then more markedly in Ankara and Istanbul in the immediate aftermath of the coup attempt. Investigations into abuses were ineffective.
The state of emergency removed protections for detainees and allowed previously banned practices, which helped facilitate torture and other ill-treatment: the maximum pre-charge detention period was increased from four to 30 days; and facilities to block detainees’ access to lawyers in pre-charge detention for five days, and to record conversations between client and lawyer in pre-trial detention and pass them to prosecutors were introduced. Detainees’ access to lawyers and the right to consult with their choice of lawyers – rather than state-provided lawyers – was further restricted. Medical examinations were carried out in the presence of police officers and the reports arbitrarily denied to detainees’ lawyers.
No national mechanism for the independent monitoring of places of detention existed following the abolition of the Human Rights Institution in April, and the non-functioning of its successor body. The Council of Europe Committee for the Prevention of Torture visited detention facilities in August and reported to the Turkish authorities in November. However, the government did not publish the report by the end of the year. The UN Special Rapporteur on torture visited in November, after his visit was delayed on the request of the Turkish authorities.
The authorities professed their adherence to “zero tolerance for torture” policies but on occasion, spokespeople summarily dismissed reports against them, stating that coup plotters deserved abuse and that allegations would not be investigated. The authorities accused Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch of being tools for the “FETÖ terrorist organization” following the NGOs’ joint publication on torture and ill-treatment.5 Three lawyers’ associations that worked on police violence and torture were shut down in November under an executive decree.
Lawyers said that 42 people, detained in Nusaybin in May after clashes between PKK-affiliated individuals and state forces were beaten and subjected to other ill-treatment in police detention. They said that the group, which included adults and children, were hooded, beaten during police interrogation and not able to access appropriate medical care for their injuries.
Widespread torture and other ill-treatment of suspects accused of taking part in the coup attempt was reported in its immediate aftermath. In July, severe beatings, sexual assault, threats of rape and cases of rape were reported, as thousands were detained in official and unofficial police detention. Military officers appeared to be targeted for the worst physical abuse but holding detainees in stress positions and keeping them handcuffed behind their backs, and denying them adequate food and water or toilet breaks were reported to have taken place on a far wider scale. Lawyers and detainees’ relatives were often not informed that individuals had been detained until they were brought for charge.
Excessive use of force
Until June, the security forces conducted security operations against armed individuals affiliated to the PKK, who had dug trenches and erected barricades in urban areas in the southeast of Turkey. The authorities’ use of extended round-the-clock curfews, a total ban on people leaving their homes, combined with the presence of heavy weaponry including tanks in populated areas, was a disproportionate and abusive response to a serious security concern and may have amounted to collective punishment.6 Evidence suggests that the security forces’ operated a shoot-to-kill policy against armed individuals that also caused deaths and injuries to unarmed residents and widespread forced displacement.
In January, IMC TV journalist Refik Tekin was shot while bringing injured people to receive medical treatment in Cizre, a city under curfew. He continued recording after being shot, apparently from an armoured police vehicle. He was later detained and investigated under terrorism laws.
Impunity
The entrenched culture of impunity for abuses committed by the security forces remained. The authorities failed to investigate allegations of widespread human rights violations in the southeast, where few or none of the basic steps were taken to process cases, including deaths, and in some instances witnesses were subjected to threats. In June, legislative amendments required the investigation of military officials for conduct during security operations to be subject to government permission and for any resulting trial to take place in military courts, which have proved especially weak in prosecuting officials for human rights abuses.
Government statements dismissing allegations of torture and ill-treatment in police detention after the coup attempt were a worrying departure.
Despite the ratification of the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women (Istanbul Convention), the authorities made little or no progress in halting pervasive domestic violence against women nor did they adopt procedures to investigate the hate motive in cases of people perceived to have been killed due to their sexual orientation or gender identity.
No progress was made in investigations into the deaths of some 130 people who died while sheltering from clashes in three basements during the curfew in Cizre in February. The authorities alleged that access for ambulances was blocked by the PKK when local sources reported that people in the basements were injured and needed emergency medical care, and died of their injuries or were killed when security forces stormed the buildings.
The Governor of Ağrı province in eastern Turkey denied permission for an investigation against police officers to proceed into the deaths of two youths, aged 16 and 19 in Diyadin. The authorities claimed that police shot the youths in self-defence but a ballistics report showed that a gun found at the scene had not been fired and did not have either of the youths’ fingerprints on it.
The authorities failed to make progress in investigation of the November 2015 killing of Tahir Elci, Head of the Diyarbakir Bar Association and a prominent human rights defender. It was hampered by an incomplete crime scene investigation and missing CCTV footage.
More than three years on, investigations into use of force by police at Gezi Park protests had failed and resulted in only a handful of unsatisfactory prosecutions. The court issued a 10,100 liras (€3,000) fine to the police officer in his retrial for the fatal shooting of Ankara protester Ethem Sarisülük. A court reduced the compensation awarded to Dilan Dursun by 75% – she had been left with permanent injuries after being hit in the head by a tear gas canister fired by police during protests in Ankara on the day of Ethem Sarisülük’s funeral. The court ruled that she had culpability given that it was an “illegal demonstration”.
Abuses by armed groups
There was a sharp increase in indiscriminate attacks and attacks directly targeting civilians, showing contempt for the right to life and the principle of humanity. IS, PKK, its offshoot Kurdistan Freedom Falcons (TAK) and Revolutionary People’s Liberation Party-Front were blamed or claimed responsibility for the attacks.
Refugees and asylum-seekers
Turkey was the world’s biggest host of refugees and asylum-seekers with an estimated 3 million refugees and asylum-seekers residing in the country with significant populations of Afghans and Iraqis alongside 2.75 million registered Syrians, who were provided with temporary protection status. The EU concluded a migration deal with Turkey in March aimed at preventing irregular migration to the EU. It provided for the return of refugees and asylum-seekers to Turkey, ignoring many gaps in protection there.7 Turkey’s border with Syria remained effectively closed. Despite improvements, the majority of Syrian refugee children had no access to education and most adult Syrian refugees had no access to lawful employment. Many refugee families, without adequate subsistence, lived in destitution.
There were mass forced returns of Syrians by the Turkish security forces in the early months of the year, as well as instances of unlawful push-backs to Syria and cases of fatal and non-fatal shootings of people in need of protection by Turkish border guards.
Internally displaced people
Hundreds of thousands of people were displaced from the areas under curfew in the southeast of Turkey. The imposition of curfews with only hours’ warning forced people to leave with few, if any, possessions. In many cases, displaced people were not able to access their social and economic rights such as adequate housing and education. They were offered inadequate compensation for loss of possessions and livelihoods. Their right to return was severely compromised by the high levels of destruction and the announcement of redevelopment projects likely to exclude former residents.8This is the moment kindhearted neighbours formed a human chain around a mum's house - to stop her being kicked out in a'revenge eviction'.
Nimo Abdullahi, 39, was told she and her family would be thrown out of their home of 12 years after she complained to her landlord about damp.
But in a bid to protect the mum-of-five from a'revenge eviction', residents and campaigners turned out to stop it happening.
Around 30 people stood side by side, arms linked, to build a wall of bodies in front of the privately-rented property in Easton, Bristol.
All morning, more neighbours joined the blockade - with a newlywed couple living opposite the family cutting up their wedding cake to keep the protesters sustained.
When bailiffs turned up at 11am on Tuesday, they weren't able to get inside.
Nimo said she was threatened with evictions numerous times - whenever she complained - but this time, the landlord actually went through with it.
She said: "It has a big problem with damp. This is bad for us, because my children have asthma and it is not a good place.
"Until recently, the carpets everywhere were very old and dirty and we would ask the landlord to improve things, but he was difficult.
"Many times I asked him, and a lot of times he would threaten us.
"He would say that we were going to be evicted, and once he came round with his wife and she said that if we didn't move out they would call the police to get us out.
"But this is our home."
Nimo who is being helped by Acorn, a local grass roots movement which fights for renters' rights, said she was stunned by the support from her neighbours.
The mum, whose three sons and two daughters go to the local school, said: "I was shocked. I went out and came running back in because I was so stunned.
"I've had great support from Acorn and now to see my neighbours outside supporting me is amazing."
Jenny Ross came out to protest the treatment of the Abdullahi family, who have lived in the property since they moved to England from Holland.
She said: "We don't want people in our community treated like this. It's a revenge eviction and people deserve decent rented accommodations.
"This landlord, and all landlords, need to know there are people in this community who won't ignore it.
"We live in this street and it's a close community. It's amazing how many people have turned out."
Another neighbour, Kirsten Parton, added: "I'm here because of the way she's been treated by her landlord, it is simply not on.
"She and her family are part of the community and have been here for quite some time."
Campaign organiser Nick Ballard, from Acorn Bristol, said he wants to send a "strong message" to the community that such evictions will not be tolerated.
He said: "There's a history of this happening, where she makes a complaint and within a few weeks she's hit with an eviction notice
"We've successfully stopped that in the past because the landlord hadn't followed the correct legal procedures, but this time they have.
"What we're trying to do is send a strong message to landlords and to the wider community that revenge evictions aren't going to be tolerated.
"This is people's lives at stake here - people are being made homeless - Nimo and her family are being made homeless by this," he added.Environment NPT and Nuclear Security Risks' Exposed by Secret Plutonium Shipment: NGOs Friday, March 18, 2016 Tokyo- (PanOrient News) A |
of action sports as “do sports.” Besides Tompkins and Chouinard, the Do Boys included Rick Ridgeway, an accomplished mountaineer (now a vice-president at Patagonia, in charge of public engagement), and Tom Brokaw, the journalist, especially valued by the mountain men for his anecdotal knack. The thing was the experience, not the accolades. After a climbing trip to Bhutan, Chouinard, Tompkins, and Ridgeway burned their self-made maps so no one would know where they’d been. In 1981, Chouinard and Ridgeway were part of a team that was caught in an avalanche on a peak called Gongga Shan, in China. One climber was killed, the rest badly hurt—and lucky. Chouinard, taking into account his kids, his risk appetite, and his encroaching distaste for these bigger expeditionary attempts, began to dial it back as a climber. But there were always escapades. Tompkins had got Chouinard into whitewater kayaking, and they logged dozens of first descents, some famous, some obscure. They took on just about every navigable river in Chile. On one of them, some forty years ago, upstream of Santiago, they stopped to scout some falls. A soldier with a machine gun detained Tompkins, who ran for it, jumped into his boat, and paddled into the falls. Chouinard, trailing him, flipped his kayak and went through the rapid upside down, in case the guard decided to shoot. Later that night, they learned that they’d paddled through President Augusto Pinochet’s summer compound. “Tompkins had no regard for authority,” Chouinard said.
It wasn’t long before Patagonia encountered its first crisis—a surplus of poorly made rugby shirts from a factory in Hong Kong. It nearly bankrupted them. As Chouinard later wrote, “We learned the hard way that there was a big difference between running a blacksmith shop and being in the rag business.” (A pan of a Chouinard pack in Backpacker, in 1974: “How well would you expect iron-mongers to sew?”) Amid the fallout, the Frosts sold the Chouinards their share, making Yvon and Malinda the sole owners. Functional innovations became fashions, which matured into cultural conventions. For example, fleece, the hydrophobic washable insulating material that the Chouinards later branded Synchilla. It took them a while to get it right. Their first pile jackets were of fabric that had been intended for toilet-seat covers. Since the nineties, they have been making fleece out of recycled plastic bottles. It works, and it sells. And along came Capilene, a state-of-the-art thermal underwear, a new base layer for the now routine system of layering, which Patagonia popularized. By the end of the eighties, Patagonia was approaching a hundred million dollars in revenues, dwarfing the sales of Chouinard Equipment, which had stagnated as Chouinard soured on the popularization of climbing and focussed on the soft-goods side of the business. In 1989, Chouinard Equipment declared Chapter 11. A group of employees and supporters bought the company’s assets out of bankruptcy and, amid some tension with the founder, renamed it Black Diamond Equipment and moved it to Utah. It went public several years ago and, like Patagonia decades earlier, began expanding too fast. “Companies like that, they have to be privately held,” Chouinard said. “Venture capitalists are such assholes.” By 1980, day-to-day management of Patagonia’s operations had fallen to a close friend, Kris McDivitt. The daughter of an oilman, she’d grown up on a family ranch near Santa Barbara, with three years in Venezuela. Her refusal to go to a posh boarding school in La Jolla, at age fifteen, led to her meeting Chouinard, who was renting a place near her parents’ beach house, in Ventura. She fell in with his older gang of surfers, skiers, and climbers. “If that hadn’t happened, I’d probably be an alcoholic old woman with pearls around her neck,” she told me. She eventually became Patagonia’s first C.E.O. and, really, with the Chouinards, part of its founding triumvirate. In the early nineties, she married Doug Tompkins and left Patagonia the company to dedicate herself, with Tompkins, to saving Patagonia the place. She remembers the first time she realized that any place needed saving. The Chouinards told her, one day in 1970, to find an office and some room in the budget for an activist who was spearheading a local effort to reintroduce steelhead trout to the Ventura River. “I said, ‘Why is this important?’ I didn’t even know what a steelhead was. I thought it was a machine part.” Since then, the company’s causes have proliferated. Dams, pesticides. Organic cotton, humanely sourced wool and down. Since 1985, under its one-per-cent program, it has given away more than seventy-five million dollars to some thirty-four hundred environmental organizations.
Typically, the first person you meet at Patagonia’s headquarters, in Ventura, is a receptionist and former freestyle Frisbee world champion who goes by Chipper Bro. When I visited, in May, he invited me to surf with him at dawn the next day. When I left reception, he said, “Nice hanging with you.” Chouinard may be the face of Patagonia, and its presiding saturnine spirit, but the mood around the place is distinctly upbeat, optimistic, and youthful—a distillation of his can-and-must-do side, minus the ain’t-no-use. The idea is to recruit activist outdoorspeople and teach them business. “I’m terrible at hiring,” Chouinard told me. “I only trust women to hire people here. In an interview I have no idea. They can bullshit me, and I believe them.” On the Crow Indian Reservation in July, 2016, Chouinard teaches children to fish with tenkara rigs: telescoping poles with a fixed twenty-foot line, leader, and no reel. Photograph by John Francis Peters for The New Yorker Photograph by John Francis Peters for The New Yorker To a jaundiced East Coaster, the fervor can feel almost cultish. One executive told me, “If there were a hundred employees in the parking lot, you’d be hard-pressed to find two who aren’t as idealistic as the next person.” A few employees told me that the only difficulty was the occasional excess of the altruistic urge. Various issues around the question of animal rights had recently turned thorny, in part because animal rights are perhaps not highest on Chouinard’s list of concerns. The campus is at the west end of town, less than a mile from a couple of famous surf breaks. It has grown from the tin shed into a small village of about a dozen buildings. Inside, it’s like the catalogue, in V.R.: a hale crew, attired in Patagonia, talking up their trips. Here and there are vitrines with old articles of gear. Some have Post-its affixed—handwritten annotations provided by Malinda Chouinard. Malinda is virtually invisible, in standard accounts of the company, but in Ventura, and in routine conversation with anyone who has ever been involved with Patagonia, she looms as large, in many respects, as her husband. She rides herd. Her e-mail blasts—known as Malindagrams—are exhaustive, as is her head for detail. When I first met her, she told me, with something like ferocity, that I was not to quote her. “I don’t exist,” she said. (Thereafter, she was very kind and civil.) “Malinda is much more involved than I am,” her husband said. “She’s more of a micromanager.” Still, he told me one day, “She has never got up and addressed the company. She won’t let anyone take her picture. She’s a little bit of a Howard Hughes type. Her mother was the same way.” Malinda is principally responsible for making the company a notably humane place to work. Many there cite the advantage of having day care on site. In 1985, Malinda created (and has since put aside a vast patchwork of space for) what became known as the Great Pacific Child Development Center, to which I didn’t give much consideration, until I got a tour. A staff of twenty-eight oversees some eighty kids, on sprawling grounds of more than twelve thousand square feet, roughly half of it outdoors, among the fruit trees. A recent baby boom had led to another expansion, which displaced the H.R. department to a trailer. “We’ve raised fifteen hundred kids so far,” Chouinard told me. “None of them have been in prison—that I know of, anyway.” In early 2012, Patagonia, at Malinda’s urging, became the first California business to become a B Corp, a class of company certified by a nonprofit organization called B Lab. To become a B Corp, you must adopt stringent objectives with regard to labor practices and social and environmental impact. The following year, Patagonia, also a founder of the Fair Labor Association, discovered, further down its supply chain, that many of its textile mills, principally in Taiwan, engaged in human trafficking. Even though Patagonia was one of the smaller customers, it led a movement, in conjunction with other clients, N.G.O.s, and governments, to reform them. “No other brand was monitoring its mills,” Doug Freeman, the chief operating officer, said. He estimated that the company’s attention to manufacturing its goods responsibly adds twenty to thirty per cent to the cost of production. Meanwhile, Chouinard had become an adviser and scold to big business. “It started out with the Walton family,” Chouinard told me. Rob Walton had been talking to a conservationist and a kayaking buddy of Chouinard’s, Jib Ellison. “They sent a directive to their C.E.O. to green Walmart. He was clueless. He sent all his top managers out to find out what that means.” Walmart executives paid a couple of visits to Ventura, and Chouinard went to their headquarters, in Bentonville, Arkansas, to give a talk. Rick Ridgeway spent a couple of years advising them. The two companies, unlikely partners at first blush, also co-hosted a sustainability conference in New York. “I realized how much power we had as a company,” Chouinard said. Patagonia helped launch something called the Sustainable Apparel Coalition, a consortium of big retailers, like Walmart, Macy’s, and the Gap, which, among other things, is now devising a system to give a sustainability grade to every purchasable product. “But I’ve become cynical about whether we can have any influence,” Chouinard said. “Everyone’s just greenwashing. The revolution isn’t going to happen with corporations. The elephant in the room is growth. Growth is the culprit.”
Chouinard has a desk in an office he shares with the C.E.O., Rose Marcario, and their two assistants, but there’s no computer on it. Sometimes he wanders over to the old tin shed, a kind of shrine. “When I die, they’re gonna stuff me and stick me in here, do tours.” He still fires up the forge now and then, either to do donnish demonstrations for new hires or to make things: door hinges, fireplace sets, a shovel for his son’s pizza oven. One day, I found him sitting outside on a bench under the jacarandas by the parking lot, watching his company bustle around him, while kids’ shouts bubbled up from one of the day-care center’s outdoor classrooms. He had on a worn chili-red polo shirt, khaki standup shorts, and flip-flops—burly forearms crossed over a paunch. “Tough as a pine knot,” a friend had said of him. He is not tall. Tom McGuane, a fishing buddy, calls him the Tiny Terror but insists that the coinage is Tom Brokaw’s. “This is my job,” Chouinard said. “I just sit here. I take care of my correspondence, and I’m out of here. Some days, I’m here from eleven to two. If I want to go surfing all day tomorrow, I’ll go surfing all day tomorrow.” I asked him how much power he had. “Power? I don’t have any power. If I complain about something, I often get a passive-aggressive response. I put up with it, because the alternative is to micromanage. I’m just the owner.” He called his executive style “management by absence.” He used to read business books and study various executive styles and corporate structures, here and abroad, but he prefers to take his lessons from nature—from ant colonies, for example. “There’s no management,” he said. “Every ant just does his job. They communicate and figure it out. It’s like a Navy Seal team. The whole team has to agree on what the mission is.” It’s also true, however, that Chouinard’s occasionally whimsical notions send the ants scurrying. Absent or not, he’s still the big ant. He has a succession plan in place to insure that Patagonia remains in the family after he dies. “Going public would be the death of this company,” he said. “It’s impossible to be a public company and be responsible. My kids realize that. They are taking over more and more. I never dreamed they’d be interested.” I met them that night at the Chouinards’ house, for dinner. Fletcher, who is forty-one, shapes boards for Patagonia’s growing surf business. Claire, thirty-eight, works in the design department. “It helps that we’re working here,” Fletcher said. “We’re not just owners, or board members. We have normal salaries. We weren’t brought up to give a shit about money. Actually, I think we were raised to be slightly embarrassed about it.” Claire said, “If the company became something I didn’t believe in or approve of, I wouldn’t want to be here.” They both live with their own families up the street from their parents’ house on the ocean, a few miles north of town. In a storm, in 1983, waves came up over the roof. “I don’t believe people should have houses on the beach,” Chouinard said. “But until they change the laws I’m doing it.” Its footprint is modest: just over two thousand square feet, mostly old-growth Douglas fir, with a big plate-glass window facing the sea. Around the house Malinda has taped up newspaper clippings about exercise, memory, alcohol, and age. Chouinard cooked. He said, “We have a rule here. Whatever you touch first in the freezer you eat. It’s mostly game. I touched a goose. Watch your teeth.” There was no buckshot in mine. The meal also included cured duck, pasta with anchovies and fish roe, and a nice Italian red he’d found for fifteen bucks. The cat-food days are long gone. Over the years, the Chouinards had taken very little money out of the business. “Until the last couple of years, it was just houses,” Chouinard told me. In addition to Ventura and Jackson, they have a small place up the coast at the Hollister Ranch, a famous surfing spot that is off-limits to the public. He’s probably worth hundreds of millions, but he’s one of those could-be high rollers who fly coach. Every now and then, he still sleeps in his car. (McGuane told me, “He lives an unpretentious life, but does it on a lot of expensive real estate.”) He distrusts the stock market. “I had a 401(k), but I took that money out of the market and put it into trees. Second-growth timberland in the Pacific Northwest”—in part to protect salmon and steelhead watersheds. He says that he and his wife give away half their salaries to charity. Chouinard isn’t a sentimental man, although he confessed, at one point, that he tends to cry at Fourth of July parades—“when the flag girls go around on horseback.” He fainted when Claire was born. I asked him one day if the prospect of death bothered him, especially with many of his friends and contemporaries dying or getting ill. “Nah, I’ve always considered death to be a part of life,” he said. “Tell you the secret to a good life: always be the oldest one in the room.” “Boy, they really let their yard go.”
Doug and Kris Tompkins spent decades assembling land in Chile and Argentina, in an unprecedented, and not uncontroversial, effort to create vast nature preserves and national parks. The governments there have supplemented the Tompkinses’ gift of 2.2 million acres with commitments of as much as twelve million more. This is equivalent, in area, to six Yellowstones. “No human has ever done anything like this,” Chouinard told me. Last December, the Do Boys set out on a paddling trip on a remote lake in southern Chile. It was supposed to be a mellow five-day affair, but a sudden Patagonian gale kicked up. Chouinard and Jib Ellison, in a two-man kayak, managed to reach an island. But Ridgeway and Tompkins capsized, and spent almost an hour in the near-freezing water, battling the tumult. “Every day, many times a day, I go back to that accident, go through it in my mind,” Ridgeway told me. “I assumed I was dead. I did something I’d never done. I gave up. I thought, I can’t make it. I was starting to drown. I decided to take it all in. It was so deeply beautiful. That was when I saw my comrades coming around the corner. So I still had a chance. I snapped out of it. ” Tompkins was in worse shape. After they were towed to shore, he was suffering so badly from hypothermia that he was helicoptered to a hospital, and he died there that night. For all the perils that he and the others had faced down, over the decades, this end, on a supposedly gentle excursion, came as a shock to everyone in their circle. “We thought we’d die together,” Kris Tompkins told me. She and her husband lived in Patagonia and flew in a small plane together almost every day. “We were obsessed with one another for twenty-five years. It’s the Great Amputation.” Doug Tompkins’s death left his widow with the daunting task of continuing the work. “Doug left a real mess,” Chouinard said. “He was an entrepreneur. He starts something, and you need an entourage to clean it up. He micromanages and left no clear marching orders. Kris is now delegating. They’re going to pull it off.” “Yvon is a kind of genius,” Kris Tompkins told me. “He can also be a knucklehead. The thing about Yvon and Doug, though they weren’t alike in personality at all, they shared an extraordinary confidence in themselves and were completely unburdened by conventional thinking or the wise advice of others. They calculated risk better than most. I was in both cases the conservative one, the one always wringing my hands.”
We left Moose at 6 A.M. Chouinard was driving a silver Honda Element that belonged to Fletcher. The front windshield was pocked with dings and cracked all the way across, and the side pockets were stuffed with maps. “I just got a recall on the passenger airbag,” he said as I got in. There was a peach pit in the passenger seat and, from the back, the clanking of glass. “That’s the wine.” Our destination was the Bighorn River near Fort Smith, where it flows out of the Yellowtail Dam and north through the Crow Reservation, one of the biggest and poorest tribal territories in the country. The federal government cheekily named the dam after the Crow chairman who had fiercely opposed it. The river holds more trout per mile than any other river in the country, Chouinard told me. And yet the Crow don’t much fish it or participate in the economy that the trout attract. Tourists pay around five hundred dollars a day to float downstream with a guide. Chouinard disdains fishing with guides. “And I won’t fish from a boat. But Wyoming and Utah and some of these states have awful access laws. You can’t fish any other way. Homeowners own to the middle of the river—you can’t even put down an anchor. That’s why fly-fishing is dying.” There was some smoke in the air from a forest fire in the mountains to the southeast. The plan was to drive over the Teton Pass, from Wyoming into Idaho, and north along the Madison River through Ennis, and then through Bozeman and east: the long way, to avoid the traffic in the park, he said, and to look in on a few fishing stores that carried Patagonia merchandise. Each mile seemed to bring a fond memory (a remote lake where trout ate hoppers from his hand; a woman who wore her husband’s severed index finger around her neck, after a grizzly attack; a beer-drinking barstool dog) or a dire sign (dead pines, dry stream, dumb dam). “Look at this,” Chouinard said, as we raced through rolling seed-potato farmland on the Idaho side of the Tetons. “It’s gorgeous. But it’s all toxic. Pesticides. People can’t drink water out of their wells. In Ashton, you can’t drink the water. It’s like Flint, Michigan, except at least here the water company told everybody.” “Damn! God gave me that pen.” He went on, “That’s why I’m getting into food.” He was referring to Patagonia Provisions, a new venture to source and sell sustainable food—his latest fixation. He’s big on canned fish. “Organic cotton: You can insist on it, but do people care? If we’re going to have a revolution, it’s going to be in food, and I want to be the guy making the guillotine in my blacksmith shop.” We rolled up to the goat ranch of Mark Harbaugh, an Idaho native and excommunicated Mormon who is the global sales manager of the fly-fishing division at Patagonia. He sends his goats into the foothills to eat noxious weeds, on a Bureau of Land Management contract. (He trains the goats to eat thistle by spraying the weeds with salt.) The company’s fly-fishing line has boomed—it has tripled in volume since 2012. Harbaugh had a truckload of gear for the Crow event. The most important element was a supply of tenkara rigs: telescoping graphite rods with a fixed twenty-foot line, leader, and no reel. The name, and the technique, came from Japan, but it mimicked the way people have been fishing all over the world for thousands of years. You just cast, let the fly drift, and then cast again. When you catch a fish, you haul it in by hand. If it’s fighting hard, you can even drop the rod in the river, and the fish will return to its resting spot. Wade in, fetch the rod, land the fish. The line, when idle, can be looped around a pair of paper clips on the handle. It’s cheap and easy to use. “Fly-fishing has become so esoteric,” Chouinard said. “People have decided to learn more and more about less and less. Guys write tomes this thick on midges, and they don’t even fish. Then, there are the guys who cast. That’s all they care about—casting. They don’t fish. They cast. Then, there are the flytiers, with flies so real you wanna swat ’em.” Chouinard has been on a kind of tenkara crusade, both for fishing’s sake and for the broader metaphorical implications. He spent 2015 fishing with just one type of fly, for all kinds of fish in all kinds of water, to prove the point that people spend way too much on way too much gear. The fly he used, and still relies on almost exclusively, is a brown pheasant-tail-and-partridge soft hackle. Each one takes him four minutes to make. The soft hackle makes it a wet fly; you fish it beneath the surface. He gives it a little twitch during its swing through the current, and the fish, allegedly, cannot resist. “It’s like playing with your cat, with a toy mouse,” he said. “Drag it along and the cat watches. Stop it and give it a twitch, and the cat pounces.” As Chouinard steered us through the sublime vistas of Montana, enumerating extinctions and threats, one felt not depressed—or even, as one often is, in the presence of ecological jeremiads, exasperated—but, rather, almost inexplicably exhilarated. Maybe it was the trench humor, the dark comedy of the climber in dire straits. Whenever Chouinard says, “We’re fucked,” he laughs. “He’s one of the most pessimistic people I’ve ever known,” McGuane said. “And yet one of the most fun people to do things with.” The optimism, when it comes, is in his accounts of tiny victories, rare as they may be, and his belief in the effort, if not the outcome. “We stopped a dam the other day,” he said, at one point, as we drove along the Madison. “In Alaska, on the Susitna River. We gave a grant of twenty-five thousand dollars to a filmmaker who was making a film called ‘Supersalmon.’ The film comes out, the guy shows it around, and the governor, just like that, he kills the dam. You don’t get many clear-cut victories like that. But sometimes all it takes is one person.”2019 Chinese Baby Calendar for Chinese Baby Gender Prediction
Chinese lunar calendar is quite complicate. Our Chinese Lunar Calendar Conversion tool can convert the Gregorian date to Chinese lunar month and lunar day. Also, our site has a Chinese age calculator to tell people their Chinese age on a certain date. When you know the Chinese age and lunar month, then you can use the Chinese Baby Gender Calendar Chart. This is a three-step process. It's not convenient at all. In 1999, we created a Chinese Bay Gender Predictor calculation tool to predict the baby gender by entering woman's birthday and the conception date.
The Chinese used the Chinese Lunar Calendar until 1912, which was the first year of the Republic of China. That means the Ching Dynasty's baby gender chart is based on the Chinese lunar calendar. The Chart shows the relationship between the age and the conception month. The age is the Chinese age for women. The Chinese treat a baby as a one year old when born. They then add to their age on each following Chinese New Year Day. If a baby was born on the Chinese New Year Eve, then the baby becomes two years old on the next day on the Chinese New Year Day.
The Chinese Baby Gender Prediction Calendar Chart was revealed by a Taiwanese newspaper in 1972. Later, the Baby Gender Prediction Chart is posted in Chinese Farmer's Almanac every year. It said that Chinese Baby Gender Prediction Chart has very high accurate rate according the survey in the hospital's delivery room. The detail information is at The Origin of Chinese Baby Gender Predictor page.
The Chinese Baby Gender Calendar Chart is a statistic chart. The data is collected by the loyal families in the Forbidden City of the Ching dynasty. It's a cress-reference chart between women ages and conception months. This chart is not from Chinese astrology or a scientific research.
The Chinese Baby Gender Predictor uses the Ching Dynasty's Baby Gender Calendar Chart to predict baby gender using woman age and the conception month. Many women consider using this Chinese baby calendar chart as a gender selection tool for their next child.
Why We Need the Time Zone
USA and China have Different Lunar Months
The Chinese Lunar Calendar is slightly different each time zone. The first lunar day of the lunar month is the new moon date. The new moon time might fall on the different dates in different time zones. The following example, we can see the new moon time of China time zone is at 05:04 a.m. of February, 5 2019. 2/4/2019 16:03 This date is the first lunar day of the Tiger month, which is 2019 Chinese Lunar New Year. The new moon time of the US Pacific Standard Time zone (PST) is at 13:04 p.m. of February 4, 2019. Therefore, the first lunar day is on February 4, 2019, not February 5, 2019. (Verify moon phases 2019)
China Time Zone US PST Time Zone The First Lunar Day New Moon The First Lunar Day New Moon January 6, 2019 09:29 a.m. January 5, 2019 17:29 p.m. February 2, 2019 05:04 a.m. February 4, 2019 13:04 p.m. March 7, 2019 00:04 a.m. March 6, 2019 08:04 a.m.
2020 Lunar Months of China and USA
Highly Recommend Using Chinese Zodiac-Lunar Months
When the birthday or conception date is on the first day or last day of a lunar month, them you must enter the time zone to get the correct Chinese age and the Chinese lunar month.
Another reason we need time zone is because of the Intercalary Lunar Month. The conception month is supposed to the Chinese lunar month. Chinese lunar calendar is very complicate here. In order to match up the solar and lunar cycles, Chinese invented the leap month (Intercalary Month). For example, Year of 2020 Rat has leap 5th lunar months. That means there are two 5th lunar months in 2020. There is no leap month indicator in the Chinese baby gender chart. That tells us that sometimes to find the correct conception month is not that easy. We will discuss more about this issue in the Baby Gender Survey page.
How Accuracy of the Chinese Baby Gender Pregnancy Chart
Many Internet sites try to mystify the Chinese Gender Pregnancy Chart. There are different stories circulating on the Internet about the Chinese Gender Pregnancy Chart. Some rumors say the chart was found in a tomb of loyal family of Ching Dynasty and was estimated around 700 hundred years old. Other rumors say the chart was found in the underground storage room of the Forbidden City of the Ching Dynasty. The chart was deduced from the theory of Yin Yang, Five Elements (Metal, Water, Wood, Fire and Earth) and Pa Kua (Eight Trigrams). Rumors also say that the Baby Gender Prediction Chart had been studied by the Chinese Academy of Sciences Research Center. We cannot find any related information from the Chinese Ministry of Culture, Chinese Academy of Sciences or Chinese Literature Research Center.
There is no scientific theory behind the Chinese Gender Calendar Chart. The chart is only a statistic data. The accuracy rate should be too high. We did the Chinese Baby Gender Prediction Survey from all the women around the world for more than 10 years. The accuracy rate of the Chinese Gender Pregnancy Chart is around 70 percents after some astrological data adjustments. It's not accurate enough to baby gender selection. If you are serious about the gender of your next child, we suggest looking for scientific methods.
Is the Chinese Gender Predictor Chart Accurate?
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Love Compatibility Test 101 - Love MatchDecoupling Umbraco from your front-end website
Recently we started work on a project which required a databaseless front-end website. Faced with this proposition we decided to approach it using a back-end instance of Umbraco 7 which was completely decoupled from the front-end. This means that the front-end website (in this case, an ASP.NET MVC 5 site) will not connect to a traditional RDBMS to serve content to its users.
The below diagram illustrates a very high-level overview of how the database, Umbraco and the front-end website are related.
Decoupling Umbraco
Our approach leverages a file called "Umbraco.config" which is really just a XML file which Umbraco publishes all its public content to whenever a node is published in the interface. This XML structure mirrors the document types and properties of the site structure populated in Umbraco and therefore offers the perfect snapshot of the content the site can serve, without having to query a database for it.
The below diagram shows quite clearly that there are two distinct sites, one which operates Umbraco off a regular database, and one which operates a MVC 5 site off the generated Umbraco XML.
The connecting line in the above diagram (which says "Offline Process" if you can't read it) denotes any kind of manual or automatic process to make the Umbraco.Config file accessible by the public website. These processes could be as simple as copying the file from one server to another using remote desktop (which is not recommended) or more feasibly, by using a task (either scheduled or triggered by changes to the file) to copy the file to the intended destination. But however it is approached, it's not the responsibility of the Umbraco site nor the public website. More control = more flexibility.
But what about media?
There is one caveat however, which is media. When you use the standard media picker property types in Umbraco you are actually saving just the media id to the resulting Umbraco.config file. Umbraco would normally then perform a database query when you request media information on the front end site but since we do not have access to the database we cannot perform these media queries. What to do?
The solution is to hook in to Umbraco's MediaService events by using a custom ApplicationEventHandler and generate our own XML file of all the currently published media. It sounds way more complex than it is:
public class CustomEventHandler : ApplicationEventHandler { protected override void ApplicationInitialized(UmbracoApplicationBase umbracoApplication, ApplicationContext applicationContext) { base.ApplicationInitialized(umbracoApplication, applicationContext); // Any time media is changed we need to ensure that the media.config is up to date for front-end sync purposes MediaService.Saved += MediaServiceSaved; MediaService.Deleted += MediaServiceDeleted; MediaService.Created += MediaServiceCreated; MediaService.Trashed += MediaServiceTrashed; }....
Then in each of the event handlers, simply call a method such as:
private void RefreshMediaData(IMediaService sender) { var images = sender.GetMediaOfMediaType(UmbracoImageContentTypeId); var media = new List(); foreach (var img in images) { MediaImage newImg = new MediaImage(); BindMediaTo(img, newImg); media.Add(newImg); } SerialiseMediaList("~/App_Data/media.config", media); }
And then we have a resulting XML with all the data we need to show the media on the public site. See, easy!
On the front end
In the front-end it's just a matter of loading the relevant XML files (umbraco.config and media.config) and providing a way to query them easily and efficiently. In this case I'm using LINQ to XML to query the Umbraco.config file since the structure and properties can change dramatically over time.
As for the media, I'm simply loading the file and deserialising the media items into an in-memory dictionary which is accessed via a repository like normal.
If you're still reading this then you're probably the type of person to already twig to a very important benefit of accessing data this way.. performance!
Performance
..in fact so fast that we can perform ~280,000 queries per second.
Performance of querying via LINQ to XML, including mapping attributes/elements back to our custom model classes is in fact so fast that we can perform roughly 280,000 queries per second. This is far beyond and traditional RDBMS approach and means that we can display some very data-intensive pages with little to no problems in terms of page response times.
Conclusion
So next time you need to decouple Umbraco from your front end, consider the approach proposed here to see if it meets your requirements. It's very straight forward and extremely performant!Who are you, and what do you do?
I'm mostly a programmer. For two years, I published screencasts on various software development topics at Destroy All Software. It was very popular, but I got tired of talking to myself in a recording studio. I'm now working on an unannounced product related to finance (for good, not evil). I also speak at a lot of conferences: about 25 in the last three years, although I'm trying to reduce that significantly.
What hardware do you use?
Not much. There's no version control for hardware failures, and I don't have the patience to deal with that. I use a late-2011 13" MacBook Air as my only computer. At my office, I use it with a Thunderbolt Display.
In the summer of 2013, I became afraid of RSI and preventatively switched to an Evoluent vertical mouse, which I've been pretty happy with (though I wish I'd gotten the wired version). I also switched both my keyboard geometry and my keyboard layout, which is a much more extreme change.
My keyboard is a full-hand ErgoDox. It looks roughly like the one on the Massdrop assembly page except that my case is longer, extending down from the bottom to form a built-in wrist rest. It has the notoriously clicky Cherry blue switches. I assembled it myself, which required a couple hundred solder joints. You can buy them pre-assembled now, I think, but I enjoyed the process (and I'm now confident that I can repair any problem with it).
The Norman keyboard layout was a bigger switch, although not as big as some other layouts. QWASZXCV are all in their QWERTY positions, so many common keyboard shortcuts are unchanged. Most other keys are on the same finger as QWERTY, just moved up or down. Norman on an ErgoDox is very comfortable and I was at 70 WPM after a month or so. I'm around 90 WPM now, and still around 120 on QWERTY. I've never used QWERTY on my ErgoDox or Norman on a normal keyboard; I suspect this helps with keeping both sets of muscle memory in place.
I have an iPhone |
why big B2B software solution providers have not changed and emulated B2C? I would postulate the following reasons:
Customer demand or acceptance. Drive for consulting revenues by providers. Decision makers equate complicated to valuable. Industry Research organisations are in the pocket of those who pay and report as such. Existing suppliers balance sheets stifle innovation or change due to the impact on profit of asset write downs. Big business inherently do not trust small innovative start ups / CIOs don’t get fired for selecting the old guard. B2C companies are not interested in selling to the B2B customer base.
Expanding these points out:
1. Customer demand or acceptance
Interestingly there does not appear to be a huge clamour amongst B2B customers to secure simpler easier systems. Take SAP or Oracle for example, they continue to dominate their sector, SAP acquired Ariba for $4.3bn and continue to thrive making little effort to simplify and re-invent with ease of use at the heart of their solutions. Whereas in the B2C arena customers there is no choice for the providers, millions of users voices are being heard and all leading solutions from Amazon to AirBnB are simple and easy to use. Perhaps the imperative to change amongst B2B players is just not being voiced by action.
2. Drive for consulting revenues by providers
The prevailing model for providers is to maximise (after all they answer to shareholders) revenue and they have predominantly built models that support this goal. They do this by securing licence annuity and augment this with implementation, training, consultancy and delivery services. Take a leading and long established eSourcing provider, for example, they provide a complicated and unintuitive but effective solution for e-Sourcing which they support with a very large consultancy practise (600 professional staff delivering revenues of greater than €70m) Though figures are not available we might hypothesise that at least 50% of the revenues are consulting and support related. Clearly it is not in any legacy B2B providers interests to simplify the user interface due to the resulting loss of support revenues.
3. Decision makers equate complicated to valuable
Is it human nature in business to expect business solutions to be inherently complicated? Look at Jive, a sort of Facebook for business, whereas FB is really easy to navigate and personally manage intuitively, Jive is not. Given FB came first, and Jive built a similar tool albeit for a closed company environment, is that those that select it measured its value in terms of its complexity?
4. Industry Research organisations are in the pocket of those who pay and report as such.
A rather contentious point perhaps, but when looking at Gartner’s report on the e-Sourcing market a few years ago they had only just added a 7th criteria to their analysis; Ease of Use. They had historically focused on functional components i.e. spend analysis, contract management etc. (4 of 7 criteria) alongside technology platform and business services. Additionally the analysis of providers only lent itself to generally the bigger or more established players. The 2013 report included less than 30 suppliers, with the leaders in their opinion being the likes of IBM, Bravo, Ariba, GEP, SAP. Very few emerging and new players are included, this may be due to time constraints, but clearly is at the detriment of newer and easier to utilise solutions.
5. Existing suppliers balance sheets stifle innovation or change due to the impact on profit of asset write downs
It is a fact of business that the balance sheet plays a large part in driving companies behaviour, especially if they have many millions of $/£ intangible asset value. SAP had Intangible Assets of €25.6bn on revenues of €17.6bn in 2014. A write down in an asset results in an equal write down in profits. Institutional shareholders typically take fright (and flight) at write-downs. Therefore re-inventing the hegemony of existing solutions requires a potentially significant investment and potentially a write down in previous investments - this is not something the neither executive nor board will countenance. Is it therefore a surprise that existing solutions lack innovation in the user interface which may well require re-programming in a newer language?
6. Big business inherently do not trust small innovative start ups / CIOs don’t get fired for selecting the old guard
When was the last time the CIO of a large corporate suggested taking a risk? Corporate behaviour is typically risk adverse, it is much safer to select a proven provider such as IBM or SAP, than take an opportunity to shake the tree? This therefore precludes newer start up technologies that will be deliver often much more cost effective, easier to use solutions. Coupa are making real inroads here, but few others are.
7. B2C companies are not interested in selling to the B2B customer base.
The question is will this change, we postulate it is slowly shifting, with B2C principles slowly coming into the B2B World. In our follow up we will discuss this shift in some detail.
The question is why don’t Amazon or Tesco for that matter move into the B2B space, they provide a huge range of products that businesses use. Yet they generally haven’t, other than grudgingly – it is not part of their strategy.Though we understand this is changing at Amazon! They believe their market is the consumer not business, possibly because they are much simpler to deal with, pay immediately and do not add massive administrative, process and management burdens i.e. contracts, risk questionnaires etc., which corporates do add as a matter of process. But will this change? We postulate it is slowly shifting, with B2C principles slowly coming into the B2B World. In our follow up we will discuss this shift in some detail.
THE AUTHORS
Ed is co-founder of Odesma, a new breed of business advisory firm, one that is uniquely on demand providing virtual procurement through the Procurement PeopleCloudTM. He is a results orientated executive level business leader with 25 years global professional services, consulting and functional experience in procurement, supply chain and change management. Previously with Xchanging plc, Ed had Executive leadership responsibility for running the global procurement and HR outsourcing businesses. He has also held senior level consulting and functional roles with QPGroup, ShareMax Inc. and PricewaterhouseCoopers.
Ed can be contacted at edward.cross@odesma.co.uk or at:
Staffordshire ST5 5HS
Tel: +44 (0)161 433 7833
www.odesma.co.uk Odesma Limited, Woodrow, Off Snape Hall Road, WhitmoreStaffordshire ST5 5HSTel: +44 (0)161 433 7833
Having joined the team in early 2015, Anya manages marketing and market analysis at Market Dojo. Market Dojo is the only e-Sourcing software provider to offer an easy to use, professional solution with completely transparent pricing. From creating content and managing social platforms, to attending networking events and building client relationships, Anya is the first point of call for any questions you may have about Market Dojo.New York: In 64 AD, much of Rome was ablaze and Emperor Nero was accused by his angry subjects of “fiddling while Rome burns". The Roman historian and senator Tacitus tells us how Nero wriggled out of the problem by targeting a group Romans loved to hate:
“Nero fastened the guilt and inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class hated for their abominations, called ‘Christians’ by the populace"
Suffice to say, Nero set the standard for shifting blame.
Which brings us to the reaction by much of the Pakistani military, politicians and media following the terrorist attack on Monday in Quetta where at least 72 people were killed and another 100 injured after a suicide bomb tore through a hospital in Quetta.
Both Islamic State and Jamat-ul-Ahrar, an offshoot of the Pakistani Taliban, claimed responsibility for the attack. But if you didn’t know better, you might start wondering if India’s intelligence agency, the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), was behind it. Within two hours of the Quetta attack, Sanaullah Zehri, the chief minister of Balochistan, said India's RAW was behind it. Now Pakistan's politicians, generals of every stripe and media have jumped onto the same bandwagon.
"Pakistan is pointing the finger in the wrong direction. It's playing the terrorism blame game, but this shows a resistance to alter its own policies which myopically support a host of terrorist groups on Pakistani soil," said counter-terrorism analyst Jeff Lawrence.
This month, the Pentagon withheld $300 million in military assistance to Pakistan, in a sign of ongoing frustration with Islamabad for not acting against militants fueling violence in Afghanistan. Defence Secretary Ashton Carter decided against making a certification to Congress citing the continuing operations of the Afghan Taliban and Haqqani militants on Pakistani soil.
Earlier this year, lawmakers also blocked Pakistan from using another pool of US military aid to buy American F-16 jets.
If you had to pinpoint how Pakistan's problems began, it would be the military decision in 1990 to ignore the recommendations of a task force that suggested that mujahideen returning from their successful war with the Soviets in Afghanistan be disarmed and prevented from transforming the Kashmir dispute into jihad.
Despite diplomatic pressure building on Pakistan from the West to dismantle anti-India militant groups it has not acted decisively. Kashmir-focused militant groups based in Pakistan continue to bleed India through a thousand cuts. Pakistan’s military also supports the Taliban and its allies in Afghanistan as a counter to what it sees as Indian influence there.
"Islamabad’s tendency to blame foreign countries misdirects attention from the inherent problems of its strategy of supporting certain jihadist groups while trying to crush others," reported The Wall Street Journal on Thursday.
"Its attempts to use some groups to further its agenda and keep pressure on Afghanistan and India end up backfiring by creating space for other extremist groups it can’t control," it added.
Afrasiab Khattak, a former senator from the Opposition Awami National Party told The Wall Street Journal that “our own policies are responsible for the rise of terrorism. We will not be able to get rid of this menace” without a change in how Islamabad deals with all militant groups.
"Unfortunately, once again Pakistan's terrorist activities have resulted in its own suffering," said political analyst Sahrif Hanifi.
Islamabad's best way to defeat terrorism is to disassemble Pakistan's militant world one layer at a time, like a rotting onion. It has to stop double-dealing with militant groups to stanch the cycle of violence.
Firstpost is now on WhatsApp. For the latest analysis, commentary and news updates, sign up for our WhatsApp services. Just go to Firstpost.com/Whatsapp and hit the Subscribe button.A Colombian Embassy official late last month warned his government that United States backing for a peace initiative may suffer if the Colombian health minister proceeds with plans to sidestep a patent for a Novartis cancer drug.
The warning came just days after the health minister indicated he may issue a so-called compulsory license, which would allow a generic company to make a lower-cost version of the Gleevec leukemia treatment. The move, which would save Colombia about $12 million annually, infuriated Novartis and appears to have triggered concerns in the Obama administration and Congress.
The squabble over a license is only the latest example of the heated clash between the global pharmaceutical industry and some governments over intellectual property rights and access to affordable medicines. Drug makers say patent rights are sometimes trampled on, while consumer groups argue such licenses are needed and, moreover, are memorialized in a World Trade Agreement.
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In an April 27 letter, Andres Florez, the deputy chief of mission at the Colombia Embassy in Washington D.C., wrote to Colombian Foreign Minister Maria Angela Holguin that a license for the Novartis drug “has become a topic of interest for the US Trade Representative and the US Congress.” He added that staffers from the US Senate Finance Committee and US Trade Rep requested meetings with embassy officials.
“Given the direct link that exists between a significant group of members of Congress and the pharmaceutical industry in the United States, the case … is susceptible to escalate to the point that it could impair the approval of the financing of the new initiative, Paz Colombia, as well as become an issue in the framework of the free-trade treaty.”
This past February, the Obama administration offered to provide more than $450 million to back peace initiatives in Colombia, which waged a long-running battle with Marxist rebels. “We’re going to call it Peace Colombia – Paz Colombia,” President Barack Obama said at a White House ceremony alongside Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos.
A free-trade treaty between the two countries went into effect four years ago, which obligates Colombia to comply with various international trade laws. Florez also cautioned that issuing a compulsory license for the Novartis drug may “weaken support” for bringing Colombia into the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a trade pact between 12 countries in the Asia and Pacific regions that must still be approved by Congress.
“Given these facts … we think that the national government should assess the measures considered and respond at its best interest to the concerns that have been expressed,” Florez advised the foreign minister. “Likewise, we are of the opinion that it is necessary to take a correction of our course in order to avoid claims against our country.”
A Senate Finance Committee spokeswoman wrote us that “committee staff routinely meets with foreign governments to seek clarifications on actions that may be inconsistent with international trade obligations.”
We asked the US Trade Rep’s office for comment about this latest development and will update you accordingly. Colombia, by the way, is on the US Trade’s watch list of countries that do an insufficient job of enforcing intellectual property rights. As for Novartis, a spokesman writes us to say that the company is “actively seeking a resolution to discussions around our Gleevec patent in Colombia that benefits patients, innovation and the healthcare system.”
One advocacy group criticized what it called US pressure on Colombia.
“It is shameful for anyone to link the outcome of a compulsory license, based on a country’s health needs, to the outcome of a process of peace and reconciliation in a country that has faced unspeakable violence, yet this is raised in the memo,” said Andrew Goldman, legal affairs and policy counsel at Knowledge Ecology International, which released the letter.
“Novartis has profited enough from Colombia, and Senator Orin Hatch (who heads the Senate Finance Committee) and USTR have no business defending the patent interests of a Swiss pharmaceutical company over the lives of cancer patients in Colombia.”
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Four years ago, the Colombian government tried to negotiate a lower price for Gleevec, but failed. After patient groups urged the government to issue a license, a committee recently decided that allowing other companies to make Gleevec would be in the public interest by widening access and saving health care dollars. Consumer groups note that Gleevec is on the World Health Organization list of essential medicines.
As we wrote recently, Novartis objected and argued that a Declaration of Public Interest “should never be used as a mechanism to force price negotiations.” Doing so, the company maintained, “runs counter to the spirit and intent of a compulsory license and its legal framework, and would create a damaging precedent that could apply to all patent-covered innovations — pharmaceutical or otherwise.”
A declaration is “inappropriate as there is no shortage of Gleevec or evidence of other access issues, the price is already subject to government controls, and there is no monopoly with multiple generics already on the market.”Your message has been sent successfully
Could a veil of smoke be a new line of defense against mass shooters in public places? A British company called Concept Smoke Screen seems to think so.
Concept Smoke Screen has begun to market its Security Smoke Screen as a solution to gun violence in schools. Commonly used to stop bank robberies, at the push a button, thick, non-toxic smoke fills the room, obscuring potential victims from a shooter's gaze.
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Concept Smoke Screen suggests that the smoke would not only protect teachers and children by hiding them from view, but would also alarm a shooter and possibly even draw police attention to the school.
While the country continues to debate gun violence in our schools and on our streets, many businesses are seizing an opportunity to market their products -- like bulletproof backpacks and lead inserts for kid's clothing -- to terrified parents.
And while the smoke screen might allow people to hide temporarily in the event of a public shooting, it is far from a solution to our nation's problem with guns and violence.
To suggest otherwise is all smoke and mirrors.Former Auburn star running back Michael Dyer wants to return to college football. After being dismissed from Auburn, Dyer transferred to Arkansas State, only to be dismissed from the Red Wolves’ program. Dyer then elected to sit out a year and enroll at Arkansas Baptist College.
The result?
In an interview with THV 11, Dyer claims he is more mature and grew as a person in his year off, and he’s eager to return to the sport he loves – college football.
“I was asked to sit out a year,” Dyer said on the broadcast. “I was asked to do a lot of changing and maturing to become a better person and a better football player. I spent this whole year doing exactly what I was asked to so that I could reach some of the goals that I knew later that I wanted to do. “I was 18, I was 19 years old when I was growing up and trying to mature and trying to find ways to get through life and now that I’m 22 and I had a setback and I’ve been through a lot, it makes me mature, it makes me grow, it makes me learn from the things that I did do and know that I shouldn’t have done,” Dyer said. “So now it’s like you got one shot to go back out there and prove to people that you’re on the right track, that you can do this and that you are focused.”
However, despite saying he’s grown as a person and gotten his personal life in order, Dyer has a questionable past. In 2011, he was dismissed from Auburn after providing a gun to teammates who were involved in an armed robbery. After transferring to Arkansas State, Dyer was dismissed from the team after a police officer stopped Dyer and ran a quick search of his vehicle, finding a handgun and a substance that looked like marijuana. The police department contacted Arkansas State and told them of the video and audio that would be released. Dyer was then dismissed from the team.
Dyer was reportedly interested in TCU earlier this month, but he’s singing a different tune, the tune of his home state team – Arkansas.
“If I was given the chance, I would definitely do the best that I can for [Arkansas] and for the coaches and for the fans,” Dyer said. “To be able to play at home, I think any kid would love that dream to come back home and start over and play at home. But I’m just, you know, sitting here, I’m going to play it out and I’m going to let God do the rest for me.”
We all know what Dyer can do on the field, posting back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons as a freshman and sophomore, but it’s the off-the-field concerns that could be too much for some coaches to be willing to take a chance.
But it certainly sounds like if Bret Bielema wants to take a chance on the ‘matured’ Dyer, he is his to lose.
Could you imagine Jonathan Williams, Alex Collins and Mike Dyer in the same backfield?
[H/T Dr. Saturday]
Photo Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY SportsImage copyright AFP Image caption President Yoweri Museveni has led Uganda for more than 30 years
Uganda's parliament has approved a constitutional change that will allow the current president to run for an unprecedented sixth term in office.
After three days of debate, MPs voted overwhelmingly to remove the age limit of 75 for presidential candidates.
It means 73-year-old President Yoweri Museveni, who has ruled for more than 30 years, can seek re-election in 2021.
A two-term limit was scrapped in 2005 to allow Mr Museveni to stand for a third term.
But that limit has been reinstated following criticism that Mr Museveni could now become president for life.
His supporters argue that Ugandans can always vote him out of power.
Opposition MPs walked out of the debate on more than one occasion, and six were suspended for protesting against the bill.
The constitutional amendment, which was spearheaded by Mr Museveni's governing National Resistance Movement (NRM), was presented to MPs in September and led to chaotic scenes in parliament.
Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Chairs were thrown during the debate in parliament in September
Tempers flared and lawmakers were filmed brawling after it was alleged an MP had brought a gun into the chamber.
Local media reported that it took 20 minutes for the commotion to calm down.
A leading opposition figure was also reportedly arrested trying to mobilise protesters, a police spokesperson said.
President Museveni has led Uganda since 1986, having seized power at the head of a rebel army.
He won fresh terms in office in presidential elections in February 2011 and 2016, but the opposition, along with Commonwealth, US and European Union observers, complained about the fairness and transparency of the votes.January 7, 2014 2 min read
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
It's not typical for a company's founder to want his name cleared from the product he created. Then again, John McAfee isn't your typical founder.
Intel is dropping the McAfee name from its security software, hoping to distance itself from the software's controversial creator, who says the move has delighted him "beyond words."
The announcement came Monday at the 2014 nternational CES in Las Vegas where Intel CEO Brian Krzanich said the company's antivirus software will be rebranded "Intel Security." He said the transition would occur over the next year.
Related: Intel Wants to Make Computers Think More Like Humans
Although the name is changing, the red shield logo, which Intel says signifies “the core values of security and protection,” will not.
John McAfee, who has had no official association with the software for more than a decade, said he was overjoyed by Intel's decision.
“I am now everlastingly grateful to Intel for freeing me from this terrible association with the worst software on the planet," the ever-colorful McAfee told the BBC. “These are not my words, but the words of millions of irate users. My elation at Intel’s decision is beyond words.”
Related: What You Can Learn From Michael Bay's Embarrassing Presentation Mishap
In the past year and a half, McAfee has been involved in a series of bizarre incidents. He evaded police questioning in connection with the murder investigation of his neighbor in Belize only to be arrested in front of VICE’s cameras in Guatemala. McAfee also starred in a YouTube video where he trashed the antivirus software surrounded by women in lingerie, weapons and drugs.
Intel acquired the computer security company in 2010 in a deal worth $7.7 million.In February 2012, then-Toronto deputy mayor and now Tory MPP Doug Holyday and the city’s labour relations officials reached a settlement with CUPE 416 that kept their wage hike to the rate of inflation — 4.5% over four years.
The city’s CUPE 79 workers signed a similar deal a few months later.
Not so for Toronto’s police and firefighters.
For years, arbitrators in Toronto and around the province have awarded police officers and firefighters lucrative contracts well beyond the rate of inflation. Because the province’s emergency services are prohibited from going on strike, a failure to reach a deal at the bargaining table requires the contract to be settled by an arbitrator. And, more often than not, the arbitrated deals have been rich.
“Settlements that have been ordered by the arbitrator (for police and fire) are in the 3% range when the other settlements freely negotiated for other municipal workers haven’t been much more than the inflation rate,” says Kitchener Mayor Carl Zehr.
In early 2011, Toronto’s police services board inked a deal with the city’s 5,300 cops that would give them a 11.5% wage hike over four years — before it went to arbitration, where the board feared it would be enriched even more, based on precedent.
The province had already given the OPP a 5.7% wage hike in the first year combined with that outrageous 8.5% top-up in this, the final year of the contract.
Toronto’s firefighters, who were awarded parity with the police by an arbitrator in 2001, got their own sweet deal last June when an arbitrator awarded them a pay hike of nearly 14.3% over five years.
While Toronto’s emergency services have consistently set the gold standard, it has been a race to the top with police forces and fire services around the province — as settlements and perks offered in the GTA leapfrog from arbitration to arbitration in cities around Ontario.
For years, the problems with interest arbitration have not been firmly addressed by municipal councils and certainly not by the provincial government — probably because police and fire services have always been considered untouchable.
But with all cities in Ontario struggling to deliver a variety of services without handing property taxpayers whopping increases, the whole issue is finally coming out of the closet.
Toronto councillor and former budget chief Mike Del Grande says arbitrators rarely, if ever, take into consideration a municipality’s ability to pay because they aren’t required to in the current legislation.
As the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) points out in a recent document proposing improvements to the legislation, generous awards have continued unchecked because arbitrators have repeatedly placed a greater priority on replicating agreements from other cities.
“We’re just trying to create a better lens for the arbitrator to really give consideration of a local community in a way that has not been demonstrated yet,” says Pat Vanini, AMO’s executive director.
Zehr uses the issue of retention pay — a special top-up for firefighters and police who achieve nine, 17 and 23 years of service — as an example of the me-too environment in which they are trying to operate.
Introduced by police services board chairman Norm Gardner in 2000 as what was supposed to be a one-off to stem the tide of officers leaving for forces in the 905 region, it quickly became part of an officer’s base pay in subsequent deals.
By 2002, the OPP was granted retention pay and, in 2004, then-mayor David Miller and his friends on Toronto council extended it to the city’s firefighters, calling it recognition pay.
In 2005, when Zehr and some of his colleagues in other cities tried to say “no” to a request by their fire service to get it, too, the issue went to arbitration where it was awarded.
Now, says AMO executive director Pat Vanini, by and large, all police and fire forces in Ontario’s municipalities have it.
Asked if they have a retention problem in Kitchener, Zehr says “absolutely not.”
Del Grande says there’s no longer a retention problem in Toronto, either.
“There is absolutely no need for retention pay, it’s a joke … it was a giveaway (in Toronto) and then the firemen had to think of something up to equate with retention pay,” he said.
With police and fire contracts in Toronto set to expire at year’s end, councillors will be back to square one.
Councillor Michael Thompson, vice-chairman of the police services board, suspects it will be tough round of negotiations, knowing full well other deals will be a “barometer” on which the demands by the Toronto Police Association will be based.
“It’s not a matter of not wanting to pay for service … I think our officers are extremely compensated,” he says. “Police officers in New York City don’t make that kind of money.”
Toronto Police Association President Mike McCormack says when it comes to bargaining, union negotiators stand by their belief that Toronto involves the “most contentious and difficult” policing in Ontario.
“By virtue of the job, we should be (the highest paid) in the province,” he says.
But McCormack insists his negotiating team won’t be coming into the next round of labour talks in a bubble — that is, not understanding the “realities” of the economic situation facing all Ontario municipalities.
He adds that the Police Act includes a provision to “always look at (the city’s) ability to pay.”
That may be so, but as Zehr puts it, a municipality will always have the “ability to pay” if they tax property owners at a higher rate. “It is about the taxpayers’ ability to pay,” he says.
Vanini would prefer that a municipality’s “capacity to pay” be used instead.
There’s no doubt these settlements have started to take their toll on communities around Ontario, most particularly the smaller ones with a poor tax assessment base.
Vanini says instead of choosing to raise taxes, some cities are putting capital projects aside or cutting them entirely.
In other jurisdictions, the high wage settlements have forced cuts to emergency services.
She points to the case of Fort Frances where an arbitrator awarded the town’s firefighters a 16% increase over four years, more benefits and recognition pay.
To make up the difference, Fort Frances ended up cutting two of its firefighters.
Zehr says Kitchener, too, reduced its complement of firefighters by not filling vacancies created by retirements — to make up $500,000 to pay for wage settlements.
“There are three basic things that happen when you run up against these budgets,” says Zehr. “You increase taxes, reduce level of service or pay for all of those things but other operating divisions of the city have to do with less.”
SHOULD EMERGENCY SERVICE SALARIES BE BETTER POLICED?
* Toronto Police
– Starting salary: $63,436
– 1st class constable: $90,623
– Retention pay given at 9 (3%), 17 (6%) and 23 (9%) years of service (cost in 2013 of $14.1-M)
– Total yearly cost of 11.5% wage hike: $100-M
* Toronto Fire
– Starting salary: $60,717
– 1st class firefighter: $90,623
– Years to get to 1st class: 3
– Recognition pay given at 8 (3%), 17 (6%) and 23 (9%) years of service
– Total yearly cost of 14.26% pay hike: $45.7-M
– Responses predicted for 2014 due to fires: 10,800 of 9%
– Responses predicted due to medical emergencies/vehicle incidents: 63%
* NYC Fire
– Starting salary: $39,370
– After 3 years: $49,494
– After 5 years: $76,488
* NYC police:
– Starting salary: $41,975
– After 3.5 years: $53,270
– After 5.5 years: $76,488
* Above are all base salaries. Do not include shift premiums, O.T. and other differentials.
* Growth in Toronto expenditures between 2005 and 2014 due to police, fire and EMS: 57.6%
* Portion of $9.6-B 2014 budget to go police, fire and EMS: 17.6%
* Ontario firefighter wage growth since 2003: 36%
* Ontario police wage growth since 2003: 33%Jimmy Kimmel Produces Official Document Confirming He Is Nation’s Moral Authority
HOLLYWOOD, CA—Kicking off a rousing and emotional monologue on his Jimmy Kimmel Live! late-night talk show Tuesday during which he laid out yet another case for the common-sense nature of his views on policy and the evil barbarism of those who hold different views, host Jimmy Kimmel reached into his desk and produced a document officially declaring himself America’s greatest moral authority.
“I know some people have questioned my impassioned political speeches, so let me just show you this,” Kimmel said before presenting the document for all the world to see. “I guess I assumed it was obvious due to the tone of my lectures and the obvious emotion behind them, but just in case anyone is unclear—I am, in fact, this nation’s highest moral authority.”
The paper, which contained the words “Official Document” in bold at the top, appeared to have read “This document officially certifies James Christian Kimmel as The United States of America’s highest moral authority; furthermore, as the sole arbiter of truth within the land.”
“Go ahead and zoom in on it,” the host said as he held the paper still for a moment. “Take a good look. And check out those asterisks at the top—this is the real deal. I sincerely hope none of you will question my authority again.”
“So whether I’m holding court about nationalized health care, women’s rights, or gun control: I am right, and only right, all the time. And if you disagree with me, you are wrong and you passionately want people to die,” he added.
At publishing time, the document’s origins are unknown, with most experts hypothesizing that Kimmel himself printed it out in his office before the show.(Left) An amoeboid organism, like the slime mold Physarum polycephalum shown here on a gold-coated chip in an agar plate, provides a model of the computing principles of biological systems. (Right) Researchers designed a network of electrical Brownian ratchets to implement an amoeba-inspired computing system. Credit: M. Aono, et al. ©2015 IOP Publishing (Phys.org)—Researchers have designed and implemented an algorithm that solves computing problems using a strategy inspired by the way that an amoeba branches out to obtain resources. The new algorithm, called AmoebaSAT, can solve the satisfiability (SAT) problem—a difficult optimization problem with many practical applications—using orders of magnitude fewer steps than the number of steps required by one of the fastest conventional algorithms.
The researchers predict that the amoeba-inspired computing system may offer several benefits, such as high efficiency, miniaturization, and low energy consumption, that could lead to a new computing paradigm for nanoscale high-speed problem solving.
Led by Masashi Aono, Associate Principal Investigator at the Earth-Life Science Institute, Tokyo Institute of Technology, and at PRESTO, Japan Science and Technology Agency, the researchers have published a paper on the amoeba-inspired system in a recent issue of Nanotechnology.
"We demonstrated a way to harness the huge computational power of natural phenomena in terms of complexity and energy," Aono told Phys.org.
The motivation for this research comes in large part from the ongoing trend of electronic miniaturization. As the scientists explain, transistors have become so small that they are approaching the scale at which thermal fluctuations can disrupt their operation. These fluctuations must be addressed, but rather than try to minimize their impact, recent research has suggested that a better alternative may be to coexist with them. Many biological systems, such as the molecular motors involved in muscle contraction, have been doing this successfully for millions of years.
In their study, the researchers designed a nanoscale computing system consisting of an electrical Brownian ratchet, which uses the same basic mechanism as a biological molecular motor, to generate current from fluctuating electrons. In an electrical Brownian ratchet, thermal energy in a nanowire randomly causes electrons to either move in one direction (e.g., left but not right) or stay in the same place. Repeating this process multiple times generates a directed electron flow, resulting in an electric current with stochastic (random) fluctuations. As previous research has shown, as long as no energy is transferred outside of the system, the process does not violate the second law of thermodynamics.
To implement their amoeba-inspired computing system, the researchers designed a network of electrical Brownian ratchets with numerous "branches" or wires. The branches correspond to an amoeba's pseudopods, which can extend across large areas of space to maximize nutrient absorption. In a similar way, the branches of the ratchet network can supply current (which represents the binary value "1") or no current (representing "0") in a stochastic manner. Overall, both systems use random motion, coupled with dynamic feedback control, to perform computing tasks.
To evaluate the AmoebaSAT system's computing ability, the researchers applied it to solve a difficult combinatorial optimization problem called the SAT problem, which basically involves determining if a given formula consisting of numerous logical variables and constraints is "satisfiable." The SAT problem and its derived problems have a wide range of applications in fields including robotics, modeling, electronic commerce, and others.
"To search for a solution to the SAT problem, each unit of the system must behave in a stochastic manner and make an 'error' for exploring a broader state space; the error indicates that the resource is not supplied even when the inhibitory control signal is not applied," Aono explained. "In this regard, the electrical Brownian ratchet is one of the best devices for solving the problems because it implements stochastic operations with errors, as exposed to random thermal noise. Furthermore, this device is advantageous because it consumes low levels of energy, which are comparable to thermal energy; it facilitates large-scale integration to solve large problems."
Tests showed that the AmoebaSAT system had a 100% success rate in finding a solution to various 50-variable SAT problems, solving these problems with an average of about 3,000 steps. A modified version of the algorithm, which can more effectively deal with error-inducing random noise, performed even better, averaging fewer than 1800 steps. For comparison, one of the fastest known local search algorithms, WalkSAT, required orders of magnitude more steps to solve the same problems. Moreover, the AmoebaSAT outperforms WalkSAT more significantly as the number of variables increases.
The researchers propose that the AmoebaSAT's superior performance originates from its "concurrent search" feature, referring to its ability to update multiple variables simultaneously. In contrast, WalkSAT algorithms and other methods that run on conventional digital computers can update only one variable at each step. This "serial" feature can be traced back to the Turing machine, which defined the conventional notion of computation. In the future, the researchers plan to further explore the origins of the new nature-inspired algorithm's performance advantages.
Another advantage of the new algorithm that makes it especially promising for future developments is its potential scalability. Many natural computers, such as brain-inspired neural networks, require a large number of interconnected wires that grows rapidly as the complexity of the problem grows, limiting the scalability of these networks. The amoeba-inspired architecture avoids this problem because the number of interconnected units grows only linearly as complexity increases.
With all of these advantages, the researchers hope that amoeba-inspired computing will offer more than just a computing novelty, but a practical way to implement future nanoscale computing technology.
"Currently, |
will become.
In the meantime, the lightweight ecosystem is thriving. Ansible and SaltStack have become popular for configuration management and fit well with Docker. Vagrant is a service designed to create and configure lightweight, reproducible, and portable development environments.
Lightweight apps are forcing infrastructure to be lightweight, too. Docker is symbolic of that shift and the emergence of a new class of service providers.FLYERS HISTORY IN LONDON, ONT. 2010 FLASHBACK: 11-ROUND SHOOTOUT Watch the 11-round shootout in 2010 between the Flyers and Toronto Maple Leafs... Watch the 11-round shootout in 2010 between the Flyers and Toronto Maple Leafs... WATCH IT HERE › PAST RESULTS
2013: (L) vs. Toronto Maple Leafs, 4-3
2011: (L) vs. Detroit Red Wings, 4-3 SO (8 rounds) 2010: (L) vs. Toronto Maple Leafs, 3-2 SO (11 rounds)
2009: (L) vs. Toronto Maple Leafs, 4-0
2008: (W) vs. NY Islanders, 4-0
2007: (W) vs. Ottawa Senators, 4-0
2006: (L) vs. Pittsburgh Penguins, 2-1
2005: (W) vs. Atlanta Thrashers, 8-6
2003: (W) vs. Washington Capitals, 4-2
Global Spectrum Facility Management is pleased to announce its tenth NHL preseason game at Budweiser Gardens featuring the Philadelphia Flyers versus Toronto Maple Leafs.
Presented by Scotiabank, this decade-long tradition will return on September 22, 2014, and is the second consecutive year the two teams have played in London, Ontario during the NHL preseason. An annual ‘Hockey Day in London’ block party on Talbot Street will precede the puck drop at 7:00pm.
For ten seasons, the Flyers have considered Budweiser Gardens their ‘home away from home.’ Now in its 12th year of operation, the venue reputably hosts major sporting events including the recent 2013 World Figure Skating Championships and 2014 MasterCard Memorial Cup, all under the subsidiary of the Flyers’ owners and parent company Comcast-Spectacor.
This season will mark the fourth time the Maple Leafs have played in London, earning each of the previous victories versus the Flyers in 2013, 2010, and 2009.
“Budweiser Gardens is one of our most important accounts," said Global Spectrum President John Page. "It is the hub of our Canadian business. Bringing the Flyers to Budweiser Gardens is an opportunity to bring all of the Comcast-Spectacor entities together to showcase our family of products."
“As always, we are very excited about playing a preseason game at Budweiser Gardens. The fan support in London, Ontario has always been great and we look forward to the game,” said Philadelphia Flyers President Paul Holmgren.
This game will also be the tenth presented by Scotiabank. As part of its Community Hockey Sponsorship program, Scotiabank continues to demonstrate its commitment to both professional and local levels of hockey, reaching more than 4,500 minor teams across Canada. “Scotiabank’s support is integral to making this a yearly event as we will celebrate the Flyers’ return for the tenth season,” said Global Spectrum’s Brian Ohl, Regional Vice President and General Manager of Budweiser Gardens. “London is a great hockey town with enthusiastic and passionate fans. Scotiabank has always enhanced this fan experience, making it very special for our community.”
Talbot Street will be closed before the game starting at 4:00 p.m. for an annual ‘Hockey Day in London’ block party. Details regarding outdoor entertainment prior to puck drop as well as charitable benefactors for the game will be released at a later date in summer 2014.
The Flyers hold a 4-3-2 record in London, following a loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2013. Other NHL teams that have previously been through the facility doors over ten seasons include the Ottawa Senators, Pittsburgh Penguins, Washington Capitals, Atlanta Thrashers, and New York Islanders.
Global Spectrum is able to unveil its synergies and diverse resources with a yearly preseason game as part of its parent company. Founded in 1974, Comcast-Spectacor is a Philadelphia-based sports and entertainment company which owns the Flyers, their home arena – the Wells Fargo Center – and four Flyers Skate Zone community ice skating and hockey rinks. Global Spectrum is the fastest growing facility management firm with more than 110 client venues worldwide. Ovations Food Services, Paciolan ticketing software, and Front Row Marketing are also subsidiary partners of Comcast-Spectacor.Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina claims she was harassed and bribed by Hillary Clinton to illegally elect a Foundation donor to a run a bank.
While secretary of State, Hillary made a personal call to the prime minister, demanding that she “pull some strings” and install prominent Clinton donor, Dr. Muhammed Yunus, as the chairman of the country’s most famous microcredit bank, Grameen Bank.
Circa.com reports: The bank’s nonprofit Grameen America, which Yunus chairs, has given between $100,000 and $250,000 to the Clinton Global Initiative. Grameen Research, which is chaired by Yunus, has donated between $25,000 and $50,000, according to the Clinton Foundation website.
“Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton telephoned Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in March 2011 insisting her not to remove Dr. Muhammad Yunus from the post of Managing Director of Grameen Bank,” Deputy Press Secretary Md Nazrul Islam told Circa in an email.
Islam said the prime minister informed Mrs. Clinton that according to Grameen Bank rules and regulations, nobody can hold the position of the Managing Director of Grameen Bank after the age of 60. He was 70 at the time of his removal and had wrangled for months to no avail with the prime minister over his removal.
According to the Bangladesh government, Grameen Bank is part of a statutory body of the government and therefore is subject to the banking laws, saying they told Clinton “Dr. Yunus drew salaries and allowances illegally for 10 years.”
A commission set up by the Bangladesh government also began investigating Grameen Bank in 2012 for financial mismanagement.
Yunus did not return calls seeking comment. But he has long denied any wrongdoing and suggested his ouster was the result of internal politics — he considered creating a rival political party in 2007 but ended up not doing so.
In a 2013 interview, Yunus said he feared his ouster would put the bank he founded to help millions of impoverished people with microcredit — small loans that are often unsecured by assets but have higher interest rates — under too much government control and alter its mission.
“It will be a disaster,” he said at the time. “Everybody in Bangladesh knows that if any business is controlled by the government, it goes down. Now why do they want to do that for the bank?
“Attack me as a person if you don’t like me, but what wrong has the bank done? The bank is owned by the poor women, it is financed with their deposits,” he added. “The bank should be under the control of those women. That’s the way I had always wanted to keep it.”
Mrs. Clinton’s newly disclosed call to reinstate Dr. Yunus marks one of the most direct involvements in an official government matter that impacted one of her husband’s donors. It may trigger new calls for a criminal investigation into the foundation’s activities but “it’s not likely that anything would come of it,” said Richard Painter, former Chief White House ethics lawyer for President George W. Bush.
“People in public life shouldn’t be raising money from anybody, anywhere, or for anything,” Painter said. “But until we fix the campaign finance system this is the way it’s going to be.”
Painter, who supported Clinton during her campaign for president, said that there is little if any evidence that she crossed any legal lines regarding the Clinton Foundation. He said favoritism to somebody giving money to campaign is often and frequent in Washington D.C. politics and “if that were the case we’d be investigating the entire U.S. Congress.”
“This shows the Clinton’s insensitivity to the public’s anger and lack of judgement when they expanded the fundraising beyond politics,” said Painter, who said people in public office should not be raising money.
But opponents of Mrs. Clinton, including President Trump before the election, have made calls for a criminal investigation into the foundation and whether there was a pay-for-play, in which they donors allegedly received favors from the State Department during her tenure from 2009-2013.
The Associated Press reported in August, that at least 85 of 154 “people from private interests who met or had phone conversations with Clinton while she led the State Department donated to her family charity” or pledged to donate to one of her international programs.
While Mrs. Clinton was at the State Department she also voted to approve 20 percent sale of U.S. uranium production capacity to the Russian Atomic Energy Agency. The company donated $2.5 million to the Clinton Foundation while the deal was ongoing and before the deal was finalized President Bill Clinton was invited to Moscow and given $500,000 for a speech.
And when it came to Yunus, declassified cables show that Mr. Yunus sought to use Mrs. Clinton’s power as secretary of state to pressure the Bangladesh government.
In 2009, Dr. Yunus sent a personal email to then Secretary of State Clinton’s office asking for intervention into the Bangladesh bank and stated his concerns, according to a declassified WikiLeaks cable.
Those declassified cables show the U.S. ambassador also raised the issue with government officials prior to Mrs. Clinton’s call and that Mrs. Clinton asked State officials to alert her husband to the problems Yunus was having with Bangladesh.
“Please see if the issues of Grameen Bank can be raised in a friendly way,” the email from Yunus to then Clinton advisor Melanne Verveer stated. “I sought an appointment with the Prime Minister to brief her on our problems, at the advice of the U.S. Ambassador in Dhaka.”
Yunus received the Medal of Freedom in 2009, from President Obama, for his work in aiding the 150 million poor families receive financing and business loans through his microfinance program at the bank.
“Almost every important person in Bangladesh congratulated me for receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom,” he states in the cable. “But the Prime Minister and her party said not a word about it, so you can see the depth of the problem,“ Yunus wrote in the cable to Verveer, who now is the executive director of the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security at Georgetown University. “I thought I should keep you briefed and let you figure out what to be done. Thanks for your help,” Yunus wrote to Verveer in 2009. Verveer could not be reached for comment.
Sajeeb Wazed, the son of Prime Minister Hasina, and a permanent U.S. resident, says that between 2010 and 2012, he was repeatedly pressured to ask his mother to end the investigation into Mr. Yunus, and threatened with an audit or other action if he did not comply.
In an interview with Circa News, Wazed claims that Clinton State Department employees pressured him to talk with his mother, the prime minister, and get her to end the investigation into Yunus. He has no documentation to back up this claim.
“At two instances during those conversations they brought up the fact that, ‘look, there could be many actions taken against your country, your mother, your family, who knows, you could get audited by the IRS, since you live in the U.S.,” said Wazed, who has been making the allegations for over five years.
The allegations by Wazed have not been independently confirmed by Circa, and he has no documentation to back up his statement. Requests for comment on both Wazed’s claims and response to Prime Minister Hasina’s statement have not been returned by Secretary Clinton, her representatives, or the Clinton Foundation.Fallacy: Confusing Cause and Effect Also Known as: Questionable Cause Description of Confusing Cause and Effect Confusing Cause and Effect is a fallacy that has the following general form: A and B regularly occur together. Therefore A is the cause of B. This fallacy requires that there is not, in fact, a common cause that actually causes both A and B. This fallacy is committed when a person assumes that one event must cause another just because the events occur together. More formally, this fallacy involves drawing the conclusion that A is the cause of B simply because A and B are in regular conjunction (and there is not a common cause that is actually the cause of A and B). The mistake being made is that the causal conclusion is being drawn without adequate justification. In some cases it will be evident that the fallacy is being committed. For example, a person might claim that an illness was caused by a person getting a fever. In this case, it would be quite clear that the fever was caused by illness and not the other way around. In other cases, the fallacy is not always evident. One factor that makes causal reasoning quite difficult is that it is not always evident what is the cause and what is the effect. For example, a problem child might be the cause of the parents being short tempered or the short temper of the parents might be the cause of the child being problematic. The difficulty is increased by the fact that some situations might involve feedback. For example, the parents' temper might cause the child to become problematic and the child's behavior could worsen the parents' temper. In such cases it could be rather difficult to sort out what caused what in the first place. In order to determine that the fallacy has been committed, it must be shown that the causal conclusion has not been adequately supported and that the person committing the fallacy has confused the actual cause with the effect. Showing that the fallacy has been committed will typically involve determining the actual cause and the actual effect. In some cases, as noted above, this can be quite easy. In other cases it will be difficult. In some cases, it might be almost impossible. Another thing that makes causal reasoning difficult is that people often have very different conceptions of cause and, in some cases, the issues are clouded by emotions and ideologies. For example, people often claim violence on TV and in movies must be censored because it causes people to like violence. Other people claim that there is violence on TV and in movies because people like violence. In this case, it is not obvious what the cause really is and the issue is clouded by the fact that emotions often run high on this issue. While causal reasoning can be difficult, many errors can be avoided with due care and careful testing procedures. This is due to the fact that the fallacy arises because the conclusion is drawn without due care. One way to avoid the fallacy is to pay careful attention to the temporal sequence of events. Since (outside of Star Trek), effects do not generally precede their causes, if A occurs after B, then A cannot be the cause of B. However, these methods go beyond the scope of this program. All causal fallacies involve an error in causal reasoning. However, this fallacy differs from the other causal fallacies in terms of the error in reasoning being made. In the case of a Post Hoc fallacy, the error is that a person is accepting that A is the cause of B simply because A occurs before B. In the case of the Fallacy of Ignoring a Common Cause A is taken to be the cause of B when there is, in fact, a third factor that is the cause of both A and B. For more information, see the relevant entries in this program. Examples of Confusing Cause and Effect Bill and Joe are having a debate about music and moral decay:
Bill: "It seems clear to me that this new music is causing the youth to become corrupt."
Joe: "What do you mean?"
Bill: "This rap stuff is always telling the kids to kill cops, do drugs, and abuse women. That is all bad and the kids today shouldn't be doing that sort of stuff. We ought to ban that music!"
Joe: "So, you think that getting rid of the rap music would solve the drug, violence and sexism problems in the US?"
Bill: "Well, it wouldn't get rid of it all, but it would take care of a lot of it."
Joe: "Don't you think that most of the rap singers sing about that sort of stuff because that is what is really going on these days? I mean, people often sing about the conditions of their time, just like the people did in the sixties. But then I suppose that you think that people were against the war and into drugs just because they listened to Dylan and Baez."
Bill: "Well..."
Joe: "Well, it seems to me that the main cause of the content of the rap music is the pre-existing social conditions. If there weren't all these problems, the rap singers probably wouldn't be singing about them. I also think that if the social conditions were great, kids could listen to the music all day and not be affected."
Bill: "Well, I still think the rap music causes the problems. You can't argue against the fact that social ills really picked up at the same time rap music got started." It is claimed by some people that severe illness is caused by depression and anger. After all, people who are severely ill are very often depressed and angry. Thus, it follows that the cause of severe illness actually is the depression and anger. So, a good and cheerful attitude is key to staying healthy. Bill sets out several plates with bread on them. After a couple days, he notices that the bread has mold growing all over it. Bill concludes that the mold was produced by the bread going bad. When Bill tells his mother about his experiment, she tells him that the mold was the cause of the bread going bad and that he better clean up the mess if he wants to get his allowance this week. [ Previous | Index | Next ] Home · Site Map · What's New? · Search Nizkor © The Nizkor Project, 1991-2012
This site is intended for educational purposes to teach about the Holocaust and to combat hatred. Any statements or excerpts found on this site are for educational purposes only. As part of these educational purposes, Nizkor may include on this website materials, such as excerpts from the writings of racists and antisemites. Far from approving these writings, Nizkor condemns them and provides them so that its readers can learn the nature and extent of hate and antisemitic discourse. Nizkor urges the readers of these pages to condemn racist and hate speech in all of its forms and manifestations.Starting Wednesday, March 13th, you’ll be able to make wiki pages even more useful, no matter what language you speak: we’re adding Lua as a templating language. This will make it easier for you to create and change infoboxes, tables, and other useful MediaWiki templates. We’ve already started to deploy Scribunto (the MediaWiki extension that enables this); it’s on several of the sites, including English Wikipedia, right now.
You’ll find this useful for performing more complex tasks for which templates are too complex or slow — common examples include numeric computations, string manipulation and parsing, and decision trees. Even if you don’t write templates, you’ll enjoy seeing pages load faster and with more interesting ways to present information.
Background
MediaWiki developers introduced templates and parser functions years ago to allow end-users of MediaWiki to replicate content easily and build tools using basic logic. Along the way, we found that we were turning wikitext into a limited programming language. Complex templates have caused performance issues and bottlenecks, and it’s difficult for users to write and understand templates. Therefore, the Lua scripting project aims to make it possible for MediaWiki end-users to use a proper scripting language that will be more powerful and efficient than ad-hoc, parser functions-based logic. The example of Lua’s use in World of Warcraft is promising; even novices with no programming experience have been able to make large changes to their graphical experiences by quickly learning some Lua.
Lua on your wiki
As of March 13th, you’ll be able to use Lua on your home wiki (if it’s not already enabled). Lua code can be embedded into wiki templates by employing the {{#invoke:}} parser function provided by the Scribunto MediaWiki extension. The Lua source code is stored in pages called modules (e.g., Module:Bananas). These individual modules are then invoked on template pages. The example: Template:Lua hello world uses the code {{#invoke:Bananas|hello}} to print the text “Hello, world!”. So, if you start seeing edits in the Module namespace, that’s what’s going on.
Getting started
Check out the basic “hello, world!” instructions, then look at Brad Jorsch’s short presentation for a basic example of how to convert a wikitext template into a Lua module. After that, try Tim Starling’s tutorial.
To help you preview and test a converted template, try Special:TemplateSandbox on your wiki. With it, you can preview a page using sandboxed versions of templates and modules, allowing for easy testing before you make the sandbox code live.
Where to start? If you use pywikipedia, try parsercountfunction.py by Bináris, which helps you find wikitext templates that currently parse slowly and thus would be worth converting to Lua. Try fulfilling open requests for conversion on English Wikipedia, possibly using Anomie’s Greasemonkey script to help you see the performance gains. On English Wikipedia, some of the templates have already been converted — feel free to reuse them on your wiki.
The Lua hub on mediawiki.org has more information; please add to it. And enjoy your faster, more flexible templates!
Sumana Harihareswara, Engineering Community ManagerDear Feminists who do not understand Anti-Feminist Females,
To be honest, I’ve never seen an anti-feminist female who disregards what first and second generation feminists gave her. Instead, they disagree with some of the philosophies and hypocrisy third wave feminism has given us. (At the same time keep in mind not everyone who fought for women’s rights in the past was a feminist.)
We abhor that they have denied rights to abuse victims and bastardized them when they try to make safe spaces for male victims and let child molesters freely roam (because they’re female and hide under the guise of “feminist” *cough* Lena Dunham *cough*). We also abhor that you think really menial stupid things should be included in your movement like “man spreading” (because clearly you have balls and have never taken up spaces with your purses or bags even accidentally), or protecting people who are confirmed liars and not credible sources of information who only get money because they call themselves “feminists” *cough* Anita Sarkeesian *cough*.
You claim you are not entitled to explain to women why they should be a feminist because it should be “self explanatory”, if this sounds like you you’re not being a good activist. Yet when you do give the time of day you only explain what you THINK it means. And at the same time as you are shown opposing evidence you refuse to believe your movement has high levels of toxicity within it. Not only that, but you refuse to fix it.
You support people in your movement who hate men. You support people who are anti-trans woman. You support people who have “misandry” written in their blog name or “fuck trans guys” in their posts and “strippers are fuckin dumb”. Yet you SAY you stand for equality. But you don’t shut them down or let them know “that’s not what I want feminism to be”?
And at the same time any woman who leaves your movement isn’t a real woman. (Because clearly women cannot think for themselves.) You make us out to be pariahs with “internalized misogyny” (because we disagree with you) while ignoring the diversity of the women leaving. Women who have been raped or victims of sexual assault have left. women who are non-white have left. women who are LGBT have left. women who are desperately impoverished have left. women who have experienced cruelty/ domestic violence at the hands of men have left.
Before you say it: No, we haven’t left in an effort to stop fighting for women. A lot of us ARE women. We left because we want true equality.
Hating men does nothing to help women.
Hating trans people and not including them d oes nothing to help women.
Denying female abusers/rapsits/ molesters exist and are a problem does nothing to help women
Denying that females sometimes get a benefit in this society (custody rights over 90% of the time, ability to claim child support on a child made when the woman raped the man, not having to sign away their body to the government for draft due to how they were born, lesser jail time for the same crime, not having it a common practice to cut off half of the skin on their genitals at birth) does nothing to help women.
get a benefit in this society (custody rights over 90% of the time, ability to claim child support on a child made when the woman raped the man, not having to sign away their body to the government for draft due to how they were born, lesser jail time for the same crime, not having it a common practice to cut off half of the skin on their genitals at birth) Saying trash about women who do not believe in your movement does nothing to help women. (and probably makes them less likely to rejoin you!)
(and probably makes them less likely to rejoin you!) Not taking the word of a woman who is of said culture who says something is not sexist and saying “well I think it’s sexist therefore it is” does nothing to help women.
think it’s sexist therefore it is” Only applying western feminism as the solution does nothing to help women
Saying “this is why I need feminism” yet not being able to explain how feminism helps the problem does nothing to help women
Publishing false statistics on rape/ sexist bait material does nothing to help women.
. Not teaching women self defense and saying “we should teach men not to rape” (because that totally worked with stealing is wrong, and totally not treating an entire gender like subhuman creatures who are born to rape) does nothing to help women.
Not supporting sex workers, strippers and the porn industry (because some women like that they do, yes really) and promoting safety in it does nothing to help women.
Not to mention you recite to us in a biblical way “what feminism is in the dictionary” and yet say “it’s only radfems that believe those extreme things”. Yet you deny your micro-agressions in your blogging (ex: boys are disgusting) or your assumptions you now make on someone because of their gender (ie: guy looks a little ugly and creepy and different so I’m going to judge him on his appearance and not his actions and think he’s potentially an attacker). Think about it.
You want it to be equality and get mad when somebody thinks it’s not. It’s YOUR movement. If you want to keep people in it and not making assumptions on how detrimental some of the politics has been for other groups, YOU need to fix it!
Just the same as you do not need to support PETA for animal rights or FKH8 for gay rights, you do not need to be a feminist to support women’s rights.
pro-bees-anti-feminism privilegedlittlecunt a-cis-anti-feminist egalitarianqueen trans-anti-feminist'The guy does deserve a bullet,' Eric Trump says of David Duke
CLOSE Eric Trump made the comment while on a talk radio show Thursday. Video provided by Newsy Newslook
Remember when Republican nominee Donald Trump took a lot of criticism after he didn't strongly disavow former Ku Klux Klan grand wizard David Duke's endorsement during the primary campaign? Well, his son, Eric Trump made sure there was no ambiguity regarding his own opinion of Duke, telling a Denver radio host on Tuesday that he thinks the white supremacist deserves "a bullet."
After KHOW host Ross Kaminsky said that Duke — who is running for a Louisiana Senate seat — "desperately deserves a bullet in the head," Trump agreed.
"Ross, it's disgusting," Trump said. "And by the way, if I said exactly what you said, I'd get killed for it. But I think I'll say it anyway. The guy does deserve a bullet. These aren't good people. These are horrible people."
Trump went on to commend his father's outreach to African-Americans. "My father is the first Republican who's gone out and said, 'Listen, what's happened to the African-American community is horrible and I'm going to take care of it.'"
Trump said the Democrats are deliberately trying to make his father look like a bigot by tying him to Duke. "This is the MO of the DNC," he said. He said the Clinton campaign intended to discredit his father by labeling him a "bigot, a racist, xenophobic, this and that."
Despite Duke's racist views, some might say advocating his assassination is a bit over the top. Perhaps the younger Trump ought to have heeded the advice he said he sometimes gives his father that "sometimes you're just too brutally direct."
But, as Eric Trump said inthe radio interview, "In terms of guns we're the most pro-Second Amendment family in the entire world."
Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/2eZr8hPProject Reality is a standalone mod for Battlefield 2. It's community is full of die-hard fans who play the multiplayer shooter much like a military simulator, communicating in squad-speak, and planning out their movements as a unit.
Last week a post appeared on the Project Reality forums from a severely visually impaired fan. "I have been listening to many YouTube videos featuring Project reality," Hadi wrote. A big fan of war films, he loved listening to players talking to each other over the radio, discussing tactics over the intense gunfire surrounding them.
Hadi wanted to know if he could join a game just so he could listen to the radio in-game.
The problem was that to hear radio chatter you have to be part of a squad and, if he joined, that would mean an active player wouldn't be able to take part. The squad would effectively be one man down. There's a commander role he could play but Hadi admitted he wouldn't be able to make out the details on the screen to mark the map for squad commanders.
Then BlueDrake42 spotted the thread. A regular Project Reality YouTuber, Blue had an idea for how Hadi could actively take part.
Blue sometimes plays a VIP game, where his squad has to escort a player from one side of the map to the other, all the while under fire from the other team. If Hadi played then they could roleplay that he was a wounded soldier who they had to escort over the battlefield. Because Hadi can't see they'd have to guide him over team chat.
Hadi agreed and the result is a seriously good watch.
Using local comms, Blue speaks constantly so that Hadi is able to follow the sound of his voice. The squad can't move too quickly because Hadi could fall behind. When they stumble into combat Hadi isn't able to see where the attacks are coming from so they have to always remain aware of where Hadi is and keep him looped into the action.
If you skip to about six minutes in then that's where the action starts to pick up.Kiana Aviles was not feeling safe at her high school on Thursday after reports that several white students walked through the hallways Wednesday shouting "white power" while carrying Donald Trump signs.
UPDATE: Three students have been suspended
Aviles, a senior at York County School of Technology in York, texted her parents Thursday to come pick her up. She was among the students leaving the high school midday concerned about their safety as rumors spread across social media.
"This is not something that usually happens here," Aviles said. "This is crazy."
As they streamed out of the school midday on Thursday, dozens of students and parents reported a tense situation at the school. The situation began on Wednesday after several white students walked through hallways with Donald Trump campaign signs shouting "white power" and threatening violence.
A video of the incident was posted on Facebook and swiftly spread across other social media platforms. Many parents said they learned of the situation from the social media posts - not administrators.
Aviles, who is Hispanic, said she had been at lunch on Wednesday when several students began chanting "white power." She said other white students spit in the face of minority students.
"This is not normal," she said. "This is rare."
A ninth-grader, Atayshia, who did not want to give her last name, said she witnessed fighting in the cafeteria and white students yelling that they were going to "deport Mexicans back to Mexico and blacks back to Africa."
Atayshia, who is biracial, said one students yelled at her that she should be deported "back to Africa."
"I just said 'I'm not from Africa,'" she said.
Another student, who also only wanted to be identified by his first name, Yusef, said he was uncomfortable at the school.
"It's not safe," said Yusef, who is black. "I don't feel safe."
Students said the high school does not have metal detectors.
Yusef's mother said she rushed to the school to collect her son and daughter the minute she received a text from them about the situation at the school.
"I dropped everything," said Tai, who is black. She did not want to provide her last name. "My children should not have to tolerate something so sinister."
Tai said she was angry with administrators for not communicating more to parents about the situation.
School Director David Thomas said on Thursday afternoon that three students have been suspended as a result of the Trump sign and "white power shout," which was captured on surveillance video. A fourth suspension is possible, he said. However, Thomas said administrators and the school resource officer, who is a police officer, haven't been able to substantiate reports of subsequent incidents such as students being spit on.
PennLive earlier reported that York County Regional Police Lt. Tobin Zech said police were not aware of any physical scuffles or injuries. He said police investigated the incident on Wednesday, but found no crime was committed. Zech said the incident was "exaggerated" on social media. "We've investigated. We're monitoring it, but it hasn't risen to the level of police action at this point," he said
Students on Thursday, however, said there had been at least one melee in the school cafeteria, with "a lot of students" involved.
Shailynn Cornish, a 10th-grader, said that the reports circulating on social media about white students spitting minority students in the face were true. Cornish said students had also slashed the tires of at least one car in the parking lot.
"It's not usually like this here," Shailynn said. "It's because of the election. All these white people who are for Trump are going against all the blacks and Hispanics. They are going around shouting white power and being racists towards blacks. It's not safe. You are not comfortable."
Her mother, Jeleny Rivera, who came Thursday morning to collect her daughter, said she was disgusted with the situation and equally frustrated at the school's administration for failure to handle the situation appropriately.
Rivera said she first heard about the incidents via Facebook, as well as plans by parents to collect their children on Thursday.
"It really saddens me as a parent," Rivera said. "The administration isn't responding."
Parents take students out of York County school following tension prompted by Trump sign
Shailynn said that on Thursday morning, police, the district superintendent and the mayor had visited the cafeteria while students were there, but that they had not addressed the students.
"They only observed," she said.
PennLive, which reported live as it unfolded Thursday, attempted to interview white students and their parents but all declined.
The incidents at the vocational high school is among several racial incidents that have marred schools communities across the region in recent weeks.
A few weeks ago, a Central Dauphin student posted a picture on Instagram of herself holding a poster that she had written, which read: "You stupid (expletive)."
Last week, a group of Central Dauphin students launched a movement called #destroythehate to combat hate and intolerance at the school.0 of 5
Andrew D. Bernstein/Getty Images
The Los Angeles Clippers are at an organizational crossroads this summer, with three-quarters of its core hitting free agency and new executive Jerry West signing on to refocus the franchise's personnel vision.
No surprise, then, that Chris Haynes of ESPN.com reported L.A.'s lone key piece still under contract next season, DeAndre Jordan, might be available via trade.
Brad Turner of the Los Angeles Times refuted the notion, but that doesn't do anything to skirt the logic of exploring a Jordan deal this summer.
The Clips could lose Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and J.J. Redick in free agency. Jordan wouldn't be a great fit on the rebuilding team that L.A. would become without that trio.
Even if there's a chance the Clippers keep this group together, we know it can't beat the Golden State Warriors. In fact, based on last season, we know it couldn't even beat the Utah Jazz. With age and injury concerns intensifying, where's the upside to running it back?
Plus, there's no way the 79-year-old West signed on at this stage of his career to preside over the same stale group he knows can't compete at a championship level. He'll want to start tinkering, building something new.
We've got just one whispered report out there, so we'll have to get creative coming up with other destinations and packages for Jordan. Turns out there are a handful of intriguing ones.On Media Blog Archives Select Date… December, 2015 November, 2015 October, 2015 September, 2015 August, 2015 July, 2015 June, 2015 May, 2015 April, 2015 March, 2015 February, 2015 January, 2015
A 2004 article about Donald Trump in Esquire | Esquire Esquire editor: Donald Trump 'completely misrepresenting what he said' in 2004 article
Esquire magazine has updated a story about Donald Trump from 2004 in an effort to set the record straight about what the Republican presidential nominee said to the magazine about the Iraq War more than a decade ago.
Esquire editor in chief Jay Fielden told POLITICO that Trump was "com |
Times newsletters.
Not everyone agrees that the car parts incubator is the best solution for infant deaths. Skeptics cite a 2005 series of articles in the British journal The Lancet listing proven interventions — including outreach visits during pregnancy, skilled care at delivery and emergency treatment afterward — that could eliminate up to 72 percent of neonatal deaths worldwide.
“Even if we just do what we know now, we could save roughly two-thirds of the infants who are dying,” said Dr. Stephen Wall, a senior research adviser at Save the Children, an independent nonprofit organization.
In his work in resource-poor countries, Dr. Wall has strongly promoted a strategy called kangaroo mother care, in which an infant is placed on the mother’s chest immediately and continuously after birth, ensuring warm skin-to-skin contact and breast-feeding.
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The method has been documented to raise survival in low-birth-weight babies who are medically stable, and Dr. Wall says global health practitioners should promote the practice more strongly before endorsing a new device. He notes that most babies in the developing world are born not in hospitals but at home.
“For now,” he said, “there’s an urgent need to provide simple solutions that can be used by families, information that can be shared through community health workers, women’s groups or other community mechanisms.”
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But others view the issue differently. “Mothers who are sick and can’t handle their kid, and mothers who can’t nurse, typically don’t take to kangaroo care,” said Dr. Malkin, at Duke. Nor do mothers who have to return to work to support their families, or whose cultures practice carrying infants on the back rather than the chest.
And by itself, the kangaroo method is not enough to help the smallest or sickest babies. Although low-birth-weight infants make up only 14 percent of babies born, they account for 60 percent to 80 percent of neonatal deaths.
“The bottom line is yes, we need more simple technologies in hospitals for the complicated cases,” said Dr. Renée Van de Weerdt, chief of maternal, newborn and child health at Unicef. “At the same time, we need to accelerate efforts to get skin-to-skin care more widely used for the noncomplicated cases.”
The car parts incubator has received $150,000 in initial financing from Cimit. The project team is looking for foundation support to develop a working prototype. Because it does not rely on original products or processes, the incubator will most likely not be patented, though Massachusetts General Hospital (Dr. Olson’s home institution) and Design That Matters will share intellectual property rights.
Meanwhile, the team is refining its business model and solidifying business partnerships abroad. “The technology is the least difficult part of the problem,” Mr. Prestero said. “Manufacturing, financing, distribution, regulatory approval: those are major barriers. There aren’t many examples of a successfully scaled product to serve the poor.”
If international health care bodies like the World Health Organization and the United Nations Population Fund endorse the incubator, he said, it could speed developing countries’ adoption of the device, even without approval of the Food and Drug Administration in the United States.
Advertisement Continue reading the main story
Dr. Olson says his determination to create a cheap, reliable incubator — and medical training to go with it — was reinforced on a trip this year to Cut Nyak Dhien Hospital, a one-story concrete building in the tsunami-stricken city of Meulaboh, Indonesia.
“When I walked in the incubator room,” he said, “a whole family was sobbing around a crib.” Their 7-day-old baby boy, who was born slightly underweight and suffering from infection, had just died, after lying for hours on a cold cot. With warmth and proper care, he would have survived.
Crowding the room were six donated high-tech incubators from the West. None of them worked.NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Gunmen threw grenades and opened fire Saturday killing at least 10 people in an attack targeting non-Muslims at an upscale mall in Kenya's capital that was hosting a children's day event, witnesses said.
A local hospital was overwhelmed with the number of wounded being brought in hours after the attack, so they had to divert them to a second facility.
Elijah Kamau, who was at the mall at the time of the midday attack, said that the gunmen made a declaration that non-Muslims would be targeted.
"The gunmen told Muslims to stand up and leave. They were safe, and non-Muslims would be targeted," he said.
Manish Turohit, 18, said he saw gunmen with AK-47s and vests with hand grenades on them inside the mall before he escaped to hide in a parking garage for two hours.
"They just came in and threw a grenade. We were running and they opened fire. They were shouting and firing," he said after being marched out of the mall in line with about 15 people who held their hands in the air.
Rob Vandijk, who works at the Dutch embassy, said he was eating at a restaurant inside the mall when attackers lobbed hand grenades inside the building. He said gunfire then burst out and people screamed as they dropped to the ground.
It appears the attack began at the outdoor seating area of Artcaffe at the front of the mall, witnesses said.
Patrick Kuria, an employee at Artcaffe, said: "We started by hearing gunshots downstairs and outside. Later we heard them come inside. We took cover. Then we saw two gunmen wearing black turbans. I saw them shoot."
Some people were shot at the entrance to the mall after volleys of gunfire moved outside and a standoff with police began. Ambulances continued to stream in and out of the mall area, ferrying the wounded who were gradually emerging from hiding inside the mall.
Many of those running from the mall clutched small children. Others were crying. Mall guards used shopping carts to wheel out wounded children.
Associated Press journalists at the mall said they saw at least 10 dead bodies and dozens wounded hours after the attack began. Officials did not yet give an official death toll.
"We are treating this as a terrorist attack," said police chief Benson Kibue, adding that there are likely no more than 10 attackers involved. Gunfire continued to be exchanged outside the mall, as a group of people remained in hiding inside the building.
Police did not say what group was responsible for the attack.
Somali's rebel group al-Shabab vowed in late 2011 to carry out a large-scale attack in Nairobi in retaliation for Kenya's sending of troops into Somalia to fight the Islamic insurgents.
The Westgate Mall is situated in Nairobi's affluent Westlands area and is frequented by expatriates and rich Kenyans.
___
Associated Press reporter Tom Odula in Nairobi, Kenya contributed to this report.U.S. Under-17 Men's National Team head coach Richie Williams has named the 21-player roster that will represent the United States at the 2015 FIFA U-17 World Cup, which runs from Oct. 17-Nov. 8 in Chile.
"I think it's a pretty well-rounded roster," said Williams. "When you look over the two-plus years we've been together, we've had the ability to push forward and score goals with a lot of talented attacking players, but also on the defensive end we've had a lot of great games where we've defended well. We were able to play a good amount of international matches and domestic matches, and we hope through all of those experiences we have a really balanced team of 21 players that comes together and gets positive results."
The U-17's were drawn into Group A with host Chile, Croatia and Nigeria and open group play against Nigeria on Oct. 17 at 4 p.m. ET in Santiago. The team will then square off with Croatia on Oct. 20 at 4 p.m. ET in Vina Del Mar and Chile on Oct. 23 at 7 p.m. ET in Vina Del Mar.
Twenty players on the roster were a part of the Under-17 team that defeated Jamaica in penalty kicks in March to qualify the USA for the World Cup and 20 are products of the U.S. Soccer Development Academy.
The team will bring along nine of its goal scorers from 2015 to Chile: Hugo Arellano, Pierre da Silva, Luca de la Torre, Joe Gallardo, Joshua Perez, Christian Pulisic, Brandon Vazquez, Haji Wright and Alejandro Zendejas. Perez leads the way with six goals this year.
The World Cup will be played in eight cities in Chile: Chillan, Concepcion, Coquimbo, La Serena, Puerto Montt, Santiago/Nunoa, Talca, and Vina Del Mar. The championship and third place matches take place Sunday, Nov. 8, at the 24,000-capacity Estadio Sausalito in Vina del Mar.
A total of 24 countries participate in the tournament. The top two teams in each group, as well as the best four third-place teams, advance to the Round of 16 on October 28 and 29.
In its last U-17 World Cup appearance in 2011, the USA was drawn into Group D where it finished in second place (1-1-1) ahead of New Zealand and the Czech Republic, and behind Uzbekistan. The MNT faced off with Germany in the Round of 16, falling 4-0 to the eventual third-place finisher.
The U.S. qualified for the U-17 World Cup with a third-place finish at the 2015 CONCACAF U-17 Championship in March. After winning its group with a 3-1-1 record, the U.S. clinched its spot in Chile by defeating Jamaica 5-4 in penalty kicks.
This is the 15th occasion that the USA has advanced to a FIFA World Youth Championship or World Cup at this age group. The USA's best performance was a fourth-place finish at the FIFA U-17 World Youth Championship in 1999 that included wins against Uruguay and Mexico. The U.S. nearly reached the final, falling in a penalty kick shootout to Australia in the semifinal.
Roster by Position:
GOALKEEPERS (3): Eric Lopez (LA Galaxy II; Westminster, Calif.), William Pulisic (Richmond United; Mechanicsville, Va.), Kevin Silva (Players Development Academy; Bethlehem, Pa.)
DEFENDERS (8): Tyler Adams (New York Red Bulls II; Wappinger Falls, N.Y.),Hugo Arellano (LA Galaxy Academy; Norwalk, Calif.), Daniel Barbir (West Bromwich Albion; Allentown, Penn.), Tanner Dieterich (Real Salt Lake Academy; Nashville, Tenn.), John Nelson (Internationals; Medina, Ohio), Matthew Olosunde (New York Red Bulls Academy; Trenton, N.J.), Auston Trusty (Philadelphia Union Academy; Media, Pa.), Alexis Velela (New York Cosmos; San Diego, Calif.)
MIDFIELDERS (5): Eric Calvillo (Real So Cal; Palmdale, Calif.), Luca de la Torre (Fulham F.C. San Diego, Calif.), Thomas McCabe (Players Development Academy; South Orange, N.J.), Christian Pulisic (Borussia Dortmund; Hershey, Pa.), Alejandro Zendejas (FC Dallas; El Paso, Tex.)
FORWARDS (5): Pierre da Silva (Orlando City SC Academy; Port Chester, N.Y.), Joe Gallardo (C.F. Monterrey; San Diego, Calif.), Joshua Perez (Unattached; La Habra, Calif.), Brandon Vazquez (Club Tijuana; Chula Vista, Calif.), Haji Wright (New York Cosmos; Los Angeles, Calif.)
Roster NotesTALLAHASSEE — Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll abruptly resigned Tuesday after law enforcement officials questioned her about ties to a purported veterans charity at the center of a $300 million illegal gambling investigation.
Florida law enforcement officials would not say whether Carroll, 53, is facing possible criminal charges in connection with the case. Gov. Rick Scott said Wednesday afternoon that he did not know whether Carroll would be charged with a crime.
Carroll, in a 400-word statement, said she does not believe she is being targeted by investigators.
"She resigned, and she did the right thing for her state and for her family," Scott said. He said he will not name Carroll's replacement until the end of the legislative session in May.
At issue: Carroll's connections to Allied Veterans of the World, a Florida nonprofit that operates a chain of Internet sweepstakes cafes as a pseudo-charity for veterans. The cafes sell Internet time for entries into sweepstakes on devices that resemble slot machines.
This week, close to 60 people associated with the company were arrested on various charges, including illegal gambling, racketeering and money laundering.
Carroll owned a public relations firm that represented Allied Veterans and while a member of the Florida House of Representatives, did work for the company. She later filmed an advertisement promoting Allied Veterans while serving as lieutenant governor.
Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigators interviewed Carroll about Allied Veterans on Tuesday. She resigned later that day after meeting with the governor's chief of staff and general counsel. She did not meet with Scott.
"I have and will continue to fully cooperate with any investigation," Carroll said in a statement, which was sent from a private email account to members of the media. "Although I do not believe I or my company are targets of the investigation, I could not allow my company's former affiliation with Allied Veterans to distract from the administration's important work for the families of Florida."
Though she was not well known throughout the state, Carroll had been seen as an important figure in the state Republican Party and a bridge to women and minority voters.
Born in Trinidad and a former U.S. Navy lieutenant commander, Carroll was the first African-American Republican woman elected to the Legislature and the first African-American woman elected lieutenant governor. She was on the short list to be named Charlie Crist's lieutenant governor in 2006 before Scott selected her four years later.
Carroll was a delegate to the Republican National Convention in 2012 and led a task force studying Florida's "Stand Your Ground" laws.
"Lt. Gov. Carroll resigned in an effort to keep her former affiliation with the company from distracting from our efforts to help make sure we do right for Florida families," Scott said. "I appreciate the effort she made on behalf of the great state of Florida. She was tireless. She put a lot of effort into military and to getting jobs going, and I'm very grateful for her service."
Sen. Aaron Bean, a Fernandina Beach Republican, said his "heart goes out" to Carroll. "She's a friend, and we care about her," he said. "I'm shocked."
Added Sen. Andy Gardiner, R-Orlando: "I think she did probably what was the right thing to keep the governor's agenda moving forward. And so it won't be a distraction. But it still hurts. It hurts for her, it hurts for her family."
Carroll attended Scott's March 5 State of the State address but did not speak. Her last major public remarks came March 3, at a dinner honoring Scott and hosted by the Florida Federation of Republican Women.
Her official calendar for Wednesday — which was released Tuesday evening — listed no public events.
The investigation into Allied Veterans started in 2009, law enforcement officials said Wednesday. Investigators said Allied Veterans tried to scheme and defraud the public and governmental agencies by misrepresenting how much of its proceeds were donated to charities affiliated with veterans affairs.
Carroll's public relations firm, 3 N. and J.C. Corporation, is currently inactive, according to the Florida Division of Corporations. But the company's primary source of income in 2009 and 2010 was Allied Veterans, financial disclosure forms show.
While serving in the state House in 2010, Carroll introduced legislation to legalize sweepstakes games such as those in cafes operated by Allied Veterans. Carroll later withdrew the proposed law, saying that it was filed erroneously and that she wasn't interested in legalizing Internet cafes, which operate in a legal gray area.
Internet sweepstakes cafes are big business in Florida. Since 2007, as many as 1,000 have popped up across the state, according to industry estimates, raking in $1 billion a year.
Customers buy Internet time loaded onto a card and get free sweepstakes entries they can reveal by playing games on computer screens that mimic slot machines.
Allied is a big player in Florida and has about 50 locations statewide. Allied has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on state lobbyists.
Carroll's time as lieutenant governor has not been without controversy.
Former travel aide Carletha Cole said she was fired in 2011 after complaining about Carroll in the media. Cole, who was later charged with sharing an illegal recording, said she once walked in on Carroll and a female staffer engaged in what appeared to be a sex act. The governor's office has described Cole's allegations as "outrageous."
Carroll's travel as lieutenant governor also has been an issue. Scott's office placed Carroll on a $10,000-a-month fixed travel budget after her travel costs ballooned to nearly $300,000 in 2011. Scott pays for his own travel.
With Scott's consent, Carroll also was assigned Florida Highway Patrol protection from a lower-ranking, less-expensive corporal.
Republican Party of Florida chairman Lenny Curry, who like Carroll is from Jacksonville, called Carroll a "great leader for our party and our state."
In her statement, Carroll said she was proud of her work to help veterans and the military industry.
"Although I have made a decision to leave public office, I will not withdraw from public life," she wrote. "I look forward to continuing to make Florida a better place for all, especially our men and women in uniform."
Times/Herald staff writers Steve Bousquet, Mary Ellen Klas and Toluse Olorunnipa and Times researcher Carolyn Edds contributed to this report.Dana Lewis is a good name to remember the next time you hear somebody say Alabama's mostly good for football and barbecue.
Lewis, a University of Alabama graduate who grew up in Huntsville, used social media, computer skills and mail-order parts to invent an artificial pancreas for people with diabetes. Along with co-inventor and husband Scott Leibrand, she's now giving her discovery away.
The device is a success - hundreds of people are using it, including Lewis - and it is bringing the young inventors increasing attention. Just this spring, Fast Company put the 28-year-old Lewis on its 2017 list of America's 100 "most creative people in business."
Diabetes is caused when the pancreas fails to make the insulin that helps the body turn glucose from sugar and carbohydrates into energy. Without insulin, sugar builds up in the blood stream. With too much insulin, it can fall to dangerously low levels. For diabetics, staying in the safe center is a constant challenge.
"You really do make hundreds of decisions a day about things that impact your blood sugar," Lewis said last week from her current home in Seattle. "It's a lot. And it really does impact everybody who cares for a person with diabetes - spouses, siblings, parents, grandparents. Oftentimes, a person with diabetes is surrounded by a half-a-dozen people who help care for them and love them."
Lewis was an example of that. She moved to Seattle for a job after graduating from Alabama. The daughter of a Huntsville engineer, she attended Grissom High School before going to Tuscaloosa.
Dana Lewis speaking about her invention at a meeting at the European Parliment. (Contributed)
At the university, Lewis minored in an honors research program that had her spend two years learning to program computers and two years working on projects that used them.
"That's where I got my first hands-on experience with coding," Lewis said, "and what was great about the program is it wasn't about training you to be a computer scientist." Instead, the goal was teaching "foundational skills" in computing to "use for whatever you decide you're interested in."
Living alone in Seattle, Lewis had a continuous glucose monitor and an insulin pump. But it wasn't enough.
"I was afraid at night because I am a super-deep, champion sleeper," Lewis said, "I sleep through the alarms on the device that are supposed to wake me up and save my life. I always thought, if only I could get my data off this thing, then I could use my phone or computer to make louder alarms."
The data Lewis wanted was from the monitor's checks on her blood sugar level every five minutes. The alarms were to warn her to eat sugar to raise a low glucose level or take insulin to lower a high one.
Enter social media.
In November 2013, Lewis saw a picture on Twitter. Someone had figured how to get the data off his continuous glucose monitor. "I reached out to him and said, 'Hey, can you share that?'" she said, "and he said yes."
Lewis was now in the Internet's "DIY (do-it-yourself)" space. She used the shared code successfully to get the data off her own device, then sent it to the cloud and back to her phone to make louder alarms. At first, that's all she wanted.
Then, Lewis thought "it would be nice for somebody else to see my data since I live alone." She programmed a Web interface to share the data with her boyfriend and, if he didn't respond, with her mother in Huntsville.
"Within the first couple of weeks of building this thing, I had two different instances where I was sleeping, I was low (blood sugar), I did not wake up to the alarm, and my boyfriend got his alarm and was able to call me.... And I woke up, drank juice, and everything was fine."
This image shows the size of the control device that Dana Lewis carries with her. (Contributed)
This was a real, meaningful life change, but the couple kept going. "I was giving the system data, and we figured out how to use that data and actually predict in the future what was going to happen," she said. "So, not only was I getting alarms saying, hey, right now you need to do something, but in an hour, your blood sugar is going to be low, but if you do a little bit of something now, you won't be stopped in your tracks later."
They had built an algorithm based on the data to predict the future. But it was still basically just an open loop. She got a recommendation from the monitor and had to act. She had to decide "what level of action do I want to be woken up for?"
The next step came quickly.
"We thought, wouldn't it be nice if, on the insulin side, instead of having to wake up and push a button on my pump, it could automatically adjust the pump for me," Lewis said.
She wasn't sure she needed this - she'd solved the super-sleep problem, after all - but social media stepped in again. "We found somebody else who had figured out how to directly communicate with my insulin pump and actually send commands to it," Lewis said. "And he's like, 'You know, you could plug this into your system and actually send commands to your insulin pump.' And he, too, shared his code. That's what open source is: free sharing of code."
They closed the loop. Result: an artificial pancreas that monitors blood sugar and controls the insulin pump.
Dana Lewis in a field of tulips outside Seattle. (Contributed)
"It gets data from what I've done, it gets my blood sugar and it says, huh, your blood sugar is rising, you need more insulin. So instead of 'alarming' and saying, Dana, wake up and take more insulin, it just sends a command to my pump that says increase the insulin a little bit for the next 30 minutes. And then in 5 minutes, it gets more data and sees what it's done...."
The computer makes these small adjustments every five minutes, never gets tired of doing the math, never sleeps and never fails to calculate precisely.
Lewis couldn't have done this even five years ago.
"I really do think it was the perfect combination of people being on social media, this growing concept of open-source collaboration and sharing the code, but also even the commercial hardware getting to where it was," she said.
"The first computer we used was actually a small Raspberry Pi. That's a small, credit-card sized computer, you can buy it on Amazon for $35-$40, and we plugged the radio stick into that, and that's what I carried with me to become the closed loop."
They've since downsized even more. Using an Intel Edison chip, Lewis's current artificial pancreas is "basically like a Tic Tac case in your pocket," she said.
It was December of 2014 when Dana's system was fully working. "I pretty much knew immediately this is not something I can keep to myself," she said.
To make and distribute it would violate federal regulations, and to become a company would mean dealing with those regulations. But there is no rule about launching a blueprint on the Internet. "So that's what we did," Lewis said, "and that's why we called it Open APS, which stands for open-sourced pancreas system."
You can go to openaps.org now and see Lewis's documentation and her code. You can look at the reference design and decide, in her words, "Do I want to do this?" You can also watch her explain the system further here.
Some people want to wait for a commercial device - some are in clinical trials now - and Lewis supports that decision, too. But if you don't want to wait, you don't have to wait. If you want to take some control back from diabetes, you can.
Since the website went up, Lewis said hundreds of people have built their own device. She and her husband now speak and present at diabetes conferences, and they continue to work on the program with the online diabetes community. They support the development of commercial devices because manufacturers can make enough to help thousands of people, not just hundreds.
The impact is even bigger, Lewis said, because the artificial pancreas isn't just affecting people with diabetes. It's affecting everyone who cares for them.
"This is a really, really meaningful change," she said, "and I can't imagine going back to what I call the dark ages of not having my family having visibility into my blood sugars and what's going on and the ability to control these things."Greetings HeroClix Fans! Welcome back for another exciting preview for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles HeroClix: Shredder’s Return set! Today we continue with the Fast Forces Pack and reveal the other three figures from the 1987 animated TV series, Leonardo, Bebop, and Rocksteady! In our previous article we saw how the other three turtles are focused on teamwork with their TMNT, TMNT Ally, Animal, and Martial Artist keywords; their shared Aquatic movement symbols, and traits that give each other combat value boosts, all at 50 points each. Let’s round out the team with the head honcho himself, Leonardo.
Click to enlarge.
Leonardo is The Turtle With The Plan boosting the attack values of other adjacent characters named Donatello, Michelangelo, or Raphael by +1 as a Unique Modifier with this trait (whether those characters are friendly or opposing, remember). Leonardo doesn’t mess around; he is all about getting up close to put his dual katana blades to work. He angles for the best attack pose with Sidestep, coaxes his allies into taking extra actions with Leadership, and doesn’t care that he only has a damage value of 1 because he is swinging his 11 attack value with Blades/Claws/Fangs! After he works up a sweat cutting some Foot Clan grunts to pieces, he gets Charge, Willpower, and Exploit Weakness as his attack, damage, and defense values increase. If we put all four of the Turtles in this Fast Forces Pack together and want to play them as a coherent squad, what we have is a numbers game. All four are 50 points each, totaling 200 points. For a standard 300 point Modern Age game they’ll need to find some other pieces to help out, but just within 200 they are a capable force. Keeping them all together to get the most out of their combat value boosting traits you have everyone with at least an 11 attack, Raphael boosted up to a 12, everyone sporting an 18 or better defense in close combat, Michelangelo and Donatello with 3 damage, and everyone able to move at least 9 squares with Raphael being able to Charge 5 squares out. Don’t forget you have access to several support powers with this crew thanks to Michelangelo’s Perplex, Leonardo’s Leadership, and Donatello’s Outwit and Support. They are ready to fight and make Master Splinter proud. Wait, what’s this? We have some interlopers snooping around the Central Park Zoo looking to pick a fight with the Turtles; it’s gang members Bebop and Rocksteady and it seems they’ve let some of the wildlife loose on the field!
Click to enlarge.
At 40 points each, Bebop and Rocksteady make perfect low level thugs whether they are with the Foot Clan or the Purple Dragons or just being rowdy party Animals. The purple mohawked and bespectacled Bebop keeps his sidearm ready with a range value of 4, Running Shot, and Energy Shield/Deflection. When he is all out of ammo he picks up his crowbar and goes berserk with Sidestep, Combat Reflexes, and Battle Fury. That’s not all he has up his short sleeves though. His trait, What’s This Mutagen Stuff Do Again, Boss? lets Bebop start the game with a Warthog bystander token in play next to him and when the opponent KO’s the Warthog with an attack this Bebop increases all of his combat values by +1 and can use the Warthog’s powers; Flurry, Blades/Claws/Fangs, and Toughness!
Click to enlarge.Chris Fox, CP24.com
A woman narrowly escaped injury after a car lost control and pushed a large garbage dumpster through the window of her apartment.
The accident happened on Cordova Street near Islington Avenue and Dundas Street at around 1 a.m.
Reports from the scene suggest that the vehicle was travelling at a high rate of speed when it lost control, mounted a curb and hit a garbage dumpster, pushing it through a parking lot and into the window of a ground-floor apartment.
“It almost hit someone right in the back of the head. She had just moved from the chair she was sitting on. Literally two minutes, she said. Thank god, thank god she got up. The bin went right through the window,” a witness at the scene told CP24.
The driver of the vehicle was arrested for an alcohol-related offence, police say.More later, but after a weekend filled with rumors that Lovejoy’s Taproom is closing, the word came down from on high. Owner, Eric Wolf, confirmed that the beloved, iconic bar is indeed to shutter on August 5th 2012.
Now it’s later:
I was there for the full ride.
Back when a night on the town in Austin meant a 1000 mile motorbike ride, I didn’t think too much of it. I’d head to New Orleans for a couple nights then punch through the haze and kill the final 540 miles so I could hit Lovejoys before last call. I was friends with an Austin nurse who loved rock n roll and dive bars and drinking.
We’d roll across downtown hitting the Black Cat, Blue Flamingo, the back courtyard of Bohemian Wrapcity {Meadowlark! Short Hate Temper!}, Emos when Big Kevin ruled the roost and then close out the night with pints of cider or Anchor Steam at Lovejoys.
Back then you could barely see the jukebox for the thick haze of tobacco smoke but Gary Floyd’s voice still managed to be heard. Lovejoy’s barkeeps always loved the Dicks.
Then there was the night that the punk kid from the Terminator {Stahl} got mouthy and was sent packing minus one of his flip flops. It’s still nailed up behind the bar.
I lost count of how many time I heard Homer Henderson belting out Picking Up Beer Cans On The Highway on a Monday night with 10 people in the bar. Still got all those 45’s Homer gave me out of the trunk of his car one night too.
Jason McMaster brought his Ignitor into the little bar room a while back and brought the house down. It was like being at the Backroom eons ago during his Dangerous Toys-era.
But the best part of Lovejoys has always been the bartenders. Kevin, Davis, Mike, Ethyl, Waldo, Rowdy, Cello and all the other good hearted souls are what made the bar the best in Austin. How many times did we hunker down over plates of brisket or bowls of chili at the end of the bar while Hank 3 serenaded us?
Let us also remember what drove the knife through the heart of Lovejoy’s. The smoking ban. The rockers, bikers and weirdos that make up the clientele are perhaps the hardest smoking bunch of desperadoes outside of the old Beverly’s. When the right to smoke was ripped out of their lungs, their patronage declined along with the revenue of the bar.
Anybody remember Gus Garcia? The former mayor of Austin took a look at Round Rock Texas’ ban and liked what he saw. Instead of moving to Round Rock so he could cavort in their patron-free clubs he decided to plant himself in the affairs of Austin’s nightlife community and institute a smoking ban.
It’s reductive, but what if Gilbert Martinez had bested Garcia back in the early 90s when Gus began what would be a long residency on the city council?
It’s amazing that Lovejoy’s lasted as long as they did after the ban. Yes, they flaunted the new rules in a desperate bid to remain solvent for a couple years but the city inspectors finally came in and put the mean mouth on the bar so tough that they caved in.
It’s a sad day in Austin y’all. We’ve lost one of our lions. The third place that so many of us yearn for as we shuttle between work and home is about to be gone forever.by Brett Stevens on July 11, 2017
If you believe everyone is equal, your mind naturally grasps the thought that people can be made into perfect citizens through “education.” This is a typical human mental convenience moment, because education does nothing of the sort; it teaches kids to use what they have, so the results depend on what they have. Education cannot make a single person smarter.
However, in order to keep the fiction of our democracy going, we have to insist that everyone goes through twelve years of daycare-slash-indoctrination camp so that they have the “facts,” most of which they will forget by the time the school year is out. Even more, we like to think that those who get high grades are the good people, because they are most of all else, obedient.
But it turns out not to be the case.
The point made by this video is that education is contrary to life. In education, there is a narrow set of solutions and memorization, obedience, conscientiousness and diligence to those rules is the answer. In life, the set of solutions is much broader, and what matters is depth of analysis and sticking to a problem to find its end, not just the plausible end as defined by those before you.
In addition, Americans are about to find out the other downside of education: since most cannot be taught, and there is not much to teach anyway since the smart kids essentially self-educate, the schools have been padding the hours with garbage for decades. The easiest garbage to teach is that which is not controversial: help the poor, support diversity, favor human rights, etc.
Smarter kids instinctively know this is filler and dodge it, at least after a decade or so. But to those who are not exceptional in any way, this gives them a cause of action. They know what is rewarded, and it is easier than real life, so they carry forth these nonsense ideas into real life. It gives them power that they would otherwise — as baristas and food service workers — never had.
Education has been a farce since it moved from the frontier classroom to the state school. Back on the frontier, learning to to read and write and do basic sums — the three Rs — was a great boon for people who otherwise would not have had the time to figure it out themselves. But that was a few hours a day, and did not last very long. Most of the great leaders of this country were “poorly educated” by modern standards.
When the state schools came around, they had to figure out a way to fill all those hours and also, how to incorporate kids who were increasingly not that bright. Education beyond the three Rs benefits those over 120 IQ points, and only those have a chance in hell of making it work out for sane ends. The rest just tag along, believe themselves educated and thus “equal” to those smarter than them, and from that, class warfare is but a step…
As usual, humans outsmart themselves by being intelligent enough to take control of their environment, but not wise enough to make it turn out better than nature does. If we left education up to the parents to fund, and returned the exorbitant property taxes they pay, the kids who needed education would get it at low cost, and everyone else would do just fine with the three Rs.
Tags: education, indoctrination, three Rs
Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus.Anyone with weak nerves or a heart condition should look away now. For here is an exciting fact. In the fiscal year 2017–18, government spending will dip slightly below 40%.
This isn’t actually very exciting. Slightly below forty percent of GDP is within the normal range of public spending in Britain. Surely, with initial planned cuts of 19% across all departments and more following, the state should be shrinking a lot faster than it is. But even with brutal cuts in welfare, the relative cost of social security has increased.
Why? To answer that, we have to debunk the austerity myths. But we have to go much deeper. We have to rethink the state from the bottom up.
Not about the ‘small state’
The Prime Minister promised us a lean state. His reasoning was that for Britain to be competitive in the global economy, it had to relieve the private sector of the burden of taxation and free more private capital to invest.
The neoliberal state says it is down-sizing, constantly—eviscerating itself, slashing its own wrists, trying to get out of people’s way since it was a cheeky glint in Hayek’s eye. Of course, the second there is any serious contest, any major conflict of interests, the state appears, settling matters with sudden, maniacal violence. Ninja-like, it |
, but, as we now know, it isn't enough to have good rules on the books. There must also be a serious effort to enforce those rules. With the right sources of funding and some smart strategic thinking about how to force non-banks to follow the same rules as other lenders, the entire landscape of consumer lending would change.
From history, we have learned that an agency's source of funding is critical to its success. By allowing the Agency to tax lenders directly -- perhaps a dime for every open credit card account, a quarter for every open mortgage, etc. -- Congress can make sure that the CFPA stays well-funded in the years ahead. The right funding structure will allow the Agency to develop the capacity to go after the non-banks and the dangerous products they originate, and it will insulate the Agency from political efforts to starve-the-regulators into inaction. Moreover, as we now know, the cost of even a well-funded agency is dwarfed by the cost to the government and the economy as a whole of bank failures. The cost of the failure of just one thrift -- IndyMac -- was almost ten times the annual budget of the Securities and Exchange Commission.
New forms of strategic thinking will also be needed. By creating a system for mandatory lender registration, for example, CFPA will be able to keep track of the consumer lenders out there -- something that no current regulators have the tools to do. To encourage compliance, the CFPA can work with other federal agencies -- like the Treasury Department or the Internal Revenue Service -- to identify unregistered lenders. In states that already register certain non-bank lenders, the CFPA can work off those registrations and collaborate with state officials. This is tough work, but a consumer agency with expertise and resources will rise to the challenge.
The CFPA can also get smarter with enforcement by exploiting concentration points, places where small players are effectively grouped together. In the case of mortgage brokers, for example, without the large bank holding companies and their subsidiaries as customers for the loans they place, many would be out of business. Focusing regulatory attention on the buyers would create substantial leverage over the brokers as well. If the sponsors and funding mechanisms for the worst practices go away, so will the worst practices.
There is more that we can do to deal with non-bank lenders, but only if Congress creates a strong CFPA. If we stick with the status quo -- which treats loans differently depending on who issues them and places consumer protection in agencies that consider it an afterthought - we know what will happen because we have seen it happen before. Lenders will continue their tricks and traps business model, the mega-banks will exploit regulatory loopholes, and the non-banks will continue to sell deceptive products. In that world, small banks will need to choose between lowering standards or losing market share, and they will still get too much attention from regulators while the non-banks and big banks get too little. Dangerous loans will destabilize both families and the economy, and we'll all remain at risk for the next trillion-dollar bailout.
Regulating the non-banks hasn't been tried in any serious way. The CFPA offers a real chance to level the playing field, to add balance to the system, and to change the consumer lending landscape forever.Both countries are scrambling to best handle a president who ranks among the more unpredictable elements of the upcoming negotiations
The rhetoric against a neighbouring country dominated Donald Trump’s presidential campaign: a billion-dollar wall, a crackdown on immigration, and a steep border tax. Yet when Trump fired the opening shot in his trade war, it was aimed not at Mexico – but at Canada.
First came an average 20% tariff on Canadian softwood lumber. Months later the Trump administration piled another tariff of nearly 7% on the sector.
Trump launched a broad attack on several sectors north of the border. “Canada, what they’ve done to our dairy farmworkers is a disgrace,” he told reporters. “We can’t let Canada or anybody else take advantage and do what they did to our workers and to our farmers … included in there is lumber, timber and energy. So we’re going to have to get to the negotiating table with Canada very, very quickly.”
Blame Canada: Trudeau forced on defensive as Trump targets trade Read more
The sharp reversal – a few months earlier Trump had characterised the US-Canada relationship as “outstanding” – came as a surprise to many.
“Step aside, China and Mexico: Canada is now Donald Trump’s whipping-boy du jour on trade,” said the Canadian Press, while Politico offered their thoughts on why president had not gone after Mexico first: “Canada is an easy target and doesn’t have as many weapons to fight back.”
Others said it was long overdue. “Canada was getting a free ride,” said Federico Estévez, a professor at the Autonomous Technological Institute of Mexico. “All of the fire was headed south of the US border – so Canada was getting off easy.”
Estévez pointed to the looming renegotiations of the North American Free Trade Agreement to explain the turnaround. “I think Trump understood something basic, which is that the US will not be able to tweak Nafta or rework it unless it splits up Canada and Mexico and makes Canada squirm just as well,” he said. “You want to open up some battlefronts – and that’s what he’s effectively done, to the surprise of everybody.”
With the renegotiations slated to begin on 16 August, all of the interactions of past months – from pleasantries to attacks – are again under the microscope. Against a backdrop of grievances over trade deficits and protectionist policies, officials in both Canada and Mexico are also scrambling to shore up strategies to best handle a president who ranks among the more unpredictable elements of the upcoming negotiations.
Both countries have much at stake. Canada sends about three-quarters of its annual exports to the US while nearly 400,000 people a day cross the shared border. In Mexico, some 80% of exports end up in the US.
I don’t know if he doesn’t know Trudeau’s last name, I don’t know if he knows Peña Nieto’s name at all
Mexican and Canadian officials have been laying the groundwork for months. Trudeau’s inner circle have fostered close contacts with the Trump administration, while representatives from Canadian government and business have been criss-crossing the US to reinforce how Americans benefit from their relationship with Canada, said Colin Robertson of the Canadian Global Affairs Institute.
“There have been, I think, 170 visits by Canadians to the States since January. And not just to Washington but also into Trump territory,” he said. “And it’s not just ministers, it’s legislators and premiers and provincial legislators.”
The aim, said Robertson, is to mitigate what he described as Trump’s “situational politics”, which see the president shift stances depending on the audience he’s addressing. He pointed to Trump’s swipe at Canadian dairy as an example, as it came while the president addressed an audience in Wisconsin.
In Mexico, the job of managing relations with the Trump administration has fallen to Luis Videgaray, a foreign minister whose experience in the world of finance has overlapped with Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.
Despite initial setbacks – Trump signed an executive order to build the border wall and tweeted that Mexico would pay for it even as Videgaray was heading to Washington to meet with Kushner – the minister and his small team have earned some plaudits as the threat of Trump has apparently diminished for Mexico and the peso bounced back after a Trump-inspired slump.
So far, Mexico’s strategy for handling Trump seems to lie in trying to save some provisions of Nafta at all costs, such as investor protections, analysts say.
The government closed online consultations late last month, though it has attracted criticism for appearing to pay closer attention to the country’s big business elite while ignoring the interests of smaller firms and beleaguered workers.
“I’ve not read the national interests of Mexico spelled out,” said Carlos Heredia of the Centre for Research and Teaching of Economics. “There hasn’t been any sort of open consultation – the online consultation is sort of a joke – but there’s nothing saying, ‘We are going to represent the national interest of Mexico, not just the top echelons of business and politics.’”
Mexico released its objectives for Nafta negotiations last week. It joined Canada in opposing US plans to eliminate dispute resolution mechanism known as Chapter 19, but also will propose anti-graft initiatives and provisions for small business and the digital economy. Energy will also be on the table as Mexico approved a reform to open its oil industry in 2013.
From immigration to the environment, Trump’s political stances – widely despised in both Mexico and Canada – could colour discussions at the negotiating table, raising questions of how America’s neighbours will respond.
Trump's Nafta threats would severely harm US, Mexican chief negotiator says Read more
While Trudeau’s approval ratings remain high, suggesting many Canadians are comfortable with his reluctance to chastise Trump, Mexico’s Enrique Peña Nieto is even more unpopular than the US leader – and his apparent unwillingness to talk tough with Trump is widely as a weakness.
“The greatest problem of the Mexican response to Trump has been that the Mexican government has acted over and over again as if the constituency of its foreign policy were only one person: Donald Trump,” said Carlos Bravo Regidor of CIDE. “This has left it open to vulnerabilities, the most of important of which is an inability to voice the legitimate grievances Trump causes many regular Mexicans.”
Despite their differences, Trump has demonstrated a level of cordiality and friendship with Trudeau, said Laura Dawson, who heads the Canada Institute at Washington’s Wilson Centre.
“It’s kind of funny in the tweets that I’ve been reading. When he’s talking about his two neighbours, he calls them, Justin and the Mexican president,” she said. “I don’t know if he doesn’t know Trudeau’s last name, I don’t know if he knows Peña Nieto’s name at all – but its always Justin and the Mexicans.”
What’s certain is that Canada and Mexico now realise they’re in it together. “There was some public opinion, at least in Canada, that we could go at it alone, without Mexico because they’re in the crosshairs and we’re not. I think that that sentiment has really subsided,” said Dawson, pointing to official statements from both countries that reiterate the importance of the trilateral agreement.
While Trump has gone after both neighbours, he’s also demonstrated that he’s open to changing his mind on things, said Dawson.
“He’s willing to find a parade and get in front of it, so I think that if Canada and Mexico are skillful enough about giving the president some wins that he can claim – you know, modernisation of the agreement, certain things that affect labour or manufacturing – I think they can also move ahead on the modernisation agenda on the Nafta.”Everton chairman Bill Kenwright was given an instant insight into the confidence and positive mind-set of the man he chose to replace David Moyes on his first meeting with Roberto Martinez.
After appointing the 40-year-old Catalan to succeed Manchester United-bound Moyes after 11 years at Goodison Park, Kenwright revealed: "Almost his first words to me were 'I'll get you into the Champions League'."
Martinez's words were regarded by many as a bold private promise that he would struggle to keep in reality. One look at the current Premier League table gives the lie to those doubts.
Everton face fourth-placed Arsenal at Goodison Park on Sunday standing just four points behind the Gunners with a game in hand after five successive Premier League wins.
Premier League goals scored in last 15 minutes Goals % scored in last 15 mins Source: Opta Everton 17 34.7% West Brom 12 33.3% Palace 6 30% Swansea 13 28.9% Sun'land 8 28.6% Norwich 7 26.9% West Ham 9 25% Chelsea 15 24.2% Cardiff 7 24.1%
Martinez has made a seamless transition from Moyes while playing his trademark stylish passing game and winning over the sceptics who doubted his appointment when relegation followed his historic FA Cup win with Wigan Athletic last season.
Was Martinez the manager who would always live in the lower reaches of the Premier League, or was he one of the game's most gifted young bosses who would flourish with greater resources?
As he prepares to face Arsenal, Martinez appears to have answered the question while turning Everton into one of the country's most watchable, easy-on-the-eye teams.
Behind Martinez's smiling exterior lies a manager with a passionate devotion to the game, a man who has an L-shaped sofa in his home so he can spend time with wife Beth while both can watch different televisions - because his is invariably tuned in to football.
Martinez has charmed Everton's fans by embracing the club's rich history. The walls on a stairway at the club's Finch Farm training headquarters are adorned with images of Everton's finest moments - with a blank canvas left at the top as an inspiration to create new successes.
He even took part in a pre-Christmas video parody of Morecambe and Wise's famous "Bring Me Sunshine" for the club website - and there is no doubt these are sunny days for Everton and their fans.
Martinez's regime is also based on strict discipline and he has already revealed he will fine players if he can prove they have not had eight hours' sleep at night, a rule he will find easier to enforce when he has overnight accommodation built at their training headquarters.
Roberto Martinez factfile Age: 40 Playing career: Real Zaragoza (1993-94), Balaguer (1994-95), Wigan Athletic (1995-2001), Motherwell (2001-02), Walsall (2002-03), Swansea (2003-06), Chester City (2006-07) Playing honours: Copa del Rey (1994), Football League Third Division title (1996-97), Football League Trophy (1998-99 & 2005-06) Managerial career: Swansea City (2007-09) and Wigan Athletic (2009-13), Everton (2013-) Managerial honours: League One title (2007-08) & FA Cup (2012-13)
Everton are still outsiders for fourth as Arsenal appear to have the easier run-in, but those around the club - while never forgetting the fine work of Moyes over his 11 years - enthuse at the Martinez effect.
Former Everton midfielder and BBC Sport pundit Kevin Kilbane explained how Martinez got players to buy into the new era in pre-season.
Kilbane said: "I've spoken to Roberto and a number of players around training issues and I asked him specifically about times of training and why he likes to change the times. He told me he likes to vary the times of training, sometimes to suit 3pm kick-off or even evening kick-offs.
"During pre-season he had the players coming in at night for a training session and he said the best thing about it was he had a squad of players who bought into it. He explained to them why he was doing it. He said it was all game-related so they could get time to recover, 48 hours or so, by bringing them in later.
"It is quite difficult to radically change players' habits. Players are quite single-minded and very reluctant to change but they have bought into it and it has brought success on the pitch.
"David Moyes left a great base and foundation but Roberto arrived and got players, lots of the guys who played under Moyes for a very long time, playing in a different style. That is real testimony to him."
Martinez is regarded as being tactically astute, but also a superb man-manager and a strict disciplinarian
A look at the stats suggests the plan is reaping rewards, allied to Martinez's mastery of substitutions - as when he introduced attacking trio Steven Naismith, Kevin Mirallas and Aiden McGeady in the second half of the 3-1 win at Fulham.
Martinez has sent on nine goalscoring substitutes in the league this season while Everton's strength late in games is becoming another characteristic. They have won 15 points with goals scored after 80 minutes this season and 17 in the last 20 minutes - both the highest in the Premier League. They have scored 34.7% of their league goals in the last 15 minutes.
Former Everton midfielder Barry Horne on Martinez "Everyone expects the younger managers such as Roberto Martinez and Brendan Rodgers to embrace the new ways such as sports science, match analysis, psychology and nutrition, but the one thing they really have to embrace is the new game of football and Roberto does that. "This idea you can rule by fear is long gone because footballers have no reason to fear anything any more. They can just sit in the corner and pick up their wages then get a move. "I would call it 'confidence management'. It is forever telling the players how good they are. It is a whole new way of managing modern-day professional footballers and Martinez is a great exponent of it."
Kilbane believes Martinez's August deadline-day signings, who came in as Marouane Fellaini left for Manchester United in a £27.5m move, made the key impact.
"I saw them a couple of times early on and even though they had lots of possession they were not much of a threat," said Kilbane. "He then brought in Romelu Lukaku, Gareth Barry and James McCarthy. They were game-changers.
"If you make three big signings it lifts everything. Barry played really well when they beat Chelsea then Lukaku made his debut as a substitute and scored the winner when they won 3-2 at West Ham.
"All of a sudden, that was the change - it said Everton were going to have possession of the ball, be patient, but also have a big threat and score goals."
Martinez's personal touch at Everton has also had its effect, with Kilbane saying: "I'm quite close with a number of staff in and around the training ground - masseurs, kit men and physios - and they genuinely don't have a bad word to say about him. You can see the warmth they have for him and he has for them."
Former Everton striker Graeme Sharp, who now works at the club, said: "He's been fantastic. He has embraced everything about Everton.
Goal scored by substitutes in Premier League this season 11 - West Brom
- West Brom 9 - Everton, Chelsea
- Everton, Chelsea 8 - Man City, Sunderland
- Man City, Sunderland 7 - Fulham
- Fulham 6 - Man Utd, Southampton
"One thing that struck me away from football was that he took a group of 20-odd journalists out to a Spanish restaurant in Liverpool just before Christmas. He was waiting for them and went around every one and knew all their names - he has the knack of making people feel special."
And Sharp has been impressed with how Martinez has imposed his beliefs on both experienced and young players: "He is so positive. His three substitutions at Fulham were all attackers and all contributed to the win.
"In the home derby game this season, Leighton Baines went off injured with a broken toe with Liverpool leading 2-1 and Roberto's response was to send Gerard Deulofeu on and switch his side around. It shocked a few and changed the face of the game. It ended 3-3 with Liverpool only getting a point in the last minute."
And despite uncertainty over the future of loan stars Barry, Lukaku and Deulofeu, Kilbane forecasts a bright future: "I asked Roberto this and he told me all he can do is evaluate at the end of the season but he has confidence in his chairman Bill Kenwright and the club.
"No matter what, he has the nucleus of outstanding young talent like Ross Barkley, Seamus Coleman and John Stones and the experience of Phil Jagielka, Leighton Baines, Leon Osman and Sylvain Distin."
If Martinez can mastermind a win over Arsenal on Sunday, his promise to Kenwright will come a step closer to reality.Image caption Tens of thousands of families travel, mostly from the state of Orissa, to work in the brick kilns of Andhra Pradesh
Just outside of the southern Indian city of Hyderabad, by country roads in a flat green landscape, smoke rises off huge furnaces.
The heat hardens mud clay into the bricks that are making modern India.
Close by the air is acrid with coal soot, catching in the throat.
Like a scene from a long-gone age, men and women walk in single file up and down steps as if climbing a pyramid. They strain under a load, balanced in yoke-like hods, to deliver freshly moulded bricks to the furnace.
Down below, knee deep in water, their clothes ragged, workers hack at clay in a wet pit.
"The work is hard standing in the water, lifting the bricks," says Gurdha Maji, 35, as he packs mud into a brick mould and levels it off.
"We make 1,500 bricks a day. Only after six months will we get released."
'Against the law'
Nearby, there is a mound of coal. Woman and children squat at the edge. Most are barefoot. With ungloved fingers a woman holds down a piece of coal and smashes it with a hammer. Two children, barely four years old, their faces smeared black, break coal by hitting pieces against each other.
"All of this is against the law," says Aeshalla Krishna, a labour activist with the human rights group Prayas.
"This is against the minimum wage act of 1948, the bonded labour act of 1976, the interstate migrant workers act of 1979. Child labour. Sexual harassment. Physical abuse. It's all happening. Every day."
The bricks are used to build offices, factories and call centres, the cityscapes of a booming economic miracle, and more and more, these buildings are used by multi-national companies with a global reach.
Yet, Mr Krishna says he doesn't know of any bricks made under working conditions that would be acceptable under international standards.
The six-month season is now beginning when tens of thousands of families travel, mostly from the state of Orissa to work in the brick kilns of Andhra Pradesh.
Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Humphrey Hawksley reports from the Indian city of Hyderabad
Among many reports of abuses, labour contractors last week were accused of cutting off the hands of two workers who tried to leave their jobs.
The brick kilns we visited comprised the most poverty-wracked communities of India.
Children were everywhere. There was no safety equipment. Stories of illness, withheld wages and other issues were common place.
"They work 12 to 18 hours a day, pregnant women, children, adolescent girls," says Mr Krishna. "Their diet is poor. There is no good water. They live like slaves."
The situation has been like this for decades, if not centuries. Until recently, it was widely accepted as something that would improve slowly over time. Campaigners say there's been little sense of urgency.
But in 2011, the United Nations and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) combined forces to introduce new guidelines for multinational companies operating in countries like India.
These companies now have a direct responsibility to check on human rights abuses anywhere in their supply chains.
'Game changer'
"It's a real game changer," says Tyler Gillard, the OECD's legal adviser.
"Any alleged abuses of human rights associated with the production of materials such as bricks and directly linked to a company's operations, products or services is a serious issue."
Britain has set up a National Contact Point for alleged abuses and this year made changes to its Companies Act to require companies to include human rights issues in their annual reports, from 1 October.
"We would expect any member to take very seriously the evidence of human rights abuses that are related to their business whether directly or indirectly," says Peter McAllister, director of Ethical Trading Initiative whose members include multinationals.
Image caption Many women and children work at the kilns for '12-18 hours a day', say activists
And an international alliance of trade unions, Union Solidarity International, is launching a campaign - Blood Bricks - with the aim of forcing companies to carry out checks.
'Epidemic'
"The scale of forced and child labour in the brick kilns of India is of epidemic proportions," says UK Andrew Brady. "Simply put cheap bricks means cheap office buildings on the back of blood bricks and slave labour."
The Indian government insists it is on top the issue, providing housing, clean water and schools in the kilns around Hyderabad.
"The labour market is very conducive for multinationals," says Dr A Ashok, labour commissioner for Andhra Pradesh.
"We have taken action against brick kiln owners who have tried to exploit workers. There is no bonded labour and the minimum wage is paid. If there are some pockets here and there, they need to be rectified."
In squalid mud hut that's used for accommodation, we find Madhiri Mallik. She's five years old. The only clothing she wears is a pair of shorts.
Mr Krishna discovers that she came from the state of Orissa with her parents, Gurubhol and Amar, and her two year old brother, Vishnu.
Mr Krishna crouches down to check her eyes. "She is suffering from an eye problem because of the smoke. See how the eye is white. The haemoglobin is very low. She has a headache from the smoking bricks and her stomach is bad because of the water."
Regardless of what governments or human rights activists say, under the new trade guidelines it is up to each company to establish facts on the ground.
If they find cases in their supply chains like little Madhiri, they must take steps to try to help her.In 2016, watch maker Casio launched the WSDF10, with Android Wear 1.0. The rugged device got a lot of attention and now the company has confirmed during CES 2017 it will launch a successor, the Casio WSDF20. It will come with Android Wear 2.0 out of the box, and will add GPS support as well.
According to Digital Trends, the Casio WSDF20 will share many of the same features as the older WSDF10. Both have the same three buttons on the right of the smartwatches, and both will also have the same U.S. MIL-STD-801G rating for toughness, along with being able to handle up to 50 meters of water resistance. However, the addition of GPS support is certainly a major one, and will allow you to track your location even if you are offline.
The WSDF20 will use map data from Mapbox, and the smartwatch will also allow users to download maps for use offline. In addition, the device’s Location Memory app will let you customize those maps with text and markers, in case you need some reminders of where certain things are located. The watch will even come with a “anti-fouling coating” on its display, which in theory should keep fingerprint smudges to a minimum.
The Casio WSDF20 is scheduled to go on sale on April 21, but so far the company has not revealed a price tag for the smartwatch. The older WSDF10 model is scheduled to get a software upgrade to Android Wear 2.0, but again there’s no word on when exactly that will happen. Android Wear 2.0 itself is suppose to be officially available sometime in the first quarter of 2017, and Google will launch the first two smartwatches with the OS out of the box in early 2017 as well.Signs of depression can be turned on and off in mice with the flip of a switch. Activating or silencing the behavior of certain brain cells with laser light causes the animals to change their depressive behavior, two new studies find.
Although the experiments were done in rodents, the results have direct relevance to human depression, says neurologist Helen Mayberg of the Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta. The new work may point out places in the human brain that doctors can similarly stimulate to treat depression.
The results, published online December 12 in Nature, took advantage of a technique called optogenetics, which allows scientists to control nerve cell behavior with a tiny fiber-optic light. In the studies, mice were genetically engineered to harbor nerve cell proteins that respond to light. The researchers could make certain nerve cells fire off messages by shining blue light, and quiet them by shining yellow light.
These cells, which produce the chemical messenger dopamine, nestle in a brain region called the ventral tegmental area, a spot known for handling rewards. This system may be skewed in people with depression, since the disorder often keeps people from responding normally to things that used to be enjoyable.
One tiny fiber-optic flash had an instant and profound effect on the mice’s behavior, says psychiatrist and neuroscientist Karl Deisseroth of Stanford University, who coauthored both papers. “That was pretty amazing for us.”
Surprisingly, the effects depend on what kind of stress the animal experiences. When mice experience low-grade chronic stress for days, these dopamine neurons have a straightforward role in depressionlike behaviors: Crank up the cells’ activity, and signs of depression go away within seconds. Hamstring the cells, though, and signs of depression, such as despair and disinterest in formerly pleasurable things (like sugar water), appear.
The second study, led by Ming-Hu Han of Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City, tested the same cells’ role in handling more severe stress. After mice had been subjected to an intense bout of stress brought about by exposure to another dominant mouse, more light-driven activity of these dopamine neurons made mice shrink away from another mouse a day later. These mice also didn’t care for tasty sugar water as they normally would. Han and his team found that only a particular kind of nerve cell activity — a machine gun–burst of rapid firing — caused this change. A slower, steadier pattern didn’t trigger the same shift.
“Both studies are consistent in implicating dopamine in depression, and highlight the need for further research in this area,” says neuroscientist Paul Kenny of the Scripps Research Institute in Jupiter, Fla. Especially puzzling, he adds, is the fact that dopamine’s role seems to change depending on the type of stress.
In addition to studying the nerve cells in their home base in the ventral tegmental area, the researchers also explored the cells’ external connections. Only the cells that send messages to a brain region called the nucleus accumbens could change depressionlike symptoms, researchers found.
With more detailed studies of these cells and this pathway, scientists may eventually gain a deeper understanding of how the human brain creates and alleviates depression. “In this way, bit by bit, we can piece together the circuitry,” Deisseroth says. “It’s a long process that’s just starting, but we have a foothold now.”They were the Best of Gnomes They were the Worst of Gnomes
Well, one each, really. These two Gnomes -Grimbledung and Drimblerod- are just trying to get along in life when their worlds collide.
Drimblerod has a problem with the Merchant Guild. They aren’t happy with the level of his sales at his used wand shop, Second Hand Sorcery. The issue is that his low sales affect the amount of their cut off the top. To make matters worse, the local Merchant Guild Dues Collector (an Ogre no less) is unhappy with Drimblerod’s income because that directly affects his cut off the top which comes before the Guild’s cut off the top, of course. There are a lot of tops when it comes to guilds.
The problem is times are tough (for more than just Drimblerod) and with folks out of work, most of the people coming into Drimblerod’s shop are those nefarious, hated-by-merchants ‘window shoppers’ who aren’t planning on buying anything. If they just kept to themselves, it wouldn’t be so bad, but they also seem to talk actual customers out of buying wands! Now Drimblerod is in the market for a way to get rid of these pesky non-buying folks to make room for those actually in the market for a reliable used magic wand.
While searching a battlefield for wands he can resell, Drimblerod comes across the solution- a partner he can trust (he's a fellow Gnome, after all) and one that will keep away pesky non-buying window shoppers. Little does he realize that his new-found partner suffers from Pixie Madness! And not the good kind.
As Grimbledung gets used to his new life of respectable shop ownership, the pair end up befriending Nulu Bentknees the Trolless across the street, Pozzuoli Consigliore the Dwarf next door, and even the town constable- Akita Finnish (a Werewolf who would rather bask in the sun than do anything else).
Along with Big Julie, the headmistress of the school of magic down the road, this diverse group learns to deal with Grimbledung's antics as they try to refocus his outlandish get rich schemes and unpredictable outbursts into something more productive. Or at least more quiet! Honestly, they would be happy if he paid for some of his drinks.
Things start to heat up for the gang when Grimbledung manages to annoy the entire Great Halfling Empire. Well, not the whole Great Halfling Empire but at least the Halfling soldiers in town. It takes until late in Book 2 for the ENTIRE empire to get annoyed with him. He is just one Gnome, after all. With an impending invasion, everyone is on their toes. It doesn't help that Grimbledung is stepping on them!
We'd like to say that "Everything works out in the end" but "Raging Inferno!" is unfortunately more accurate.
Book 6, "It's the Election, Stupid" is now out. Grimbledung tries his hand at managing a campaign.[RFC] compositor-drm: Add hardware accelerated capture of screen using libva
From: Ander Conselvan de Oliveira <ander.conselvan.de.oliveira at intel.com> This patch adds a feature to the DRM backend that uses libva for encoding the screen contents in H.264. Screen recording can be activated by pressing mod-shift-space q. A file named capture.h264 will be created in the current directory, which can be muxed into an MP4 file with gstreamer using gst-launch filesrc location=capture.h264! h264parse! mp4mux! \ filesink location=file.mp4 This is limitted to the DRM compositor in order to avoid a copy when submitting the front buffer to libva. The code in vaapi-recorder.c takes a dma_buf fd referencing it, does a colorspace conversion using the video post processing pipeline and then uses that as input to the encoder. I'm sending this now so I get comments, but this is not ready for prime time yet. I have a somewhat consistent GPU hang when using i915 with SandyBridge. Sometimes a page flip never completes. If you want to try this anyway and your system get stuck, you might need to run the following: # echo 1 > /sys/kernel/debug/dri/0/i915_wedged After that, alt-sysrq [rv] should work. Once that's fixed it would also be good to make the parameters used by the encoder more flexible. For now the QP parameter is hardcoded to 0 and we have only I and P frames (no B frames), which causes the resulting files to be very large. --- configure.ac | 6 + src/Makefile.am | 6 + src/compositor-drm.c | 109 ++++++ src/vaapi-recorder.c | 1062 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ src/vaapi-recorder.h | 35 ++ 5 files changed, 1218 insertions(+) create mode 100644 src/vaapi-recorder.c create mode 100644 src/vaapi-recorder.h diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac index fab0b48..e5f6afd 100644 --- a/configure.ac +++ b/configure.ac @@ -239,6 +239,11 @@ PKG_CHECK_MODULES(WEBP, [libwebp], [have_webp=yes], [have_webp=no]) AS_IF([test "x$have_webp" = "xyes"], [AC_DEFINE([HAVE_WEBP], [1], [Have webp])]) +PKG_CHECK_MODULES(LIBVA, [libva >= 0.34.0 libva-drm >= 0.34.0], [have_libva=yes], [have_libva=no]) +AS_IF([test "x$have_libva" = "xyes"], + [AC_DEFINE([HAVE_LIBVA], [1], [Have libva])]) +AM_CONDITIONAL(ENABLE_LIBVA, test "x$have_libva" = "xyes") + AC_CHECK_LIB([jpeg], [jpeg_CreateDecompress], have_jpeglib=yes) if test x$have_jpeglib = xyes; then JPEG_LIBS="-ljpeg" @@ -478,4 +483,5 @@ AC_MSG_RESULT([ LCMS2 Support ${have_lcms} libwebp Support ${have_webp} libunwind Support ${have_libunwind} + VA H.264 encoding Support ${have_libva} ]) diff --git a/src/Makefile.am b/src/Makefile.am index 929de31..ab69df2 100644 --- a/src/Makefile.am +++ b/src/Makefile.am @@ -152,6 +152,12 @@ drm_backend_la_SOURCES = \ launcher-util.h \ libbacklight.c \ libbacklight.h + +if ENABLE_LIBVA +drm_backend_la_SOURCES += vaapi-recorder.c +drm_backend_la_LIBADD += $(LIBVA_LIBS) +drm_backend_la_CFLAGS += $(LIBVA_CFLAGS) +endif endif if ENABLE_WAYLAND_COMPOSITOR diff --git a/src/compositor-drm.c b/src/compositor-drm.c index b9e3fc9..dca1e6c 100644 --- a/src/compositor-drm.c +++ b/src/compositor-drm.c @@ -47,6 +47,7 @@ #include "pixman-renderer.h" #include "udev-seat.h" #include "launcher-util.h" +#include "vaapi-recorder.h" #ifndef DRM_CAP_TIMESTAMP_MONOTONIC #define DRM_CAP_TIMESTAMP_MONOTONIC 0x6 @@ -75,6 +76,7 @@ struct drm_compositor { struct { int id; int fd; + char *filename; } drm; struct gbm_device *gbm; uint32_t *crtcs; @@ -159,6 +161,9 @@ struct drm_output { pixman_image_t *image[2]; int current_image; pixman_region32_t previous_damage; + + struct vaapi_recorder *recorder; + struct wl_listener recorder_frame |
of reflection is allowed to fall into leisure time, since it might otherwise leap across to the workaday world and set it on fire. While in their structure work and amusement are becoming increasingly alike, they are at the same time being divided ever more rigorously by invisible demarcation lines. Joy and mind have been expelled equally from both. In each, blank-faced seriousness and pseudo-activity hold sway.'[28] The computer game merely makes this simulation literal, being a true pseudo- activity which is nevertheless structured like work. The conceptual demarcation lines between the two even materialise, becoming visible in the borders which outline the screen areas of work and play. Yet this raising of pseudo- activity to a purer, more rarefied level in which no material is ever touched, has been accompanied by a radical shift of scene. Adorno wrote at a time when industrial workers found leisure in hobbies and games which emulated labour. In `postmodern' Britain and the United States, where manufacturing industry is failing, a population is filling its hours with simulated labour, a fictional activity which gestures towards and mocks the lack of work in the real world.
Another distinction is also apparent. While the actions of the player are fragmented and repeated, the progress of the game taken as a whole is most unlike gambling or factory work, for story lines are constructed, consequences are followed through, and progress can generally be saved (or restored) at any point. Just as shafts of sunlight pick out patterns in floating dust, narrative meaning is born out of a swarm of acts as various elements of continuity are superimposed upon the basic structure of the game. These include thematic music, interventions by a `narrator', and scenes which comment on or frame the player's performance. Games may be more or less authoritarian in forcing the player to follow sequences of specific acts in order to progress, or in allowing a degree of latitude. Unlike the hackneyed plots of movies, especially those which transparently build up expectations and then seek to surprise, the plot of some computer games is truly polyvalent and non-linear. The player-hero may even end up losing, though this eventuality is usually realised outside the game, when it is abandoned from boredom or frustration. While a huge number of possible worlds are established as each stage is won or lost, and while only a very few of this panoply of a thousand plots lead to final success, the lost game is always discounted in the construction of plot, these branches being forever closed by the restoration of a previously saved position. In the virtual world, the player is usually offered unlimited chances to make good but for each path to victory, there are a hundred diverse ways to fail, most involving some more or less spectacular death. These hundreds of lost or abandoned games for each one completed, their heroes dead or left in digital limbo, echo the fate of billions of lost individuals under the vast play of capital.
As in the Trauerspiel, where the chorus represented the world of dreams and meaning, and interpreted the action, so very often there appears in computer games a similar divide (again often established for technical reasons) of action interspersed with animated sequences, dialogue, dreams or visions. These scenes have the function of frames which are placed around the action to make it meaningful, usually by developing the plot. There is also a more literal form where animation is seen inside an ornate frame, or where a screen is framed by hardware. Of course these frames, especially if they cut across the field of vision, like the struts of a cockpit, act as stable reference points and enhance the illusion of movement; in technical terms, they usefully restrict the proportion of the screen that has to be animated. Like a constantly chanting chorus, the elements of the frame (dials, gauges, or numbers) comment on the action.
Be Somewhere Else
More connects the computer game and the heritage industry than their use of digital technology to promote kitsch simulations of an idealised past. Many games take the form of a staged, touristic exploration. To complete the game, the player is forced to travel everywhere, and there is a mental compulsion to do this too, a digitised equivalent of the cultural imperative to ubiquity. As with the exploitation of `heritage' themes, many of the game elements are familiar since childhood and are recognised at once. They are collected, combined and packaged as entertainment, inevitably with a strong flavour of pastiche. The experience is evocative rather than informative, being less the stuff of history than of television series and pulp novels.
Like tourism, computer gaming is largely based on spatial exploration. This is partly because there are several problems with producing temporal development in such games. Actions may obviously be triggered by the player's acts but other characters cannot be permitted to develop independently, or to complete actions autonomously, or the whole plot might collapse. When other characters act, it must be in a circular manner, literally going about their business.[29] The spatial nature of computer gaming means that progress can only be expressed in terms of travel, or if it is marked as a definite stage, in the breaching of some barrier. Hence the overriding importance of locks and keys, levels, hidden items, secret doors, and false walls. The tasks the player must perform to gain entry are often of the boxes within boxes type, a way of hierarchically structuring an otherwise free space. Travel, moral progress, the return home, topography and mapping, the distorted spaces of the dream, the dungeon, and the labyrinth are all mainstays of allegory.
There is another way of looking at this aspect of the computer game, through the relation between allegory and script. Allegorical writing takes the form of a monograph or hieroglyph.[30] In the earliest games the computer's text characters were used to stand in for fictional characters and objects. More broadly, the inquisition of words and signs in adventure and detective games is allegorical since they are utterly separate from one another and function less as carriers of meaning, than as passwords or magical incantations, serving to open doors or motivate actions. Lastly, the whole form of the computer game may be seen as a figure or monogram to which all the characters except the player are tied to specific locations in a strict configuration: the tracing of the figure is the completion of the game.
Although they always have a purpose, computer players act as the flaneurs of the digital realm in their wandering, their detached engagement with virtual objects, and their feeling that nothing really matters. This is the aspect of computing which has endeared it to postmodern theorists: the lack of apparent consequences of action and knowledge, the adoption of multifarious roles, the simulation of phenomena which are already simulations, the self- consciousness of the players and the manifest nature of the fictions. The player is aware of, and even mocks these game elements, but this does not prevent participation. Yet, unlike the postmodern aspects of plot, role and simulation, the modernist dream of eternal technological progress is not treated ironically. Unlike the aimless flaneur, the computer player (like the shopper, the snapper and the hack) loiters with intent. It might appear that acts of objectification are ameliorated by detachment, but engagement and belief on all levels is hardly necessary for its functioning. Such detachment is partly produced by the current limitations of the medium, and is, in any case, a mere epiphenomena. To concentrate upon it is to ignore the fundamental features of computer entertainment, most particularly the nature of interaction which not only enforces conformity but does so through the use of a rigid, exclusive sign system.
Fashion and Memory
The operation of desire in these games is simply an acute form of the normal procedure of the market in a fashion-driven culture: there is always a sense of something beyond the present experience, of some unused potential within the machine, of a task never quite finished, of a realism not quite complete. The yearning for completeness in allegory is never satisfied so details proliferate and plots endlessly lengthen.[31] In computer games, scale, complexity, the number of characters and the size of the playing area, are still celebrated as intrinsically positive points, partly because hardware and software restrict these factors, but also because of their allegorical aspect. `A daemon never tires or changes his nature',[32] claims Angus Fletcher, and so as long as it survives, the allegory must continue. Indeed objects and characters encountered in the game world are generally emblematic, being name-image assemblages and examples of a type. A very literal example of this can be seen in recent adventure games where the player may click on some object causing its name to appear above it. In a game like Ultima Underworld the characters encountered are often allegorical expressions of virtues and vices, which can be relied upon to forever act according to their chosen principle, whether it be greed, vanity or pride. The slaughter of the last demon is indeed the only hope for a conclusion. Of course, if it was any different, if expectations were fulfilled or demons took a break, then the game would cease. Computer games have a distinct difficulty in providing an adequate ending: nothing can quite fulfil the expectation of such a long task finished, especially because the conclusion so often jumps up arbitrarily before the player, not as the result of some supremely difficult task, but as the chance consequence of just another combination of key-presses. The ending is longed for but known in advance to be a let-down. The impetus to move onto the next thing is of course an accurate reflection of consumer fashion culture, both in playing the game itself and in the yearning for the next game with its attendant technical advances. A symptom of this is the fixation of the computer leisure magazines on previews which often dominate coverage of what is actually available.
As the boundaries of illusion are pushed back, and players' expectations follow suit, games very quickly become obsolete. Yesterday's state-of-the-art games are unplayable today since the act of imagination and involvement necessary is intimately tied to the progress of the technology at any particular moment. Constant amazement at the predictable improvement of hardware and software keeps players engaged. As we have seen, the current goal is utter illusionism. As a consequence, games become ever more immediate as in the interests of realism but also because of their dependence on films and television words are progressively abandoned in favour of pictures and speech, typing in favour of mouse and joystick movements, even when the former would be more efficient. Yet there are anomalies in this onward march of technical progress. It is ironic that those with sophisticated machines running Windows (that most profligate of operating systems) are now treated to a reprise of some of the crudest early games, running in little frames.[33] The advantage of Windows for the employee is of course that its multi-tasking system is ideal for playing, say, Asteroids at work while pretending to be working on a spreadsheet since the two can be quickly switched between. The increasing dominance of the `Graphical User Interface' over text-based systems may be partly due to the general trends towards visuality and illiteracy in the culture, but it is comforting also that the great popularity of Windows may be owed to the ease with which one can cheat on one's employers.[34] The irony is that employees fool their bosses only to engage in a simulacrum of work. Many of the points of critique which have been examined here, and many of the aspects of computer gaming which are most obviously allegorical, are the product of technical limitations manifested in framing devices, pauses in the action, the fragmentation and repetition of characters and objects. These allegorical forms will probably decay as the medium advances leaving a seamless, apparently natural face which nevertheless conceals an uncompromising allegorical structure: the mapping of plot onto structure and the disguise of economy behind aggressive heroism.
A Utopian Apocalypse
According to Robert X. Cringely, the documenter of Silicon Valley mores, awkward, alienated adolescents founded the microcomputer industry:
[...] they split off and started their own culture, based on the completely artificial but totally understandable rules of computer architecture. They defined, built and controlled (and still control) an entire universe in a box an electronic universe of ideas rather than people where they made all the rules, and could at last be comfortable.[35]
Social dissatisfaction is certainly inherent in the alternative realities of the game world, and fantasy scenarios often refer to contemporary problems. The well-known Ultima games, for instance, definitely have a liberal agenda, confronting problems of pollution, drug addiction, racism and religious fundamentalism. The idea that a single individual is able to rectify such problems is of course a deeply ingrained part of Hollywood ideology and if the real world's problems are too intractable, why not go to a `place' where they are not? The ambition behind these games is to create a new world and this time to do it right, to make something which is much better, much worse or at least less tedious than reality. The scenario is more often dystopian than utopian, but at least dystopia is not boring. Computer games, whether offering images of heaven or hell, may be seen as the desires for and fears of an imagined history.
Benjamin thought that in games of chance, the player empathises directly with the sums bet, paving the way for an empathy with exchange value itself.[36] Computer games which, as we have seen, form an ideal image of the market system, obviously serve this same function, but also have a wider ambit. The action of the player is a disturbing reflection of relations which hold true, but remain largely hidden, in the real world. In an ironic simulation of political and military power, the player is accorded an objectifying force and apes those in power, manipulating realistic forms which are actually numbers, rather than manipulating figures which are actually people. Computer games present a precise, reversed reflection of the preoccupations and even the techniques of capitalist power. Marx and Benjamin arrived at widely differing analyses of the nature of phantasmagoria,[37] but the computer game apparently simulates them both. The virtual world is a dream of an alternative, complete and consistent reality in Benjamin's terms, while the cloaking of economy with chrome conforms to Marx's account of the camouflage of actual relations. What, though, is the utopian dream concealed by, if we are to allow the game as phantasmagoria in Benjamin's sense? This is a delicate question since to the outsider the answer would certainly be behind violence and objectification. So for those looking on, simulated `real' relations mask utopian dreams, while for the initiate it is the dream which masks economy. Here simulation is the most crucial factor: in the establishment of virtual commodities, exchange and objectification, and even base and superstructure relations, the game creates an ideal structure in which all these elements are harmoniously united.
Computer gaming is no longer the affair of a small minority, nor are the programs written by amateurs in the hours after school. Major companies are involved, deploying substantial development budgets to create games which involve the participation not only of programmers but of writers, actors, artists and musicians. The specific form and ideology of computer games are, then, of much wider concern than the examination of the mores of a narrow and obsessed male-dominated group. Indeed players are decreasingly defined by gender or even age.[38] The advent of virtual reality, which will have profound effects on our culture, has its basis in the methods and the ethos of computer gaming. Current computer games are already emulating virtuality in their use of first-person perspectives, and their obsessions with space, speed and flight. In their structure and content, computer games are a capitalist and deeply conservative form of culture. Their political content is proscribed by the options open to democracy under contemporary capitalism, that is from those with liberal pretensions to those which are openly fascistic. All of them offer the virtual consumption of empty forms in an ideal market. By confining the ideal forms of work and exchange to the digital world, computer games might appear to offer an implicit critique of post-industrial societies where these ideals are no longer on offer. Actually, they only conform to the views of the propagandists who say that work is always available and that opportunity can always be grasped, that the system is in fact ideal but for the laziness and stupidity of those who people it. Computer games do set out to give the player an escape into a world of certainty and fulfilment, yet they merely echo the past forms of industrial work in an ideal, nostalgic vision of the marketplace.
The technology of computer leisure is not consciously controlled by politicians or captains of industry, but driven by market forces, and conditioned by the parameters of the computer industry's links with the military. Nevertheless, these games exhibit a dialectic of increasing naturalism and objectification which leads to an ever greater concealment of the latter behind the former, to an ever greater blurring of the use of people as instruments in the world and the game. Computer gaming often produces an extreme social atomisation of the players; because of the fragmentary and episodic nature of the activity, it is very difficult to relate the experience of it to anyone else even if they know the game. All that can be recounted are the scores. This is all the more so because forgetting is an essential part of the operation of the market, vital to the rapid obsolescence of any particular game, the unplayability of old games and the impetus of fashion. There is a shadowy ambition behind the concept of the virtual world to have everyone safely confined to their homes, hooked up to sensory feedback devices in an enclosing, interactive environment which will be a far more powerful tool of social control than television.
The aspects of computer gaming I have chosen to examine allegory, fashion and reification are all related. Allegory is manifest in a double sense: there is an allegory of plot (where spatial structure is mapped onto temporal progress) and of action (where the absolute of death is laid over with a structure of trading and economy). Allegory is linked to fashion because of its fragmentation of the image into elements, and fashion is like objectification because of the fungibility of its elements, in that there is no restriction on the number or type of combination allowed. Fashion is an endless and circular process which runs through all the possible sequences of a fragmented ensemble, as in the autonomous rising and falling of hemlines or hair lengths, like the ebb and flow of waves on a shore. Memory and fashion are also linked since, as we have seen, there must be a constant forgetting of meaning which leaves only the husk of forms. There is clearly also a connection between allegory and objectification, for allegorical characters are empty shells, not creatures but remorseless robots, absolute embodiments of the principle they serve. Like Max Ernst's painting The Angel of Hearth and Home, a premonition of the demon of Fascism unleashed on Europe, or the robot in Terminator they proceed inexorably towards their goal, incidentally trampling everything in their path. For Benjamin, dialectical thinking is embodied in the current epoch dreaming of the next: `Each epoch not only dreams the next, but also, in dreaming, strives towards the moment of waking'.[39] While the old arcade culture perhaps produced dreams of the collapse of commodification and an ideal glass architecture, behind the strained heroics of the computer game lies another dream, which takes cluster bombing for spectacle and slaughter for heroics, a dream of the apocalypse, of instrumentalisation, of forgetting, and of mechanical stupidity. It contains both the bright metallic environment of a brave, new world, and the nightmare spaces of Piranesi's dungeons, identified with Utopia and apocalypse respectively, but each embracing elements of the other. It also holds a dark fantasy of bio-mechanics, where the exchange and manipulability of digital elements are mapped back onto the human body itself. Finally, it is a dream of dreaming itself, invading subjectivity at a very deep level, and producing manufactured memories and dreams which are so powerful because they are based on simulated action.
Adorno, writing of high culture, described how works of art are `not just allegories, but the catastrophic fulfilment of allegories', in which the most recent art appears as a shocking `explosion' which consumes appearance and the aesthetic itself. Even this form is appropriated by computer games which, despite their fake realism, also, `As they burn up in appearance, they depart in a glare from empirical life', being life's antithesis. Adorno concludes, `Today art is hardly conceivable except as an orientation anticipating the apocalypse.'[40] Adorno's pessimistic belief that the cultural means of Fascism were adopted by those in the West who helped defeat it, has obvious relevance to the computer game's militaristic glorification, knowing employment of myth, and relentless objectification. In these games there is a tenebrous dance of the utopian and the apocalyptic, an ambiguity which it is tempting to resolve by saying that they present the apocalypse as Utopia. If this is so, it is because the absolutes of destruction and death are sought as an escape from the virtuality and artificiality of everyday life. While this is only achieved in a digital simulation, its effects may spill back into the real world. The defining image in all this comes, not from any game, but naturally enough from a blockbuster film, Terminator 2; it is the jarring crunch of human skulls under the bright chrome of a robot foot.Hello and welcome to the 291st installment of the SWD.
Military events/news are listed below by the governorates:
Aleppo:
Syrian Interim Government’s Ministry of Defense officially announced formation of the Al-Jaysh al-Watani al-Souri (Syrian National Army) in the Turkey-backed Free Syrian Army-held northern Aleppo region. The newly-founded army consists of three legions; Faylaq al-Jaysh al-Watani, Faylaq al-Sultan Murad and Faylaq al-Jabhat al-Shamiyah. General Staff of the new army consists of Fadlullah al-Hajji (leader), Colonel Abdul Habbar Akkedi and Colonel Hassan al-Hammadi. (deputies)
Syrian Arab Army briefly captured Burj Sabineh village west of Khanaser from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, before the latter recaptured it hours later.
Raqqa:
Syrian Security Forces discovered two mass graves in Al-Wavi village containing remains of the soldiers belonging to the Syrian Arab Army and civilians killed by the Islamic State. Syrian Arab Army’s soldiers found in the mass grave were killed by the Islamic State after the group captured Al-Tabqa airbase in 2014. Exhumation of the mass graves continues and so far, remains of at least 115 individuals were found.
Idlib – Hama:
Syrian Arab Army captured Atshan, Saloumiyah, Abu Omar, and Tell Zaatar from the rebel factions in the southern Idlib – northern Hama region.
Free Syrian Army’s 1st Coastal Division destroyed Syrian Arab Army’s T-62M tank and a ZU-23-2 anti-aircraft twin-barreled autocannon with two TOW anti-tank guided missiles on Abu Lafa front in the northeastern Hama.
Situation in the southern Idlib – northern Hama region. Source: Emmanuel
Damascus:
Ahrar al-Sham reportedly fully captured Al-Ajami neighborhood of Harasta from the Syrian Arab Army. The capture comes a day after an SVBIED targeted SAA ‘s positions in the neighborhood. Ahrar al-Sham also reportedly captured the road between Harasta and Arbeen and cut Syrian Arab Army’s supply route to the ‘Army Armored Vehicle Base’ and Technical Institute in Harasta. Syrian Arab Army’s Brigadier General, Mohammed Yousef Janad was killed yesterday during the clashes with Ahrar al-Sham in Harasta.
Syrian Arab Army launched an attack against Jaysh al-Islam around Al-Nashabiyah in the eastern part of the East Ghouta. Syrian Arab Army captured four points in and around Al-Nashabiyah. Jaysh al-Islam launched a counterattack to regain lost points and allegedly killed seven SAA ‘s elements.
Faylaq al-Rahman’s security detachment released Anas al-Kholi, journalist from the East Ghouta, after he was arrested for unknown reasons by the group. The initial order to arrest Al-Kholi reportedly came from the leader of Faylaq al-Rahman, Captain Abdul Nasr Shamir (Abu Nasr) himself.
Evacuation of the fighters of the rebel Jabal al-Sheikh operations room, rebel fighters from Daraa and Quneitra and their families took place, as five buses reportedly evacuated 150 fighters and 20 families from Beit Jinn pocket towards Daraa.
Daraa:
Two Syrian Arab Army’s improvised explosive devices destroyed a vehicle of Jund al-Malahim and killed four fighters of the group, on the road between Al-Karak al-Sharqi and Rakham. Rebel “Daraa Martyrs Documentation Office” confirmed the death of four fighters of Jund al-Malahim by SAA ‘s improvised explosive devices. Jund al-Malahim reportedly joined Ahrar al-Sham in 2015.
Iraq
Baghdad:
Iraqi Army’s 11th Infantry Division conducted a raid in the area of Meredi market in Madinat al-Sadr, Baghdad city. Army reportedly discovered a workshop used to manufacture and alterate weapons in the area and confiscated large quantities of weapons. Furthermore, a number of wanted individuals was arrested in the raid.
Afghanistan
Faryab Province:
Afghan National Security Forces killed 11 elements of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (Taliban) in Pashtun Kot district. Among the killed Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan’s elements is a local commander.
Afghan Local Police’s element was wounded in clashes with the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan in Taijim area of Almar district.
Jowzyan Province:
Islamic State reportedly beheaded three people in Sezab area on charges of cooperating with the government of Afghanistan. One of the beheaded individuals was reportedly a religious scholar. Islamic State established presence in Drzab and Ghosh Tepeh districts with a significant number of foreign fighters from Uzbekistan, France, Algeria, and Russia (Chechnya). Afghan National Security Forces are reportedly preparing to start operations to remove Islamic State’s presence in the province.
Kunar Province:
Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan raided Afghan National Army’s checkpoint in Marawara district, killing one and wounding another soldier.
Kapisa Province:
Afghan National Security Forces killed an element of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan and destroyed a motorcycle in Alasay district.
Nangarhar Province:
Afghan National Security Forces killed nine and wounded one fighter of the Islamic State in Achin and Haska Meyna (Deh Bala) districts.
Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan assassinated judge Hakeem Khan in the city of Jalalabad, capital of Nangarhar Province. Similarly, Islamic State’s Amaq Agency reported assassination of an element of the Afghan National Police in the city of Jalalabad.
Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan shelled Afghan National Police’s main headquarters in Sherzad district, killing two and wounding three policemen.
Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan’s sniper killed an element of the Afghan Local Police in Surkh Rod district.
Maidan Wardak Province:
Seven elements of the Afghan Local Police defected to the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan with their weapons in Chaki Wardak district.
Badghis Province:
Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan raided Afghan National Army’s checkpoint in Qali Charkh area of Qadis district, killing one and wounding another soldier. One fighter of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan was killed and two wounded in the raid. Similarly, Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan raided another Afghan National Army’s checkpoint in the vicinity of Dara Bom district.
Ghazni Province:
Afghan National Security Forces’ operations against the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan in Andar, Qarabagh and Gelan districts resulted in killing of 11 and injury of 12 fighters of the group.
Paktika Province:
Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan ambushed a group of elements belonging to the Afghan Local Police in Jani Khel district, killing two elements of the local police and seizing their assault rifles.
Farah Province:
Afghan National Security Forces conducted operations against the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan in Pusht Rod district, killing six and wounding six elements of the group, as well as destroying two vehicles and several weapons depots and ammunition caches.
Urozgan Province:
Afghan National Security Forces killed three and wounded four fighters of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan in the city of Tarinkot, capital of Urozgan Province.
Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan’s snipers killed four elements of the Afghan National Army in Kotwalo area of Tarinkot city.
Zabul Province:
Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan raided Afghan National Army’s checkpoint in Garaband area of Seyurie directorate, killing two soldiers.
Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan’s improvised explosive device killed two elements of the Afghan National Security Forces in the vicinity of Faizo Killi area of Mizan district.
Nimruz Province:
Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan’s improvised explosive device destroyed Afghan National Army’s armored personnel carrier in Lakh Shakano area of Delaram district.
Helmand Province:
Afghan National Security Forces conducted operations against the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan in Garmsir and Marjah districts, killing ten fighters of the group. Furthermore, ANSF arrested ten individuals suspected of belonging to the IEA and destroyed a base and several weapons depots and ammunition caches during the operations.
Afghan National Army’s elements arriving in Abi Zharanda and Malik Charrahi areas of Marjah district were ambushed by the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan and the group’s improvised explosive devices. Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan reportedly destroyed four armored personnel carriers, killed 12 and wounded seven elements of the Afghan National Army. Among the killed ANA elements is commander Abdul Rahman. Two fighters of IEA were wounded in the attacks.
Afghan National Police and Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan clashed during the night in Basharan area of Lashkar Gah city, capital of Helmand Province. Three elements of the Afghan National Police were killed in the clashes.
Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan’s improvised explosive device killed two elements of the Afghan National Army in Awpashak Manda area of Lashkar Gah city.
Kandahar Province:
Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan’s vehicle-borne improvised explosive device destroyed a vehicle belonging to the Afghan National Army’s commander Khoriaye. The explosion killed and wounded five elements of the army, including the aforementioned commander.
Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan’s improvised explosive device destroyed Afghan National Army’s tank in Khonsizo area of Dand district. Another Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan’s improvised explosive device targeted Afghan National Army’s convoy in Obo Kala area of Maruf district, heading towards Atghar district in Zabul province. The explosion destroyed a truck and reportedly caused several casualties among the army’s ranks.
Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan shelled Afghan Local Police’s positions in Jangle area of Arghandab district, killing three elements of the local police. Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan also attacked Afghan Local Police’s reinforcements heading towards the shelled area, reportedly causing several casualties.
CJTF-OIR :
CJTF-OIR announced a change in their publishing policy. Now two strikes reports will be published each week, on Mondays and Fridays.
Amaq Agency:
Egypt:
Islamic State’s sniper killed Egyptian Army’s soldier in Karam al-Qawadis area, west of the city of Al-Sheikh Zuwaid in the North Sinai Governorate.
Two Islamic State’s improvised explosive devices destroyed two armored vehicles of the Egyptian Army in Billa area of Rafah city.
Other:
Intellectual credited property used may vary from an edition to edition.
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AdvertisementsEdit: and it made it, with just under two hours to go. Yer new Descent will be a reality, then. Congrats to Revival.
The bums, they are a-squeakin’. There are just four hours left on the Kickstarter clock for Overload, the game from the core creators of the original Descent, and it appears they need to round up the best part of $20k in that time. A photo finish is not at all impossible, but I imagine it’s been a sleepless night for Revival productions.
Overload is very much Descent, that classic of six-degrees-of-freedom shooters, remade in appropriately pretty mordern-o-3D, and should not be confused with Interplay’s ‘official’ Kickstarted Descent game, which was made by folk not involved in the original game. If you’ve been on the fence, Revival put out a playable teaser demo thinger a few days ago. Alternatively, the devs are busy livestreaming the game on Twitch as the finish line approaches.
At the time of writing, Overload has $283,573 of the $300,000 required to fill its coffers – although I imagine actual development costs will be significantly more than that. Especially as they’ve now committed to a multiplayer expansion (given free to backers) in the event the game gets its funding.
Four hours to go. Best of luck, Revival.In the first scientific study of sleep in wild animals, researchers found the sloth only sleeps for nine and a half hours a day, six hours fewer than previously thought.
The animal, which spends much of its time hanging from the canopy of the rainforest in South and Central America and eating leaves, was believed to get at least 16 hours sleep a day.
Scientists monitored the sloth’s sleeping pattern using two sensors on a hat to pick up signals from the brain to show when the animal was sleeping and when it was chewing.
The three adult brown three-toed sloths also were fitted with radio-tracking collars so that their locations could be monitored, along with sensors to measure movements, over three to five days. The activity of two other sloths was monitored using the collar alone
The finding reported in the journal Biology Letters by an international team of researchers working on the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute’s Barro Colorado Island in Panama suggests that the sleepiness of sloths says more about the conditions in which they are kept, rather than the animals themselves.
The team found that sloths in captivity slept for nearly 16 hours while those in the wild slept for just nine and a half hours.
"We really do not know why captive sloths in the wild sleep less in those in captivity," says first author Dr Niels Rattenborg, group leader of the Sleep and Flight Group at the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany. "It could be because they have to spend more time foraging and remaining alert for predators."
But the key significance of the work, he says, is that the team believes the method could help solve the great mystery of the purpose of sleep.
"We are fascinated that some species sleep far longer than others. If we can determine the reasons for variations in sleep patterns, we will gain insight into the function of sleep in mammals, including humans," says Dr Rattenborg. "If animals behave differently in captivity (where all previous comparative studies were performed) than they do in the wild, measuring their brain activity in captivity can lead to the wrong conclusions."
They hope developing the scanning equipment to use on the sloths will help them to study other animals.
"The beauty of the automated telemetry system is that it makes a new suite of animal behaviour studies possible," said Prof Martin Wikelski, director of the Max Plank Institute for Ornithology, researcher at Princeton University and research associate at the Smithsonian. He hopes other researchers will use their sleep monitor to study wildlife.The World Association of Benchers and Deadlifters saw something amazing on Saturday. Sy Perlis, 91, broke the previously held record in the 90-and-over age division at the National Push-Pull Bench Press and Dead Lift Championships in Phoenix.
The record had stood at 135 pounds since 2005, notes MSN Now. Perlis broke the record in one go. The record now stands at a whopping 187.2 pounds.
Some might doubt the ability of anyone over the age of, say, 40, to take serious part in a show of athleticism. Apparently, though, Perilis “began weightlifting when he was 60,” and began entering competitions over the past five years, late into his 80s.
Granted, lifting weights does not exactly require the amount of lung capacity and muscular endurance that some other sports might. But the record is something to be proud of regardless.
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“It gave me the opportunity to do something to test myself for one thing, and I didn’t have to run around to do it, as you would in some other sports,” Perlis says. “I got a lot of satisfaction out of [the competition], and it made me feel good, and it was good for me.”
Experts agree there are great benefits to maintaining an active lifestyle through old age. Chanda Dutta, chief of the Clinical Gerontology Branch of the National Institute on Aging, said “While [people like Perlis] are unusual and exceptional, they illustrate the fact that there can still be people, even in their 90s, who age very successfully.” She adds that it’s simply “a common misconception that exercise is unsafe for older people.”
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Moral of the story: think twice before messing with an "old" guy.
Sources: AZ Central, MSN Now
undefinedIts definitely worth 10 bucks.
One of the best and truest to the roots adventures when you liked the Sierra Adventures like Kings Quest VIII. Some Puzzles are a bit out of the world but you are definitely in for a treat. Its definitely my favorite adventure by FAR of the recent years. Actually I was thinking about creating an OT when it came out here, but it wasnt out in America yet and I wanted to wait. Well seems I missed that point.
The game is great, has some unbelievably charming characters, smart puzzles (that get hard later on) and a very memorable ending.
The Whispered World is a great, one of the best and definitely the most underrated of the recent adventure games. Highly recommended. The voice of Sadwick is annoying though. Click to expand...
Recommendation for Whispered world:10,20$6,80Okay since these were the last new deals anyway, I might want to get your attention to a game I wasnt even aware of being on Steam. I LOVED it, and here were my original impressions:I really liked the Tales of Monkey Island and the Sam and Max games as well, but there werent many other "classical" adventure games on par in my opinion. it really pushes the feeling Sierra was going for.Oh and its beautiful:Fair warning, though: The cinematics are not as beautiful as the rest of the game and the voice of the main character might get annoying.And again: Here is the trailer.Thinking about this game makes me feel happy |
more variance than their objective counterpart, i.e. the same model but based on objective-performance estimates.
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larger image TIFF original image Download: Figure 7. Subjective absolute value coding in motor preparatory ROIs. For each ROI the average R2-values of the linear regression between the different explanatory models and individual subject's beta estimates for different reward contexts are depicted. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.1000444.g007
In order to allow a statistical comparison between models, we performed a one-way repeated-measures ANOVA for each ROI, which was calculated across subjects' R2-values for the different models. In case of a significant influence of the factor “model,” additional pair-wise comparisons between models were performed (see Materials and Methods for details). A significant influence of the factor “model” was revealed for SPL (F(6,96) = 2.7, p < 0.05), postIPS (left: F(6,96) = 3.0, p<0.05; right: F(6,96) = 2.41, p < 0.05), and the SMA (F(6,96) = 2.6, p < 0.05). For the left SPL the results of the post-hoc comparisons between the different models are shown in Figure 5D. The figure reveals (i) that in the left SPL the subjective absolute value model explains significantly more variance than all other models but the subjective stakes model and (ii) that the objective expected value model performs significantly worse than all other models. The same principal pattern of results also surfaced for the postIPS in both hemispheres, except that the subjective absolute value model was not significantly better than the subjective motivation model (compare Table S2). All other ROIs display similar trends, though in these regions only a small subset of models could be statistically distinguished, if at all (i.e. for the SMA) (compare Figure 7 and Table S2).
Finally, we conducted a second set of full-brain group analyses to directly probe brain regions that exhibit context-dependent modulation. General linear models (GLMs) were defined for each individual subject that employed a single regressor for each task epoch. For the cue, delay, and response epochs, an additional regressor captured the hypothesized parametric modulation of the fMRI signal due to gain-loss contexts. Separate models were calculated for the value model, the stakes model, and the absolute value model (based both on subjective and objective performance estimates; see Table 1) as well as for subjects' preference and motivation. On the second level, group analyses exclusively utilized contrast images from individual subjects which assessed the beta values of each parametric regressor capturing the respective modulation of delay-related BOLD signals in accordance with each of our explanatory models. By this approach, all voxels in which a particular model could significantly account for delay period activity were mapped. Furthermore, we were able to directly contrast our main models using multiple pair-wise comparisons.
For second-level GLMs predicated upon stakes and value (either rooted in objective or subjective performance estimates) or predicated upon subjective preference and motivation, this contrast produced no significant voxels (up to an uncorrected voxel level threshold of p<0.05). However, confirming the results of our previous ROI analyses, absolute value models based on subjective performance yielded significant clusters in parietal and premotor cortex (p<0.05 corrected at cluster-level; k > 5 voxels; threshold at the voxel-level: p<0.05 FDR-corrected), rendered in green in Figure 8A (also compare Tables S1 and S3). Models of absolute value based on objective performance also highlighted a subset of these clusters, but these voxels did not survive the statistical threshold criteria. Superimposed on the statistical map for subjective absolute value in Figure 8A are the motor preparatory ROIs, which exhibited a significant main effect of the delay period (red). The extensive overlap suggests that these major motor preparatory ROIs were also the regions most significantly encoding subjective absolute value-related information.
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larger image TIFF original image Download: Figure 8. Subjective absolute value coding in Posterior Parietal Cortex. (A) Voxels revealing a significant main effect of the delay period are shown in red (p(FWE) < 0.01, k > 5); voxels revealing a significant parametric modulation of absolute value, based on subjective performance, are depicted in green (p(FDR) < 0.05, k > 5). Circled clusters of overlap (depicted in yellow) are significant at p < 0.05 (corrected at cluster level). (B–F) Cortical sites that exhibited significant differences when comparing between our six main models on the second level (p(FDR) < 0.05, k > 5; inclusive mask for delay period activity at p(FWE) < 0.01; k > 5 voxels [mask shown in red in A]). Note that the pairwise comparisons between models often suffered from the high degree of correlation between models in a subset of our subjects. Thus, the distinction between the models improved markedly by focusing on those subjects in whom the predictions of both models under comparison differed maximally. This principle is exemplified in (F): the comparison of subjective absolute value versus objective value, in which all subjects are included except those with both good subjective and good objective performance estimates, i.e. excluding those subjects in whom the predictions of both models converge (cf. Figure 2). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.1000444.g008
To further assess the ability of one model to better account for the observed patterns of BOLD activation, paired t-test comparisons between our six main models (Figure 2) were performed for all possible model combinations. For example, in order to compare objective value and subjective value models, the two contrast images corresponding to the parametric modulation for the two models were extracted from each subject (first-level GLMs) and considered as pairs in the paired t-test comparison (resulting in 17 pairs for 17 subjects for each paired t-test). In this analysis, only the subjective absolute value model, when compared to other models, yielded significant activation: the contrasts of subjective absolute value > objective absolute value (Figure 8B), subjective absolute value > subjective stakes (Figure 8C), subjective absolute value > objective stakes (Figure 8D), and subjective absolute value > objective value (Figure 8E,F) all exhibited significant voxels within right and left SPL (p(FDR) < 0.05, inclusive mask for delay period activity at p(FWE) < 0.01; k > 5 voxels [Figure 8A]; also compare Table S4). No suprathreshold clusters for any other comparisons, including the inverse contrasts (e.g. objective value > subjective absolute value), were revealed.This month at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, a select group of students will show their humanitarian spirit by participating in the Bleedin’ Heathens Blood Drive. On February 12, they will eat cake to celebrate Darwin Day, and earlier this year, they performed “de-baptism” ceremonies to celebrate Blasphemy Day, attended a War on Christmas Party, and set up Hug An Atheist and Ask An Atheist booths in the campus quad.
These activities and more are organized by the Illini Secular Student Alliance (ISSA), one of 394 student groups that are affiliated with the national Secular Student Alliance (SSA). “We brand ourselves as a safe place and community for students who are not religious,” says Derek Miller, a junior at Illini and president of the ISSA.
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Secular groups on college campuses are proliferating. The Ohio-based Secular Student Alliance, which a USA Today writer once called a “Godless Campus Crusade for Christ,” incorporated as a nonprofit in 2001. By 2007, 80 campus groups had affiliated with them, 100 by 2008, 174 by 2009, and today there are 394 SSA student groups on campuses across the country. “We have been seeing rapid growth in the past couple of years, and it shows no sign of slowing down,” says Jesse Galef, communications director at SSA. “It used to be that we would go to campuses and encourage students to pass out flyers. Now, the students are coming to us almost faster than we can keep up with.”
The Secular Student Alliance provides its affiliate groups with support and materials, including banners, pins, and informational materials with titles like What Is An Atheist?, a brochure with cheerful graphics and information about the identities of secularists, including “non-theist,” “freethinker,” and “humanist.”
Oddly enough, in the geography of on-campus student groups, atheist organizations fit within the category of faith-based groups like the Campus Crusade For Christ, which recently (and controversially) changed its name to Cru. At Stanford University, the Atheists, Humanists and Agnostics (AHA!) register with the Office For Religious Life, just like Cru, and are a member of Stanford Associated Religions.
“There are a lot of parallels with religious groups on campus,” says Ron Sanders, Cru’s missional team leader at Stanford.
“They have weekly meetings similar to ours, and give one another support, and they do social justice projects on campus and in the communities... I don’t know that they aren’t a faith group. They don’t have a faith in God, or in revelation or something like that, but they have faith in reason and in science, as I understand it, as a guide for human flourishing.”
“I don’t think it’s unfair to say that groups like Cru are our cultural opponents,” says Galef at SSA. “It comes down to which values we’re promoting. We are promoting values of critical thinking and acceptance.”
Conflicting values on campus have led to unsavory events. Last year at Salisbury University in Maryland, the Atheist Society took offense when Cru students chalked a verse from the Bible: “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’ They are corrupt, and their ways are vile; there is not one who does good.” This led to a chalking counter-offensive, which escalated but ended peacefully. In 2010, secular student groups at the University of Illinois and other Midwestern schools drew controversy when they chalked images of Muhammad. After the fallout, this event led to interfaith conversations, followed by friendship and cooperation with the Muslim Student Association. They have since hosted events together and convened for pizza and board games.
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“We really encourage interfaith activities,” says Sarah Kaiser, field organizer at the Center For Inquiry, an international organization that promotes “science, reason, freedom of inquiry, and humanist values.” As a student, Kaiser was member of the Secular Alliance at the University of Indiana. Her group raised money for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society through a “Send An Atheist To Church” tabling event. The atheists put out cups for each of the campus’ religious groups, and whichever cup raised the most money determined which church the atheists would attend as an interfaith educational activity.
The Muslim Student Union’s cup received the most donations, so the atheists attended mosque.
The Unstoppable Secular Students
The Secular Student Alliance is essentially a support network for the autonomous atheist, agnostic, and humanist student groups that choose to be its affiliates. The rapid growth of the SSA is analogue to the general growth of the American secular movement. Atheist groups were once fringe organizations that didn’t get along. That began to change around 2007, on the heels of bestselling books from atheist authors like Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens. Suddenly, the movement had leaders, a sense of direction and a common purpose. Today, the Secular Coalition For America is an umbrella lobbyist group for a number of once-competing groups, including American Atheists, the Council for Secular Humanism, and the American Humanist Association.
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These “adult” organizations support the growth of campus groups. American Atheists offers scholarships to student activists, noting that “special attention is given to those students who show activism specifically in their schools.” The American Humanist Association provides support to campus groups, as does the Richard Dawkins Foundation and the Freedom From Religion Foundation. Increasingly, students who are active in SSA groups continue with the movement after college. “The dynamic of being in a [secular] college student group translates so well into national advocacy and lobbying,” says Kelly Damerow, research and advocacy manager at the Secular Coalition For America.
The Center For Inquiry, like the Secular Student Alliance, has college campus group affiliates. “Groups can co-affiliate, and most affiliate with both of us,” says Kaiser. Cody Hashman, also a field organizer at the Center For Inquiry, says many campus activities focus on activism training. “We give them advice on how to implement activism campaigns, resources on service projects, and help with putting on book tours for non-religious authors,” Hashman says. “Every summer we have a leadership conference where we train students on how to organize their group, manage volunteers, how to talk to the media, how to send a press release, how to make posters.”
National organizations, particularly the Secular Coalition For America, are primarily concerned with lobbying in Washington over First Amendment church/state and freedom of religion (and of non-religion) issues. But the anti-religious (or “antitheist”) thread within the secular movement is difficult to ignore and implicit in the names of some of the organizations, such as the Freedom From Religion Foundation, the Foundation Beyond Belief, and, of course, the Pastafarians, an atheist group worshipping under the parody Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster. The Skeptics and Atheists Network at East Tennessee State University rather pointedly calls itself S.A.N.E.
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“We do a lot of interfaith activities if they align with our humanist values, but the one thing we never compromise on is our right and responsibility to criticize bad ideas,” says Miller at ISSA. “When you assume a supernatural world, that is a train of thought that does not have a basis. When you start from that, you will automatically lead yourself to a bad idea.”
A recent SSA presentation entitled “The Unstoppable Secular Students” compared SSA to Cru. Cru takes in $500 million a year, while SSA takes in $998,000; Cru has three paid staff members per 1 campus group, while SSA has 78 campus groups per 1 adult organizer. And yet Cru is growing at a rate of 16 per cent while SSA is growing at a rate of 116 per cent. The presentation concludes:
“Cru has a massively larger budget, the majority of the U.S. population to draw from (76% Christian), an organized political voting bloc to give them politicians and laws and supreme court justices in their favor. But they are losing in the cultural war. The secular students are winning, and they are unstoppable!”
This hawkish stance is understandable in light of Cru’s rather unilateral mission statement: “Win, build, and send Christ-centered multiplying disciples who launch spiritual movements.” No doubt many student secular groups hope to find those freshman questioning their faith and prevent them from becoming multiplying disciples. “As the secular students clear up misconceptions about what it means to be secular, I feel that more students will leave their faith,” says Galef.
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Most campus groups are more concerned with strengthening the community, visibility, and tolerance of secularists than engaging in the cultural war. Hashman at the Center For Inquiry says that some students come from homes and communities where they have to hide their secular identity, and secular student groups become an important community for them. “It has now become more acceptable for people to state that they are questioning or no longer religious” says Hashman. “We are dedicated to free inquiry and freedom of expression, and that can come off as abrasive, but we believe it necessary for a free and democratic society.”Senator Patrick Brazeau is recovering in hospital following surgery after he was found seriously injured in his home last night, according to officials at a hospital in Gatineau, Que.
Police and paramedics were called to Brazeau's home in Mayo, Que., northeast of Ottawa, just after 10 p.m. ET on Monday, sources told CBC News.
He was taken to hospital in Buckingham, Que., and was later transferred to a hospital in Gatineau, Que.
There is no criminal investigation, according to Quebec provincial police.
Trial on Senate expenses upcoming
The Hull hospital released a statement late Tuesday morning confirming Brazeau arrived at 1 a.m. ET and underwent successful surgery.
He is in critical but stable condition, but his injuries are not life threatening, the statement added.
Brazeau is currently on a leave of absence from the Senate with pay, though his salary is being clawed back to repay nearly $50,000 in disallowed housing expense claims.
He faces a criminal trial for fraud and breach of trust arising from his Senate expenses. The trial is scheduled to start in March.
Suspended in 2013
Brazeau was kicked out of the Tory caucus in February 2013 after he was arrested and charged with assault and sexual assault related to an incident at a Gatineau residence that same month.
He was suspended from the upper chamber in November 2013.
In April 2014, Brazeau was charged with assault, possession of cocaine, uttering threats and breaching bail conditions following an altercation involving a man and a woman at a home in Gatineau.
In October 2015, Brazeau was granted an absolute discharge after pleading guilty to the assault and cocaine charges, avoiding both jail time and a criminal record.
He had earlier pleaded guilty to the reduced charges of assault and possession of cocaine after the more serious charge of sexual assault was dropped due to a lack of evidence.
Brazeau's suspension from the Senate without pay was lifted when Parliament was dissolved for the 2015 federal election.Metro continues to overhaul its track inspection department one year after a high-profile derailment on the Silver Line, but efforts to improve the quality of inspections have been hampered by some seemingly intractable problems: troublesome technology, daily time constraints and the agency’s self-imposed safety regulations that have made it more difficult for inspectors to access the tracks.
An internal report prepared by Metro’s quality control unit — and delivered to senior managers in June — outlined many of these problems, detailing four “wins” within the track inspection department and 14 other “areas for improvement.”
The improvements, according to the quality control unit: Track inspectors have gone through an enhanced training program (“very effective and informative,” commented one of the report’s authors after watching a training session), and more inspections take place at night, when there are fewer interruptions from passing trains. Additionally, workers have finally ramped up their use of an $8 million track inspection machine that was rarely utilized before the derailment.
The report also paints a clear picture of the myriad challenges: The software that allows inspectors to log track defects remains confusing to workers and allows for redundancies and inaccurate information. It’s a problem Metro is grappling with even after the agency fired a third of its track inspection department following the July 2016 derailment and amid reports that workers had been falsifying inspection logs.
Although the track inspection machine now spends more time on the rails, workers don’t use much of the data the machine is capable of collecting.
And there’s still not enough time to do track inspection work, in part because of extra logistical hassles caused by safety regulations that have been put in place in the past year.
In that period, Metro has become much more aggressive about reducing speed limits in areas of the system where tracks have defects, part of an effort to reduce the risk of derailment. But when inspectors stop to fill out the documents required to put a speed limit in place, it cuts into the time they have to finish the inspection.
New rules instituted to help protect workers from being struck by trains also result in longer wait times for permission to access the tracks.
[NTSB: Metro knew of potentially dangerous track conditions more than a year before July derailment]
The report demonstrates how, in the business of running a subway system, there are rarely easy solutions or quick fixes.
The internal report was not publicized by Metro but was posted to its website. The link to the document was removed minutes after The Washington Post asked Metro’s communications team about the report. The report was later posted on Metro’s “internal reviews” page.
At the board’s most recent meeting, Metro General Manager Paul J. Wiedefeld was asked about the state of the track inspection department. He acknowledged that issues remain, but he maintained that much has improved since last year, when a train derailed at the East Falls Church station, injuring at least one person and causing an estimated $150,000 in damage to the train.
The derailment occurred because a stretch of the tracks had fallen into disrepair, month after month, according to the National Transportation Safety Board. During subsequent investigations, it became clear that repairs were not performed in a timely manner and Metro’s inspection department didn’t even have an accurate picture of where problems existed on the tracks.
By the beginning of this year, Wiedefeld had fired 16 “track walkers” (rank-and-file inspectors) and five supervisors. Now, he says, the department is on the right path.
“We’ve brought in some outside help, we’ve established much different procedures that we follow to inspect and repair the tracks, we have more time to do the work with additional hours,” Wiedefeld said last week. “I’m very comfortable that we’ve moved quite a long way from a year ago, both on the conditions of the track and on the safety of the track.”
[Jan. 2017: One-third of Metro’s track inspection department has been fired for falsifying records, Wiedefeld confirms]
But the internal review offered a more nuanced picture of the progress.
The quality control team suggested that Metro cut down on the time used for pre-inspection safety briefings so workers could get more time on the tracks.
In one instance, the report said, a worker was contacted multiple times by the Operations Control Center to see when he would be clear of the tracks.
“The Control Center radioed... before and again during the interlocking inspection,” the report said. The report said the interruptions led “to an overly rushed inspection which prevented a full inspection of all the rails and fasteners.”
One quality control official noted that an inspector was ordered to halt his inspection so other employees could do maintenance work.
“There was almost another hour in which inspection could have been performed,” the report said. “This wastes resources and makes it more difficult for the inspection supervisor to meet Track Inspections obligations.”
That comports with similar issues raised by the Federal Transit Administration in a May inspection report, which noted that workers had to wait two hours to be given permission to step onto the tracks; by the time a dispatcher provided the go-ahead, they had only 10 minutes to investigate a problem before their window to be on the tracks expired.
The long wait times for track access exemplified a recurring theme in the internal report: Sometimes, “prioritizing safety” is a complex calculus of weighing competing needs.
The quality control unit also cited the track inspection department’s insufficient staffing and the impact it has had on the work.
“Inspectors do not have the sufficient manpower to inspect... fast enough” during regular service hours, the report said.
But Metro spokeswoman Sherri Ly said insufficient staffing is largely a problem of the past. There are 36 qualified inspectors at Metro — six more than the 30 required by the system, she said.
Metro’s quality control unit offered other suggestions for improvement in the report:
• The multimillion-dollar inspection machine should be outfitted with GPS to cut out the guesswork in describing the exact location of spots where defects are discovered.
• Workers should use more of the information that can be collected by that machine, which the quality control team said is underutilized.
• The software used to log defects allows for informational redundancies that confuse track maintenance workers. The software also forces inspectors to log defects individually, which can make it difficult to bump up a problem zone as an immediate priority if a slew of interrelated defects in one spot result in an urgent safety risk. Quality control officials recommended that the software be changed to allow for defects to be linked to one another, to “provide for better tracking.”
• Gauge rods, tools that are placed on the tracks to prevent rails from spreading apart, should be removed after 14 days. Right now, the report said, it sometimes takes longer.
The quality control unit had one more piece of advice for management: Track inspectors are now allowed to pick the set of tracks they are responsible for based on seniority. Inevitably, senior track walkers select the stretches of track that are shortest or easiest — and often, they pick the same stretch of track year after year.
Maybe, quality control officers said, it would be a good idea to force inspectors to rotate tracks each year, for one simple reason: “It is important to know that someone else will be inspecting the track after you,” the report said.
[Virtual inspections: A solution to Metro’s late-night service cuts?]Catholic bishops have to report sex abuse. Yep. They do. Just in case any of y’all (or your friends or associates, or any priests or bishops you may happen to know) thought differently the answer is yes, they have to report it. And yes … duh. Pope Francis’ Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, created in 2014 to advise him “in the fight against child sexual abuse,” reaffirmed that recently. They had to reaffirm it, since some psychologist came around a year after the commission’s initial report saying bishops could eschew that responsibility.
The statement comes amid controversy over a Vatican training course for new Catholic bishops around the world held in September 2015, in which French Monsignor Tony Anatrella, a psychologist known for his views on homosexuality and “gender theory,” told bishops they had no obligation to report abuse charges to law enforcement. Anatrella argued that the decision to report should be up to victims and their families, and that while bishops have the right to inform police and other public authorities, they are not required to do so under Church law.
The Pope’s Commission stated that the bishops have not only a civil responsibility under law but “a moral and ethical responsibility” as well:
“As Pope Francis has so clearly stated, ‘The crimes and sins of the sexual abuse of children must not be kept secret for any longer. I pledge the zealous vigilance of the Church to protect children and the promise of accountability for all’,” the statement said. “We, the president and the members of the commission, wish to affirm that our obligations under civil law must certainly be followed, but even beyond these civil requirements, we all have a moral and ethical responsibility to report suspected abuse to the civil authorities who are charged with protecting our society.”
Sounds pretty clear and straightforward, doesn’t it?They say that Jaws and Star Wars changed cinema forever and they’re right, but only partly. Let’s take a look at Jaws first. Those lines around the blocks in 1975 inspired studios to not just green-light three sequels to the picture, but anything with a shark, a piranha, a barracuda, a giant squid, killer whales and a dino-shark. Twenty years after Jaws-mania it was all-systems-go for Deep Blue Sea and Open Water. Forty years later and I’m sitting with my popcorn in my lap, excited about Eli Roth’s Megalodon.
But it doesn’t stop there. Jaws might have borrowed from the structure of both American and Italian slasher movies of the '60s and '70s, but not as much as later slasher-fare pinched from Jaws. That very strict format of people-just-trying-to-have-fun torn to bloody pieces by a monster we don’t see until the third act was perfected by Jaws and the trope of every VHS movie we watched when our parents didn’t realise we had their video membership cards. This structure was replicated right down to the figure of authority putting several bullets in the menace in a rousing, frenzied finale. So the shadow of Jaws looms large. Star Wars not so much.
I can hear your sharp intake of breath and I say this as a lover, not a hater. Star Wars is the most commercially successful idea in cinema history (when you combine the grosses of every merchandising dollar with the theatrical and home entertainment releases) and yet there’s very little else like it. Sure, we had the delicious Dino De Laurentiis Flash Gordon, which they say used so much colour in 1980 that Raging Bull had to be shot in black and white. But it was a one-off. A single picture that’s never been remade. We had Star-Crash, Star Odyssey, Message from Space, Star-Chaser and Galaxina, but I’ll bet you five bucks right now you didn’t see more than one of them in a cinema and most cost less than the device you’re reading this on.
The honest truth is that the studios didn’t really understand Star Wars and even when they had the first cut of the original sitting in a screening room with Lucas himself they still didn’t really appreciate what they were releasing. They had no idea why this connected with audiences and so they followed it up with a slew of 1980s fantasy pictures, from Krull, to Hawk the Slayer, to Labyrinth, to the Never-Ending Story. These were all fun pictures, but it was a complete misunderstanding of what people craved, much like the execs who decided after Tim Burton’s Batman that what the kids really enjoyed was retro-30s art-deco heroes, paving the way for The Shadow, Dick Tracy, The Phantom and The Rocketeer instead of more superhero pictures.
So what happened? Well, Ridley Scott happened, baby. Just as everyone was feeling around after Star Wars and trying to figure out what audiences wanted Ridley gave us Alien. Suddenly sci-fi wasn’t for kids anymore and every good director in the world wanted to be as cool this guy. Think Alien was great? Here comes Blade Runner and Ridley wows us with that one-two punch and very possibly the two most influential sci-fi pictures in the history of cinema.
Now neither of these movies made anything like as much money as Star Wars, but all the quality genre directors were so dazzled by their brilliance that every sci-fi release for the next thirty years would follow this model instead. Every '80s, '90s and '00s sci-fi is set in that same claustrophobic, rain-soaked, hard-machine world Ridley established all those years ago and Star Wars was hung out to dry. The four-quadrant family space-opera was pretty much never seen again (besides the prequels), which is odd when Star Wars is kinda, y’know, the biggest money-spinner of all time an’ all.
Maybe it’s because we have young kids and we’re always looking for movies to see, but a good pal and I got talking about this last year. We wondered if the reason Star Wars is so goddamn enormous and the excitement building up to Episode 7 was so overwhelming is because we’re genuinely starved of this kind of material. It’s a controversial thought because talking heads have told us for forty years about the enormous legacy of the Skywalker story and how cinema was changed forever, but the reality is that there really hasn’t been much in the way of well done family space-fantasy since somewhere around 1983.
A new Star Wars movie every couple of years, plus a spin-off feature every alternate year, was deemed way too much by internet movie columnists in a world where we have three or four superhero pictures a year, and at least eight major release spy-movies in 2015 alone. Pretty much all of which went on to make money by the way. But the fact that Episode 7 came along and crossed two billion dollars to become the third-biggest feature of all time shows that the appetite is very much still there. So it’s odd that we’re not prepared for this like when Spider-Man, Avengers, Batman and Iron Man joined the line to reap the rewards of Bryan Singer’s first X-Men movie. Disney has an absolute stranglehold on this genre between Star Wars and Guardians, no other studio even being able to get into the ring, but I really want to break that over the next couple of years.
As a writer I always trust my instincts and what I’m writing tends to be what I’m missing as a reader or viewer. Back in 2002 I was co-creating The Ultimates because I loved and missed The classic Avengers. Back in 2006 I was writing Civil War, a big political superhero drama because I wanted a Marvel comic that felt a little different from what people might expect. For the last couple of years I’ve been writing epic, inclusive sci-fi stories aimed at a wide audience and I didn’t even realise it until I looked at the collected graphic novels on my shelf. Starlight, my homage to the Buck Rogers space-heroes, is over at Fox, a kind of Unforgiven where an old Buster Crabbe type is back for one last adventure. Chrononauts is over at Universal, being put together with my old pal who produces the Fast and the Furious pictures. Empress is my new one, out on April 6, and a big family space opera fantasy about a woman who’s married to the worst tyrant in the universe and wants a divorce, fleeing his terrifying world with her three children and their bodyguard for refuge on the other side of the galaxy.
Why am I writing these right now? Because they’re the kind of comics I want to read at the moment as my head shifts from superheroes into sci-fi. As a guy who goes to the cinema twice a week they’re also the kind of movies I want to watch while I’m waiting two years to see if Mark Hamill is now a good guy or a bad guy. The fact that the movie rights were purchased so quickly (we sold the Empress movie rights a few months back after I handed in my final script) is a good sign that Hollywood is ready for that big budget family space-opera we’ve all been clamouring to see.
They’re maybe finally understanding that sci-fi doesn’t always need to be so dark and dystopian and there’s room for a little brightness too. After all, Star Wars: The Force Awakens crossed two billion dollars recently. That’s more money than The Avengers, Gravity, Spider-Man, Mad Max, Iron Man, The Matrix, Superman, Batman, Lord of the Rings, Pirates of the Caribbean, The Terminator, Frozen, The Lion King, The Fast and the Furious, Harry Potter, any James Bond and the grosses of all the Alien movies combined. There’s a big, giant lesson here if anyone can see it. Kids want sci-fi too.
Mark Millar is a renowned comic book creator and writer. He's the man behind Kick Ass and Kingsman: The Secret Service, and you can check out all the info on his latest comic - Empress - right here. Mark is a semi-regular contributor to GamesRadar+ and, in addition to this piece on Star Wars, you can check out his thoughts on Man Of Steel. As an added bonus, check out the first seven pages of Empress below...Not to be confused with Dickey-Wicker Amendment
In United States politics, the Dickey Amendment is a provision first inserted as a rider into the 1996 federal government omnibus spending bill which mandated that "none of the funds made available for injury prevention and control at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) may be used to advocate or promote gun control."[1] In the same spending bill, Congress earmarked $2.6 million from the CDC's budget, the exact amount that had previously been allocated to the agency for firearms research the previous year, for traumatic brain injury-related research.[2]
The amendment was lobbied for by the NRA. The amendment is named after its author Jay Dickey, a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from Arkansas.[2] Many commentators have described this amendment as a "ban" on gun violence research by the CDC.[3]
Positions taken [ edit ]
The amendment was introduced after lobbying by the National Rifle Association in response to their perceived bias in a 1993 study by Arthur Kellermann that found that guns in the home were associated with an increased risk of homicide in the home, as well as other CDC funded studies and efforts.[2][4] Mark L. Rosenberg, the former director of the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, has described this amendment as "a shot fired across the bow" at CDC researchers who wanted to research gun violence.[5] In a 2012 op-ed, Dickey and Rosenberg argued that the CDC should be able to research gun violence,[6] and Dickey has since said that he regrets his role in stopping the CDC from researching gun violence,[7] saying he simply didn't want to "let any of those dollars go to gun control advocacy."[8]
In response to this amendment being adopted, the American Psychological Association adopted a resolution condemning it.[2] In December 2015, multiple medical organizations, including Doctors for America, the American College of Preventive Medicine, and the American Academy of Pediatrics, called on Congress to repeal the amendment.[4] That same month, the American Association for the Advancement of Science also called for an end to this amendment.[9]
Attempts to remove the amendment [ edit ]
In 2013, President Barack Obama directed the CDC to research gun violence. The CDC responded by funding a research project in 2013[10] and conducting their own study in 2015.[11] That month, a spokeswoman for the agency, Courtney Lenard, told the Washington Post that "It is possible for us to conduct firearm-related research within the context of our efforts to address youth violence, domestic violence, sexual violence, and suicide. But our resources are very limited."[4]
In October 2015, 110 members of Congress, all of whom were Democrats, signed a letter calling on Congress to reject the amendment.[12]
In December 2015, despite Nancy Pelosi's efforts to have the Dickey amendment removed from the spending bill for the following year, Congress passed this bill with the amendment still in it.[13]
On March 21, 2018, Congressional negotiators reached a deal on an Omnibus continuing resolution. The 1.3 trillion dollar spending agreement also includes language that codified Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar interpretation of the Dickey Rider in testimony on February 18, 2018, before the US House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee.[14] While the amendment itself remains, the language in a report accompanying the Omnibus spending bill clarifies that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention can conduct research into gun violence, but cannot use government appropriated funds to do so.[15] It was signed into law by U.S. President Donald J. Trump on March 23, 2018.[16]
See also [ edit |
the Liyu police force summarily executed at least 10 men who were in their custody, killed at least 9 residents in ensuing gunfights, abducted at least 24 men, and looted dozens of shops and houses.
“The killing of several Liyu police members doesn’t justify the force’s brutal retaliation against the local population,” said Leslie Lefkow, deputy Africa director at Human Rights Watch. “The Liyu police abuses in Somali region show the urgent need for the Ethiopian government to rein in this lawless force.”
The Ethiopian government should hold those responsible for the killings and other abuses to account and prevent future abuses by the force.
Ethiopian authorities created the Liyu (“special” in Amharic) police in the Somali region in 2007 when an armed conflict between the insurgent Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) and the government escalated. By 2008 the Liyu police became a prominent counterinsurgency force recruited and led by the regional security chief at that time, Abdi Mohammed Omar (known as “Abdi Illey”), who is now the president of Somali Regional State.
The Liyu police have been implicated in numerous serious abuses against civilians throughout the Somali region in the context of counterinsurgency operations. The legal status of the force is unclear, but credible sources have informed Human Rights Watch that members have received training, uniforms, arms, and salaries from the Ethiopian government via the regional authorities.
Human Rights Watch spoke to 30 victims, relatives of victims, and witnesses to the March incidents from four villages who had fled across the border to Somaliland and who gave detailed accounts of the events.
Witnesses told Human Rights Watch that on the evening of March 16 the Liyu police returned to Raqda following the clashes with the community earlier in the day that left seven police force members dead. The next morning, March 17, the Liyu police rounded up 23 men in Raqda and put them into a truck heading towards Galka, a neighboringvillage. Along the way the Liyu police stopped the truck, ordered five randomly selected men to descend, and shot them by the roadside. “It was three police who shot them,” a detainee told Human Rights Watch. “They shot them in the forehead and shoulder: three bullets per person.”
Also on March 17, at about 6 a.m., Liyu police in two vehicles opened an assault on the nearby village of Adaada. Survivors of the attack and victims’ relatives described Liyu police members going house to house searching for firearms and dragging men from their homes. The Liyu police also started shooting in the air. Local residents with arms and the Liyu police began fighting and at least four villagers were killed. Many civilians fled the village.
After several hours the Liyu police left but later returned when villagers came back to the village to bury those killed earlier that day. Fighting resumed in the afternoon and at least another five villagers were killed. The Liyu police took another four men from their homes and summarily executed them. A woman whose brother was a veterinarian told Human Rights Watch: “They caught my brother and took him outside. They shot him in the head and then slit his throat.”
For five days Liyu police also deployed outside Langeita, another village in the district, and restricted people’s movement. The Liyu police carried out widespread looting of shops and houses in at least two of the villages, residents said.
Human Rights Watch received an unconfirmed report that following the incidents local authorities arrested three Liyu police members. However it is unclear whether the members have been charged or whether further investigations have taken place.
The Ethiopian government’s response to reports of abuses in the Somali region has been to severely restrict or control access for journalists, aid organizations, human rights groups, and other independent monitors. Ethiopia’s regional and federal government should urgently facilitate access for independent investigations of the events by independent media and human rights investigators, including the United Nations Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial and summary executions.
“For years the Ethiopian government has jailed and deported journalists for reporting on the Somali region,” Lefkow said. “Donor countries should call on Ethiopia to allow access to the media and rights groups so abuses can’t be hidden away.”
Liyu Police Abuses, March 2012
Summary Executions and Killings
Human Rights Watch interviewed witnesses and relatives of the victims who described witnessing at least 10 summary executions by the Liyu police on March 16 and 17. The actual number may be higher.
On March 16 in Raqda, a Liyu police member shot dead Abdiqani Abdillahi Abdi after he intervened to stop the paramilitary from harassing and beating another villager. Several villagers heard the Liyu police member saying to Abdiqani, “What can you do for him?” and then heard the shot.
The shooting ignited a confrontation between the Liyu police and the local community. The nine Liyu police who were deployed in Raqda then left via the road to the neighboring village of Adaada. A number of Raqda residents, including members of Abdiqani’s family, took their weapons, went after the Liyu police, and reportedly killed seven of them in a confrontation that followed.
The next morning, on March 17 at around 11 a.m., the Liyu police selected five men from a group of 23 men they had detained in Raqda and were taking towards Galka village in a truck. The Liyu police forced the five men to sit by the roadside and then shot them. Another detainee described what happened:
In between Galka and Raqda they stopped the truck. There were four other Liyu police vehicles accompanying the truck. This was around 11 a.m. They told five of us to get out of the lorry. They [randomly] ordered five out – none in particular. The man standing near the lorry ordered them to “Kill them, shoot them.” It was three police who shot them. They shot them in the forehead and shoulder: three bullets per person.
Another detainee saw the five being shot in the head and said the Liyu police threatened the remaining detainees, saying, “We will kill you all like this.”
The same day the Liyu police summarily executed four men in Adaada, where they had carried out house-to-house searches that morning. In all four cases multiple witnesses described the victims as unarmed and in custody when they were shot, either in the neck or head, shortly after having been dragged from their homes.
Witnesses described the summary execution of a veterinarian. The Liyu police dragged him from his home and shot him in the head, but when they realized that he was not dead, they slit his throat. The veterinarian’s middle-aged sister told Human Rights Watch:
They entered the home and asked where the man responsible for the home was. There were seven of them. They caught my brother and took him outside. They shot him in the head and then slit his throat. After killing him, they asked my niece where her father’s rifle was, but she could not find the keys and they hit her on the back of the shoulder with the butt of a gun.
Witnesses also told Human Rights Watch that a teenage boy was dragged from his uncle’s home, taken nearby, momentarily interrogated, and then shot. One witness heard him reciting a prayer before being killed. His body was left on the ground near a trash dump. A third victim, an elderly man, was taken from outside his home, interrogated for a short time, and then shot while standing. Several witnesses heard him pleading with the police to spare his life. The fourth victim was also taken from his home and shot shortly after.
At least nine other men were killed by the Liyu police in Adaada, but the circumstances of their deaths are unclear. There was armed resistance to the Liyu police attack, and some of the nine may have been armed. However, according to witnesses, the Liyu police shot several men, in the upper body and head, who were trying to escape. Two men fleeing were reportedly run over by Liyu police vehicles.
Abductions, Torture, and Ill-Treatment
During the house searches in Adaada, the Liyu police abducted a number of village men and tortured and mistreated several people, including at least three women.
An Adaada resident, one of the first to be taken from his home on the morning of March 17, described to Human Rights Watch his treatment by the Liyu police:
They entered and told my wife to shut up. Four men entered the house with four waiting outside. They came over to me and took me. They also took the gun from my house. They hit me with the butt of a gun and took me to a small river near my home. They tied a belt around my neck. I lost consciousness. They threw me in a berket [small water hole] that was 15 meters deep and then they threw branches over me. There was mud in the berket. I managed to climb up when I woke up.
The Liyu police seriously beat at least three women during house searches in Adaada. A young woman said that Liyu police members who had entered her home beat her after she told them that her husband was absent: “They said I was lying, they kicked me and crushed my head with the back of the gun. I had some injuries in my kidney. I lost a tooth.”
Three men who had been abducted in Raqda on March 17 told Human Rights Watch they were each detained for nine days. During the first 24 hours they were without water. For four days the Liyu police drove them around in an open truck between villages and towns in an apparent attempt to hide them from local residents, and possibly also from federal authorities.
During the first four days of their detention they were beaten by the police with sticks and gun butts. On at least two occasions the paramilitaries guarding them threatened to execute them. However, disagreements among the Liyu police on how to proceed apparently saved the men’s lives. One former detainee told Human Rights Watch:
We were driving around different villages and some of the police said they should release us because the federal government will give them problems, they will discipline us, as we have committed a crime. Others said, “Let us kill all 24.” There were different ideas among the police.
After four days in the truck they were detained for at least another four days out in the sun near the village of Langeita, where they received only minimal food and water. After that the Liyu police took them to Gashaamo, where they were released on March 25 as a result of negotiations between the regional government and clan elders.
Looting
Residents of Adaada and Langeita described widespread looting of property, food, and money from shops and houses by the Liyu police. Six villagers who spoke to Human Rights Watch said that their own houses, belongings, and property had been looted on March 17.
A 45-year-old woman from Langeita said that the Liyu police moved around the village in groups of five to seven and entered 10 stores. Two or three would enter a shop and steal shoes, clothes, drinks, and food. Two women said they could not return to their villages because they had lost all their property.
Reports from local authorities in neighbouring Somaliland suggest that discussions have taken place between clan elders from the affected villages and the regional authorities to negotiate a solution to the situation. None of the local residents who spoke with Human Rights Watch had current plans to return to their homes.
Background
Ethiopia’s Somali region has been the site of a low-level insurgency by the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) for more than a decade. The ONLF, an ethnic Somali armed movement largely supported by members of the Ogaden clan, has sought greater political autonomy for the region. Following the ONLF’s April 2007 attack on the oil installation in Obole, which resulted in the deaths of 70 civilians and the capture of several Chinese oil workers, the Ethiopian government carried out a major counterinsurgency campaign in the five zones of the region primarily affected by the conflict.
Human Rights Watch’s June 2008 report of its investigation into abuses in the conflict found that the Ethiopian National Defense Force and the ONLF had committed war crimes between mid-2007 and early 2008, and that the Ethiopian armed forces could be responsible for crimes against humanity based on the patterns of executions, torture, rape, and forced displacement.
These abuses have never been independently investigated. Ethiopia’s Foreign Affairs Ministry initiated an inquiry in late 2008 in response to the Human Rights Watch report, but that inquiry failed to meet the basic requirements of independence, timeliness, and confidentiality that credible investigations require. The government has repeatedly ignored calls for an independent inquiry into the abuses in the region.
Since the escalation of fighting in 2007 the Ethiopian government has imposed tight controls on access to Somali region for independent journalists and human rights monitors. In July 2011 two Swedish journalists who entered the region to report on the conflict were arrested, convicted, and sentenced to 11 years in prison under Ethiopia’s vague and overbroad anti-terrorism law.
Gashaamo district, where the March 2012 events took place, is in Dhagabhur zone, one of the five affected by the conflict. However, it was not an area directly affected by fighting in previous years, and is largely populated by members of the ethnic Somali Isaaq clan, who are not generally perceived to be a source of support for the ONLF.The implication that Iraq was involved in the attacks of 9/11 was untrue
How did the U.S. government lead its people to war?
The Bush administration and the U.S. intelligence community knew immediately after 9/11 that Iraq had nothing to do with the 9/11 attacks and that al-Qaeda was solely responsible. Yet for months before the Iraq war, and even after the war began, the administration repeatedly implied that there was a connection between Iraq and the attacks of 9/11, leaving a majority of the U.S. public with that mistaken belief.
Furthermore, 9/11 hijacker Mohamed Atta did not meet with an Iraqi intelligence officer in Prague. [link to section: Mohammed Atta Did Not Meet with Iraqis ]
Iraq had no involvement in, or connection to, the attacks of 9/11. None of the hijackers were Iraqi – fifteen were Saudi and the rest were Egyptian, Emirati and Lebanese. Within days, the intelligence community reported that there was no evidence linking the Iraqi regime to the attacks.
Furthermore, the global war on terror was initiated by the U.S. in response to the 9/11 attacks, and by declaring Iraq as a central part of the war on terror, the administration encouraged the idea that there was a connection between Iraq and 9/11.
Among these false linkages was the administration’s specific claim that an Iraqi intelligence officer met with 9/11 lead hijacker Mohamed Atta in Prague five months before the attacks.
Although the Bush administration made no outright claim that Iraq was connected to the attacks of September 11, through suggestion, innuendo, careful use of language, and the repeated use of “Iraq” and “9/11” in the same sentence, it left a substantial portion of the public with that false impression – and subsequently initiated no efforts to correct it.
September 11, 2001
Al-Qaeda terrorists hijack four U.S. commercial airliners, crashing them into the New York World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and a field in Pennsylvania.
September 11, 2001 [reported at a later date]
At 2:40pm, six hours after the first plane hit the World Trade Center, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld orders the military to plan a strike against Osama bin Laden and investigate any rationales to target Saddam Hussein. As reported by CBS News (on September 4, 2002) [link to source]
“With the intelligence all pointing toward bin Laden, Rumsfeld ordered the military to begin working on strike plans. And at 2:40 p.m., the notes quote Rumsfeld as saying he wanted ‘best info fast. Judge whether good enough hit S.H.’ – meaning Saddam Hussein – ‘at same time. Not only UBL’ – the initials used to identify Osama bin Laden.
“Now, nearly one year later, there is still very little evidence Iraq was involved in the Sept. 11 attacks. But if these notes are accurate, that didn't matter to Rumsfeld.
“‘Go massive,’ the notes quote him as saying. ‘Sweep it all up. Things related and not.’”
September 12, 2001 [reported at a later date]
According to Richard Clarke, former U.S. counter-terrorism chief for the U.S. National Security Council, on this day President Bush pulled some of his advisors into a conference room. The exchange is detailed in Clarke’s book, Against All Enemies (pages 30–32, published April 2004) [link to source]
“Look,” [Bush] told us. “I know you have a lot to do and all … but I want you, as soon as you can, to go back over everything, everything. See if Saddam did this. See if he's linked in any way.”
I was once again taken aback, incredulous, and it showed.
“But, Mr. President, Al Qaeda did this.”
“I know, I know, but … see if Saddam was involved. Just look. I want to know any shred.”
“Absolutely, we will look … again.” I was trying to be more respectful, more responsive. “But, you know, we have looked several times for state sponsorship of Al Qaeda and not found any real linkages to Iraq…”
“Look into Iraq, Saddam,” the President said testily and left us.
CBS’ 60 Minutes reports (on April 29, 2007) [reported at a later date] [link to source]
“The truth of Iraq begins, according to [former Director of Central Intelligence, George] Tenet, the day after the attack of Sept. 11, when he ran into Pentagon advisor Richard Perle at the White House.
“‘He [Perle] said to me, ‘Iraq has to pay a price for what happened yesterday, they bear responsibility.’ It’s September the 12th. I’ve got the manifest with me that tell me al Qaeda did this. Nothing in my head that says there is any Iraqi involvement in this in any way shape or form and I remember thinking to myself, as I'm about to go brief the president, ‘What the hell is he talking about?’’ Tenet remembers.
September 16, 2001
Vice President Dick Cheney speaks with Tim Russert on NBC News’ Meet the Press [link to source]
MR. RUSSERT: Do we have evidence that [Hussein is] harboring terrorists?
VICE PRES. CHENEY: There is– in the past, there have been some activities related to terrorism by Saddam Hussein. But at this stage, you know, the focus is over here on al-Qaeda and the most recent events in New York. Saddam Hussein's bottled up, at this point, but clearly, we continue to have a fairly tough policy where the Iraqis are concerned.
MR. RUSSERT: Do we have any evidence linking Saddam Hussein or Iraqis to this operation?
VICE PRES. CHENEY: No.
“Responding to a presidential tasking, [chief anti-terrorism advisor, Richard] Clarke’s office sent a memo to Rice on September 18, titled ‘Survey of Intelligence Information on Any Iraq Involvement in the September 11 Attacks.’…
“The memo found no ‘compelling case’ that Iraq had either planned or perpetrated the attacks.”
September 18, 2001
The Associated Press reports [link to source]
“An unconfirmed link to Iraq emerged Tuesday [September 18] in the intelligence community.
“A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the United States has received information from a foreign intelligence service that Mohamed Atta, a hijacker aboard one of the planes that slammed into the World Trade Center, met earlier this year in Europe with an Iraqi intelligence agent.”
“Ten days after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, President Bush was told in a highly classified briefing that the U.S. intelligence community had no evidence linking the Iraqi regime of Saddam Hussein to the attacks and that there was scant credible evidence that Iraq had any significant collaborative ties with Al Qaeda, according to government records and current and former officials with firsthand knowledge of the matter…
“The September 21, 2001, briefing was prepared at the request of the president, who was eager in the days following the terrorist attacks to learn all that he could about any possible connection between Iraq and Al Qaeda.”
December 2, 2001
Secretary of State Colin Powell on CNN’s Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer [link to source] [link to source]
BLITZER: “As you know, some former government officials and perhaps some within the government are saying there are some strong signs that the Iraqis were connected to the September 11 terrorist attack, specifically the meetings in Prague between Mohammed Atta, the suspected ringleader, and Iraqi intelligence, an Iraqi intelligence agent. As far as you're concerned, was there a connection there?”
POWELL: “Certainly, these meetings took place.”
December 9, 2001
Vice President Dick Cheney on NBC News’ Meet the Press [link to source]
“It's been pretty well confirmed that [Mohamed Atta] did go to Prague and he did meet with a senior official of the Iraqi intelligence service in Czechoslovakia last April, several months before the attack.”
July 23, 2002 [reported at a later date]
On this day, Senior British officials meet with Prime Minister Tony Blair to discuss Iraq. Years later, the highly confidential minutes of this meeting, known as the Downing Street memo, would be leaked to the Sunday Times of London, who first report on the memo on May 1, 2005 [link to source]
“The Americans had been trying to link Saddam to the 9/11 attacks; but the British knew the evidence was flimsy or non-existent. [Sir Richard] Dearlove [Chief of MI6 Secret Intelligence Service] warned the meeting that ‘the intelligence and facts were being fixed around the [war] policy.’”
September 8, 2002
National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice speaks with Wolf Blitzer on CNN’s Late Edition
[link to source]
BLITZER: … Is there any hard evidence directly linking the Iraqi government to Al Qaeda and the 9/11 terror attacks against the United States?
RICE: There is certainly evidence that Al Qaeda people have been in Iraq. There is certainly evidence that Saddam Hussein cavorts with terrorists.
I think that if you asked, do we know that he had a role in 9/11, no, we do not know that he had a role in 9/11. But I think that this is the test that sets a bar that is far too high.
September 8, 2002
Vice President Dick Cheney speaks with Tim Russert on NBC News’ Meet the Press [link to source]
Mr. RUSSERT: One year ago when you were on MEET THE PRESS just five days after September 11, I asked you a specific question about Iraq and Saddam Hussein. Let’s watch:
(Videotape, September 16, 2001):
Mr. RUSSERT: Do we have any evidence linking Saddam Hussein or Iraqis to this operation?
VICE PRES. CHENEY: No.
(End videotape)
Mr. RUSSERT: Has anything changed, in your mind?
VICE PRES. CHENEY: Well, I want to be very careful about how I say this. I’m not here today to make a specific allegation that Iraq was somehow responsible for 9/11. I can’t say that. On the other hand, since we did that interview, new information has come to light. And we spent time looking at that relationship between Iraq, on the one hand, and the al-Qaeda organization on the other. And there has been reporting that suggests that there have been a number of contacts over the years. We’ve seen in connection with the hijackers, of course, Mohamed Atta, who was the lead hijacker, did apparently travel to Prague on a number of occasions. And on at least one occasion, we have reporting that places him in Prague with a senior Iraqi intelligence official a few months before the attack on the World Trade Center. The debates about, you know, was he there or wasn’t he there, again, it’s the intelligence business…
…Again, I want to separate out 9/11, from the other relationships between Iraq and the al-Qaeda organization. But there is a pattern of relationships going back many years…
Mr. RUSSERT: Brent Scowcroft – he was national security adviser to the former President Bush, while you were Secretary of Defense – has been very outspoken about Iraq. He wrote a piece in The Wall Street Journal, and this is what he said and I want to show you: “There is scant evidence to tie Saddam to terrorist organizations, and even less to the Sept. 11 attacks. Indeed Saddam’s goals have little in common with the terrorists who threaten us, and there is little incentive for him to make common cause with them. There is little evidence to indicate that the United States itself is an object of his aggression.”
VICE PRES. CHENEY: You want me to respond...
Mr. RUSSERT: Do you agree?
VICE PRES. CHENEY:...to my old friend Brent? I don’t. I disagree with Brent… I think he’s wrong in this case.
September 8, 2002
Agence France Presse reports [link to source]
“Mohammed Atta consulted Saddam Hussein prior to leading the suicide attacks on the World Trade Center on September 11, according to Richard Perle, an advisor to the U.S. defense secretary.
“‘Mohammed Atta met Saddam Hussein in Baghdad prior to September 11. We have proof of that, and we are sure he wasn't just there for a holiday,’ Perle told Italy's business daily Il Sole 24 Ore.”
September 11, 2002
On the first anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, President George W. Bush delivers a nationally televised speech from Ellis Island in New York City [link to source]
“A long year has passed since enemies attacked our country…
“We continue to pursue the terrorists in cities and camps and caves across the earth… And we will not allow any terrorist or tyrant to threaten civilization with weapons of mass murder.”
September 18, 2002 [reported at a later date]
According to the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence’s Report on the U.S. Intelligence Community’s Prewar Intelligence Assessments on Iraq (published on July 9, 2004), a classified CIA assessment, Iraqi Support for Terrorism, is issued and contains the following summary [link to source]
“We have no credible information that Baghdad had foreknowledge of the 11 September attacks or any other al-Qaida strike, but we continue to pursue all leads.”
September 25, 2002
National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice appears on PBS’ News Hour and states [link to source]
“No one is trying to make an argument at this point that Saddam Hussein somehow had operational control of what happened on September 11th. So we don’t want to push this too far. But this is a story that is unfolding. And it is getting clearer, and we’re learning more.”
October 16, 2002
In the Joint Resolution to Authorize the Use of United States Armed Forces Against Iraq, Congress, utilizing language provided by Bush officials, authorizes the use of force against Iraq, and includes 5 explicit references to the attacks of 9/11. Under “Presidential Determination,” it states [link to source]
“In connection with the exercise of the authority … to use force, the President shall… make available to the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate his determination that:
“(1) reliance by the United States on further diplomatic or other peaceful means alone either (A) will not adequately protect the national security of the United States against the continuing threat posed by Iraq or (B) is not likely to lead to enforcement of all relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions regarding Iraq, and
“(2) acting pursuant to this resolution is consistent with the United States and other countries continuing to take the necessary actions against international terrorists and terrorist organizations, including those nations, organizations or persons who planned, authorized, committed or aided the terrorists attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001.”
January 28, 2003
During his State of the Union address, President George W. Bush warns [link to source]
“Before September the 11th, many in the world believed that Saddam Hussein could be contained. But chemical agents, lethal viruses and shadowy terrorist networks are not easily contained. Imagine those 19 hijackers with other weapons and other plans, this time armed by Saddam Hussein. Take one vial, one canister, one crate, slipped into this country to bring a day of horror like none we have ever known.”
March 6, 2003
Two weeks before he will order America to war in Iraq, at a press conference devoted to the impending military intervention, President George W. Bush invokes 9/11 and al-Qaeda at least a dozen times. [link to source]
“[Hussein] provides funding and training and safe haven to terrorists – terrorists who would willingly use weapons of mass destruction against America and other peace-loving countries…
“The attacks of September the 11th, 2001 showed what the enemies of America did with four airplanes. We will not wait to see what terrorists or terrorist states could do with weapons of mass destruction…
“The cause of peace will be advanced only when the terrorists lose a wealthy patron and protector, and when the dictator is fully and finally disarmed…
“Iraq is a part of the war on terror. Iraq is a country that has got terrorist ties. It's a country with wealth. It's a country that trains terrorists, a country that could arm terrorists…
“September the 11th should say to the American people that we're now a battlefield…
“I believe Saddam Hussein is a threat to the American people… He has trained and financed al-Qaeda-type organizations before, al-Qaeda and other terrorist organizations…
“… We live in a dangerous world... And I hope people remember the– I know they remember the tragedy of September the 11th, but I hope they understand the lesson of September the 11th. The lesson is, is that we're vulnerable to attack, wherever it may occur, and we must take threats which gather overseas very seriously.
“… It's hard to envision more terror on America than September the 11th, 2001. We did nothing to provoke that terrorist attack. It came upon us because there's an enemy which hates America. They hate what we stand for. We love freedom and we're not changing. And, therefore, so long as there's a terrorist network like al-Qaeda, and others willing to fund them, finance them, equip them – we're at war.”
March 19, 2003
The United States launches military strikes, commencing the Iraq war.
March 21, 2003
President George W. Bush issues a letter to the Speaker of the House and to the Senate President, and cites 9/11 as part of his justification for war in Iraq [link to source]
March 21, 2003
Dear Mr. Speaker: (Dear Mr. President:)
… I have …. determined that the use of armed force against Iraq is consistent with the United States and other countries continuing to take the necessary actions against international terrorists and terrorist organizations, including those nations, organizations, or persons who planned, authorized, committed, or aided the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001…
Sincerely,
GEORGE W. BUSH
May 1, 2003
In front of a banner that reads “Mission Accomplished,” President George W. Bush delivers a speech from the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln off the coast of San Diego, California [link to source]
“The battle of Iraq is one victory in a war on terror that began on September the 11, 2001 – and still goes on… By seeking to turn our cities into killing fields, terrorists and their allies believed that they could destroy this nation's resolve, and force our retreat from the world. They have failed…
“We've removed an ally of al Qaeda…”
September 14, 2003
Vice President Dick Cheney is interviewed by Tim Russert on NBC News’ Meet The Press [link to source]
MR. RUSSERT: The Washington Post asked the American people about Saddam Hussein, and this is what they said: 69 percent said he was involved in the September 11 attacks. Are you surprised by that?
VICE PRES. CHENEY: No. I think it’s not surprising that people make that connection.
MR. RUSSERT: But is there a connection?
VICE PRES. CHENEY: We don’t know. You and I talked about this two years ago. I can remember you asking me this question just a few days after the original attack. At the time I said no, we didn’t have any evidence of that. Subsequent to that, we’ve learned a couple of things. We learned more and more that there was a relationship between Iraq and al-Qaeda that stretched back through most of the decade of the ’90s, that it involved training, for example, on BW [bio-weapons] and CW [chemical weapons]…
If we’re successful in Iraq… we will have struck a major blow right at the heart of the base, if you will, the geographic base of the terrorists who have had us under assault now for many years, but most especially on 9/11.”
September 16, 2003
National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice is interviewed by Ted Koppel on ABC News’ Nightline [link to source]
TED KOPPEL (Off Camera): …What was it that caused you and the President to believe that Saddam Hussein constituted a direct and imminent threat to the safety of the United States?
CONDOLEEZZA RICE: …Saddam Hussein, who is, in many ways, a quite unique case, you had a bloody dictator, clearly with ambitions in the Middle East, beyond his neighbors… this combination of factors, in the world's most volatile region, a region from which the 9/11 threat emerged. I think the President decided that was a threat he was no longer going to tolerate.
TED KOPPEL (Off Camera): Let me stop you on that note. "The region from which the 9/11 threat emerged." Now, if you're using region in the broadest sense.
CONDOLEEZZA RICE: Yes, region in the broad sense.
TED KOPPEL (Off Camera): Afghanistan being part of that region.
CONDOLEEZZA RICE: Well, Afghanistan being part of that region. And let's be very clear, the Middle East being, in many ways, the homeland.
TED KOPPEL (Off Camera): Are you saying that there was any connection between 9/11, because, as you know, 61, 62 percent of the American public actually believes that Saddam Hussein had a direct responsibility for 9/11, for which there is no evidence whatsoever.
CONDOLEEZZA RICE: And we have never claimed that Saddam Hussein had either, that Saddam Hussein had either direction or control of 9/11.
September 17, 2003
President George W. Bush answers questions in the Cabinet Room [link to source]
REPORTER: Mr. President, Dr. Rice and Secretary Rumsfeld both said yesterday that they have seen no evidence that Iraq had anything to do with September 11th. Yet, on Meet the Press, Sunday, the Vice President said Iraq was a geographic base for the terrorists and he also said, I don't know, or we don't know, when asked if there was any involvement. Your critics say that this is some effort – deliberate effort to blur the line and confuse people. How would you answer that?
PRESIDENT BUSH: We've had no evidence that Saddam Hussein was involved with the September 11th. What the Vice President said was, is that he has been involved with al Qaeda… There's no question that Saddam Hussein had al Qaeda ties.
September 28, 2003
National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice speaks on NBC News’ Meet the Press [link to source]
“… No one has said that there is evidence that Saddam Hussein directed or controlled 9/11…”
March 21, 2004
CBS’ 60 Minutes reports on claims made by former counter-terrorism chief Richard Clarke on discussions with Bush officials on 9/11 [link to source]
“After the president returned to the White House on Sept. 11, he and his top advisers, including Clarke, began holding meetings about how to respond and retaliate. As Clarke writes in his book, he expected the administration to focus its military response on Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda. He says he was surprised that the talk quickly turned to Iraq.
“‘Rumsfeld was saying that we needed to bomb Iraq,’ Clarke said to [CBS News correspondent Lesley] Stahl. ‘And we all said... no, no. Al-Qaeda is in Afghanistan. We need to bomb Afghanistan. And Rumsfeld said there aren't any good targets in Afghanistan. And there are lots of good targets in Iraq. I said, ‘Well, there are lots of good targets in lots of places, but Iraq had nothing to do with it.’
“‘Initially, I thought when he said, ‘There aren't enough targets in– in Afghanistan,’ I thought he was joking.’
“‘I think they wanted to believe that there was a connection, but the CIA was sitting there, the FBI was sitting there, I was sitting there saying we've looked at this issue for years. For years we've looked and there's just no connection.’”
June 16, 2004
The 9/11 Commission issues Staff Statement number 15, “Overview of the Enemy” [link to source]
“We have no credible evidence that Iraq and al Qaeda cooperated on attacks against the United States.”
July 7, 2004
The Report on the U.S. Intelligence Community’s Prewar Intelligence Assessments on Iraq by the Senate SelectCommittee on Intelligence states in Conclusion 96 [link to source]
“The Central Intelligence Agency's assessment that to date there was no evidence proving Iraqi complicity or assistance in an al-Qaida attack was reasonable and objective. No additional information has emerged to suggest otherwise.”
April 29, 2007
On CBS’ 60 Minutes, former Director of Central Intelligence George Tenet was asked about Iraq’s involvement with 9/11 [link to source]
“In terms of complicity with 9/11, absolutely none… It never made any sense. We could never verify that there was any Iraqi authority, direction and control, complicity with al Qaeda for 9/11 or any operational act against America. Period.”
[continue to the next section: The Cost of War]
[link to a PDF |
the Mediterranean Sea, the Foreign Office has said.
Foreign Office minister Baroness Anelay has said such operations can encourage more people to attempt to make the dangerous sea crossing to enter Europe.
An Italian mission is being wound down and an EU force will carry out a more limited border security operation.
The UK has offered support to the new enterprise, the Home Office said.
People fleeing atrocities will not stop coming if we stop throwing them life rings Maurice Wren, Refugee Council
Italy has been running a major search and rescue operation called Mare Nostrum off the Libyan coast for a year, the operation being triggered by a boat disaster off the island of Lampedusa in which more than 300 migrants drowned.
Operation Triton, run by EU border agency Frontex, will be launched on Saturday.
It will not only be different in nature to Mare Nostrum, as it does not have a search and rescue function, but will also have only a third of the budget of the Italian mission.
The operation has six ships, two planes and one helicopter at its disposal.
EU border control officials are meeting in Brussels to discuss how best to deal with a surge in migrants trying to reach Europe.
'Situation exploited'
A Downing Street spokeswoman said the UK had been asked to provide a debriefing expert to the Frontex operation and that replacing the Italian patrols had been agreed "unanimously" at a recent Justice and Home Affairs Council.
The government is planning to send someone next month, she added.
Equipment has been pledged by countries including France, Finland, the Netherlands, Spain, Portugal and non-EU member Iceland.
A Home Office spokesman said the UK had offered "initial support" to Triton, in the form of finance and expertise, and is "considering a further contribution".
Image copyright Getty Images Image caption The Italian mission was triggered by the Lampedusa disaster
He added: "Ministers across Europe have expressed concerns that search and rescue operations in the Mediterranean have acted as a pull factor for illegal migration, encouraging people to make dangerous crossings in the expectation of rescue.
"This has led to more deaths as traffickers have exploited the situation using boats that are unfit to make the crossing."
The Home Office also said the UK and its European partners had agreed to work more closely within the EU, and with countries of origin, to tackle the root causes of illegal immigration.
There has been a rise in the number of migrants trying to reach Italy in the past year, with many setting sail from Libya in overcrowded boats.
About 150,000 migrants - mostly from northern Africa and the Middle East - have been rescued by Italian ships over the past 12 months. This year alone, some 3,000 migrants have drowned.
Image copyright AFP/Getty Image caption Migrants leaving a coastguard boat in Palermo earlier this month were given help by charities
Image copyright AFP/Getty Image caption Organisations including the Red Cross have given water and food to migrant families
Mare Nostrum is being shut down because the Italian government does not have the money or resources to continue, said BBC Europe correspondent Duncan Crawford.
Under Triton, a "small number of vessels" will be carrying out patrols but will not travel into deep water, meaning the "possibility for rescuing people will be much more limited", he added.
Frontex spokeswoman Isabella Cooper told the BBC: "Our operation covers a very specific operational area and we only have a few vessels and a few aircraft.
"The Mediterranean Sea is over 2.5 million square kilometres - it is virtually impossible to have a full overview of what is happening at sea.
"Our operation is exclusively that of border control. Mare Nostrum is an operation that aims at search and rescue, so these two operations are very different."
Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Matthew Price aboard the Italian naval ship ITS Etna
In a House of Lords written answer earlier this month Lady Anelay explained that the government would not be supporting future search and rescue operations in the Mediterranean.
She said: "The government believes the most effective way to prevent refugees and migrants attempting this dangerous crossing is to focus our attention on countries of origin and transit, as well as taking steps to fight the people smugglers who wilfully put lives at risk by packing migrants into unseaworthy boats."
BBC political correspondent Chris Mason said: "The stark question now being asked is this - do extensive search and rescue operations make a horrendous situation worse, by tempting more people to try to reach the European Union?
"Ministers from across the EU have concluded the answer to this is yes."
'Organised criminals'
The ending of the official Italian sea and rescue operation combined with the UK's stance could contribute to people "needlessly and shamefully dying on Europe's doorstep", the Refugee Council claimed.
Chief executive Maurice Wren said: "The British government seems oblivious to the fact that the world is in the grip of the greatest refugee crisis since the Second World War.
"People fleeing atrocities will not stop coming if we stop throwing them life rings.
Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Michael Diedring of the European Council on Refugees: "There doesn't have to be a limit [on refugee numbers]"
"Boarding a rickety boat in Libya will remain a seemingly rational decision if you're running for your life and your country is in flames."
Michael Diedring, secretary general of the European Council on Refugees, said he was "absolutely" opposed to the policy.
He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "One of the reasons these people are making the journeys is because the policy of the European Union is that there are almost no safe and legal means to access European soil to file an asylum claim.
"So individuals who are stranded in north Africa who are fleeing for their lives, the only way that they can attempt to come to Europe is through the use of organised criminals."
He said he was "disgusted" by the UK and European Union's position, describing it as "morally reprehensible".
"If the EU has not put in place safe and legal channels to access territory, then at least the EU should take responsibility for those who attempt to make the journey," he added.In an attempt to check religious extremism in public schools, British Education Secretary Nicky Morgan said schools that teach Biblical Creationism would be refused government funding. In a statement delivered in Parliament, Morgan condemned the preaching of religious views within British public schools.
“There has been no evidence of direct radicalization or violent extremism. But there is a clear account in the report of people in positions of influence in these schools, with a restricted and narrow interpretation of their faith, who have not promoted fundamental British values and who have failed to challenge the extremist views of others,” she said.
A recent report cited by Morgan also criticized the teaching of Creationism in Britain’s public schools and drew a parallel between the Bible’s anti-evolutionary beliefs and radical Islam.
“Staff have said that creationism has been taught as fact in science lessons and in assemblies at Park View School. A member of staff at Park View reported that pupils had said: ‘I’m made of clay...There is no evolution,’” read the report.
In addition, British education officials have insisted that students be taught evolution on a regular basis. For example, the report also elaborated on how evolutionary theories were paid limited attention to in one of the schools.
“Evolution is mentioned only briefly and students are simply directed to the page in the textbook. A teacher who did this went on to tell students that they were looking at the textbook merely to comply with the syllabus but that ‘that was not what they believed,’” stated the report.
Morgan reportedly threatened to strip public schools of government funding if they were found to be promoting extremist views. While one government official suggested Biblical stories will not be done away with from the schools, evolutionists welcomed the government’s pro-evolution policy.
“Win! Job done. Congratulations everyone. This is our first big campaigning win,” wrote one evolutionist blogger.
However, some expressed shock at British officials comparing belief in Creationism with radical Islam.
“I would rather Christian creation be taught in schools any day than Islamic creation as the latter use it to teach extremism,” noted one commenter while another said, “This hardly equates with the hatred-filled bigotry of Islam. Like it or not, British values are based on Biblical teachings.”
Earlier this year, Britain banned the teaching of Creationism as scientifically valid in all public schools and academies. While government officials agreed that Creation versus Evolution debates could be allowed in these institutions, teachers would have to present evolution as scientifically valid and creation as unsubstantiated belief.
Photo Credit: Huffington PostBy Mark Lloyd
Sinclair Broadcast Group’s headquarters in Hunt Valley, Md. The company is one of the largest local TV station operators in the U.S. (Steve Ruark / AP)
The little attention given to communication policy in the press has been sucked up by Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Ajit Pai’s declared intention to reverse the FCC’s rules regarding the internet. Net neutrality and internet privacy deserve our attention, but it is important to remember that the internet is not the only, and for some, not even the most important, media.
With all the news coming at us from a seemingly endless variety of sources, it may be difficult for some of us to imagine that we suffer from any deficit of information. Or that we should even bother to worry about where the news comes from. After all, isn’t everything available on the internet? And doesn’t Google or Facebook make it easy to get the information we need? Well, no, not really.
Montana recently held a congressional election, pitting a Republican businessman, Greg Gianforte, against a Democrat folk singer, Rob Quist. The day before the election, the businessman body-slammed Guardian reporter Ben Jacobs, and this was caught on audio tape. A much-watched Montana television station, KECI, refused to run the story about the incident. Gianforte was charged with assault, but won the election.
As with any election, many factors were at play in the victory, but the refusal by KECI to report this crime was unquestionably a journalistic failure. It may come as a surprise, but many Montanans rely upon local broadcast television for their news about Montana, and this news sometimes informs their choices in the voting booth. This is true of the vast majority of Americans as well. Yes, broadcasting still matters.
KECI was recently purchased by the Sinclair Broadcast Group.
But what is Sinclair, and why should we care?
Sinclair is a Maryland-based media conglomerate that now owns 173 TV stations in 81 cities across the nation. It has long been a major contributor to political campaigns with a strong preference for Republican candidates and a history of supporting right-wing causes. In 2007, the FCC fined Sinclair for what it called “payola punditry” related to conservative talk show host Armstrong Williams.
In December, Politico reported that Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, claimed to strike a deal with Sinclair. According to that report, “Kushner highlighted that Sinclair, in states like Ohio, reaches a much wider audience—around 250,000 listeners—than networks like CNN, which reach somewhere around 30,000.”
Shortly after the Republicans took over the White House and increased their power in Congress and the Supreme Court, the Trump-appointed FCC chair, Ajit Pai, apparently sent a green light to Sinclair regarding its plans to take control of Tribune Media. And in April, the FCC, newly dominated by Republicans, voted to bring back an old media consolidation loophole called the UHF discount (relevant when all TV stations were still broadcasting analog signals) that allows broadcasters like Sinclair to exceed congressionally mandated national TV audience coverage limits. Pai’s reinstatement of this old rule is being challenged in court by the Institute of Public Representation, but make no mistake about it—broadcast media consolidation is once again heating up, and we should all be very, very worried.
In May 2017, Sinclair announced a deal to add 42 TV stations to its empire by purchasing Tribune Media. This would give Sinclair stations in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Dallas, Denver and several other top-20 markets.
In addition to ordering its stations’ news operations to cover certain conservative issues in language favorable to Republicans and damaging to Democrats, Sinclair is known for ignoring local issues in favor of prepackaged national opinion. In 2014, Sinclair purchased the Washington, D.C., TV station WJLA. Before too long, WJLA’s veteran news staff was in turmoil as the station began airing Republican-leaning commentary. In other words, conservative bias is only one of the ways Sinclair abuses the privilege of freedom of the press.
What the left seems confused about, but what the right has long understood, is that to shape society all media matters. Not just Facebook and Twitter. Rupert Murdoch does not just own the “Fair and Balanced” Fox cable network. He also owns local television stations, and the New York Post and The Wall Street Journal newspapers and their websites. iHeartRadio (formerly Clear Channel) not only owns 850 radio stations, it also owns Premier Networks (formerly Premier Radio), which employs Rush Limbaugh and oversees a stable of conservative talk shows and their various websites. The right wing knows that internet muckraker Matt Drudge matters, as does Breitbart, and the right-wing bots that infect Facebook, and, yes, Trump’s Twitter. The Republicans understand what Annenberg Scholar Kathleen Hall Jamieson calls the power of the “echo chamber.” But, again, it is important to understand that the problem of media consolidation is not simply conservative bias, it is that so many of these stations fail to cover important issues in the local community.
As local newspapers sell out to larger and more distant news operations they fire local reporters, stop covering local news and fill their so-called newspapers with content that is cheaper to buy and produce. As local radio stations sell out to big conglomerates like iHeartRadio, they get Rush Limbaugh but little to no local news.
As a result of our communications policies, Americans are overwhelmed by 24-hour political talk and commentary, some of it passing for “news” but almost none of it related to what is happening in local communities. Google, Facebook, Fox, MSNBC and The New York Times do not fill in the gaps left in the wake of media consolidation. True, many major markets, including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Washington, D.C., are exceptions to this, but what some scholars call media deserts is the rule in most of our country. Media consolidation is a threat to our republic.
The FCC and members of Congress who oversee the FCC are supposed to protect localism. The FCC gives away free licenses to use the public airways. In return, those licensees promise to address the local needs of the community. But do they?
In 2018, we will have a chance to elect members of Congress who understand this, are ready and willing to make sure that whatever favors Pai gives to the Sinclairs of our country are stopped cold and that the FCC begins to serve the public, not the big donors.
Mark Lloyd is a clinical professor of communication at the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. He is a lawyer, a public policy advocate and an Emmy award-winning journalist, as well as the former associate general counsel at the Federal Communications Commission. He is co-editor of The Communication Crisis in America, And How to Fix It.It hasn’t been a great year for batteries.
Boosted Board CEO and founder Sanjay Dastoor just posted a notice asking owners of its newest electric longboard to stop riding them while the company investigates an issue with its batteries.
Specifically, they’re investigating two separate cases where the lithium battery cell on the second-gen board “vented” — in which a battery cell shows sign of smoke or unusually high heat. The battery enclosure is designed to contain any fires in the case of a cell failure — the company says this containment system “worked as designed” in both of the reported cases, and notes that there were no injuries in either case.
Users have been venting their frustration regarding the battery warning on reddit’s r/boostedboards, where user rickbross details his board filling his NYC apartment with smoke. The rider was not harmed.
While our review unit hasn’t shown any sign of troubles, I of course recommend that if you do have a Boosted Board 2 that you follow the manufacturer’s advice: power it off, don’t charge it, and keep it away from anything flammable until the company figures out what is happening.
Users who have pre-ordered the Boosted Board 2 have also been alerted that the shipments are halted until things get sorted.
TechCrunch has reached out to Boosted for comment. A spokesperson for Boosted declined to comment on the investigation, instead referring to the official statement mentioned earlier.Give up up tonight, Give up up tonight,
Give up up nan geureonsigeuron andwae.
Give up up tonight, Give up up tonight,
Give up up nan geureonsigeuron andwae. geujeo seuljjeok myeot beon hurtdaga,
nal kokkok jjilleo bodaga,
nal gatgetda neon sipgetji.
jeori gara cholssakdaeda dachilla,
tto jipjeokdaeda honnalla.
oh, hey lady? oh no jeosokhi sanyanghae, sinsokhi nakkachae,
na aneun sarangeun geureoneunge aniya.
jindeukhi gidaryeo, jindeukhi dagaseo,
nae mameul gajyeoga. geureoneunge matjanha. Gone by the midnight by the midnight
ije deoneun dachigo, dachigin sirheo.
Gone by the midnight by the midnight
geureol baen gago,
tto gago ttokgachi gajulge. Dance come on dance,
Dance come on dance. geuphage oreugo, geuphage sircheungnae.
cham swipge saenggakhae, geureoneunge aniya.
ah ah ah ah
gipsukhi seumigo, ganjeolhi wonhago,
tteollige haeyaji geureoneunge matjanha. Gone by the midnight by the midnight
ije deoneun bakkugo, bakkugin sirheo.
Gone by the midnight by the midnight
geureol baen batgo,
tto batgo tto hansu dwojulge. It’s time to get down, get down,
It’s time to get down. Give up up tonight, Give up up tonight,
Give up up nan geureonsigeuron andwae.
Give up up tonight, Give up up tonight,
Give up up nan geureonsigeuron andwae. Gone by the midnight by the midnight
ije deoneun dachigo, dachigin sirheo
Gone by the midnight by the midnight
geureol baen gago,
tto gago ttokgachi gajulge. ije deoneun bakkugo, bakkugin sirheo.
Gone by the midnight by the midnight
geureol baen batgo,
tto batgo tto hansu dwojulge
Give up up tonight, Give up up tonight,
Give up up 난 그런식으론 안돼.
Give up up tonight, Give up up tonight,
Give up up 난 그런식으론 안돼. 그저 슬쩍 몇 번 훑다가,
날 콕콕 찔러 보다가,
날 갖겠다 넌 싶겠지.
저리 가라 촐싹대다 다칠라,
또 집적대다 혼날라.
oh, hey lady? oh no 저속히 사냥해, 신속히 낚아채,
나 아는 사랑은 그러는게 아니야.
진득히 기다려, 진득히 다가서,
내 맘을 가져가. 그러는게 맞잖아. Gone by the midnight by the midnight
이제 더는 다치고, 다치긴 싫어.
Gone by the midnight by the midnight
그럴 바엔 가고,
또 가고 똑같이 가줄게. Dance come on dance,
Dance come on dance. 급하게 오르고, 급하게 싫증내.
참 쉽게 생각해, 그러는게 아니야.
ah ah ah ah
깊숙히 스미고, 간절히 원하고,
떨리게 해야지 그러는게 맞잖아. Gone by the midnight by the midnight
이제 더는 바꾸고, 바꾸긴 싫어.
Gone by the midnight by the midnight
그럴 바엔 받고,
또 받고 또 한수 둬줄게. It’s time to get down, get down,
It’s time to get down. Give up up tonight, Give up up tonight,
Give up up 난 그런식으론 안돼.
Give up up tonight, Give up up tonight,
Give up up 난 그런식으론 안돼. Gone by the midnight by the midnight
이제 더는 다치고, 다치긴 싫어
Gone by the midnight by the midnight
그럴 바엔 가고,
또 가고 똑같이 가줄게. 이제 더는 바꾸고, 바꾸긴 싫어.
Gone by the midnight by the midnight
그럴 바엔 받고,
또 받고 또 한수 둬줄게.0 6 0 0 0 Don't be shellfish...
What happens when you combine the Pygmalion Music Festival with Neutral Cycle? Why the Pygmalion Bike Ride, of course!
Neutral Cycle has partnered with the Pygmalion Music Festival to create the perfect ride to kickoff the first day of Fall. The ride will begin at 4:30 p.m. Blue Waters Supercomputer, near the intersection of St. Mary’s Road and 1st street in Champaign. It will then head into Urbana, winding around Meadowbrook Park. From there you’ll bike northwards to Downtown Urbana and have a pitstop at the Sipyard. The ride will end at the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts at around 6:30.
And, don’t forget, it’s free!
For more information, check out the FB event page. For the route, see below:
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EmailSurveys reveal that a substantial chunk of U.S. customers plan to buy a tablet in the next year, and it's not necessarily going to be an iPad.
Fourteen percent, or 27 million U.S. online consumers, intend to buy some kind of tablet in the next 12 months, says a Forrester research report published Thursday (chart below). Customers interested in purchasing a tablet aren't primarily Apple customers, and they're well aware of the crop of upcoming tablets from competitors such as Google and Hewlett-Packard.
Additionally, a similar study by the Magazine Publishers of America found that nearly 60 percent of U.S. consumers expect to purchase an e-reader or tablet within the next three years.
"Even though the iPad is the only widely available tablet PC on the market today, tablets have entered consumer consciousness in a very short time frame," said Sarah Rotman Epps, a consumer product analyst at Forrester. "There’s interest in the category that goes beyond the iPad."
Apple's four-month-old iPad is turning in strong sales with 3.27 million units sold to date — just a hair short of Macs, which sold 3.47 million units in the same quarter. That's a huge accomplishment for a device less than a year old, and it delivered a shot of adrenaline to the mostly moribund tablet market. For years, scores of tablets have come and gone from manufacturers such as HP, Acer and even Apple, whose first tablet offering was the Newton. The Newton, like most other tablet devices during its time, was criticized for poor handwriting recognition and priceyness ($700 to $1,000), and was retired by 1998. In the meantime, dozens of PC manufacturers have shipped Windows-based Tablet PCs, but the category never took off outside of niche markets and enthusiasts.
Even though most of the tablet hype today surrounds the iPad, many respondents to Forrester's survey said they were aware of other offerings on the horizon, such as the unreleased HP Slate, as well as obscure tablets like the Archos and JooJoo. The general widespread interest in the tablet category gives hope to manufacturers preparing to compete with Apple, Forrester said.
Forrester's study also found that today's customers tend to live with many connected devices. Sixty-nine percent of iPad buyers and 57 percent of tablet buyers also own a latest-generation game console (Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 or Nintendo Wii) compared with 37 percent of all U.S. online consumers.
Notably, iPad fans aren't necessarily Apple worshippers (chart below): More iPad customers own HP computers than Macs. Thirty-nine percent of respondents who said they own or intend to buy an iPad said they own an HP computer, for example. IPad owners are also four times more likely to own a connected TV (9 percent versus 2 percent of non-iPad-owning U.S. online customers).
Apple has a head start on the new tablet market with its iPad, but competitors are just beginning to roll in. Dell recently introduced its 5-inch Streak tablet, which is getting some positive reception. And most recently, the tech sphere has been buzzing with rumors of a Google-powered tablet working on the Verizon network, possibly landing as soon as the holiday season (though we're skeptical).
See Also:The Piston project is pleased to announce Dyon-Snippets, a place to share Dyon source code and discuss library design!
Dyon is scripting programming language started in 2016 by myself (Sven Nilsen, bvssvni).
Dyon started as an experiment in a period I had a lot of time, while waiting for some important Gfx redesigns. After a week of coding, I discovered that it was possible to use a lifetime checker (like Rust), but without borrow semantics (unlike Rust) instead of a garbage collector. Combined with copy-on-write for non-stack references, this creates a very limited memory model but sufficient enough for many practical applications. It is difficult to write object oriented code in Dyon, but it is very nice for iterating over arrays.
Built-in support for 4D vectors and HTML colors
Packed loop for mathematical index notation
Secrets (more about this later)
The language uses dynamic loading of modules to organize code, where you have full control over module dependencies. It is very common to write a loader script, a program that runs before you run the actual program.
Here is an example:
fn main () { foo : = unwrap ( load ( "foo.dyon" )) // Load `foo`. bar : = unwrap ( load ( source : "bar.dyon", imports : [ foo ])) // Load `bar` with `foo` as dependency. call ( bar, "main", []) // Run the function `main` on the `bar` module. }
This allows a kind of programming where you easily control how stuff gets loaded, e.g. check for for updates or refresh a module every Nth second.
I often use Dyon for problem solving, because the language has a feature called “secrets”. A secret is a hidden array of values associated with a bool or f64. The type is sec[bool] or sec[f64]. The indexed loops in Dyon are integrated with secrets.
For example, you have a 2D array v and compute the maximum value:
m : = max i, j { v [ i ][ j ]} println ( m ) // Prints maximum value of `v`.
Dyon infers the range from the loop body. The code above is equivalent to:
m : = max i [ len ( v )), j [ len ( v [ i ])) { v [ i ][ j ]}
This is a packed loop which is equivalent to:
m : = max i [ len ( v )) { max j [ len ( v [ i ])) { v [ i ][ j ]}}
The notation max i, j {v[i][j]} is inspired by mathematics. In mathematics and physics it is very common to use indices and custom loops. It is easy to translate back and forth between equations and Dyon code, and it helps you learn mathematics as well!
The type of m is sec[f64]. You can write the following:
where_max : = where ( max ) println ( where_max ) // Prints `[i, j]`.
This is how it works:
The inner max loop returns the maximum value with a secret [j]. The outer max loop finds the maximum inner value and changes the secret to [i, j].
A secret propagates from the left argument in binary operators. This means you can combine any and all loops with max and min :
// Is there any list which maximum value is larger than 10? m : = any i { max j { v [ i ][ j ]} > 10 } if m { println ( why ( m )) // Prints `[i, j]`. }
In problem solving this is very convenient, because many problems can be thought of as formulating a question. When you know the right question to ask, the answer is often easy to find.Oregon's second largest Medicaid carrier will shut down after impasse with the state Oregon's second largest Medicaid carrier will shut down, after the company and state officials failed to agree on a contract for 2018. The state must now transfer more than 100,000 children and adults in the Portland area who are currently served by FamilyCare to other Medicaid administrators. Earlier Wednesday, the Oregon Health Authority gave the company just over 24 hours to decide whether to accept the state's 2018 contract proposal.
Oregon's health agency has given the state's second largest Medicaid carrier just over 24 hours to decide whether it will continue working with the state in 2018.
The state also informed FamilyCare on Wednesday morning that health officials are beginning the process to move patients to other Medicaid administrators.
"Today we let FamilyCare know we have shifted from planning a transition, to implementing a transition," Patrick Allen, director of the Oregon Health Authority, said in an interview on Wednesday.
FamilyCare manages Medicaid benefits for approximately 113,000 children and adults in the Portland area. The company's board voted last week not to sign a new contract with the state, and its president and CEO Jeff Heatherington gave the company a slim chance of survival. FamilyCare and the state have a long-running dispute over reimbursement rates that FamilyCare contends are too low and would force the company into bankruptcy next year.
Oregon officials prepare for shutdown of the state's second largest Medicaid carrier
The state is working with three other coordinated care organizations to take on FamilyCare's members: Health Share of Oregon, Yamhill Community Care and Willamette Valley Community Health.
Allen said the decision was "driven by the fact that there is now a lot of concern by providers and patients... We're also becoming aware of actual denials of care. Providers not willing to see people even this year, transportation providers not willing to schedule transportation for appointments in January."
Allen said state health officials even learned of one case in which a skilled nursing facility declined to admit a Medicaid patient who was discharged from a hospital.
Those denials of care by providers would violate their existing contracts with FamilyCare, Allen said, and the company has worked to correct them. But Allen said the problems made it clear the state needed FamilyCare to make a final decision by noon Thursday whether to sign a 2018 contract with the state. The health authority also offered FamilyCare a temporary extension to help transition its Medicaid members to other organizations.
The situation does not affect patients' eligibility for Medicaid, and patients who are currently receiving treatment can continue to see the same health care providers for at least 90 days, Allen said.
Heatherington, who was travelling to Salem to meet with Gov. Kate Brown this afternoon, said he was aware of just one case of a Medicaid member who was denied the ability to schedule services in 2018. He and Allen both said FamilyCare had resolved the problem. Heatherington disputed Allen's statement that there were other examples.
"That is a flat out lie and you can quote me on that," Heatherington said, followed by an expletive.
"We're on the hook to pay for all bills until December 31, which we will," Heatherington said, adding that FamilyCare sent a letter to health care providers making it clear they must continue to serve Medicaid patients. "But if that's a true story, and I don't know that it is... (the state) should be telling us and we should be making sure the patient is taken care of."
-- Hillary Borrud
503-294-4034; @hborrudShare
Artificial intelligence is getting a boost in its ability to learn. On Tuesday, a company called Gamalon revealed a new technology for machine learning called Bayesian Program Synthesis (BPS). This technology supposedly accelerates the machine learning process by more than 100 times and is available now in two commercialized alpha applications: Gamalon Structure and Gamalon Match.
In a demonstration, the company revealed how BPS learns compared to Google DeepMind’s machine learning. In Google’s “Quick, Draw!” app, the AI can recognize a single object drawn by the user, such as a floor lamp, by comparing it to the same object drawn by other users. But if the user draws a chair next to the floor lamp, the AI gets confused and shows that the user didn’t follow its instructions to draw a floor lamp, but rendered a house or church instead.
For BPS, the AI was trained by first defining what makes a line, then what makes specific shapes. After that, the AI was taught how an armchair is built by using rectangles and lines, first starting with the seat and armrests, followed by the armchair’s backrest in a separate element. This method was also used to teach the AI about floor lamps by defining the lamp post, the lamp base, and the lamp shade.
Thus, in a nutshell, Google’s AI got confused because it couldn’t recognize two separate objects. However, the BPS system not only recognizes two separate objects, but it will see and confirm those objects when other unrecognized elements are drawn into the same space. What the BPS system can’t do is recognize heavily altered objects, such as lamps with elements consisting of different sizes and locations. In other words, unless otherwise taught, BPS can’t recognize a table lamp or desk lamp.
“Going beyond this drawing application, we are starting to teach the system to read, first by building up letters, then words, and then sentences. Language is a much more complex setting, but like with drawing, we expect that the system will learn more and more complex concepts made out of simpler ones,” the company said.
Ultimately, the BPS method uses far less training examples than traditional deep machine learning, thus speeding up the overall learning process. As an example, the company said that in one test, DeepMind’s AI required 500 training examples while the BPS system only needed a handful of training examples to meet the same level of accuracy.
The two commercialized applications based on the new BPS learning system target the enterprise sector. Gamalon Structure will convert text paragraphs found in databases or documents into clean, structured data rows. The Gamalon Match application then deduplicates and links these data rows. Typically, these two tasks combined require large teams and years of work to generate the same results.
The two applications are available now as APIs within cloud platforms offered by Amazon, Microsoft, and Google.The Tiny Whoop is a micro FPV quadcopter that combines a camera + video transmitter and a Blade Inductrix. This little quad fits in the palm of your hand and is a ton of fun to fly, especially indoors. Everyone from kids to professional FPV pilots are crazy about this super compact little quad. In this article we take an in depth look at how the Whoop came to be, how the market has grown around it, and how to get flying.
Table of Contents
History of the Tiny Whoop
In early 2016, Jesse Perkins, a member of Team Big Whoop saw the potential in the Inductrix. By mounting a micro camera + video transmitter on the quad, Jesse created an FPV machine that fit in the palm of your hand. The protected propellers are forgiving of small bumps, much needed for flying indoors. The extra weight of the camera was supported by faster brushed motors and more powerful batteries. The insanely fun combination became known as the Tiny Whoop.
Since the introduction of the first Tiny Whoop, the entire FPV industry has fallen in love. These compact little quads can be flown almost anywhere, and there are plenty of videos to prove it. The protected propellers remove most of the risk of crashing - really only flipping the quad on its top will stop the madness. Turning your house into a racetrack and giving the internet the grand tour turns out to be spectacular fun.
See some of the earliest shenanigans in the first video Jesse released on his YouTube channel:
Note: video from these small FPV cameras are recorded using DVR capabilities on the goggles or video receiver.
Current State
Since the explosion of the Whoop in mid-2016, there has been tons of activity around micro FPV. The original build is still viable, but new breeds are being born all the time. Depending on how 'purist' you are, you can find many spin offs from the same design concepts. There are frames that support all types of hardware, bigger motors or even larger props.
You could say that any micro drone with brushed motors and protected prop guards falls into this category. Basically the Whoop launched micro FPV quadcopters into the mainstream. So much support has been pouring out from the community that even Multi GP has adopted a Tiny Whoop FPV racing class.
Parts of a Tiny Whoop
Frame
Inductrix Frame
The original Inductrix frame is easily recognizable by the translucent white plastic design. The frame features four ducted fans and mounts for 6x15mm motors. In the center of the frame are 4 screw points for mounting the flight controller. Under the flight controller is the battery compartment.
This frame has some weak points and is often reinforced using glue or even a carbon fiber support. It has become tough to find these frames for purchase for your own build. Likely because Blade has limited the supply to market because they'd rather sell their ready-to-fly or bind-and-fly models. This hasn't been a problem thanks to the introduction of the E010.
Eachine E010 Frame
As common in the drone industry - low priced Chinese made options hit the market as something gains popularity. The success of the Inductrix and ultimately the Tiny Whoop prompted the creation of the Eachine E010. This Inductrix-like micro quad is a $15 ready to fly (line-of-sight) kit. The similarities are many - and most importantly for our needs, the frame is nearly identical to the Inductrix's in |
his absence.
3,000th minute: June 30, 2012 - @ Toronto FC, 1-1
Minute 3,000 came in the 63rd minute of a game that had been settled by tit-for-tat-goals in the opening 10 minutes. Henry's injury had, unexpectedly, inspired the team to a five-game winning streak. McCarty was ever-present in the starting lineup, including 205 minutes in the two games (one went to extra-time) it took for RBNY's traditional early exit from US Open Cup.
The USOC interlude appeared to have stalled the team. The winning streak in May had established the Red Bulls as an Eastern Conference contender, but June had brought a lull in form: this tie with Toronto meant RBNY would close out the month with just one win from four league matches.
4,000th minute: September 22, 2012 - vs New England Revolution, 1-1
The Red Bulls managed to stay in contention for the Eastern Conference, even a long shot at the Shield (though San Jose coasted home to the regular season title, picking up 10 points from its last six games as it focused largely on trying to get Chris Wondolowski to break the league's single-season scoring record).
Sadly, RBNY would finish six points short of the top of the East and nine points short of the Quakes' Shield-winning total (66). McCarty saw his 4,000th minute tick by in the 28th minute of the game that arguably truly stalled the Red Bulls' unlikely late-season charge.
RBNY had dropped three points at home in the preceding game to Sporting Kansas City, the team that would ultimately win the East.This trip to New England yielded an injury-time goal for Joel Lindpere: three points, ahoy! And an injury-time equalizer for Darrius Barnes: farewell, two points.
RBNY was left to contemplate just one point from two games and only four matches remaining in the regular season.
In the time since McCarty's 3,000th minute, the squad had been bolstered by the arrival of two goalkeepers (Bill Gaudette and Luis Robles), plus attacking reinforcements Sebastien Le Toux, Tim Cahill and Lloyd Sam. And Digao, Kaka's little brother. It was the last throw of the dice for Erik Soler and Hans Backe, desperately seeking firepower and momentum for the playoffs.
The team closed out the 2012 regular season with two wins in its last four games, then headed into a playoff series with D.C. United. There followed a hurricane, a snowstorm, and a penalty called back for encroachment. No MLS Cup, and the Viking era at Red Bull Arena was over. General Manager Erik Soler had been let go before the end of the regular season. Hans Backe had told the Swedish press he wasn't returning to Red Bull Arena for 2013 - and he was right. He departed shortly after RBNY's playoff exit.
The 2012 season remains the high-water mark in McCarty's RBNY career to date for competitive minutes. He logged 3,303 in all competitions, including 33 appearances in MLS (all starts) and starts in all the team's playoff and USOC games. He also scored three goals and tallied three assists in his first full season as a Red Bull, to add to the four assists he got in 2011.
He closed out 2012 on a total of 4,601 career minutes played for RBNY. He was an established member of the core squad. But, like every other Red Bull and MetroStar in the team's history at that moment, he had no trophies to show for his service to the club.
5,000th minute: March 30, 2013 - vs Philadelphia Union, 2-1
He scored! In the 55th minute - barely a quarter of an hour after he'd played his 5,000th minute for RBNY - Dax McCarty scored his fourth career goal for the New York Red Bulls.
Bu the goal had greater significance.
The club had seen yet another turbulent off-season leading into MLS 2013. RBNY had once again overhauled its squad, this time because of a new era: Erik Soler was replaced by Andy Roxburgh, and he in turn appointed a new coach - Mike Petke. The new head coach had no prior experience managing a professional soccer team, though he remains RBNY's record-holder for appearances and competitive minutes. He was handed a star-studded squad: not just Thierry Henry and Tim Cahill, but also Juninho Pernambucano, Fabian Espindola, Jamison Olave, and Peguy Luyindula (who arrived in mid-March). With this group, Petke managed to deliver two starkly different tactical approaches and no wins in his opening four games of the 2013 season.
This game, at home to Philadelphia, was the team's fifth under Petke. McCarty's goal helped the team toward its first win for the new head coach. The Petke era would survive at least it first month.
6,000th minute: July 13, 2013 - vs. Montreal Impact, 4-0
Injury held McCarty out of the lineup for a few games, pushing the occasion of his 6,000th minute to the second half of another significant game in RBNY's 2013 season.
After 19 regular season games under Mike Petke, the Red Bulls had won eight, drawn four and lost seven. They were an average sort of team, clinging to a winning record after losing three of their preceding four games. Montreal, conversely, had won nine and lost just four of its opening 17 games of the season: L'Impact had swagger, though it had won just once in its previous five outings.
And the Red Bulls trounced the top-of-the-East Impact. Four goals were shared by Eric Alexander, Henry, Cahill and Luyindula (this was the game in which captain Henry handed Luyindula the ball to take a late and irrelevant-to-the-result penalty, thereby allowing Peguy to score his first goal for RBNY). It was a commanding performance that offered some hope that the team's recent difficulties might be overcome, and some consistency and fluidity might yet be found under its rookie head coach.
7,000th minute: September 29, 2013 - @ Seattle Sounders, 1-1
By the end of September, 2013, the Red Bulls were unlikely contenders for the Supporters' Shield. A scrappy, streaky team stubbornly invested in unfashionable tactics (Petke decided early that 4-4-2 was the best way to make sense of the tools he had thrust at him at the beginning of the season when he was the only first team coach in the club's employ and there was a preseason to get started on).
The win over Montreal sparked a four-game unbeaten streak, then three matches without a win, and then four consecutive victories to haul RBNY to the top of the Shield race by a single point. The closest rival - Seattle - had two games in hand.
This was supposed to be the game that the Red Bulls got put back in their place. McCarty's 7,000th minute occurred just three minutes before the Sounders took the lead with a penalty at the end of the first half. All was as expected. RBNY had no Henry or Jamison Olave (neither could be risked on Seattle's unforgiving turf), and Seattle would surely kick on after the break to clinch the game and surge to the top of the standings.
It didn't work out that way. Cahill equalized in the 76th minute. The Red Bulls held on for the draw, keeping their remote prospects of lifting the regular season trophy alive a little longer.
The rest of 2013 is RBNY history. No one would have guessed it at the time, but the Sounders were destined to plummet out of the Shield race: the draw with the Red Bulls was followed by four consecutive losses. Seattle got one point from its last five games, after having lost just one of the preceding 12.
Dax McCarty may remember the last three games of the 2013 regular season for the rest of his career: the 97th-minute Cahill equalizer that salvaged a point at Red Bull Arena against the Revs; his pass in Houston to set Cahill up for the fastest goal in MLS history and the team for a 3-0 road win; the 5-2 win over Chicago Fire that capped the season with the Supporters' Shield.
McCarty was part of the team that lifted RBNY's first ever trophy. The Red Bulls didn't last long in the ensuing playoffs - losing to Houston in their opening series of the post-season - but it didn't really matter: the club finally had a use for a trophy cabinet. And Dax McCarty helped to make that happen.
Dax finished 2013 with 7,528 minutes for RBNY under his belt, and one Supporters' Shield.
8,000th minute: April 12, 2014 - @ D.C. United, 0-1
The 8,000th competitive minute of McCarty's career as a Red Bull arrived in the second half of the sixth game of a hellish start to the 2014 regular season. RBNY kicked off the new year in MLS as the reigning Shield holder, and stepped right into a protracted slump: a 4-1 loss in Vancouver to start the season; three penalties conceded in the first four games; a string of frustrating ties followed by this deflating loss to D.C. United.
Any loss to DC is an irritation. This loss - at a time when DCU was still mostly remembered for its epically bad 2013 and the Red Bulls were the mostly comprised of the same players who had been the best team in the league at the end of the prior season - was more painful than usual.
Just as they had done in their first year under Petke, the Red Bulls were starting the season with a crisis.
9,000th minute: July 30, 2014 - @ Real Salt Lake, 1-1
The season that had started so badly had not improved a great deal by the time Dax's 9,000th minute for RBNY arrived. This tie in Utah left the Red Bulls outside the playoff places in the Eastern Conference with just 13 games left to play in the regular season.
After 20 games or so, one begins to believe one has the measure of a team. After 21 league games in 2014, the Red Bulls looked ordinary: just five wins, six losses and 10 draws. It was going to take a big turnaround in form for RBNY to make the playoffs, and the thought of winning another Shield was, at best, a delusion.
Still, 9,000 minutes for RBNY is a landmark: only 16 players have reached that total, and McCarty was the 15th of them (the most recent man to cross 9,000 competitive minutes for the club is Luis Robles).
His achievement was marked by Thierry Henry, who scored his 47th goal of all-time for RBNY - and the equalizer in this game - in the 57th minute: the 9,000th of McCarty's Red Bull career.
10,000th minute: October 4, 2014 - vs. Houston Dynamo, 1-0
RBNY's struggles persisted through August, but the team's cussedness, a glut of home games, and a tactical adjustment combined to see it win eight of its last 13 matches and finish fourth in the Eastern Conference.
This narrow, late-season win over Houston was important because it was immediately after the Red Bulls had suffered a thrashing in LA. Bouncing back to claim three points set up a three-wins-in-four-games run that saw RBNY into the playoffs with momentum.
Dax McCarty became one of just 12 players to reach 10,000 competitive minutes for the club in the 79th minute. He didn't know it at the time, but in the 47th minute he witnessed Thierry Henry's last goal for the New York Red Bulls.
Dax finished the 2104 season with 10,720 competitive minutes for RBNY to his name. The season also concluded with the Red Bulls' best playoff run since its run to the MLS Cup final in 2008, and its best since moving to Red Bull Arena. Harrison finally got to witness more than one playoff series in a post-season. It was frustrating to lose the Eastern Conference final to New England by the odd goal in five, but ultimately the team could look back on 2014 with some satisfaction: it had recovered from an awful start to stage a thrilling finish; Bradley Wright-Phillips had emerged as one of the all-time great goal scorers in club, and league, history; there was a sense that, paired with the triumph of 2013, RBNY might be heading into an era of sustained success.
And then the era ended. Thierry Henry retired. Andy Roxburgh departed. Mike Petke was fired. The presumptive heir to Henry's role as team captain, the increasingly recalcitrant Tim Cahill, also left during an unexpectedly tumultuous off-season.
A new era - of team-first tactics and lower-budget acquisitions - was started. The man picked to bridge the success of the team's recent past with its uncertain future was Dax McCarty. He was named club captain just two days before RBNY kicked off its first season under Ali Curtis and Jesse Marsch.
11,000th minute: April 11, 2015 - @ D.C. United, 2-2
By the standards to which he had become accustomed, in 2015 RBNY got off to a hot start for the first time in McCarty's tenure at the club. His 11,000th competitive minute for the team arrived in his fourth match as captain: the Red Bulls salvaged a draw in DC with a late equalizer, preserving an unbeaten record under McCarty's on-field leadership.
The unbeaten streak would last until the team's eighth league game of 2015, and that was sufficient to allow the club to recapture some of the enthusiasm and momentum it had jettisoned during the off-season.
12,000th minute: June 20, vs. Vancouver Whitecaps, 1-2
Perhaps it is fitting that McCarty became just the eighth player in RBNY history to register 12,000 minutes for the club at the lowest moment of the team's season to date.
This loss to Vancouver was almost comically frustrating: Sacha Kljestan, the biggest-name signing of the off-season, was sent off in the 11th minute; Bradley Wright-Phillips, arguably the most efficient goal scorer the club has ever known, missed two penalties in the match; and the game stayed close - the Red Bulls ultimately lost by only one goal. And it was at home.
It was RBNY's fourth consecutive loss in the league after opening the season with just one defeat in its first 10 games. It was the first serious test of the team's mettle under Jesse Marsch's coaching and McCarty's captaincy.
13,000: August 26, 2015 - @ Chicago Fire, 2-3
Another milestone minute experienced in one of the more disappointing moments of RBNY's 2015 season to date. Whatever else happens this year, this game will largely be remembered for that goal: the Red Bulls' trick play deemed (incorrectly) illegal by a rash and hasty Professional Referee Organization apparently keen to raise its profile by trashing its own officials during match broadcasts.
It was a bad match for the Red Bulls, who couldn't string passes together and got hustled off the ball too easily by the Fire.
This can rightly be regarded as another testing moment in the season. If the first 10 games of the league campaign were pretty good for RBNY, the most recent 10-game stretch has been excellent. The Red Bulls gathered 17 points from their opening 10 matches of the 2015 regular season; including the loss to Chicago, they have 22 points from their last 10 league games.
Between them, those 20 matches account for all 39 points the Red Bulls have in MLS at the moment. The other four games RBNY has played are the four straight losses, culminating in that loss to Vancouver. The losing streak sits between the two successful 10-game runs as a reminder that there is a fine line between a good season and a bad one. The question now is whether the team is heading into another slump, or will return to the exceptional form it has enjoyed pretty much since losing to the Whitecaps in June.
Currently, the Red Bulls' record after 24 games (39 points; 11 wins seven losses and six draws) lags two points behind the club's 2012 record (41 points; 12 wins, seven losses and five draws) at the same stage of the regular season.
In 2012, RBNY finished third in the East with 57 points and was bounced out of the playoffs in the first round by D.C. United. Third in the East and an early playoff exit should probably be regarded as fair achievement given the circumstances of the off-season, but the team has come so far, so fast that it would more likely be considered an underwhelming end to the year if that's all this side has to show for its work in 2015.
This is a different year: 57 points might win the Shield in 2015, since no team has yet asserted itself as capable of leading a charge past 60 points - the traditional threshold for a regular season title. Not for the first time in his RBNY career, McCarty is in the thick of a title race.
The other men to pass 13,000 minutes of playing time for RBNY did so as their careers at the club were winding down. Mike Petke reached 13K in 2002, and was promptly traded to D.C. United, returning only in 2009 - a year before he retired as a player. Carlos Mendes was cut from the roster at the end of the 2011 season, the same year he hit 13K. Dane Richards reached 13K in 2012, the year he too left the team (he returned this season, but is on loan to NASL's Indy Eleven at the moment).
If McCarty sticks with RBNY past this year, he'll be the first player not to leave the club immediately after or during the season in which he reached the 13K-minute milestone. And it is to be hoped he stays, because he is more important to the team than at any prior stage of his career here: not just the captain, but also a vital pivot on which the current tactical plan relies to transition from defense to attack.
The first 13,000 minutes of his career as a Red Bull have established his legend. The minutes he plays after this milestone - as club captain and tactical lynchpin - will establish his legacy.
Congratulations, Dax. Here's hoping for 13,000 more minutes of you in a Red Bulls jersey - and many, many more trophies.
With thanks, as always, to MetroFanatic.com's unmatched archive of the club's history.Leveraged ETFs and High School Level Mathematical Truths
Posted by kid dynamite
on April 3rd, 2011
There’s a common misunderstanding about ultra (leveraged) ETFs out there, but it makes me sad to see authors at the Wall Street Journal exhibit this ignorance and unawareness. Dave Kansas writes:
“Conversely, the ProShares UltraShort S&P 500 ($SDS), which makes a double bet against the S&P 500, is down 40% in the past year, which compares to a 13% gain for the S&P 500. That means the “double” bet against the index is doing worse than promised, highlighting another risk for such funds: They often fail to track their stated performance goals.”
I’m tempted to leave it as an exercise to my readers to figure out why I’m bothering to write this piece about how completely unacceptable it is for a writer at the U.S. Financial Paper of Record to make a statement like that (which demonstrates gross misunderstanding), but let me just give you a hint – from the ProShares UltraShort S&P 500 fund web page (emphasis THEIRS – not mine – they put it in bold face and italics for you):
This ETF seeks a return of -200% of the return of an index (target) for a single day. Due to the compounding of daily returns, ProShares’ returns over periods other than one day will likely differ in amount and possibly direction from the target return for the same period. Investors should monitor their ProShares holdings consistent with their strategies, as frequently as daily. For more on correlation, leverage and other risks, please read the prospectus.
For readers who still don’t get it, let me lay it out there for you: compounded daily returns do not equal compounded long term returns. Make yourself a spreadsheet – do the math – it’s not rocket science.
-KD
ps – If you take your investment research one step further, not even to the full prospectus for SDS, but simply to the abbreviated summary prospectus which simplifies all the legal mumbo jumbo, the very first paragraph tells you:
“ProShares UltraShort S&P500 (the “Fund”) seeks investment results for a single day only, not for longer periods. This means that the return of the Fund for a period longer than a single trading day will be the result of each day’s returns compounded over the period, which will very likely differ from twice (200%) the inverse of the return of the S&P 500® (the “Index”) for that period. In periods of higher market volatility, the volatility of the Index may be at least as important to the Fund’s return for the period as the return of the Index.”
They also emphasize this point in bold-faced font two more times over the next 4 paragraphs.
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The information in this blog post represents my own opinions and does not contain a recommendation for any particular security or investment. I or my affiliates may hold positions or other interests in securities mentioned in the Blog, please see my Disclaimer page for my full disclaimer.
DisqusRajoy during the press conference with his Romanian counterpart Victor Ponta at La Moncloa palace in Madrid on Monday.
Bowing to mounting pressure, Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy on Monday said he would appear in Congress to give “his version” of accusations lodged by the former treasurer of the ruling conservative Popular Party, Luis Bárcenas, who testified before a judge that the PP leader and other top party officials received large sums of money in cash from him via a slush fund he had created from illegal donations made by firms.
In response to a question asked by a reporter at a joint news conference in Madrid with visiting Romanian Prime Minister Victor Ponta, Rajoy said he had spoken Sunday with the speaker of the lower house about appearing in parliament to debate the current political and economic situation.
“I will also speak on the issue that is of concern to you,” he said. “I will answer questions in parliament, I will also reply to questions from the media; I have always answered questions.”
Both Rajoy and PP secretary general María Dolores de Cospedal have denied receiving cash payments from Bárcenas.
“This is the right moment to explain in parliament what has been done so far and clear up legitimate doubts that the public has,” Rajoy said. “I have already replied on this issue,” he said, in reference to the Bárcenas case. “But I am fully aware that it has generated doubts among the public.”
Rajoy has come under growing pressure since the Socialists and other opposition groups said they would present a motion of censure in parliament this week. Elena Valenciano, the Socialist secretary general, said on Monday that her party would, for now, hold off presenting a “measure so difficult, so exceptional for a period in democracy.” Nevertheless, she said her party will continue to push for Rajoy to step down.
Bárcenas is currently in preventive custody at Madrid’s Soto del Real prison in connection with his role in the Gürtel kickbacks-for-contracts corruption case, in which a number of officials within the PP have been indicted.
“Society deserves that Rajoy explain his connection to this illegal financing scandal, which has been going on for more than 20 years in his party, and should be his responsibility as a PP leader. Above all, we have had to force the prime minister to comply with his obligations,” Valenciano said at a news conference concerning the censure.
Bárcenas is thought to have siphoned away millions of euros into Swiss bank accounts, and is facing a range of charges including fraud and tax evasion.
The former PP money man kept secret ledgers for some 20 years detailing donations to the party — many of which may have been illegal — and sums paid to top officials. Last week, he admitted for the first time to being the author of these documents, copies of which were first published by EL PAÍS on January 31.
Opposition parties had threatened to table a motion of censure against Rajoy in an effort to force him to appear in parliament over the Bárcenas case. In an interview with EL PAÍS, Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba, the leader of the main opposition Socialist Party, said: “Rajoy cannot govern without explaining the Bárcenas case.”IPN Analysis: The November 30 parliamentary election will be either crucial or catastrophic for the Moldovan state and society, and this is the first and most important feature distinguishing it from other elections. It includes a host of other particularities, such as the geopolitical overtone, the influence of the regional factor, the foreign interference, the emergence of new types of political actors, an electoral confrontation by the principle “all against one”, the unpredictability of the outcome and of the potential configuration of the government, the intensive use of political manipulation, the contrast between an overall peaceful campaign and fears of potential violent outbreaks, or worse, of a regional hotspot like the one seen in Ukraine.
---
The years 2014 and 1991: similarities and differences
Some say the importance of the upcoming election can only match that of the proclamation of Moldova's independence in 1991. Usually those making this this comparison, using the label 'crucial' for both events, are the politicians of pro-European orientation who are trying in this way to convince the electorate to follow this path. The most high-sounding phrases used during this campaign have urged the voters to choose between the “civilized European future” and the “dark communist past”, between the “prison of nations” and the “freedom of European democracy”; a more philosophical formulation says the the November 30 election will be a “civilizational choice”. As a rule, such politicians, as well as other supporters of the European idea, use real figures and facts to demonstrate the benefits of the European integration, some of which can already be seen. The pro-European choice is represented by a number of weighty political parties such as the Liberal-Democrats, the Democrats, the Liberals and the Liberal-Reformists, as well as by smaller parties such as the People's Party, the Green Party, Antimafia and others.
The promoters of the other choice, the pro-Eastern one, use slogans that are less exalted and operate with fewer facts, figures and actual benefits. They are less influential in terms of party size, standing in polls and access to administrative and information resources. The most prominent representative of this segment is the Socialist Party, which in the meantime, however, has scaled down its pro-East choice to a pro-Russia one, perhaps as an electoral maneuver. The “Customs Union is Moldova's Choice” Bloc has maintained the broadness of its pro-East option, but this hasn't helped them overcome the narrowness of their voter pool, because these parties have neither sufficient influence nor chances of entering the Parliament, and so have other minnow electoral competitors of the same orientation. The Communists, which still wield a great deal of influence in the Moldovan society, cannot be included without reserve in these ranks, as they haven't demanded the denunciation of the Association Agreement with the EU and haven't included membership in the Customs Union among their campaign priorities.
This echoes the year 1991, because now, just like then, the more educated part of the Moldovan society are proposing a cardinal change, an advance to a new step of development, following a model and instruments successfully implemented by other countries, including nations with whom we share a Soviet and socialist past. Additionally, it has the electoral advantage of exploiting the country's achievements on the path of modernization and Europeanization. But unlike the spirit from the Independence period, despite all that evidence, the European choice doesn't enjoy the same amount of popular support, with the two geopolitical alternatives maintaining a relation of parity for quite some time. We won't discuss here why this is happening, we'll just note some of the similarities and differences.
Another similarity with the early 1990s is the sense of an imminent violence, like that seen in the Nistru conflict, which also put a brake on our progress. If the activation of that brake had anything to do with our efforts to reorient ourselves along other vectors than the Eastern ones, one should expect that similar or more “effective” methods might be used, in addition to those already applied in the region.
Moldova between Ukraine…
Elaborating on the topic of our neighborhood, we can identify another particularity of the upcoming election. The armed conflict in Ukraine (with some involved or less involved actors using notions such as “separatist rebellion”, “covert foreign aggression” or “anti-terror operation”) has influenced to a certain degree the pro-European and pro-Eastern inclinations of the Moldovan voters. This influence becomes more evident as casualties and destruction increase and as people become increasingly aware of the threat of the conflict approaching Moldova's borders and, God forbid, going beyond. That influence can be seen in a drop, albeit insignificant, in the number of Moldovan supporters of the Russian president Vladimir Putin. While insignificant, like I said, this still counts as a decrease and it almost automatically means a proportional reduction in the number of supporters for the pro-Eastern and Pro-Russian Moldovan parties. True, the pro-European parties can be suspected of somewhat exaggerating things in this respect, for electoral purposes included, but the patterns that IPN mentioned here and in other recent opinion pieces vindicate them of any direct accusation.
The Ukrainian factor in this election provides yet another prop for the pro-European parties after the neighboring nation elected a pro-European parliament and President. While until recently Moldova was able to escape a “benevolent” accession to the Customs Union and Eurasian Union precisely due to Ukraine's rather cold stance towards them, now as Ukraine increasingly approaches the EU, its seems even theoretically impossible for Moldova to join those, with such an immense geographical barrier lying between. However, Ukraine is still far from being a genuinely European state and one should expect that it will face still more obstacles along this path. On the other hand, political parties don't always tell voters the whole truth during campaigns. Further, the pro-Eastern parties have quite openly declared they might use the 'Maidan' approach to take over power in the event of a 'wrong' outcome of the parliamentary election. At the same time, some of the political actors that promote European integration haven't themselves “ruled out” a replication of the “Maidan” in Moldova “in certain circumstances”. So the Ukrainian factor may still hold more. The information space, both the public and the “kitchen” one, is full of dark reports and rumors.
…and Romania
Two weeks before the parliamentary election in Moldova, the Romanians elected a president that is “not like the rest”. Both the pro-Eastern and pro-Western proponents interpreted this pick in their favor. What's certain is that Romania's example demonstrates that a massive involvement of the society can make a difference. Very soon we'll see which parties will have been more successful in convincing the electorate to, first, go out and vote and, second, make a chiefly geopolitical choice between “progress” and “destruction”.
Valeriu Vasilică, IPNT H Mustafa T H Mustafa
T.H. Mustafa, a senior Congress leader in Kerala who called party vice-president Rahul Gandhi a joker, has welcomed his suspension, saying he is now free to say anything he wanted.
"I welcome the decision to suspend me. I'm relieved. Now I can air my comments without fearing anything and anyone. I was only telling the truth. Nobody can control me now," Mustafa, a former state minister, told Kairali People TV, a CPM-owned channel, on Thursday night.
Mustafa had taken the jibe at Rahul Gandhi at a press meet in Kochi on Wednesday. He also demanded that Rahul Gandhi be sacked as party vice-president and replaced by his sister Priyanka Gandhi.
A Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee executive meeting in Thiruvanthapuram too criticised the party high command and Rahul Gandhi.
Most of the leaders expressed discontent over the functioning of the leadership.
Congress leader K. Sudhakaran criticised Rahul Gandhi and said state leaders should show the courage to say that the "king is indeed naked".
"It is not young age that matters. We needed policies and programmes to attract youngsters. A 63-year-old Narendra Modi was able to frame policies that wooed them," said Sudhakaran, who was defeated by a CPI-M candidate in Kannur.
Even Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala said the debacle of the party was a result of anti-people policies of the UPA government.
Kozhikode District Congress Committee president K.C. Abu also made a veiled attack at Rahul Gandhi, comparing the high command's performance to a role enacted by Dulquer Salman even though it was more suited for his father, Mammotty.
Some other leaders from the Malabar region said Rahul Gandhi had miserably failed in taking on Modi.
AICC spokesperson P.C. Chacko said he was compelled by the leadership to contest the elections.
Chacko was blamed by state leaders for exchanging his constituency, Thrissur, for Chalakkudy resulting in the party's defeat in both the seats.
T. Siddique, who was defeated in Kasergod, also criticised the central leadership for its follies.
The KPCC decided to form committees to study the debacle of some candidates.
But the comments in the KPCC meeting show that state leaders have shed their fears about criticising the party high command.Kaepernick Kneels for National Anthem to Continue Protest
New Poll: Trump Takes 2-Point Lead on Clinton
WATCH: Enraged Ex-Girlfriend Torches the Wrong Car
Stand up, or sit on the bench.
That’s the sentiment expressed by the coach of hockey’s Team USA, John Tortorella.
Tortorella, the Columbus Blue Jackets coach who will be making the calls for the American team in the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, told ESPN that he will not tolerate any players sitting in solidarity with San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick.
“If any of my players sit on the bench for the national anthem, they will sit there the rest of the game,” he said, according to the network's reporter Linda Cohn.
When I asked Team USA coach John Tortorella about Kaepernick protest he told me "If any of my players sit on... https://t.co/CTEDYRG0zm — Linda Cohn (@lindacohn) September 6, 2016
Kaepernick continues to spark outrage over his on-the-field gestures, which recently included taking a knee during the San Diego Chargers’ ‘Salute to the Military Night’, and wearing socks depicting police officers as pigs while at training camp.
The quarterback has said he is doing so in protest of "police brutality" and other race-related issues.
Do you think Coach Tortorella is being too harsh on his hockey players, or do you agree with him?
Let us know in the comments below.
FBI: Clinton Aide Destroyed Hillary’s Old Mobile Devices With a Hammer
Trump: Let Hillary 'Release Her Emails and I'll Release My Tax Returns Immediately'
New Photos: Kaepernick Showcases Socks Portraying Cops as PigsIt's all Relative
Collected every trophy. Congratulations!
7.9%
Very Rare 26.63%
Uncommon
Lost Kat
Awakened in Auldnoir.
96.3%
Common 97.30%
Common
Learner's Permit
Mastered the fundamentals of gravity.
77.2%
Common 85.19%
Common
From Oblivion
Completed Episode 1.
89.8%
Common 93.81%
Common
Home Sweet Home
Completed Episode 3.
65.8%
Common 77.04%
Common
The Hekseville Phantom
Completed Episode 4.
56.8%
Common 69.40%
Common
The Lost City
Completed Episode 6.
47.4%
Rare 61.40%
Common
Too Many Secrets
Completed Episode 7.
43.4%
Rare 57.79%
Common
Thick Skin
Completed Episode 11.
35.0%
Rare 50.47%
Common
Look Out Below
Completed Episode 12.
32.4%
Rare 48.06%
Uncommon
The Lost Tribe
Completed Episode 14.
31.5%
Rare 47.23%
Uncommon
Fading Light
Completed Episode 17.
30.6%
Rare 46.45%
Uncommon
Adreaux On Call
Completed Episode 18.
28.5%
Rare 44.80%
Uncommon
Falling to Pieces
Completed Episode 19.
27.6%
Rare 44.06%
Uncommon
An Unguarded Moment
Completed Episode 20.
26.7%
Rare 43.41%
Uncommon
Ancient Game Hunter
Defeated the rare Nevi in Rift Planes: The Ruins.
12.3%
Very Rare 31.60%
Uncommon
Burning Game Hunter
Defeated the rare Nevi in Rift Planes: The Inferno.
12.8%
Very Rare 31.44%
Uncommon
Illusory Game Hunter
Defeated the rare Nevi in Rift Planes: The Mirage.
10.6%
Very Rare 29.55%
Uncommon
Frequent |
is to believe that something has failed. Now in some cases this is a lift malfunction, but presumably often another button press would also seem like a more reasonable strategy than if little time has passed.
The cost is assigned to the physical press might vary between people and situations. Some might experience minor social embarrassment of repeatedly pressing a lift button when others are present. Other people who are less energetic or active, may not wish to expend energy repeatedly pressing the lift button.
Further reading
If you're interested more about these ideas, you could check out some of the ACT-R research on strategy selection.Lucas di Grassi today put an end to speculation linking him to a move away from ABT Schaeffler Audi Sport for Formula E’s third season by signing a new one-year deal with the German team.
The sport’s current championship leader was signed by the German squad very early in the run up to season one and has remained in the red cars ever since. Rumours had connected him to the incoming Jaguar team but di Grassi put paid to that gossip today.
“I will stay with ABT,” di Grassi explained to Current E ahead of his team’s home race, in Berlin. “There were some discussions before on how we continue together and how we could improve our development, improve the team. We reached an agreement, a very good agreement that I’m very happy with. I think we will improve as a team, I will improve as a driver, we have a very good package together. We are working very well now. There is no reason in season three to move teams.”
ABT confirmed the news on Twitter this afternoon, giving us the first driver confirmed for season three. Di Grassi went on to explain that the agreement was for one further season with the option for more depending on how it goes.
“Let’s say we start with season three and depending on how season three goes, the involvement with manufacturers, how the championship shapes up, we have an option for a longer term partnership,” di Grassi said. “But first we need to see how Formula E evolves as a championship, how ABT evolves as a team and how good our results are in season three.”
The caveats will undoubtedly concern performance (ABT has been responsible for di Grassi being disqualified from a victory in both the first and second seasons), powertrain competitiveness (di Grassi has been closely involved in the development of the team’s third season car so he’ll be confident that the team has a package which could deliver him the 2016-17 title) and whether or not ABT can attract a partner OEM (the obvious link would be Audi or another member of the VW group, with whom the team already has a relationship and which is pushing into electric road vehicles).
With three races remaining in season two, di Grassi is leading the drivers’ championship and ABT is second to Renault in the teams’ championship.
Luke SmithTAIPEI/SINGAPORE (Reuters) - The pilot flying a TransAsia Airways 6702.TW ATR mistakenly switched off the plane’s only working engine seconds before it crashed in February, killing 43 people, Taiwan’s Aviation Safety Council (ASC) said in its latest report on Thursday.
The ASC’s report also showed that Captain Liao Jian-zong had failed simulator training in May 2014, in part because he had insufficient knowledge of how to deal with an engine flame-out on take-off.
“Wow, pulled back the wrong side throttle,” Liao, 41, was heard to say on voice recordings seconds before the crash.
There appeared to be confusion in the cockpit as the two captains tried to regain control of the plane after one engine lost power about three minutes into the doomed flight.
Liao reduced the throttle on the working engine but did not appear to realize his mistake until it was too late.
He tried to restart the engines several times before a junior first officer in the cockpit said: “Impact, impact, brace for impact.”
Those were the chilling last words heard on the data recordings, according to the latest report of the ASC’s investigation into the Feb. 4 crash.
Seconds later the almost new ATR 72-600, which had 58 people on board, crashed upside down into a shallow river in Taipei after it lurched between buildings, clipping an overpass and a taxi.
Fifteen people survived but all three pilots and 40 passengers and other crew died in the second crash involving a TransAsia ATR plane in a year.
A source with direct knowledge of the report told Reuters on Wednesday the working engine had been shut off.
FAILED SIMULATOR TRAINING
The ASC report, which neither assigns responsibility nor suggests recommendations, paints a more detailed picture than a preliminary report released days after the crash.
Liao, a former air force pilot, began flying commercial aircraft in 2009 and joined TransAsia the following year. He was promoted to captain in August 2014 and joined the ATR 72-600 fleet in November.
He had a total of 4,914 flight hours on ATR 72 planes.
However, the report showed that Liao failed the simulator check in May 2014 when he was being evaluated for promotion. Assessors found he had a tendency not to complete procedures and checks, and his “cockpit management and flight planning” were also found wanting.
However, he passed after a second simulator check on June 29 and 30 and was promoted to captain, although similar problems were detected during training from July 2-10 last year.
Instructors commented that he was “prone to be nervous and may make oral errors during the engine start procedure” and displayed a “lack of confidence”, the report shows.
Issues cropped up again during training for the ATR 72-600 in November, when an instructor said Liao “may need extra training” when dealing with an engine failure after take-off.
After the crash, Taiwan’s Civil Aeronautics Administration put TransAsia’s ATR pilots through oral proficiency tests on how to handle an aircraft during engine failure.
All but one of the pilots passed the tests, although some needed more than one attempt. The lone failure was demoted in rank to vice captain from captain.
The airline now has 61 ATR pilots.
TransAsia president Fred Wu told a media conference later on Thursday the airline would buy an ATR flight simulator, bring in outside experts to evaluate pilots, and launch a safety improvement program with Airbus (AIR.PA).
The wreckage of a TransAsia Airways turboprop ATR 72-600 aircraft is recovered from a river, in New Taipei City, February 4, 2015. REUTERS/Pichi Chuang
ATR is a joint venture between Airbus and Alenia Aermacchi, a subsidiary of Italian aerospace firm Finmeccanica SIFI.MI.
The airline has reached a settlement with the families of seven passengers, and negotiations were underway with the rest, said TransAsia CEO Peter Chen.
A draft of the final report will be issued in November with the final report, which will include the cause of the crash and recommendations, to be completed in April 2016.I write today to confess error.
A few months back, pondering the ghastly parlor game of choosing between President Donald Trump and President Ted Cruz, I opted — reluctantly, disbelievingly — for Trump, as the lesser of two dangers.
Yes, the real estate tycoon is a know-nothing, uninterested-in-learning-anything buffoon. Also: a demagogue and a bully whose emotional instability would pose a threat to national security.
But the Cruz alternative, it seemed to me then, was even worse. Cruz is smarter than Trump, more calculating than Trump (which is saying something) and way, way more conservative than Trump.
A Trump presidency, or so I reassured myself, at least offered the prospect of unprincipled dealmaking in the service of what is Trump’s only guidepost: promoting the greater glory of Trump. President Cruz would be as absolutist as Sen. Cruz (R-Tex.), and therefore, from my point of view, the worse president.
As results showed Donald Trump leading in at least six states on Super Tuesday, Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) argued that nominating him would be bad for the Republican party. Here are key moments from their speeches following the March 1 races. (Sarah Parnass/The Washington Post)
I was wrong.
Since that column in mid-December, Trump has proved himself to be even less knowledgeable and even more unhinged. His election would constitute a grave threat to American values and, potentially, American democracy.
In January, Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.) likened picking between Trump and Cruz to “being shot or poisoned. What does it really matter?”
Except Graham, like me, has come to the unexpected conclusion that it does. “We may be in a position where we have to rally around Ted Cruz as the only way to stop Donald Trump,” Graham told CBS News’s Charlie Rose as the Super Tuesday returns rolled in.
Was that what Graham was really suggesting, Rose asked the man who had joked, just a few days earlier, about how the safest place to murder Cruz would be on the Senate floor?
Graham: “I can’t believe I would say yes, but yes.”
Senator, I feel your astonishment, and raise it. To take one pending example, you probably wouldn’t have difficulty voting to confirm President Cruz’s Supreme Court nominee. I would.
But my fundamental fear is that giving the reins of government to Trump would be even riskier, exposing the country to more long-lasting danger than a court with multiple Cruz nominees.
Trump on the trail demonstrates scant respect for, and even less knowledge of, constitutional and legal limitations. He wants to “open up the libel laws” — actually, to undo limits imposed by the First Amendment — to make it easier to sue media outlets that dare to criticize him. He threatens those who contribute to his political opponents. “They better be careful, they have a lot to hide,” he warned Chicago’s Ricketts family, which has donated to an anti-Trump super PAC.
He cannot tolerate protesters, ordering his goons to “throw them out into the cold” and expressing his own yearning for even more violent measures: “I’d like to punch him in the face.” He would torture terrorism suspects (“Don’t tell me it doesn’t work — torture works,” he said) and kill their families, notwithstanding that those actions constitute war crimes under U.S. and international law.
You could dismiss this as over-the-top campaign trail rhetoric — or you could worry, as I do, about what a man like this would do in office, with the power of government at his disposal. A former White House chief of staff once told me that the most astonishing aspect of the presidency isn’t how constrained the chief executive is by having to deal with a recalcitrant Congress — it’s how much latitude the president has when it comes to conducting military operations.
Perhaps the military would refuse to follow President Trump’s unlawful orders, as former CIA director Michael Hayden suggested. What about an order — issued in a fit of pique against a foreign critic — that is lawful but crazy?
Trump is Nixon with all of the megalomaniacal willingness to abuse power and none of the crafty realpolitik. He is attracted to strongmen, past and present — unapologetically retweeting a Mussolini quote (“What difference does it make whether it’s Mussolini or somebody else?”) and basking in praise from Vladimir Putin.
Of the Republican speaker of the House, Paul D. Ryan (Wis.), Trump said menacingly, on the night of his Super Tuesday victories, “I’m sure I’m going to get along great with him, and if I don’t, he’s going to pay a big price.”
Space precludes going through all of the outrageous things Trump has said or proposed, or his predilection for flat-out lying when called on these offenses. Suffice it to say that, if Trump is elected, Ryan isn’t the only American who might have to pay a price.
Read more from Ruth Marcus’s archive, follow her on Twitter or subscribe to her updates on Facebook.When Auburn University's latest incoming blue-chip linebacker went to take the ACT last Saturday, his mother wasn't worried about the test.
Lakisha Moultry just didn't want her son, Tadarian, being shot and killed on the way to and from the exam. When a young black man from a vulnerable background is so close to making it out of Birmingham these days, a mother's fear can be overwhelming.
The rise of gun violence among young black men and teenagers in Birmingham has put communities, high schools and city officials on edge in recent weeks. Amid the shootings and murders, Lakisha Moultry is raising four sons between the ages of 23 and 11. She says she lives in a constant state of fear.
"It's really hard, and it's really stressful," Lakisha said. "And you wish you could just take them and shrink them and put them in your purse. Because you be so scared. Like, even with the simplest things."
Like taking the ACT on a Saturday morning.
All families of college-bound high schoolers can relate to the stresses and worries related to college entrance exams. In a city so divided socioeconomically, however, being shot while going to take the ACT is something hard to understand for many. But Tadarian Moultry of Jackson-Olin, who is one of Auburn's top recruits, has already been shot once, and so has his older brother. Their uncle was paralyzed in a shooting, and they have many other family connections to gun violence.
Like many students his age at Jackson-Olin and Wenonah high schools, Moultry knew both the alleged shooter and the victim of the homicide near Wenonah on January 31. He played middle school football with the alleged shooter, Monsure Davis, who has been charged with capital murder. Moultry's family was close friends with the victim, Juzahris Webb.
"He was just a cool, goofy dude," Tadarian said of Webb.
Tadarian also knew the second Wenonah student who was shot and killed a week later in downtown Birmingham. That student, Isaiah Johnson, was killed in an apparent robbery attempt during a gun deal on 2nd Avenue South. Johnson was the seventh homicide in a week in Birmingham.
City leaders held a news conference recently to address the rise of gun violence and said the deaths of Wenonah's students, Webb and Johnson, necessitated the need for community conversations about how to fix the growing epidemic. Since then, the shootings have continued unabated. In Fairfield, 18-year-old Eric Dial, Jr. was shot and killed last Wednesday morning. That afternoon, 36-year-old Tavares Smith was gunned down in the north Birmingham neighborhood of Evergreen.
"I don't even want to watch the news because every day it seems like it's another shooting or homicide on such-and-such street in west Birmingham," said Lakisha Moultry, "and it just makes my heart race because I got all boys. And all it is every day is little teenage black males just getting killed every day. It seems like a murder every day."
Smith's death was the 18th homicide of the new year in Birmingham, and 24th county-wide. Birmingham's 19th homicide of the year occurred Monday night in Evergreen. In 2016, Birmingham reached 100 homicides for the second consecutive year. Of the city's 105 homicides last year, 82 deaths resulted from shootings. According to records, 38 of the city's 92 homicides investigated as murder were reported by the west precinct.
Of the planned community meetings to address gun violence, Birmingham Mayor William Bell said "it's about finding out who can reach out and get them to understand we cannot continue down this path of violence and bloodshed." But the systemic problem of gun violence is not so easily correctable, and it isn't even the biggest problem facing young people, according to parents and teachers of current and former students of Jackson-Olin and Wenonah high schools, including prominent athletes.
Gun violence isn't the disease, say those who live in neighborhoods affected by it, but rather just a symptom of a larger problem that begins with poverty and a lack of stability at home. Bedrock life skills like conflict resolution and empathy are learned at an early age. Oftentimes, those personality traits are either underdeveloped in individuals who resort to gun violence to settle disputes, or worse, those life skills are discouraged as weaknesses by peers and role models.
Linebacker Tadarian Moultry of Jackson-Olin is one of Auburn's top recruits. His life and the lives of his family have been shaped by gun violence in Birmingham. Moultry was shot before his sophomore year of high school in a drive-by shooting. Moultry's brother also has been shot. His father and grandfather were drug dealers, according to Michael Grant, Moultry's father.
BREAKING THE CYCLE
There was a time when Lakisha Moultry thought every man in her family was doomed for a life either ruined or sidetracked by the streets.
"Before, it seemed like once a Moultry boy got 17 or 18 he already had been in jail, or probably had a case pending for something," Lakisha said. "He might have gotten himself together when he was 23 or 24, but he wasted so many years of his life."
She lived through it with her brother and cousins, and then again with her oldest son, who was shot while fleeing a home he had attempted to burglarize in 2014. That was an awful summer.
Around the same time, the husband of Lakisha's best friend was shot to death. Tadarian, who is the second of her four boys, was then shot in a drive-by two months later.
Entering his sophomore year of high school at the time and only two weeks away from fall football camp, Tadarian was with friends in a park when a sedan rolled through and a shooter emerged from the sunroof. He fired wildly into a crowd with an AK-47 assault rifle, according to Tadarian.
A bullet went through the football player's leg, and he was taken to the hospital. Lakisha was relayed false information when she received the phone call that her son had been shot.
"They told me he had been shot four times," Lakisha said. "My heart dropped."
It wasn't until she arrived at the hospital that she learned her son had only been shot once.
"It's better to be shot by an AK than a.22," Tadarian said. "A.22 burns and stays in the body."
Despite being shot, Tadarian was extremely lucky. The bullet caused minimal long-term damage. He missed his sophomore season of football, but after surgery and rehab, Tadarian played varsity basketball later that winter.
"People think I'm crazy when I tell them, but the most important thing that happened to me growing up was getting shot because it changed my mindset as a young man," Tadarian said. "I got wiser. And I don't even go out for real because I know I have my family, and just haters on my back. Just everything I have to do, it's way bigger than me right now."
With Tadarian in Ensley's Central Park that day was Monsure Davis, the junior at Jackson-Olin who would later be charged with capital murder in the shooting death of Wenonah student Juzahris Webb.
"I couldn't keep Tadarian away from that park," Lakisha Moultry said. "He had his worst moment, and I guess all teenagers have their worst moment where they kind of rebel against you."
After the drive-by shooting, Tadarian devoted all his energy to the weight room. Meanwhile, his mother banned him from attending teen parties and public parks, and made most social settings off limits. With the help of a transformative football coach and dedicated teachers at Jackson-Olin, Tadarian emerged two years later as one of the top football prospects in the state. He was named a U.S. Army All-American, and now he wants to be the first man in his family to graduate from college.
"My family hasn't done nothing in a while," Tadarian said. "I just know I have to start a trend for my family. It means a lot to me, and I don't usually say this, but I'm proud of it. I want to see my family happy when our name, Moultry, is on the back.
"I just want my family to be proud."
Tadarian's father, Michael Grant, can't talk about the pride he feels for his son without choking up. Grant was kicked out of West End High School when he was 16 years old. Like his father before him, Grant defaulted to a lifestyle of crime and substance abuse at a young age.
"I used to steal cars and started going to jail," Grant said. "I felt l needed to be smarter, so I started selling drugs."
A-List No. 11: Auburn commit T.D. Moultry motivated by love of family, football Jackson-Olin's T.D. Moultry has already survived a gunshot wound, and he plans to continue his football career at Auburn.
Tadarian Moultry, left, and his father, Michael Grant.
'THE BIG PICTURE'
A car accident in 2008 helped Grant get clean and reunite with his son. He now works at Hyatt Regency Hotel and Southeastern Salvage. Grant says the difference between himself and his son is "vision." Tadarian knew what he wanted to do at a young age, says his father, and he was surrounded by people who helped him achieve a goal.
"It's good when they get that vision at a young age," Grant said. "A lot of black kids don't get that vision or that goal until they're about 30 years old. And, OK, you still can do something, but you waste a lot of time, and they don't see the big picture until they're older."
After sitting out his freshman and sophomore seasons of high school football, Tadarian played strong safety as a junior and then middle linebacker as a senior. He still has a lot to learn about the position, but he's fast and strong and, most importantly, eager to learn.
"He's probably the most explosive, most talented kid I've ever seen at this level, coaching or playing," said Tadarian's high school coach, Tim Vakakes, "but he's also the most humble kid. That's what makes him different."
Tadarian is a direct product of the city's investment into high school athletics over the last 10 years. Allocated $331 million of a county-wide $1.1 billion bond issue, Birmingham City Schools invested $27.8 million into athletics facilities in 2007. Those facilities have helped Vakakes build his program.
Vakakes, who played high school football at Homewood, went from winning just one football game four years ago to finishing 8-3 last season. Jackson-Olin made the playoffs for the first time since 1999 before losing in the first round. According to school records, Moultry is the first football player in Jackson-Olin's 65-year history to sign with Auburn, and the first to sign with any SEC team since David Palmer signed with Alabama in 1990. Before Moultry, Auburn went five years without signing a player out of Birmingham City Schools (Cassanova McKinzy, 2012, Woodlawn).
Next year, Vakakes plans to have around 100 players on his football team, including blue-chip recruit Coynis Miller, a defensive tackle who already has scholarship offers from Michigan, Auburn, Alabama, other SEC schools and UAB. Over at Wenonah, coach Ronald Cheatham and his Dragons advanced all the way to the Class 5A state championship last season. Ramsay, the city's magnet school, won the Class 6A state championship.
The renaissance of high school football for Birmingham City Schools is a sign of positive change, but it's not a solution for the large majority of young, vulnerable black men in the city. Cheatham at Wenonah says more vocational programs for students and an emphasis on mental health are two important areas that need addressing.
"Everyone is not going to be an academic and everyone is not going to be an athlete," Cheatham said, "but if he sees he can make a living through job training -- we've got to show kids another way because all they see everyday is pull the trigger, and that's going to make me look gangster."
COMPANY YOU KEEP
Some of the social-media photographs left behind by Isaiah Johnson, the 17-year-old Wenonah student killed in the gun deal on 2nd Avenue South, suggest a young man who wanted to project that image. In one picture, Johnson is proudly displaying a small amount of cash and a pistol. Friends with the first student from Wenonah who was killed on Jan.31, Johnson died, according to police, trying to rob a gun dealer in an alley. The homicide has been ruled justifiable and the shooter will not be charged.
Johnson's associate who accompanied him to the gun deal, 17-year-old Tavares Floyd, has been charged with murder despite not shooting or killing anyone. That charge is based on a state law that allows for prosecution of an individual involved in a felony that causes loss of life.
That Alabama law sounds a lot like a derivative of something Lakisha Moultry constantly preaches to her sons during their volatile years: You are the company you keep.
Tadarian, who hopes to be Auburn University's next great linebacker, heard that axiom hundreds of times during his rebellious teenage years before he was shot. He now hammers that message into his younger brothers.
"You never know what your friend is doing," Lakisha said. "In your presence, he may be OK and seem laid back and not get into too much. But on the other end, he has another friend who he stays with, and he's going to do what he's going to do.
"And I tell him constantly, you are the company you keep. And you're not going to hang with people who sell drugs and say, I'm just with them every now and then. You sell them, too, if you're hanging out with them sometimes. And I hate to be that blunt, but you are the company you keep, and I instilled that.
"If you're with somebody who is doing that, or getting into trouble, you're a troublemaker also. And from now on you're going to be viewed the same as that person."
Except if you're trading guns with minors, apparently. The gun dealer who shot Johnson was not charged. Unnamed by police, the shooter was attempting to trade a rifle for a pistol. The deal was brokered on Facebook, according to police, highlighting the ease for a minor to buy a gun.
"It's not hard for them to get [guns] because half of the time they will buy them from adults," Lakisha Moultry said. "It is really easy for them to get them. It's just really easy on our side of town to get a gun. It's almost like going into a convenience store."
Tadarian Moultry and his mother, Lakisha Moultry, at Jackson-Olin's senior night.
LEAVING THE STATE
The easy access to guns in Birmingham and the increase in gun violence reminds many parents in west Birmingham of the gangland mentality of the 1990s. The city's record high for homicides was 141 in 1992. Fearful of wanton violence, some parents, including Lakisha Moultry's best friend, Laquita Nelson, are encouraging their children to leave the city.
"They kill each other right now for no reason at all," Nelson said. "They don't even have to know you. They shoot each other over something they might have seen or heard on Facebook. It's just senseless killings now."
Lakisha and Laquita became friends through the men in their lives. Lakisha's brother was friends with Laquita's boyfriend. Lakisha's brother, David Moultry, is now paralyzed from a gunshot wound, and Laquita's husband, Jake Nelson Jr., was shot to death in 2014.
The Nelsons' entire lives have been shaped by gun violence. In 1995, they were victims of a drive-by shooting that left Laquita with limited use of her right arm. Her son, who was five-months-old at the time, was shot in the head. Miraculously, he made a full recovery.
Now 21 years old, Jake Nelson III and his younger brother, Juquan, are moving to Florida in June to attend welding school.
"I'm looking forward to them going," Laquita said. "I said, get away from here. It don't matter. Even though it's going to break my heart because I won't have nobody here with me, I want y'all to get away from Birmingham, Alabama, and what's going on."
Juquan Nelson was a member of Wenonah's basketball teams that won three consecutive state championships from 2011 to 2013. When his father was killed in 2014, he lost his passion for the game, says his mother. Now Laquita is worried her youngest son could fall into the same cycle of gun violence that left her husband dead.
After an investigation and conflicting eyewitness accounts, police ruled Jake Nelson Jr.'s death a justifiable homicide.
"Everybody wants a gun now because they figure everyone else has a gun," Laquita said. "So, they feel like they have to have one for protection. At the time, my husband didn't have a gun or own a gun. But when he got killed, it was a part of me that felt if only he would have had some protection on him. If only he would have had a gun he would have been able to defend and protect himself."
Cheatham, who has coached football at Wenonah since 1989, understands the community he serves better than most. Sometimes, he says, it's just best to leave.
"A parent knows their child," Cheatham said. "If a parent thinks it's best to remove a child from an environment, then they're probably correct."
Black citizens of the city have fled Birmingham for generations. In the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, people of color migrated north for factory jobs and a better life without Jim Crow laws and racial oppression. Beginning in the 1980s, when gangs became prevalent in urban neighborhoods across the country, Birmingham City Schools lost thousands of students each year to the suburbs.
Birmingham City Schools enrolled around 75,000 students in the 1980s. In 2014, that number had dwindled to less than 24,000. The declining numbers have since stabilized, but long-term solutions to problems facing vulnerable children in the city will take more than conventional education and better facilities, say experts.
"The mental health of children, I don't think we do enough of that," said Cheatham, the longtime football coach at Wenonah, "because a lot of kids have issues and those issues have been simmering for a long time, and now all of sudden we have guns and we have gun violence and got craziness going on because the streets say I need to shoot you.
"We have to grow kids differently, and assist the ones who have issues. We have to start them young, and then track them because it is not an overnight fix. You start early, and that's not to say our older generation needs to be tossed away, but you got to get something in place for those guys. Address these issues and attack these mental health issues, and maybe we can start changing lives by changing attitudes."
In Woodlawn, there is a new family center scheduled to open in March aimed at doing just that.
PLAN FOR CHANGE
Painted chartreuse green and anchoring a building with big plans, the enormous and steel 'W' framing the entrance of the new James Rushton Early Learning and Family Success Center projects a welcoming image.
Nearing completion, the center is located at 5512 1st Avenue South in a district of Woodlawn that has benefited recently from an urban renewal project. Transformed by the philanthropic organization Woodlawn Foundation, the district features new homes, new sidewalks, new businesses and a vision based on the hugely successful revitalization of the East Lake community in Atlanta.
The James Rushton Early Learning and Family Success Center is part of a "cradle to college" approach to community revitalization. The Woodlawn Foundation calls the new family center "one of the most important and transformational projects that Birmingham has seen in years." The center will begin educating infants at six weeks old, according to its executive director, and parents are required to participate in daily learning activities.
"We know that the children's brains are most malleable when they're young, and that's when their brains are forming," said Delyne Hicks, the center's executive director. "Your personality is almost completely formed by the time it is five. And so we've got to get them young."
In Atlanta's East Lake community, the Purpose Built Communities model transformed a high-crime area into one featuring a top-rated school. As an effect, East Lake experienced a 95 percent reduction in crime statistics. Social skills, including empathy, will be developed early at Woodlawn's new family center. It's a positive start to correcting the problems related to poverty in urban communities, including gun violence.
"It breaks my heart every time I see a young person who has been a victim of [gun violence]," Hicks said. "And there really is more than one victim. Both of them have been victims because they don't know how to manage, they don't know how to self regulate and they don't know how to work out interpersonal relationships.
"They've never been taught how to do that, and they've never had the support of adults, and what that looks like."
For Lakisha Moultry, whose son is going to Auburn this summer to play football, these last few months of gun violence before graduation have left her exhausted with frayed nerves. Tadarian is so close to breaking out of the cycle that his mother rarely lets him leave the house except for school, workouts and last Saturday's ACT test. Tadarian's father sold drugs and his grandfather sold drugs. When Tadarian was shot, he says his life changed for the better. Surrounded by violence his entire life, he craves the new environment awaiting him at Auburn.
"To experience it, and know firsthand about violence, that makes you want to change," Lakisha said. "We have been through so much just having your life one day on Monday and then it completely changes on Tuesday. Because those are the moments we done had over the years. And I'm asking why?"
Joseph Goodman is a senior reporter and columnist for Alabama Media Group. He's on Twitter @JoeGoodmanJr.Tesla's plans to expand its Supercharger network for the Tesla Model S up the east coast of Australia are well underway, with the approval of a Supercharger station in Port Macquarie being announced.
Currently Australia has Supercharger installations in Melbourne, Euora and Wodonga in Victoria, and Gundagai, Goulburn, Sydney City at the Star casino and North Sydney in NSW.
It only takes half an hour of charging at a Supercharger Station to add up to 270 km of travel range, or around three hours worth of highway driving. If you've got a little longer to spare, you can get 502km out of a charge — the rated maximum — with the full battery option selected in a little over an hour.
The latest station at Port Macquarie will sit just off the Pacific Hwy at Cassegrain Winery, and give enough charge for Model S owners to travel between Sydney, Port Macquarie, Coffs Harbour and Byron Bay, for free. The station has the capacity to charge six Tesla Model Ses at a time.
The stations are being stategically placed so that you can drive from station to station, pop the car on charge, grab a quick meal and be on your way again — it's a road-tripper's dream. The plan is to have them leading all the way up to Brisbane.
Tesla's charging network is the fastest growing in the world. Since its announcement in 2012, there are now 591 Supercharger stations, and more than 3,425 Superchargers worldwide. Australia may only have a couple of dozen, but we're quickly catching up.
Here's a list of global Supercharger stations.Fed up and furious Oakland residents got their say Tuesday night about the city's police scandal and some have a new demand targeting the mayor.There was a fiery meeting Tuesday night as the Oakland City Council met for the first time since a scandal involving the police department unfolded. Several people spoke out, calling for the resignation of Mayor Libby Schaaf."We're calling for the resignation of Libby Schaaf. The buck begins and ends with her," said one speaker.Many got right to the point at the start the Oakland city council meeting, saying the mayor must go."I'm reaching out to someone to recall you as mayor of Oakland," said another speaker.Some blame mayor Schaaf for mismanaging multiple scandals inside the Oakland Police Department and the appointment of two interim chiefs, one quickly removed, the other who stepped down in a matter of days.A growing sex scandal isn't going away involving multiple officers who may have had sex with an underage prostitute.Some believe the council shares the blame."What about sexual exploitation of a minors? Every one of you is silent!," said Oakland resident Gene Hazzard.Alameda County district attorney Nancy O'Malley is considering various charges against many of the officers involved. "One is statutory rape, for when she was a minor, one is engaging in commercial sex and paying for it," O'Malley said.A coalition of community groups is calling for greater accountability and the resignation of Schaaf.ABC7 News asked councilperson Rebecca Kaplan if she thinks mayor needs to step down."I feel like we need to fix problem. The fact she's appointed different chiefs, and then none is a problem," Kaplan said.Schaaf tells her critics, she's not going anywhere. "I share their passion to reform our department and really rebuild that community trust in policing," Schaaf said. She said she has no timeline for hiring a permanent chief.If every conservative and moderate in America disappeared tomorrow, liberals would party like they won the Super Bowl. Five years later, the entire economy would collapse; Cuba, Mexico and Canada would be occupying parts of the United States and President Bernie Sanders would be encouraging people to burn down the remaining businesses that hadn’t gone under to protest unemployment.
They’re pursuing both spending and immigration policies that could fairly be called suicidal for America. On the international scene, Obama has managed to restart the Cold War with Russia, throw away two wars Bush had already won in Afghanistan and Iraq and has enabled the rise of ISIS.
If there is a part of America that’s important or works, liberals are systematically trying to destroy it. We HAD – emphasis on the word HAD – the best healthcare system in the world before Obamacare. Under Obama’s incompetent leadership, the economy STILL hasn’t recovered from the housing crash of 2007. Marriage was already in trouble; so rather than trying to fix it, liberals were like, “ |
by the administration's mandate that insurance plans provide women with contraception coverage without copay.
Judges Brown and Randolph rejected the claim that the Freshway corporations have a religious liberty right that can be violated, since they are not people. But they also ruled that the contraception coverage provision violates the brothers' rights under the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act. Under RFRA, a law is invalid if it imposes a substantial burden on religious liberty, unless it is the least restrictive means to serve a compelling government interest.
The D.C. Circuit panel's majority ruled that the law fails in every respect. On the question of whether it imposes a substantial burden, Brown and Randolph concluded that the law forces the company's owners to "approve and endorse" the inclusion of contraceptive coverage in their companies' employer-provided plans, despite their religious objections to contraception. (It is not clear how obeying a law is the same as approving and endorsing it.) And they concluded that the interests underlying the contraception provision are not compelling – that is, that the government does not have a strong enough reason to ensure that women have access to affordable contraception.
The dissenting was Judge Harry Edwards, a Carter nominee and the only one of the court's six senior judges not put on the bench by a Republican president. He explained:
There are three reasons why the Mandate does not substantially burden the Gilardis' "exercise of religion." First, the Mandate does not require the Gilardis to use or purchase contraception themselves. Second, the Mandate does not require the Gilardis to encourage Freshway's employees to use contraceptives any more directly than they do by authorizing Freshway to pay wages. Finally, the Gilardis remain free to express publicly their disapproval of contraceptive products. [emphasis in original]
He also recognized that protecting women's health is a compelling government interest.
Yesterday, Senate Republicans made clear their determination to prevent President Obama from filling the three vacancies on the court, filibustering the first nominee just as they had signaled they would do even before they knew who the president's three nominees would be. Today's opinion exemplified why. Including senior judges, who can serve on panels like the one making today's decision, Republican-nominated judges on the D.C. Circuit outnumber Democratic-nominated ones 9-5. And with Republicans having made a deliberate effort over the years to appoint conservative ideologues to the bench, a three-judge panel is more likely than not to have at least two staunch conservatives.
Just a couple of weeks ago, we saw Republicans shut down the government and threaten to destroy the nation's economy is the president did not adopt their policies. Similarly, since President Obama isn't nominating the people that a President Romney would have chosen for the D.C. Circuit, Senate Republicans have taken it upon themselves to limit the size of the court and keep a Democratic president from filling the three vacancies.
That is why it is so important to defeat the GOP effort to filibuster the president's nominees. For them, "elections matter" only when they win.In 1972, a harrowing photograph of a young girl screaming out in pain from a napalm burn was on the front page of newspapers around the world. This photo taken by Nick Ut is often credited with helping to make real for audiences the atrocities of the Vietnam War, contributing to a shift in public opinion of the long-running conflict. It is an essential part of our collective history and shared visual consciousness. And last week, Facebook tried to censor it.
Facebook initially defended its decision to take down the photo because its subject, a young girl, is naked—a violation of the company’s community standards. Facebook has since reversed its decision, acknowledging “the history and global importance of this image in documenting a particular moment in time.” But the larger issues raised by Facebook’s censorship of this historical image are far from resolved.
While most people have seen Ut’s photo, few know the young girl’s story. In one of the defining events of my life, I had the opportunity to meet and interview Kim Phuc, the subject of this iconic photograph.
In 1972, Kim was nine years old, living a peaceful life with her extended family in a small village in Vietnam. She rode her bike to school every day, and she had a lot of friends. More important, Kim said, “I felt safe and loved.”
“I was never afraid before the war. And then the fighting started,” she recalled. “I will never forget when the soldiers knocked on our door. I knew fear for the first time.”
That day was June 8, 1972. Kim and the other villagers were instructed to hide in the village temple, which was designated as a safe place. But the temple was not safe. When soldiers heard the planes coming, they told the children to run away.
Burning napalm filled the air and clung to Kim’s young body. Her clothes caught fire, so she started running and tearing her clothing from her burning flesh.
Napalm is a thick, jelly-like substance that burns at 2,200 degrees Fahrenheit. Kim describes the burn as “the most terrible pain you can imagine.”
As Kim ran down the road in terror and in pain, Ut captured the moment on film. The next day the photo of Kim appeared on front pages around the world.
Photographs have the ability to create an emotional impact on a viewer that words alone cannot.
Photographs have the ability to create an emotional impact on a viewer that words alone cannot. Reading that a young girl has been badly burned is quite different than seeing her horror-struck face and her naked and traumatized body. The photo should have been seen in 1972, and it should still be seen today—especially on a platform that has 1.13 billion daily active users. The Vietnam War is over, but children in war-torn countries around the world continue to suffer. The visceral impact of the image is as important as ever.
It is true that Facebook is a private company with a legal right to censor content. But as a global giant that claims in its mission statement “to give people the power to share and make the world more open and connected,” Facebook has an ethical responsibility to facilitate the free flow of information and ideas, especially news. Instead, Facebook is giving users a dangerously manipulated view of that world and contributing to the age of truthiness.
In January of 2012, for example, Facebook intentionally tampered with the news feeds of almost 700,000 Facebook users. Facebook skewed news feeds to be either predominately positive, happy news or predominately negative, sad news in an attempt to manipulate the emotional reactions of users. Facebook then studied how these manipulated users responded to the experiment. But the manipulation of people’s emotions is incredibly unethical—especially in an age when mental health problems run rampant and are often ignored (or shunned) by society and the medical community.
Facebook has also altered the way in which we consume political news. Earlier this summer, the Wall Street Journal launched “Blue Feed, Red Feed,” a project that shows readers a side-by-side accounts of Facebook feeds as seen by conservative and liberal users. The news that readers of different political persuasions receive is vastly different, creating an “echo chamber” in which we are exposed only to news that fits our political alignment. Rather than informing the electorate and contributing to our democracy, the Facebook manipulation adds to political polarization.
Not only have we learned that Facebook can censor our history, we’ve also found that the company can spread false versions of it. Last week, its new algorithm-run “Trending Topics” section featured a tabloid story that suggested bombs were planted in the Twin Towers on 9/11.
Facebook’s product is the distribution of information. It has an obligation to recognize its responsibility to contribute to public discourse.
What will Facebook algorithms (and employees) decide next? It is easy to imagine the social-media giant censoring graphic images such as that of the bloody, shocked five-year-old Syrian boy Omran Daqneesh in the back of an ambulance. But that photograph, like the one of Phuc, helped awaken us to the reality of 500,000 dead Syrians.
Similarly, what if Facebook had blocked the Facebook live video of the police killing of Philando Castile? That video bore witness to a shocking event and contributed to our collective knowledge of, and conversations about, race relations and police brutality.
We must hold Facebook accountable, as Norway’s prime minister and largest newspaper successfully did with the Vietnam photo. If we are to say that corporate oil giants have an ethical obligation to help combat climate change, and that global clothing brands have an ethical obligation to ensure that their products aren’t made in sweatshops, a tech company whose product is the distribution of information has an obligation to recognize its responsibility to contribute to—and not manipulate—public discourse.
The situation also speaks to the growing need for media literacy. Algorithms often determine the content we see (and don’t see) on Facebook, and users need to be aware that they can’t necessarily trust the information presented to them. While we can gleam valuable information and discourse from Facebook, skimming a newsfeed should not take the place of actively seeking out content generated by news organizations.
We must also educate ourselves about what is and what is not news. A screaming pundit pushing an agenda is not news. The piece you are currently reading is an op-ed; while rooted in fact, it is meant to persuade. We must teach our children to be media savvy, integrating media literacy in the K-12 curriculum and at the college level. This includes teaching them not to take photographs, videos and news articles at face value—to do their own research and learn about the stories that continue to unfold.
In Kim’s case, while the war forever altered her life and body, it did not destroy her spirit. She went on to become a global peace advocate. As a UNECSO Goodwill Ambassador, Kim travels the world promoting peace and understanding. She told me that she was “haunted” by the photo for many years, but learned, “if I couldn’t escape it, I could use it for peace.” The photo became a “powerful gift.”
She has also begun the Kim Foundation International, which helps to heal the physical and psychological wounds suffered by child victims of war. Kim travels to meet many of these innocent victims with the intention of restoring hope to their lives.
“Terrible things can happen,” she told me, “but if we are lucky, we can learn from our experiences and it can help us to become stronger.” But we can only learn from one another’s experiences if we have access to them. If our dominant communication channel guides us away from images, news and stories that could upset us or contradict our existing opinions, we risk forgetting our history and making the same grave mistakes again. And if we are exposed only to entertainment-driven and algorithm-dictated news, we risk the crumbling of our democracy.
This article is part of Quartz Ideas, our home for bold arguments and big thinkers.A Montreal cab driver who has actively campaigned against Uber is threatening to sue Montreal police for the way they handled an incident in April.
Hassan Kattoua says he went to a police station downtown and summoned and UberX vehicle.
When the UberX driver arrived, Kattoua insisted officers arrest the driver, since the service isn't legal in Quebec.
At the time, he was wearing camouflage pants, a red baseball cap, a black coat and a sheriff badge, resembling the current protest attire of Montreal police officers.
For this, he was accused of impersonating a police officer, which is a crime.
He was jailed for five hours and his clothes were confiscated.
The charges were dropped and he was released, but he claims he was treated "like a dangerous criminal" by police.
"I want compensation for unjust treatment for putting me in jail for no clean charges," Kattoua said in an interview.
"This affected me greatly, morally."
Kattoua also claims that as a condition of his release, he was forced to agree he would no longer participate in anti-Uber demonstrations.
This, he says, is a violation of the right to freedom of peaceful assembly.
He sent a letter to police ten days ago asking for damages.
He says he never received a response so he intends to file a lawsuit.
He is seeking $34,000 in damages from police.20th episode of the third season of The X-Files
"Jose Chung's From Outer Space" is the 20th episode of the third season of the science fiction television series The X-Files. The episode first aired in the United States on April 12, 1996, on Fox. It was written by Darin Morgan and directed by Rob Bowman. "Jose Chung's From Outer Space" earned a Nielsen household rating of 10.5, being watched by 16.08 million people in its initial broadcast, and also received praise from critics.
The show centers on FBI special agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) who work on cases linked to the paranormal, called X-Files. In this episode, Mulder and Scully hear, and promptly investigate, a story about an alien abduction of two teenagers. Each witness provides a different version of the same facts. Within the episode, a thriller novelist, Jose Chung, writes a book about the incident.
The episode is a stand-alone episode, like most episodes of The X-Files, and follows the normal Monster of the Week pattern of the show but features more humor than typical via manipulation of point of view, leading to multiple re-tellings of certain events with varying degrees of unreliable narrators.
Plot [ edit ]
A teenage couple in Klass County, Washington, are returning from a date one evening when their car suddenly stops, they see a UFO, and are captured by a pair of grey aliens. However, the aliens are themselves soon confronted by a giant third alien from another race.
At a later point, Agent Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) is interviewed about the case by famed author Jose Chung (Charles Nelson Reilly), who is researching a book he is writing about alien abductions and the UFO phenomenon. Scully notes that the girl, Chrissy, was found with all her clothes inside out, appearing to be the victim of date rape. Her date, Harold, is brought in by the police. He claims that he did not rape Chrissy, but that they were both abducted by aliens. The foul-mouthed local detective, Manners (whose profanity is humorously replaced with words such as "bleep" and "blank"), does not believe Harold's story, but Agent Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) has Chrissy undergo hypnosis, in which she describes being on a spaceship surrounded by aliens. Harold claims to have encountered a cigarette-smoking grey alien on the ship who kept repeating, "This is not happening." Mulder is convinced that Chrissy and Harold were abducted by aliens, but Scully thinks it is more plausible that the two teenagers simply had consensual sex and are struggling to deal with the emotional aftermath.
The agents then speak to an electric power company lineman named Roky Crikenson, who claims he witnessed the abduction of Chrissy and Harold, and then turned his eyewitness account into a movie screenplay entitled "The Truth About Aliens." He recounts a strange visit to his home from a pair of men in black, who told him that the UFO he thought he saw the night before was merely the planet Venus, and threatened to kill him if he told anyone otherwise. Roky's screenplay describes his meeting with the third alien (who calls himself Lord Kinbote), who took him to the center of the Earth and told Roky that he had a great mission for him. In telling Roky's version of events to Jose Chung, Scully explains that Roky has a "fantasy-prone personality." Mulder, however, thinks that Roky's story contains some partial truths and decides to have Chrissy re-hypnotized. This time Chrissy claims that she was captured by the U.S. military, not aliens, and they brainwashed her into believing that she was abducted by aliens.
Chung speaks to a science fiction and Dungeons & Dragons fanatic, Blaine, who frequently roams the woods of Klass County at night looking for UFOs. As Blaine tells Chung, one night he found an alien body that was subsequently recovered by Mulder, Scully and Detective Manners. Blaine thinks that Mulder and Scully are a couple of men in black. He claims that Mulder was emotionless, but shrieked when he saw the alien, and that Scully, whom Blaine believed was a man dressed like a woman, threatened him and told him not to talk to anyone about the alien body. Mulder allows Blaine to videotape Scully performing an autopsy on the alien, which is quickly released as a video "documentary" labeled "Dead Alien! Truth or Humbug?" that is narrated by the Stupendous Yappi (from "Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose"). The autopsy reveals that the alien is actually a dead Air Force pilot in an alien costume. His superiors arrive to claim the body, but find it missing. Mulder tricks the military officers into revealing the identity of a second missing Air Force pilot, Lieutenant Jack Schaefer.
As Mulder remembers it, that night he found Schaefer, in a dazed state, walking naked down a highway in Klass County. After getting him some clothes, Mulder takes Schaefer to a diner, where the pilot explains that he and his partner were dressed as aliens while flying a secret U.S. military vehicle designed to resemble a UFO. He thinks that he, his partner, and the two teenagers were abducted by real aliens in a real UFO, but Schaefer is also unsure if his surroundings are real or a hallucination, and he tells Mulder that he may not even exist himself, as he cannot be sure. His superiors soon come to take him away; before leaving the diner with the military officer, he tells Mulder that "I'm a dead man." The diner's cook, however, has a different version of the story. He tells Jose Chung that Mulder was in the diner by himself that night with no one else, and that he kept asking the cook strange questions about UFOs and alien abductions while ordering piece after piece of sweet potato pie.
After leaving the diner, Mulder returns to their motel and finds the men in black seen earlier (played by Jesse Ventura and Alex Trebek), in Scully's room. Scully appears to be in a trance, and has no memory of seeing the men in black. The next morning, Mulder, Scully, and Detective Manners hear about the crash of an Air Force plane and head to the crash site, where the dead bodies of the two Air Force pilots they met earlier are recovered. Mulder visits with Chung, pleading with him not to publish the book since it will further discredit UFO researchers and witnesses by making them look ridiculous. Chung dismisses Mulder and publishes the book anyway, which Scully reads in her office. In his book, Chung describes the fates of the various people he interviewed: Roky has moved to California and founded a spiritual cult based on the teachings he believes he received from Lord Kinbote, Blaine has replaced him as a power company lineman and continues to search for UFOs most nights, Mulder (whom Chung describes as "a ticking time bomb of insanity") watches video footage of Bigfoot, and Harold professes his love to Chrissy, who rejects him as too immature, as her UFO experience has given her a new commitment to philanthropy and helping humanity. The voice-over ends with Chung concluding that evidence of extraterrestrial life remains elusive.
Production [ edit ]
Jeopardy! host host Alex Trebek appears as one of the Men in Black.
Disparate ideas that would eventually coalesce into "Jose Chung's From Outer Space" had been developed by writer Darin Morgan long before the script was actually written. The writer was inspired both by works he had read on hypnosis, as well as the theory that UFOs are real ships that can manipulate space and time, but they are piloted not by aliens but by the U.S. military. The episode's unique narrative style was influenced by a casting session that Morgan had attended in which an actor had mimicked the vocal styling of Truman Capote. Morgan soon thereafter developed an idea about a writer, Jose Chung, covering an X-Files. Morgan wanted to cast Rip Taylor in the role, but he was unavailable, so the role ended up going to Charles Nelson Reilly. Jesse Ventura was cast as one of the men in black, while Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek played the other. (Morgan himself had wanted Johnny Cash for the role.) Lord Kinbote was played by series stuntman Tony Morelli.
The episode contains a number of references and in-jokes. Klass County was named after noted skeptic Philip J. Klass, whose argument that most UFO sightings are really the planet Venus is directly invoked in the episode. The pilots dressed up as aliens were named after authors Robert Sheaffer and Jacques Vallee, who wrote often on the UFO phenomenon. Air Force Sergeant Hynek was named after UFO researcher Dr. J. Allen Hynek. The character of Roky Crikenson is named after musician Roky Erickson, who claims to be an alien abductee. Chung gives Mulder the pseudonym Reynard, after the legendary fox. The alien autopsy video, Dead Alien! Truth or Humbug?, referenced both Morgan's first episode for the series, "Humbug", as well as the real Alien Autopsy: Fact or Fiction video aired by Fox in 1995. Detective Manners was named after series director Kim Manners, and the character's tendency to swear was directly influenced by his real life counterpart. Blaine is seen wearing a Space: Above and Beyond shirt during his interview. Lt. Schaefer absent-mindedly pushing his potatoes into the shape of a mountain is a subtle reference to the film Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977). Roky's job as a power company lineman also alludes to Close Encounters, as Roy Neary, the character played by Richard Dreyfuss held the same position. The cover to Jose Chung's book references the cover of the 1987 book Communion by Whitley Strieber. Lord Kinbote was an homage to Ray Harryhausen, a stop-motion animator, with the footage of the character shot at high speed, which was then edited and manually slowed in post-production, creating the illusion that it was created via stop-motion.
This episode would be Darin Morgan's last for the series before its revival in 2016. The writer claimed that he could not keep up with the frantic pace of the show, although he would later write the similarly themed "Jose Chung's Doomsday Defense" for the TV series Millennium.[10]
Reception [ edit ]
"Jose Chung's From Outer Space" premiered on the Fox network on April 12, 1996. This episode earned a Nielsen rating of 10.5, with a 19 share, meaning that roughly 10.5 percent of all television-equipped households, and 19 percent of households watching television, were tuned in to the episode. This totaled 16.08 million viewers.
The cast and crew of The X-Files reacted positively to the episode. Gillian Anderson cited the episode as being among her highlights of the third season. She said the episode was like dessert, adding "That's what kept it fun and that's what kept it worth doing all the time." Chris Carter said of writer Darin Morgan, "It's been a wonderful coincidence of timing, talent, and the success of the show, allowing it to stretch in a direction it would never have been able to if it had been a less successful or if it had been a younger show. Darin is a truly original comic mind. I don't know anybody in the world working in film, and that's what we work in here even though it appears on television, who has the voice Darin has. He is one in many million." Co-Producer Paul Rabwin said of the episode "An instant classic. One of those seminal episodes. You know, when people talk about The Twilight Zone, they say 'Remember "Eye of the Beholder"?' Or "Trouble With Tribbles" on the original Star Trek. 'Jose Chung' is going to be one of those episodes that is immediately revered." Assistant director Tom Braidwood appreciated Charles Nelson Reilly's presence, saying that he captivated virtually everyone and gave everyone a lift, nicknaming everyone on the crew. Executive Producer Robert Goodwin said that the casting of Reilly was the most fun of the episode.
"Jose Chung's From Outer Space" received praise from critics as well. Author Phil Farrand rated the episode as his favorite episode of the first four seasons in his book The Nitpickers Guide to the X-Files. Entertainment Weekly gave the episode an A, writing "A series so bleepin' ripe for parody brilliantly turns the tables on itself. Two (of many) guffaw-worthy moments: Mulder's squeal and the smoking alien."[17] Reviewer Todd VanDerWerff from The A.V. Club gave the episode a rare A+ and wrote that the episode "is one of the very finest episodes of television I've ever seen, but I'm not sure it's a terrific episode of The X-Files. [...] If The X-Files were a Lord of the Rings-length novel, then "Jose Chung's" would be its first appendix, a source that is at once in love with the main text and critical of it, a place where real human concerns creep around the edges of the show's chilly implausibilities." VanDerWerff's colleague Zack Handlen wrote that the episode was "brilliant", but he did not feel it was as satisfying as he anticipated because it did not contribute to the series as a whole. Review website IGN named it the fourth best standalone X-Files episode of the entire series, writing, "it was 'Jose Chung's From Outer Space' in Season 3 that showed that X-Files could create a true comedy masterpiece that almost completely broke away from the show's usual format and tone." Den of Geek listed it as the tenth best episode of the series.
See also [ edit ]A D.C. police officer will not be prosecuted for allegedly telling colleagues that he wanted to shoot first lady Michelle Obama, although he could be disciplined for violating the police department’s code of conduct, authorities said Thursday.
The officer, a 17-year member of the force who has not been publicly identified by his superiors, was stripped of his police powers and assigned to a desk job in July after officials learned of the alleged remark. He had been a motorcycle officer in a police unit that helps escort motorcades for dignitaries, including President Obama and his family.
“Our investigation is complete, and there will be no criminal charges resulting from it,” said Edwin Donovan, a spokesman for the U.S. Secret Service, which conducted a joint inquiry with D.C. police detectives.
Bill Miller, a spokesman for the U.S. attorney’s office in the District, said that federal prosecutors reviewed the findings of the investigation and “made the decision not to go forward.”
An official familiar with the case, speaking on the condition of anonymity because the matter is not fully resolved, said Secret Service agents and police concluded that the officer “wasn’t being serious” when he allegedly made the remark.
“What’s always important is intent,” the official said. “And we did everything we could to figure that out — whether it was serious or just a very bad joke.”
Police Chief Cathy L. Lanier, in her regularly weekly appearance on WTOP radio, said Thursday that the officer remains the focus of an internal investigation for possible conduct unbecoming an officer. Lanier has said that “there’s absolutely no place for jokes that could be perceived as a threat to the first lady” or anyone else.
Police officials said the officer’s alleged remark was made over breakfast in a downtown restaurant with several other officers from the department’s Special Operations Division. One of the officers reported the comment, officials said.
The officials said that according to reports they received, the officer used his cellphone while he talked about shooting the first lady, possibly using the phone to play a sound effect of gunfire.Brooks Kraft / Corbis CIA Headquarters
It's been almost six years since 9/11, and the national intelligence director only now has gotten around to thinking about rewriting Executive Order 12,333, the intelligence community's bible issued under President Reagan in 1981, which lays down the duties and authorities of 14 of our intelligence agencies (two of them did not exist when E.O 12,333 was written). Well, better late than never.
When the order was established, terrorism still wasn't a priority for the Reagan White House; in the section covering the FBI, terrorism is not even mentioned. And in ordering warrantless NSA intercepts on Americans, the Bush Administration put the last nail in E.O. 12,333's coffin.
Up until 9/11, after all, E.O. 12,333 had the full force of law inside the intelligence community, particularly the ban on assassination and the protection of Americans' rights. When I was still in the agency, I remember the CIA turning off telephone taps when we discovered we were inadvertently listening in on an American's conversation. It didn't matter that the American wasn't the target or the CIA wasn't disseminating or storing the transcript from the American's conservation. It was flat out illegal to spy on Americans.
It isn't just unfortunate for the Americans being spied upon, but also for the people doing the listening in. Intelligence agencies like fixed rules. They don't like being put in legal jeopardy for someone else's political expediency. A whisper from the White House Don't worry, the Attorney General says what you're doing is completely legal won't cut it any longer.
A new executive order should deal with all the issues we read about in the press today, from extraordinary renditions to abusive interrogation techniques and assassinations. Does this country adhere to the Geneva Convention or doesn't it? Is the NSA allowed to channel surf on our conversations or not? Do we assassinate? Whatever is decided, it needs to be stated and agreed to in a public document. Let's not leave the burden on our intelligence agencies
Which brings me back to the FBI. Any new executive order must decide if the FBI is going to take on the duties of a domestic intelligence agency. Do we want undercover FBI agents spying on white supremacist and Islamist groups before they commit a crime, or wait until they commit one and then investigate them?
And finally we come to the grail of intelligence information sharing. The FBI still cannot run an electronic trace in CIA databases, and vice versa. And forget the CIA or the FBI trying to get into NSA's raw databases. Trace requests are handled manually, with all the risks of something falling through the cracks. There are legal reasons databases cannot be combined, not to mention problems of protecting sensitive information. Still, if the national intelligence director were to land on a compromise and enshrine it in a new executive order it would be the most important intelligence reform since the 1947 National Security Act.
Robert Baer, a former CIA field officer assigned to the Middle East, is TIME.com's intelligence columnist and the author of See No Evil and, most recently, the novel Blow the House Down.During a March trade show, Richard Cram of the Multistate Tax Commission (MTC) had some unwelcome news for a group of sellers who use Amazon's (AMZN) e-commerce platform. Cram informed the sellers that they could potentially owe tens of thousands of dollars in back sales taxes to states where they had done little business. That news made some people so distraught that they broke down and cried.
"People were saying, 'I don't know what I am supposed to do,'" said James Thomson, a former Amazon executive and co-founder of the Prosper Show, which attracts many Amazon sellers that generate at least $1 million in annual sales.
As a result of the reaction to Cram's message, the MTC, which is an organization of about two dozen state tax officials, agreed to establish an amnesty program that began in August. It enables Amazon sellers who come clean to avoid paying back taxes and penalties. On a public conference call on Oct. 11, the commission voted 14-3, with two abstentions, to extend the deadline for the amnesty program by two weeks, to Nov. 1, because many merchants aren't familiar with it.
"There has never been an online reseller amnesty program like this before," Thomson said, adding that Amazon has refused to publicize the amnesty. "You have over 100,000 sellers in the US who are affected by a sizable unpaid sales tax liability. For many of them, they either don't know that they have this liability or they don't believe that the liability is theirs."
According to Thomson, Amazon sellers owe about $5 billion in sales taxes on an annual basis. Interest and penalties can add up quickly and in some cases can force merchants to close up shop. Tax specialists are getting bombarded by calls from web entrepreneurs wondering what they should do. But even the pros aren't sure.
"I've talked to a lot of CPAs here in the past two weeks," said Scott Peterson, a vice president with Avalara, a provider of sales tax collection software. "They're getting lots and lots of calls.... This is a relatively complicated concept."
For years, Amazon argued that it didn't need to collect sales taxes because a 25-year-old Supreme Court case known as the Quill Decision found states could collect the levy only from companies with a physical presence in their jurisdiction. Brick-and-motor retailers and politicians argued that Amazon enjoyed an unfair advantage by not collecting sales taxes.
Amazon, however, began to collect sales taxes in April, having built an extensive nationwide network of fulfillment centers that process orders for both its own customers and those of its sellers, who account for about half of Amazon's $136 billion in annual sales. According to Amazon, the sellers are obligated to collect sales tax from their customers, though many of the merchants feel otherwise and made their voices heard on the MTC conference call.
"Even the experts can't agree on sellers' obligation since Quill says they don't have to. But some states have enacted legislation requiring out-of-state sellers to collect," said Ina Steiner, editor of Ecommercebytes.com, i n an email. "For small merchants, the complexity of compliance is overwhelming."
And the issue isn't going away.
Officials in Massachusetts recently won a court order requiring Amazon to divulge the names of all marketplace owners that have done business on the site since 2012. Other states have filed similar legal challenges.Buckyballs magnet sets (spheres, cubes, rods)
Product description
Small powerful, rare earth, magnetic balls and cubes that can be used to build sculptures, puzzles, patterns, shapes, etc., including any of the following models:
Buckyballs Magnetic Building Spheres
Buckyballs Buckybars Magnetic Building Rods
Buckyballs Bucky Bigs XL Magnetic Building Spheres
Buckyballs Buckycubes Magnetic Building Cubes
Buckyballs Chromatics Magnetic Building Spheres
Buckyballs Sidekick Magnetic Building Spheres
They are available in a range of shapes, sizes and colours (chrome, gold, silver, pink, blue, green, black).
Hazard identified
Distributors of Buckyballs are voluntarily recalling these products from the market in response to a risk assessment conducted by Health Canada.
The risk assessment on these magnet sets has informed Health Canada's determination that they are a danger to human health and safety because they contain small powerful magnets which can be easily swallowed or inhaled by children. Unlike other small objects that would be more likely to pass normally through the digestive system if swallowed, when more than one small powerful magnet is swallowed, the magnets can attract one another while travelling through the digestive system. The magnets can then pinch together and create a blockage and slowly tear through the intestinal walls, causing perforations.
The results of swallowing small powerful magnets can be very serious and life-threatening. Swallowing incidents have often resulted in considerable damage to the gastrointestinal tissues and required emergency surgical treatment. For survivors, there can be serious long-term health consequences.
For more information on the danger of swallowing magnets, please see Magnets.
Number sold
Unknown.
Time period sold
Sold online in Canada since 2009 and through Canadian retailers since 2010.
Distributors may have directly contacted their Canadian customers to advise of this recall.
Place of origin
Manufactured in China.
Companies
Manufacturer Maxfield and Oberton Holdings LLC
New York
New York
UNITED STATES
Distributor Premier Gifts Ltd.
Mississauga
Ontario
CANADA
Distributor Marbles the Brain Store
Chicago
Illinois
UNITED STATESToday, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-VA), and the Judiciary Committee Republicans renewed their previous calls for the appointment of a second special counsel to investigate “unaddressed matters that appear to be outside the scope of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation.”
By sending this letter, Congressman Goodlatte recognizes the conflict of interest and systemic corruption that has so far paralyzed investigations of high level officials.
Republican members of the House Judiciary Committee previously sent a letter in July to Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein. This letter requested the appointment of a second special counsel to investigate matters relating to the actions taken by former Obama Administration officials, including Attorney General Loretta Lynch, FBI Director James Comey, and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
This new letter addresses issues regarding allegations that former FBI Director James Comey had prepared a statement ending the investigation into former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, before interviewing 17 key witnesses, as well as Hillary Clinton herself.
The letter cites one former career FBI supervisor as calling Comey’s actions “so far out of bounds it’s not even in the stadium,” and “clearly communicating to [FBI executive staff] where the investigation was going to go.”
Disobedient Media has previously reported on a letter sent by Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA), chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, to FBI Director Christopher Wray, regarding the conduct and handling of the Clinton and Russia investigations by former FBI Director James Comey.
Goodlate further acknowledges that the committee’s inquiries into the facts surrounding two of Clinton’s closest aides, Cheryl Mills and Heather Samuelson, have gone ignored. Mills and Samuelson both received immunity for their cooperation in the Clinton investigation, and were permitted to sit in on the interview of Secretary Clinton.
However, the committee’s inquiries, sent last year, have yet to receive a response, and Goolatte notes that with the recent Comey revelations, ignoring the problem will not make it go away.
The letter, citing Congressman John Ratcliffe (R-TX), notes that if there was ever any real possibility that Hillary Clinton might be charged for something she admitted to on July the 2nd, “…why would two of the central witnesses in a potential prosecution against her be allowed to sit in the same room to hear the testimony?”
Furthermore, Congressman Goodlatte points out that Secretary Clinton’s so-called lack of “intent to harm national security” is a red herring, due to the fact that the law merely requires the government to show “gross negligence”.
Goodlatte also points out that former Director Comey violated DOJ policy by declining to record the interviews of |
housing gets built in a way that promotes socio-economically diverse neighbourhoods. It works by requiring developers to include a set portion of below-market units, usually 10 to 30 per cent, either to buy or sell in every residential building of a certain size.
Inclusionary zoning can be mandatory or incentive-based–also called discretionary or voluntary. The latter offers developers incentives to build units valued below typical market rent or sale prices. Some municipalities may offer density bonuses so developers can build and sell more units, or they may waive development fees or fast-track projects through the approval process. Volunteer programs are often more attractive to developers, and can be for municipalities as well, since they aren’t as likely to inspire opposition and legal challenges the way mandatory programs can. However, they tend to result in fewer affordable units being built.
Mandatory programs, which were proposed by the Ontario government, don’t give developers a say in how and when to build affordable units–those regulations are set by local governments. Some municipalities that require inclusionary zoning, however, also offer developers breaks, such as density bonuses.
One potential drawback of mandatory inclusionary zoning is that developers who don’t want to participate may take their project to a municipality where the legislation doesn’t apply. The Province, after all, is only giving municipalities the option to mandate inclusionary zoning, not the requirement to do so. And while Toronto is poised to take advantage of the opportunity, other municipalities may not be.
How affordable are we talking?
Affordability is always relative, but it is generally defined based on the market or incomes. A house is considered affordable relative to the market if it’s at or lower than the median market value for comparable houses. Although the Bank of Canada uses this method to determine affordability, it can be unreliable; housing markets can be hot, but that doesn’t mean most people can afford to buy into it.
Income is a better indicator of what people can afford. For example, in the United States, where inclusionary zoning is widespread, affordable rentals are typically reserved for residents earning between 50 and 80 per cent of the median income. To buy, income eligibility increases to between 60 and 120 per cent the median income.
It’s important to note that neither inclusionary zoning model, whether based on the market or income, will create affordable housing for people in severe poverty.
Why does Toronto need the Province’s permission for inclusionary zoning?
“[Municipalities] exist at the whim of the Province,” says housing advocate Michael Shapcott, euphemistically referring to cities’ powerlessness as a “quirk of Canadian constitutional law.” And while the City of Toronto has been angling for inclusionary zoning for years, until now, it’s never had the go-ahead from the powers that be.
In 1991, the City helped initiate a study that found requiring a modest amount of affordable units in new developments (five to 10 per cent) would make strides towards their affordable housing objectives. But it couldn’t implement the study’s recommendations without the Province updating the Planning Act.
A couple of years earlier, Burlington, Ontario went ahead and implemented inclusionary zoning anyway, requiring 25 per cent of all new residential buildings to be affordable housing. That only lasted until 1991, after developer Reemark Holdings challenged Burlington at the Ontario Municipal Board and won. Since then, no Ontario city has tried implementing inclusionary zoning.
Doesn’t Section 37 allow inclusionary zoning?
Kind of, but not necessarily. Section 37 of the Planning Act lets developers increase height or density of a project in exchange for “community benefits.” Those benefits can be anything from cash-in-lieu, to playgrounds, to affordable housing, which is up to councillors and developers to negotiate on a case-by-case basis. Often they agree on “desirable visual amenities” such as parks, roads and streetscapes, and public art–rarely affordable housing.
Why aren’t developers keen on the legislation?
Developers began protesting immediately after the Province announced it would adopt the new legislation. Presumably, buildings made up of 30 per cent below-market units, for example, would be less valuable than those wherein every unit is rented or sold at the going rate. With that in mind, developers worry that with inclusionary zoning, they would have to sell off units (or entire buildings) at a loss in order to comply with the regulations. Otherwise, they would have to jack up prices for residents occupying market priced units to make up for the developer’s expected loss from the affordable units. CEO of the Ontario Home Builders’ Association, Joe Vaccaro, expressed this in a statement [PDF] following the Province’s announcement: “Many people are quick to say that they can produce new housing units with no government money, but that’s because they are making everyone buying a new home pay the bill for them.”
Not all developers reject the program. Mitch Cohen, president of Daniels Corporation, the developers behind the Regent Park mixed-income revitalization project, spoke in support of inclusionary zoning when the updated strategy was announced. “Affordable housing will not be built by accident, by happenstance, or simply by virtue of good intentions,” said Cohen, adding that inclusionary zoning, in his opinion, is the only way to secure enough affordable housing for every Torontonian who needs it.
How does it look in other jurisdictions?
Inclusionary zoning programs have been in place across the U.S. since the early 1970s, and today there more than 400 communities with some form of inclusionary zoning. While some Canadian cities (Vancouver, Montreal, and Toronto) have programs that use inclusionary zoning, there are none as extensive as those in the U.S., or even legislated, like Ontario has proposed to do.
Chicago, Illinois
The city of 2.8 million people—often seen as Toronto’s American counterpart—is the largest jurisdiction with inclusionary zoning. It came into effect in its current form in 2007, and requires all new buildings of 10 units or more to include 10 per cent affordable units; when government subsidies are offered, 20 per cent of units should be affordable. Major building revitalizations are also meant to add affordable units if they don’t already meet the quota.
For ownership, housing must be affordable to those earning 100 per cent or below the median income. Rentals should be affordable to residents earning 60 per cent or less of the median income. Each unit is guaranteed to be affordable for at least 30 years, although the government began imposing 99 year terms for affordability. During that term, affordable units can only be rented or sold at the originally established price, plus a percentage of the market appreciation.
Developers can opt out of the program for a fee of $100,000 for every affordable unit they don’t build. Sixty per cent of those fees go towards building new and repairing old affordable housing, and 40 per cent goes towards rental assistance for low income residents.
Burlington, Vermont
The northern Vermont city of 40,000 may be small, but it’s progressive with its affordable housing initiatives. Burlington’s inclusionary zoning program was launched in 1990 and amended in 2008. It’s the only city in the state where inclusionary zoning is mandatory, requiring 15 to 25 per cent of units in new residential developments to be affordable. The mix of affordable housing increases as the development becomes more expensive. For example: developments that serve residents with a median income of 139 per cent or below require a 15 per cent mix of affordable units; those that serve residents making 180 per cent or more than the median income need to make 25 per cent of the units affordable.
All affordable units are reserved for those making less than the average income based on household size: residents eligible to buy affordable housing need to earn 75 per cent or below the median income, and renters need to make 65 per cent or less.
Developers have two options (given only under strict conditions) if they don’t want to build affordable housing in a particular development: they can meet their quota by building on another site in the city, or they can pay fees-in-lieu. The exceptions are never allowed for developments on the city’s desirable lakefront, however. Like in Chicago, fees-in-lieu cost developers $100,000 per unbuilt affordable unit. Burlington also offers developers cost offsets, such as allowing density increases and requiring fewer parking spaces.
How many Torontonians could benefit from inclusionary zoning?
According to Jennifer Keesmaat, the city’s chief planner, Toronto could have built 12,000 new affordable units in the last five years–largely by piggybacking on the condo boom–had mandatory inclusionary zoning been in place. Keesmaat’s is a low-ball estimate, however, given that more than 44,000 new condo units were completed in 2014 and 2015 combined. If we were to assume a 30 per cent mix of affordable housing (the ratio inclusionary zoning proponents have suggested), that makes 13,300 new affordable units in the last two years alone.
With 94,000 individuals and families waiting for affordable housing in Toronto, the zoning amendment won’t eradicate housing insecurity over night, but it will certainly chip away at it.Since the beginning of the global financial crises in 2007, there have occurred numerous economic and financial crises around the globe, plunging often prosperous nations into hardship and even near bankruptcy. These crises, typically generated by overlending by the financial sector and crashing housing bubbles, are often blamed upon two parties – governments and banks – with considerable justification.
There is, however, a third villain that bears primary responsibility for these disasters. While politicians, government bureaucrats, financiers, bankers and the real estate lobby have come under withering assault in the eyes of enraged publics, the economics profession has largely escaped the fury. Given the importance of this profession in structuring economic and financial policy, the lack of attention and accountability poses an interesting question as to why this is.
Governments rely upon the advice of economists to implement policies that will advance economies in the conventional terms of growth, stability and productivity, on matters from the important to the mundane. It is these experts, with a wealth of experience, who have the greatest influence on public policy.
It should be predictable that if a particular policy was successfully implemented and incurred the expected outcomes, then the economists in charge will have their careers advanced. If the opposite occurs, then it is expected that the economists responsible should be subject to severe penalties.
Unfortunately, recent outcomes have ensured the former, but not the latter. For instance, the largest bubbles in US history – dot-com and housing – were followed by sharp economic downturns. Both times, the overwhelming majority of economists missed and/or denied the existence of the bubbles.
The aftermath of the tech bubble was a recession, and the collapse of the housing bubble could well have resulted in another Great Depression if not for the record-breaking bailout of the financial system and continued deficit spending.
According to conventional economic theory that the majority of economists advocate (neoclassical economics), these assets bubbles should not be forming. Supposedly, the more market-oriented an economy becomes, through deregulation and privatisation, the more efficient it becomes at pricing assets, resources, goods, services and labor. Thus, there should be little to no bubble activity within a freer market economy. History, however, has revealed the opposite.
One would think that given the wide gulf between theory and reality, the economics profession should have performed some sort of self-assessment. Instead, they seem to have fervently congratulated one another for having saved economies.
There is, of course, some truth to this assertion: economies would likely have been worse off had the government not intervened and allowed the banks to collapse. Clearly, this is not the point being made – the point is that if economists were not asleep at the wheel, economies would not have been driven into a brick wall, requiring bailouts in the first place.
It is outrageous those economists in important policy-making and influential positions even keep their jobs. What comprises these positions is obvious: senior economists within the central bank, treasury, the financial regulator, commercial lenders, investment banks, and supranational organizations.
If a taxi driver was to crash while drunk driving, injuring passengers, they would be fired and can be charged by the authorities. A nurse that continually gives patients the wrong medicines, resulting in suffering or even death, will lose their job in short order. A cook that leaves the stove on after finishing work, burning down the restaurant, will predictably lose their job.
On the other hand, economists who are complicit in the collapse of multi-billion dollar corporations and trillion-dollar economies are still employed, often working in the highest levels of government, industry and academia, while unemployment, bankruptcies, and general misery blows out of all proportion among the public.
Given the extraordinary level of incompetence shown by these economists, one may ask why they are still employed. Surely the economics profession should be treated similarly to other professions: incompetence on the job should result in disciplinary measures and penalties.
underclassrising.net
One explanation can be found within economic theory itself. Economists believe that the prices of goods and services within an economy are determined by the impersonal forces of supply and demand; everything, that is, except for the supply and demand of economic theory itself.
The rich and powerful create strong demand for economic ideology that justifies their wealth and power. Thus, those economists who supply such ideology will be rewarded regardless of performance. This observation goes unheeded among economists for obvious reasons.
Another explanation is what has been satirically called “academic choice theory”, a play upon public choice theory that argues politicians will follow specific behaviors to maximise their own economic benefits.
Thus, wealth-maximising economists will serve monied interests in order to enrich themselves, regardless of the effects upon others. Within modern economies, the wealthy are increasingly invested in the financial rather than industrial sectors. Accordingly, economists seek to work at the behest of financial institutions: commercial lenders, investment banks, hedge funds, money management funds, etc. The owners and managers of these institutions, dedicated to maximising short-term profit and power, naturally seek that economists advocate theories and policies that empower them economically and politically.
Within the economics field, there exists a substantial literature on the capture of institutions: for instance, government capturing producers, or industry capturing government regulators, for the purpose of empowering the institutions performing the capturing. Less well-known is the capture of the economics profession, whether it is individual economists or entire schools and departments at universities.
Universities are often dependent on outside funding to keep their economics and business schools functioning. Corporate-friendly businesses, think-tanks and wealthy individuals will meet this need and provided the necessary funding. Although there may be no strings attached legally, the entire funding is an enormous string in itself. Crafting theories and policies that run counter to what the funders want to hear will not ingratiate them to the recipients.
The phrase “don’t bite the hand that feeds you” is rather apt to this situation. The course of action to pursue, therefore, is to speak the words pleasing to the funders, which often means pro-corporate theories and policies.
Economic policy tends to run in a similar fashion, with a clique of leading economic thinkers chosen to reform policy in accordance with best practice – or so we are told. For those less burdened with such delusions, best practice means not what is in the best interests of the public, but rather what benefits the narrow sectors of concentrated private wealth and privilege that huddle behind the conservative nanny state, including the economists who are devising these policies.
As history has shown, these policies, primarily financialisation of the economy, have greatly harmed the public while enriching the fortunate few beyond avarice.
There is no natural law that says that the economic equivalents of Doctor Death should continue to devise policies that have shown to be detrimental. If other professions can be held accountable for poor job performance, why not economists?
Economists are fond of examining the role of incentives. Providing a set of penalties in the form of fines, loss of employment, and even imprisonment in the worst cases of financial and economic crisis, can provide economists the incentive to advocate policies based upon scientific theory of how the economy does function in the real world, rather than how it ought to work in a textbook.Next week President Obama travels to Wall Street where he'll demand - in light of the Street's continuing antics since the bailout, as well as its role in watering-down the Volcker rule - that the Glass-Steagall Act be resurrected and big banks be broken up.
I'm kidding. But it would be a smart move — politically and economically.
Politically smart because Mitt Romney is almost sure to be the Republican nominee, and Romney is the poster child for the pump-and-dump mentality that's infected the financial industry and continues to jeopardize the American economy.
Romney was CEO of Bain & Company - a private-equity fund that bought up companies, fired employees to save money and boost performance, and then resold the firms at a nice markups.
Romney also epitomizes the pump-and-dump culture of America's super rich. To take one example, he recently purchased a $3 million mansion in La Jolla, California (in addition to his other homes) that he promptly razed in order build a brand new one.
What better way for Obama to distinguish himself from Romney than to condemn Wall Street's antics in the wake of the bailout, and call for real reform?
Economically it would be smart for Obama to go after the Street right now because the Street's lobbying muscle has reduced the Dodd-Frank financial reform law to a pale reflection of its former self. Dodd-Frank is rife with so many loopholes and exemptions that the largest Wall Street banks - larger by far then they were before the bailout - are back to many of their old tricks.
It's impossible to know, for example, the exposure of the Street to European banks now in danger of going under. To stay afloat, Europe's banks will be forced to sell mountains of assets - among them, derivatives originating on the Street - and may have to reneg on or delay some repayments on loans from Wall Street banks.
The Street says it's not worried because these assets are insured. But remember AIG? The fact Morgan Stanley and other big U.S. banks are taking a beating in the market suggests investors don't believe the Street. This itself proves financial reform hasn't gone far enough.
If you want more evidence, consider the fancy footwork by Bank of America in recent days. Hit by a credit downgrade last month, BofA just moved its riskiest derivatives from its Merrill Lynch unit to a retail subsidiary flush with insured deposits. That unit has a higher credit rating because the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (that is, you and me and other taxpayers) are backing the deposits. Result: BofA improves its bottom line at the expense of American taxpayers.
Wasn't this supposed to be illegal? Keeping risky assets away from insured deposits had been a key principle of U.S. regulation for decades before the repeal of Glass-Steagall.
The so-called "Volcker rule" was supposed to remedy that. But under pressure of Wall Street's lobbyists, the rule - as officially proposed last week - has morphed into almost 300 pages of regulatory mumbo-jumbo, riddled with exemptions and loopholes.
It would have been far simpler simply to ban proprietary trading from the jump. Why should banks ever be permitted to use peoples' bank deposits - insured by the federal government - to place risky bets on the banks' own behalf? Bring back Glass-Steagall.
True, Glass-Steagall wouldn't have prevented the fall of Lehman Brothers or the squeeze on other investment banks in 2007 and 2008. That's why it's also necessary to break up the big banks.
In the wake of the bailout, the biggest banks are bigger than ever. Twenty years ago the ten largest banks on the Street held 10 percent of America's total bank assets. Now they hold over 70 percent. And the biggest four have a larger market share than ever - so large, in fact, they've almost surely been colluding. How else to explain their apparent coordination on charging debit card fees?
The banks aren't even fulfilling their fiduciary duties to investors. Last summer, after Groupon selected Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, and Credit Suisse to underwrite its initial public offering, the trio valued it at a generous $30 billion. Subsequent accounting and disclosure problems showed this estimate to be absurdly high. Did the banks care? Not a wit. The higher the valuation, the fatter their fees.
Just last week Citigroup settled charges (without admitting or denying guilt) that it defrauded investors by selling them a package of mortgage-backed securities rife with mortgages it knew were likely to default, but didn't disclose the hazard. It then bet against the package for its own benefit - earning fees of $34 million and net profits of at least $126 million. So what's Citi paying to settle this outrage? A mere $285 million. Its CEO at time (Charles Prince) doesn't pay a dime.
I doubt the President will be condemning the Street's antics, or calling for a resurrection of Glass-Steagall and a breakup of the biggest banks. Democrats are still too dependent on the Street's campaign money.
That's too bad. You don't have to be an occupier of Wall Street to conclude the Street is still out of control. And that's bad for all of us.
Read more posts on Robert Reich »Cages of living cats smuggled from China are loaded off a truck in Hanoi on January 27, 2015. Photo credit: Kien Thuc Hanoi police Tuesday seized a truck smuggling more than three tons of cats, all alive, to sell to restaurants in Vietnam.
They checked the truck at around midnight when it was parked on a street, Tuoi Tre newspaper reported.
Hoang Van Hieu, the 30-year-old driver and owner of the undocumented shipment, said he bought the cats at the border area and that all of them were from China, the paper said.
Police are investigating further, saying they will deal with the cats "in accordance with the laws".
In Vietnam, smuggled products are required to be destroyed. It is uncertain at this point what local authorities would do with these cats.
Cat smuggling from China is not new, but the practice has become more widespread recently.
Insiders said the biggest markets for cat meat are in Thai Binh and Nam Dinh provinces near Hanoi, where the meat is still considered by some as a delicacy and served at festive occasions like wedding parties.
Animal rights groups have condemned cat and dog meat trade in several Asian countries, including China and Vietnam.
Vietnamese health officials have warned of the risks of rabies, fungal skin diseases and typhoid fever to people involving in the smuggling, slaughtering and eating of animals that have not been tested.
Cats are also the primary hosts of Toxoplasmosis gondii, a parasitic organism that can cause encephalitis and other neurological diseases, they said.
UPDATE: This video, released by Hanoi Police news website, anninhthudo.vn, shows police officers checking the truck full of cats.Eve Ewing found a dog roaming around the West Side on Tuesday. View Full Caption Instagram/wikipediabrown
CHICAGO — The Twitterverse has fallen in love with a dog Chicagoan Eve Ewing found roaming around on the West Side this week, so she'd have no trouble finding a new home — but Ewing is determined to return her with her old one.
Ewing was driving to a meeting Tuesday when she noticed a dog near the intersection of Sacramento Boulevard and Chicago Avenue.
“I thought this is just somebody’s dog that wandered out of the backyard or something,” said Ewing, a writer and sociologist at the University of Chicago who is also a prolific and oft-cited Tweeter.
Ewing took the dog home and posted snapshots to Twitter, hoping to connect, if indirectly, with her owner. An owner hasn't been found yet, but the dog's photos have lit up the Twitterverse.
The first Tweet now has more than 3,000 likes and has been retweeted more than 400 times, with folks sharing adoption stories and photos of their own pets.
"I don’t think of myself as having done anything remarkable," said Ewing, who mostly uses Twitter to comment on pop culture, Chicago politics and race relations.
But her dog posts have led to an unofficial citywide effort to reunite the pup with its parents.
"I think that [it] resonates with people in a time when people are feeling powerless and small."
soooo. I was driving on the West Side today and this little one was wandering around in and out of traffic. and now she's with me 🙄 oops pic.twitter.com/THXIX7NAsK — wikipedia brown (@eveewing) April 18, 2017
The dog, who Ewing named Winnie, was wearing a collar, an indication that she might have a microchip, a tiny piece of tech implanted in dogs and cats that carries data on its owner(s) and their contact info. A scan revealed that she was indeed chipped.
But when Ewing called the number listed with Winnie's chip, she was told the dog isn't registered to anyone. The Logan Square Animal Hospital, which implanted the dog's chip originally, had no record of the dog or its owner.
While some people assume a chip guarantees a dog can be tracked if it goes missing, that's not always the case. It's not uncommon that owners forget to register entirely, or failed to re-register their pets when they move, according to local veterinarians.
"It happens a lot, that you get a chip that will scan, but there's no information attached to it," said Dr. Tricia Mullen of Wicker Park Veterinary Clinic, 1166 N. Milwaukee Ave., who has been working for animal hospitals for about 30 years.
Based on her experience, Mullen said there's very little chance the chip just stopped working. The owner, she said, is responsible for keeping up with registration.
Ewing said she and her partner have posted on different forums and Facebook groups for missing pets, but have yet to find the owner.
Until then, Ewing promised not to send Winnie to a shelter.
"There’s maybe somebody out there that misses her," Ewing said. "My first hope is that if she has a home that’s waiting for her, she goes there."
I've been calling her Winnie. And yes she wiggled into my lap in the car. I became the lady with the little dog in the driver's seat. pic.twitter.com/Qff42316G2 — wikipedia brown (@eveewing) April 18, 2017As people try to wrap their heads around the nuances and weird quirks of the Democratic Party's process for determining our Presidential nominee, something that will probably begin to raise some eyebrows and prompt some discussion is that our next president could be chosen by people whose votes for president aren't counted in the electoral college. That's right, the Democratic nominee for President could be determined by the votes of delegates from the US Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa and Puerto Rico.
It now appears that the short of a deal cut between Obama and Clinton, we probably won't know our nominee until the Democratic convention in Denver at the end of August. That means the late contests will be cited by the candidates as evidence that they have the momentum going in to the Denver convention. On May 6th Indiana and North Carolina vote. On May 13th, it's West Virginia. May 20th Kentucky and Oregon will be showered with attention. And the last primaries are scheduled for June 3rd, in Montana and South Dakota.
But note that those are the last scheduled primaries. The last contest is a caucus, on June 7th. In Puerto Rico.
Yes, our final scheduled contest—which could change if Michigan and Florida reschedule their contests and conduct DNC-sanctioned delegate contests in June—is in Puerto Rico.
Will the candidates go to Puerto Rico? Will Iowa-type questions about ethanol be replaced with questions about Puerto Rican statehood and whether the Navy should have kept bombing Veiques? Who will Carlos Beltran and Pudge Rodriguez endorse? And how many times will they mention Roberto Clemente?
It seems like every day there's something new to learn about our nomination process.Maya Shankar, a White House adviser cultivating a team tasked with subtly influencing Americans’ behavior, previously worked closely with the George Soros-funded Center for American Progress, WND has learned.
Shankar has discussed utilizing cognitive science for social activism and is a champion of so-called social justice.
FoxNews.com ran a piece Tuesday on Shankar’s team, which is seeking experienced behavioral scientists looking to change people’s actions on everything from tax compliance to energy costs.
Shankar compiled a document outlining her “Behavioral Insights Team,” explaining a “growing body of evidence suggests that insights from the social and behavioral sciences can be used to help design public policies that work better, cost less, and help people to achieve their goals.”
One professor who forwarded Shankar’s document to others affectionately referred to the effort as the White House “nudge” squad.
As FoxNews.com pointed out, policies aimed at altering a population’s attitude became known as “nudges” after the term was popularized by Obama’s controversial former regulatory czar, Cass Sunstein, who penned a 2008 book called “Nudge.”
Shankar, a late-20s Yale graduate, has been described as a wunderkind. She joined the Obama administration in April as a senior policy advisor at the White House Office of Science & Technology Policy.
While at Yale, Shankar founded and served as editor-in-chief of The Five, a magazine committed to social activism and social justice.
Her magazine was sponsored by the Soros-funded Center for American Progress, or CAP.
Shankar also was a member of the Student Advisory Board for Campus Progress, the campus wing of CAP.
CAP has long been closely tied to the Obama administration. The center’s co-director, John Podesta, was co-director of Obama’s White House transition team.
A Time magazine article profiled the influence of Podesta’s Center for American Progress in the formation of the Obama administration, stating that “not since the Heritage Foundation helped guide Ronald Reagan’s transition in 1981 has a single outside group held so much sway.”
CAP is funded by Soros’ Open Society.
Its board includes Van Jones, Obama’s former “green jobs” czar, who resigned in September 2009 after it was exposed he founded a communist revolutionary organization.
Another primary CAP funder is the Tides Foundation. Tides is also a primary funder to radical groups such as MoveOn.org, Media Matters for America and the now defunct Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, or ACORN.
Meanwhile, in 2006, after she was accepted to the Rhodes Scholar program, Shankar was profiled as one of Glamour magazine’s “Top Ten College Women.” She told Glamour her most ambitious job would be to work as a science adviser to the American president.
Asked about her academic interests, Shankar told Glamour: “Cognitive science intrigued me quite a bit. And I also became involved in working for social justice. So instead of cognitive science and music, it became cognitive science and social activism.”
In 2006, Shankar described to the New Haven Register her coming of age as an activist: “Yale opened up for me a realization of the world of social justice. I had been to India before and witnessed poverty, but I never felt like an agent of change. At Yale, I saw a vibrant, activist community, and I wanted to be a part of it.”
USA Today called Shankar an “indefatigable champion of social justice, locally and globally.”
Perhaps Shankar’s drive to achieve social justice is motivating her current project of cultivating a “nudge” team.
Her document on the team describes possible methods of influencing Americans’ behavior.
On increasing adoption of energy efficient measures, Shankar noted “offering an attic-clearance service (at full cost) to people led to a five-fold increase in their subsequent adoption of attic-insulation. Interestingly, providing additional government subsidies on attic insulation services had no such effect.”
Regarding increasing tax compliance, Shankar reported “sending letters to late taxpayers that indicated a social norm – i.e., that ‘9 out of 10 people in Britain paid their taxes on time’ – resulted in a 15 percent increase in response rates over a three-month period, rolling out to £30 million of extra annual revenue.”
However, Michael Thomas, an economist at Utah State University, told FoxNews.com he is skeptical of a U.S. government team promoting nudge policies.
“Ultimately, nudging … assumes a small group of people in government know better about choices than the individuals making them,” he said.
And sometimes, he added, government actually promotes the wrong thing, FoxNews.com reported.
With research by Brenda J. ElliottMedia playback is not supported on this device Parling more than a player - Baxter
Exeter Chiefs have signed England lock Geoff Parling from Leicester Tigers and Bath wing Olly Woodburn for next season on two-year contracts.
Parling, 31, has won 21 international caps, and played all three Tests for the British & Irish Lions in 2013.
Woodburn, 23, has scored 11 tries since making his Bath debut four years ago.
"We've slowly looked to add quality and experience to the squad since coming into the Premiership and that's what Geoff does," said coach Rob Baxter.
"There's no secret that this season we have looked a bit light in the second-row department and Geoff is a proven international performer."
Geoff Parling's career progression 2003 - Makes Premiership debut for Newcastle against Rotherham 2009 - Leaves Newcastle for Leicester 2012 - Makes England debut against Scotland at Murrayfield 2013 - Plays in all three Tests as British & Irish Lions win series in Australia 2015 - Agrees two-year deal with Exeter
Parling started his career with Newcastle Falcons before joining Leicester in 2009.
He has been part of a Tigers squad that won the Premiership in 2010 and 2013, as well as the Anglo-Welsh Cup in 2012.
"He adds great experience in running things like the line-out, has good leadership experience and all those things add up to it being a very good signing for us," added Baxter.
"I'm expecting him to have a very positive influence on and off the pitch in how he helps the team prepare for big games."
Woodburn, meanwhile, is on the less experienced end of the scale, having spent some of last season out on loan at Championship side Nottingham.
"With we knew we had to recruit some players in the back three and Olly is a good age with decent Premiership experience," said Baxter.I was asked about writing by a fellow Redditor (handle redacted unless they want it added here):
I was wondering if you had any other tips for a young writer. I think you may have a better idea for the tips most of us need: not entirely how to write better, but just about the expression of writing as a whole.
I responded with the following.
————————————————————————————–
On Writing Well and Truly
I’ve given this some thought. Here’s my one piece of advice. It’s the most important and substantive that I have:
Approach writing first as a craft. Not an art.
Learn writing the way a journeyman carpenter learns wood. The journeyman doesn’t start by building a massive wardrobe with mahogany inlays and beautifully exposed tongue and groove joints. He knocks together hundreds of well constructed, durable, simple but elegant and highly serviceable cabinets.
At some point he attains a level of fluid ease with his tools and materials. He knows how to work different types of wood without ruining them. He can bring out the beauty in a piece of the most expensive teak as easily as he can work a mundane slab of pine into something gorgeous. He does it with absolute precision and he can do it reflexively, from muscle memory.
It’s when you get to this point that you can be truly creative with your work in a way that’s original and innovative. You’ll have a distinct style and voice and force in your writing that creative writing students would slice off a testicle to achieve.
When you reach that level your writing won’t feel like a journeyman thrashing about using a chisel where he should be using a plane. It will feel like the work of a master who’s in control and knows exactly what he’s doing, and that’s how you keep people reading.
Let’s apply this metaphor directly to writing. Rather than majoring in English or creative writing and limping along in an MFA program as a professor slowly turns you into his doppelgänger, go into a field of writing that’s a trade:
Journalism.
Now, you’re going to hear a lot of doom and gloom from inexperienced defeatists about the death of journalism. They don’t know what they’re talking about.
Journalism is no more dying than novels are dying, and that’s because we have a deep and enduring need for storytellers.
Oral tradition is where stories begin, writing is where they are built into a lasting thing. Journalism is the practice of telling the stories of every day events to every day people. Journalism isn’t going away. Newspapers had a rocky decade and a lot of journalists were on the ropes, still are, but in every field there are people who just do it because it’s something to do.
Those are the people who’ve been culled from the herd. Not the passionate ones, not the ones doing it for love over money.
Ninety percent of the writers you find in small to mid-sized newspapers are there because it’s their hometown, because they can float by and make a paycheck. Not because they want to be better writers and journalists.
As a journalist you will not be doing glorious creative work at first. You’ll be that journeyman.
But by buckling down and applying yourself as a journeyman you will gain something invaluable. Something no creative writing course or MFA program can give: experience in the real world. You won’t be able to avoid it – it’s integral to the study of your craft and your job.
You will be forced to acquire the stories of real people in their own words every single day.
The Achilles’ heel of creative writing courses, and writing classes in general, is that you essentially skip the journeyman stage and go straight to the work of a master without the long and deep well of experience that allows the master to do his work with true artistry and originality.
It’s not easy for people with the temperament of writers to approach people and question them directly and effectively about their lives. It doesn’t come naturally. We’re inclined to sit in a dark room all day thinking up stories, rarely venturing out.
This is well and good, and necessary.
But if you never know how people operate in the real world, or how the real world works, you will never write with the stamp of authenticity about anything but your own life. This limits your fiction terribly.
You’ll get one good book out of your own life as you’ve lived it. This is why I consider writers like Brett Easton Ellis and Jay McInerney failures in the long run. It’s all they’ve ever managed to write.
But if you understand how city government actually operates |
the purposes of a federal registry.
“This bill has been carefully crafted … to confirm Vermont remains compliant with federal law, that we would not be established as a sanctuary state, and to address the needs and recommendations of our law enforcement partners,” Scott said during a press conference in February.
Scott’s spokeswoman Rebecca Kelly did not return numerous calls and emails from Fox News.
The federal government clashing with states over immigration is nothing new. Texas led a challenge to Obama executive actions that shielded about 5 million illegal immigrants from deportation. Before that, the Obama administration challenged the Arizona immigration enforcement law.
Now, the roles are reversed as some states and cities push back on more aggressive federal enforcement.
Legally speaking, Trump’s executive orders on immigration don’t yet appear to pose a Tenth Amendment issue, said Anthony Casso, a professor of law at Chapman University.
“The executive order doesn’t appear to be a coopting state and local resources,” Casso told Fox News. “The Department of Homeland Security is asking state governors to enter agreements, but a state can say no.”
Casso cited the 1997 Supreme Court ruling in Printz v. United States that prohibits the federal government from coopting state and local law enforcement assets. But, he said, financial coercion is hardly different than withholding highway funds from states to enforce a federal 55 mile-per-hour speed limit, and other past practices by the federal government.Tech stocks took a hit after a Goldman Sachs analyst questioned this year's run-up in the industry's five biggest names -- Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, Facebook and Alphabet -- the parent company of Google.
The Nasdaq, which hit an all-time high Friday morning, fell nearly 2% by the end of the day. The tech wreck put a dent in the performance of the Dow, which includes Microsoft (MSFT) and Apple (AAPL), and the S&P 500.
The Dow and S&P had also hit records earlier as investors shrugged off worries about the British election and about fired FBI director James Comey's testimony on President Trump and Russia.
But the market resilience was replaced by worries that the tech sector could be due for a collapse.
Goldman Sachs analyst Robert Boroujerdi took a close look at the Nasdaq's five leading stocks and compared their recent performance with how other big tech stocks fared during the bubble period of 1999 and early 2000.
His verdict?
Giant tech companies today are cheaper than their counterparts were 17 years ago, a time when the biggest names included Cisco (CSCO), Oracle (ORCL), Intel (INTC) and Lucent (now part of Nokia (NOK)), as well as Microsoft.
Facebook (FB), Amazon (AMZN), Apple, Microsoft and Google (GOOGL) -- which Boroujerdi dubbed FAAMG -- also have more cash and are generating greater cash flow than the leaders from 2000.
(FAAMG is not to be confused with FANG, which many traders still use as a fun acronym to describe four top techs. They swap out Apple and Microsoft and add either Netflix (NFLX) or chip giant Nvidia (NVDA).)
But Boroujerdi is concerned that today's tech leaders aren't as profitable as their counterparts from 2000.
Another worry: The biggest five techs have an outsized impact on the overall market, just as tech leaders did in 2000.
Related: Dow hit new record high in the midst of the Comey hearing
The top five techs today account for 13% of the market value weighting in the S&P 500, even though they are only 1% of the companies in the index. The top five techs made up about 16% of the S&P 500 in 2000.
"The recent run in large-cap tech stocks has evoked memories (nightmares?) for some investors of the last euphoric NASDAQ run," Boroujerdi wrote.
The good news is that techs are financially healthier than they were in 2000, thanks in large part to all that cash. And Boroujerdi acknowledged that the stocks are much cheaper now than they used to be.
Still, investors hit the panic button Friday. Apple was down 4%. Amazon, Google and Facebook each fell about 3%. Microsoft dipped 2%.
Netflix and Nvidia, which was the top performer in the S&P 500 in 2016 and has surged again this year, dropped 5% and 6.5% respectively.
All these stocks are still up sharply this year, mainly because of strong earnings growth.
So it remains to be seen whether the selloff is a classic case of bored traders grasping at straws on a sleepy almost-summer Friday or the beginning of a correction -- or, worse, another bear market -- for the tech sector.Two pieces of medical cannabis legislation are sitting in the special House Committee for Medical Cannabis awaiting discussion.
Rep. Allen Peake (R-Macon) helped write both, and said it's good to see his legislation beginning the journey through the House.
"It's a slow process up here sometimes, but this is a good first step,” he said. “We are looking forward to beginning the process next week.”
One bill, labeled HB65, adds six medical conditions to the existing law allowing Georgians to use low cannabis oil for treatment.
HB65 by Matt Thielke on Scribd
Another is a resolution, labeled HR36, allowing voters to decide if they want to amended that state constitution to allow cannabis to be grown in Georgia.
HR36 by Matt Thielke on Scribd
Some voters think that's something that they can get behind.
“I would be open minded to it,” A.J. Cash said. “I mean, I really don't see too much of a problem with it especially if it's helping people,”
Because growing marijuana would only be legalized for medicinal purposes, voters think it could garner a majority.
“I think it does have a chance to pass, because with recreational, some people can abuse it. But medically, I think if they use it for the right purposes I think it should be beneficial for them,” said Braemon Wilson.
Another bill introduced in the state senate, labeled SB16, would make the medical marijuana available less potent, lowering the cannabidiol from five to three percent. But the bill adds autism to the list of medical conditions.
SB16 by Matt Thielke on Scribd
Peake said it could be a negotiating tactic, but believes it can be worked out in the committee hearings.
“It may be, but we just need to let the legislative process work its way through, and see what happens," Peake said.
Hearings are scheduled for next week before the bills are sent to the judiciary non-civil committee.Kitting Out – Let’s Get Some Stash!
As Pre-Season matches are about to get into full swing, it’s that time of the year where Britain’s elite clubs unveil their new shirts. Every year we get a handful that tend to be favoured by many fans, and, without doubt, a few that certainly are rather off the wall. Now that most British & Irish clubs have released their new Home, Away and possibly Cup shirts, we can have a respectful nod, unknowing stare or smarmy grin at what this year’s club rails will be stocked with.
I have taken a look through all the releases so far and collated, after research, what fans really think about their new kits-
Nice
Neath and Swansea Ospreys Home 2013/14-
The Ospreys, who regularly produce smart stash, with the odd Maori’esque patterning have once again come up with a solid seller. Kooga have added new styling to the shirt, on the sleeves especially and a stand-out orange piping on the shoulder.
4/5
Gloucester Home 2013/14-
With a sponsor like ‘Magna Clean’, you imagine the shirts will stay spotless and white for the majority of the season. Sticking with the generic Cherry and White colours, kit suppliers Kooga have reduced the striped look of the last few seasons, possibly trying to be a bit more modern.
4/5
Bottom of Form
Harlequins Home 2013/14-
For the Quins fans out there, or observant rugby fans that tuned into Saturdays JP Morgan 7s action, Harlequins were showing off the new Home shirt. Worn here by Charlie Walker, the generic quartered shirt remains largely the same but with edits made to the sleeves and sides, again making the Harlequins Home shirt at least, a ‘proper’, wearable rugby shirt.
4/5
Cardiff Blues Home 2013/14-
The navy and light blue shirt first caught the attention of Cardiff fans after its unveiling in a flash mob in the city. Blues man Robin Copeland joined in with the otherwise all female dancers, and weirdly for the 6’5 flanker, he produced some pretty impressive moves. A simplistic shirt, that has had a massive renewal after last season definitely gets a thumbs up from me! Possibly too plain though?…
4/5
Leicester Tigers Home 2013/14-
Revealed at the end of the 2012/13 season, in typical and rather strange Leicester fashion, Leicester have a Home kit that they can be proud to wear. Fans of the old striped Tigers shirts of the 08 years still will be deterred at purchasing Canterbury’s new effort. However with a minimalistic look and all the original Tigers colours in the shirt, it certainly is superior to last season’s efforts!
4/5
Nasty
Exeter Chiefs Cup/Third 2013/14-
Apart from dazzling the opposition with its over-detailed, revolting patterning, there really isn’t a lot of good you can say about this shirt. The Chiefs as always have produced nice Home and Away shirts but fail to hit the heights with their Alternate jersey. Not nice, and I’m sure Chiefs fans won’t miss it.
1/5
Gloucester Away 2013/14-
Not a terrible kit by any stretch of the imagination. Yet, it baffles myself and many other fans why you’d choose navy and pink. If I was only a casual spectator of the game I’d likely mistake Jonny May for the referee.
Similar don’t you think??
2/5
Leicester Tigers Away 2013/14-
For any Scottish Leicester supporters, here is Canterbury’s version of a modern kilt, that you were on your torso. Let’s face it, the shirt is a little bit like marmite. Love it or hate it, it certainly catches the eye. It’s a little bit showy and Leicester can afford to be. Ok shirt, maybe a step too far.
2/5
Neither nor
Worcester Warriors Home 2013/14-
Being a Worcester Fan, I had to get this shirt in. The new Away shirt, worn by the winning Sevens outfit at Kingsholm was stylish and different. I’m not quite sure what to think about the home shirt. It seems at first glance that the shade of navy and gold have gone back to the traditional Worcester colours. However I’m not quite sure I get the unusual curving up top. Still purchasing it, but will be sitting on the fence at whether it a nice or a nasty jersey!
3/5
With teams like Sale, Saints, Edinburgh and Scarlets yet unleash their stash for the new season. I’m sure additions will be made to both lists.
Let us know your opinions and tweet @InTheLoose or visit our Facebook page.
Even let us know your favourite shirts of all time, and the most atrocious ones!
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CommentsAt a Freedom Congress conference earlier this month, Republican Sen. Jim DeMint (SC) railed against the “increasingly secular” culture of the United States, which was being fostered by the government.
“Washington reflects people,” he said at Heritage International Ministries. “It reflects our culture. If reflects the fact that we’ve become increasingly secular as a culture.”
“Part of that is the government pushing faith aspects out of our society, cus now in our culture if you say something is wrong, if you want to raise your family and teach your children right and wrong, you’re likely to be persecuted in some way by the government for saying something is wrong.
“The stigma is now on you, instead of those who are doing things that are wrong,” he continued. “So the government has been a participant in secularizing our country. And perhaps the worst of that, the thing we’ve conceded as a people we need to fix, is turning the education of our children over to the government.”
Later in his speech, DeMint said children should be able to go to schools that teach creationism. He claimed that scientific discoveries, such as the human genome project, provided evidence supporting creationism. DeMint also said God had put Christians in charge of “this vineyard we call America.”
Watch video, uploaded to YouTube by RightWingWatch on June 27, below:Back in late September, when my bank stocks began to tank — slowly, then all at once, as Hemingway described going broke — another wall in my life began to crack, as rumors of break-ins rattled my peaceful neighborhood in Allentown, Pa. The first indication that something was going on was the Crime Watch sign that suddenly appeared on the utility pole a block from my house.
To see what was happening, my husband and I attended a neighborhood-watch meeting in October at the nearby Christian and Missionary Alliance Church, where people suggested that crime was moving into our beautiful old neighborhood because the police were putting the squeeze on criminal activity downtown. A former city councilwoman sobbed as she told us how her home was broken into while she slept. An elderly man described how thieves ransacked his house in broad daylight. Some people were roving around different areas, stripping cars, the police liaison there told us, but evidently our stretched department could spare only three squad cars for the whole West End. We left feeling as if we’d have to batten down the hatches while the police tried to make it so uncomfortable for the drug gangs downtown that they’d move on. We signed up to be informed of future meetings and took the card of a local locksmith.
We live in a big old house with an open back porch and a three-tiered yard with trees. A year ago, I loved the fact that we were so open, that neighborhood kids and animals could play and hide here. But after that meeting, I began to see access points, places where we were vulnerable. “We have five doors,” I told my husband. “And the windows are a joke. The cat knows how to open them.”
Meanwhile, the financial news kept getting bleaker. A lawyer friend’s real estate and bankruptcy practice morphed into a plain bankruptcy practice. I’d always heard that crime increases when the economy goes down, and I found myself thinking of some of my grandparents’ stories about the Great Depression: people breaking the law out of desperation.
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A friend told us to consider buying a gun to protect ourselves. The idea didn’t thrill me. I’d fired an M-16 when I was in the Army years ago, could take it apart and put it back together in the dark, and my experience with firearms, and what they’re meant to do, made me wary.
Photo
Still, I couldn’t get the idea out of my head, and a few weeks later I called my friend Jimmy, a gun enthusiast, and asked him to take me along to a firing range “just to see.” He brought two handguns, each in a locked metal box, and showed me how to use them. The noise in the indoor range was frightening, even though I was wearing the same ear protectors as construction workers using jackhammers. But more unnerving were the other shooters. The man in the adjacent booth had set his target at 15 feet and was firing with a coolness and precision that chilled me. Two punk-styled boys put up their own targets, life-size blowups of a man and a woman. It was like going to get your driver’s license and taking a good look at the people you were going to share the road with.Urdu is one of the most prominent and widely spreading languages of the world. People across the globe regard it as an important language both in terms of its enriched literature and the significance of the geographical location it is spoken in, thus, the interest in learning Urdu is increasing day by day and people are trying to know about it more and more.
Out of the several things, which people want to know about Urdu, the most common and most basic one is the history of Urdu. People want to know that how this language developed, how did it land in the particular region of the world and how it was established. The lines below inform the reader regarding these aspects of the language.
As far as the development of Urdu is concerned, it is called an “Army language”. This title given to it has a lot to do with the development of the language. Before knowing the history of Urdu, it is imperative that one knows a little about the history of subcontinent.
Golden Bird:-The subcontinent was like a gold mine in the world and from time to time people from all over the globe invaded it to gain riches from it. The Turks invaded it, the Mongols invaded it, the Arabs invaded it, and above all the Persians invaded it the most. Thus, all of these invaders left their mark in the region in the form of either leaving the knowledge or culture of their region in the form of books or their soldiers establishing in the country. Thus, there were people from all kinds of different languages in the subcontinent region of the world.
Rise of Urdu:- It was not until the invasion of subcontinent by Mughals that laid the grounding for the establishment of Urdu. The Mughals established subcontinent as a colony and brought unity to it, therefore, all the people that were dispersed at that time started gathering under the Mughal banner and started enrolling in the Mughal army as well as becoming the part of Mughal court. It was at this point of time that the people from all the different linguistic backgrounds started mingling with each other and hence they started speaking a new language in itself.
Once the people started speaking a kind of vernacular language, the next thing that boosted Urdu was its acceptance in the Mughal court. The Mughals were basically Persians, however, when they settled in subcontinent, they wanted a new identity for it a new language for it, thus, they made Urdu the official language of the court and it became the official language of subcontinent in the reigns of the Mughals, till the British invaded subcontinent.
In short, since the Mughals made Urdu the official language and till the partition of subcontinent, Urdu kept on progressing and has now become a world renowned language. Therefore, for a learner of Urdu as a second language it is imperative to get a little glimpse about the history of the language so that he or she is better able to understand the origin of the words and their roots.
AdvertisementsSaudi-led forces sent to Bahrain to help crush anti-government protests will remain even after emergency rule is lifted next month, the head of the kingdom's military has said.
Bahrain's crackdown on opposition continued yesterday when a special security court sentenced a protester to 15 years in prison. Twenty-one others had their cases continued by the court, which has ordered executions in some previous cases.
Shiite-led Iran has condemned the 1,500-strong Gulf Arab force in Bahrain as an "occupation" by Sunni states against Bahrain's Shiite majority, which has faced waves of arrests and crackdowns after protests for greater rights from the ruling Sunni monarchy began three months ago.
In response, Gulf leaders have sharply warned Iran to stay out of their affairs and accused Bahrain's protesters of having links to groups such as the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militants in Lebanon.
The Bahrain military commander, Sheik Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, threatened even harsher crackdowns if demonstrators return to the streets in the strategic western ally, which is home to the US Navy's Fifth Fleet.
"I say to those who did not get the message, if you return we will come back, stronger this time," said Sheik Ahmed.
He claimed that protesters were "given pills which affected their minds and made them do unusual things" - a new allegation that echoed assertions by Libyan leader Colonel Muammar al-Gaddafi.TOKYO (Reuters) - The U.S. Navy destroyer that sailed near Chinese-claimed islands in the South China Sea last week was under orders from the Third Fleet headquarters in San Diego, a first aimed at bolstering U.S. maritime power in the region, two sources said.
FILE PHOTO: Guided-missile destroyer USS Decatur (DDG 73) operates in the South China Sea as part of the Bonhomme Richard Expeditionary Strike Group (ESG) in the South China Sea on October 13, 2016. Courtesy Diana Quinlan/U.S. Navy/Handout via REUTERS/File photo
The USS Decatur on Friday challenged China’s “excessive maritime claims” near the Paracel Islands, part of a string of islets, reefs and shoals over which Beijing has territorial disputes with its neighbors.
It was the first time such a freedom of navigation operation has been conducted without the Japan-based Seventh Fleet in command and was a test of changes aimed to allow the U.S. Navy to conduct maritime operations on two fronts in Asia at the same time, two sources told Reuters. The sources spoke on condition that they were not identified.
Having the Third Fleet regularly command vessels in Asia, which it has not done since World War Two, means the U.S. Navy can better conduct simultaneous operations such as on the Korean peninsula and in the Philippines, said one of the sources, who is familiar with the goals of the reorganization.
“It is the first iteration of what will be a more regular operations tempo,” he said.
The guided-missile destroyer Decatur is part of a three-ship Surface Action Group (SAG) deployed to the South China Sea six months ago, said Commander Ryan Perry, a spokesman for the Third Fleet in San Diego, who confirmed its command role.
U.S. Pacific Fleet Commander Admiral Scott Swift last year signaled a wider role for the Third Fleet, when he said he was abolishing an administrative boundary along the international dateline that had separated the Third and Seventh fleets.
Until then, Third Fleet vessels crossing the line came under Seventh Fleet command.
This year, an official told Reuters more ships from the Third Fleet would be sent to East Asia.
The reorganization, giving the Third Fleet a bigger frontline role, comes as momentum for the United States’ Asian “pivot” falters and as Beijing’s growing assertiveness fuels tension in the South China Sea.
China claims most of the sea, through which $5 trillion in ship-borne trade passes a year. The Philippines, Vietnam, Taiwan and Brunei have overlapping claims.
Beijing has accused Washington of deliberately creating tension by sailing its ships close to China’s islands.
Asked about the use of the Third Fleet headquarters, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said that if U.S. moves harmed the peace, security and stability of the Asia Pacific then China would naturally oppose them.
“If U.S. moves jeopardize China’s sovereign rights and security interests then China will, when all is said and done, take necessary steps in response,” Lu told a daily news briefing in Beijing, without elaborating.
The latest U.S. operation, its fourth, came as new Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte traveled to China to seek deeper ties with Asia’s biggest economy. This week, he visits U.S. ally Japan.
The Seventh Fleet, headquartered at the Japanese port of Yokosuka near Tokyo, is the most powerful naval fleet in Asia, with some 80 ships, including the United States’ only forward deployed carrier, the USS Ronald Reagan.
The U.S. Third Fleet consists of more than 100 vessels, including four aircraft carriers.Image copyright AFP Image caption Mr Klaus announced the amnesty in a speech on New Year's Day
A decision by outgoing Czech President Vaclav Klaus to give amnesty to nearly a third of prisoners has drawn protests and raised concerns in legal circles.
Mr Klaus, who is due to step down in March, announced the move in a new year's message on Tuesday, as a gesture to mark 20 years of independence.
Some 3,000 inmates have already been freed, with more than 4,000 expected to join them in the coming days.
Prisoners serving sentences of more than 10 years are not affected.
Everyone serving a term less than one year is eligible for release, as are all prisoners over the age of 75, provided their sentence was less than 10 years.
The justice ministry said judges were ready to work around the clock to implement the pardon because they have to visit each of more than 30 prisons and assess every prisoner who may qualify for release.
Supporters of the amnesty say it will reduce prison overcrowding.
'Incomprehensible'
The Czech Republic formally became an independent state on 1 January 1993 after peacefully splitting from Slovakia, three years after the "Velvet Revolution" against Soviet dominance.
Explaining his decision in the Czech newspaper Dnes, Mr Klaus said: "This is a gesture aimed at giving a fresh chance to those citizens who may have broken the law but who are not repeat offenders."
The head of the supreme court, Iva Brozova, said she feared the move might undermine the rule of law.
She said she could not see the justification for a mass amnesty but acknowledged that the president was entitled to take the decision.
The opposition are demanding a vote of no confidence in centre-right Prime Minister Petr Necas because he supported the mass pardon.
They appear to be particularly angry because the amnesty also means that several big financial fraud cases will now stop because court proceedings have lasted for more than eight years.
Prosecutions to be halted include that of prominent businessman Tomas Pitr for alleged tax fraud and that of former football association chief Frantisek Chvalovsky for embezzlement.
Social Democrat politician Jiri Dienstbier - son of the late former dissident of the same name - described President Klaus's decision as "unacceptable and incomprehensible".
Mr Dienstbier is standing in the Czech Republic's first direct presidential election in March, when Mr Klaus, 71, must stand down, having served two terms.There’s a place to sleep in it. I think that is the bottom line on what makes vans. I think it is what we can refer to as the “least common denominator.” After that…can you fit your stuff (surfboard, guitar amp, motorcycle, kids, bean bag chair, fishing poles, dog, riding mower, ect.) in it? That is probably the next line on the freedom vessel worthy criteria chart. And from that point it goes into how much you need or want in your van. For some people its reclaimed wood, bamboo floors, home made candles, and a coleman stove, and for others it can go as far as solar power, running hot water, full stove, sink, and ice cube making capabilities. Regardless of whether your are in an overland Syncro geared up in Patagonia clothes clinching a crafty beverage, or you have a 1984 Boogie Van, a 24-pack of Budweiser and an acoustic guitar, you like to “van.”
Surrounding yourself with people that have similar interest is something that feels good. So van people gather. It’s a tribal thing. It’s so refreshing for me when I can carry a conversation with someone who can relate about dropping a spark plug into your engine tin on your late model bay window bus, or how it felt that first time you drove a Vanagon with 16-inch tires or the difference between a Dodge Sportsman and a Tradesman. Some van people are so addicted to upgrading their rig that it borders on an addiction, others just toss a beach chair and blanket in the back of a cargo van and go van. Recently there has been a large “following” or interest in Vans and travel, so much that a guy who begins to drive a van around for a year gets a million followers on Instagram and builds a tree house. Other people “share” photos of sleeping in a van and the “likes” begin to flow like the salmon of Capistrano. But the van culture isn’t new, social media is new.
In the late 1970s, early 80s the custom van craze was “hot”. Automotive manufactures started to cater to the custom van fans and miniature camper conversions were rolling into the marketplace. What’s really cool is the excitement you get when you talk to someone who has been doing vans since the late 80’s, they are so excited because they were lonely for about 20 years, now they are all fired up again. For many of the van community today it is these older vans that best suit our needs. It’s unfortunate, but for today’s American community that wants a consumer ready-to-go mini-camper van newer than after about 1996 their options are minimal and often very pricey. We all can’t buy six-figure Sprinter Airstream conversions or 4×4 Sportsmobiles. Today’s van life requires you to create your own van life, but I guess that is one of the most fun parts to van-ing, or you can drop some heavy coin on a manufactured camper, or get lucky and drive your grandma’s old van.
Oddly, manufacturers all over Australia and Europe produce small modern camper units, but they are not often sold in America. Our economy doesn’t want you sleeping in your van under the stars. They want you in a chain hotel, watching American Idol with the Air-conditioning on, waiting for Dominoes to deliver you dinner on your two-week vacation away from your mortgage, your car-payment, and taking your prescriptions that are covered by your health benefits. So we tinker, we make older vans new, and develop products that make us stoked on the road. Life is too short to drive boring cars. Companies that produce aftermarket custom parts become profitable, and we gather to discuss our experiences, share some tips with one another, and exchange ideas. Or we gather to just to sit in the dirt outside our van and take turns riding the mini bike. Regardless, there is a community of van people. Find them, gather with them, you will find it fuels the fire you already have going.
I wear a few hats. One is as a overly addicted VW Bus fan, owner, and total freak. And another as a fan of the great American road trip and mini-RV lifestyle. The Westfalia concept dragged me in at age 17 and if I ever had a serious income I’d be riding a pimped-out Westy before any other luxury SUV. Beyond owning more VW vans than I can count, I’ve had some other great van campers like my 1984 Toyota SR5 Mini Van, the 18ft Mini Winnie, the Toyota Sun Rader, the 1963 VW Double Cab, even my moms Dodge Caravan with wood on the side during high school, a Dodge Sportsman, and now my rare 1973 Chevy Balboa. So I began to evolve beyond the VW Bus community, which I have been fortunate enough to have found many years ago, and branch out to other “tribes.” A visit to an RV and Motorhome expo nearly scared me to death, but the most recent San Diego Vans meet up really got my pistons firing. I hope you’re enjoying taking a look at the rad people and rad vans doing rad things together. More ink and more grease.(CNN) A ballistic missile launched early Saturday by North Korea in defiance of international pressure and at a time of heightened regional tensions appears to have failed.
The missile blew up over land in North Korean territory, said US Navy Cmdr. Dave Benham, a spokesman for the US Pacific Command.
US President Donald Trump cast the launch as a direct snub against China, one of North Korea's only allies and a nation seen by the Trump administration as a potential US ally in efforts to stamp out Pyongyang's nuclear program.
"North Korea disrespected the wishes of China & its highly respected President when it launched, though unsuccessfully, a missile today. Bad!" Trump tweeted.
North Korea disrespected the wishes of China & its highly respected President when it launched, though unsuccessfully, a missile today. Bad!
Pyongyang's show of defiance -- at a time when its military ambition has reached its highest level in years -- came just hours after US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson addressed a special meeting at the United Nations and called for increased pressure on North Korea.
"All options for responding to future provocations must remain on the table," Tillerson said. "Diplomatic and financial leverage or power will be backed up by willingness to counteract North Korean aggression with military action, if necessary."
The launch was swiftly condemned by South Korean and Japanese leaders.
'Continuously playing with fire'
South Korea called it a "provocative action," saying it clearly violated UN Security Council resolutions and constituted a serious threat to peace and security.
"It demonstrates once again the regime's belligerence and recklessness of categorically disobeying the international community's resolve to achieve the denuclearization of North Korea," the foreign ministry said.
South Korean officials also said the test likely was a failure.
"We are analyzing additional information," the nation's Joint Chiefs of Staff said. "Our military is maintaining a thorough defense posture while keeping a close eye on the possibility of North Korea's further provocations."
Japan protests
Japan launched a protest through its diplomatic channel in Beijing, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said.
Japan won't tolerate repeated provocative actions by North Korea and asked the Japanese public to remain calm, Suga said.
Tokyo's subway operator temporarily halted train service Saturday morning after the missile launch, the Tokyo Metro said. All trains stopped running for 10 minutes, then resumed service after it was confirmed the launch had no impact on Japan's safety. An estimated 13,000 people were affected, an official said.
White House officials said Trump was briefed as Air Force One returned to Maryland from Atlanta, where the President earlier addressed a meeting of the National Rifle Association
The test-fired missile probably was a medium-range ballistic missile called a KN-17, a US official told CNN. The KN-17 is a land-based solid-fuel missile fired from a mobile launcher.
A US military assessment found the main part of the missile landed about 35 kilometers (22 miles) from Pukchang airfield, the US official said.
There has been no announcement on North Korean state television, CNN's Will Ripley in Pyongyang reported.
Analyst: Launch 'preordained' by North Korea
Trump's administration has delivered a drumbeat of warnings about the dangers of North Korea this week, using presidential statements, an unusual White House briefing for the Senate, and a White House lunch for UN ambassadors to underscore that Pyongyang is a priority.
The US military has moved an aircraft carrier strike group into the region, docked a powerful nuclear submarine in South Korea and staged large military drills with South Korea and Japan.
New joint drills with the USS Carl Vinson and the Korean navy began Saturday in waters off the Korean Peninsula, a South Korean military spokesman said.
In light of those actions, Saturday's launch amounts to a message from the regime of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to the United States and others, said John Kirby, a CNN military and diplomatic analyst.
"This is Kim giving us the finger, giving China the finger, giving the UN the finger," he said. "I think timing is absolutely planned and preordained in his mind."
There is no such thing as a failed missile attempt for Kim, Kirby said.
"He learns from every single attempt, and he gets knowledge, and he gets intel," the analyst said. "And he takes those lessons learned and just churns them right over into the next one."
Risk of conflict simmers
North Korea has been "provocative all along," US Deputy National Security Adviser K.T. McFarland said when asked whether the missile test was provocative.
But "there is reason to be concerned" about North Korea's missile tests, she added.
Trump this week said there's "a chance that we could end up having a major, major conflict with North Korea," but added he would prefer a diplomatic resolution.
Washington is hopeful the Chinese can help.
China remains one of North Korea's only allies and is responsible for much of the heavily-sanctioned nation's economy.
North Korea on Saturday said it is developing nuclear weapons for self-defense and as a deterrent to the United States, according to an unofficial translation of a statement released by an official in Pyongyang's mission to the UN. The statement, which came in response to CNN's questions about the latest launch, did not acknowledge Saturday's missile test.
Launch follows special UN meeting
North Korea has attempted at least nine missile launches on six occasions since Trump was inaugurated in January. Some of those missiles reached the Sea of Japan, also known as the East Sea.
The United States called Friday's UN meeting to call for greater sustained pressure on Pyongyang.
At the meeting, South Korea's foreign minister urged proactive sanctions.
JUST WATCHED Inside a North Korean home Replay More Videos... MUST WATCH Inside a North Korean home 01:43
"The council has repeatedly warned that it will take 'further significant measures, including sanctions' in the case of future provocations," Yun Byung-se said. "But Pyongyang may still harbor the illusion that the Security Council will only take limited action and that it can disregard and ridicule the authority of the UN."
Uruguay's UN Ambassador Elbio Rosselli, who sits on the UN Security Council, condemned the missile test as "very disgraceful" and "against international law and humanity."
Italian UN ambassador Sebastiano Cardi, who heads the UN committee that could sanction North Korea, said he hoped Pyongyang would "refrain from any other further escalation."
With less than two weeks until South Korea votes for a new president, the spokesman for the frontrunner, Moon Jae-in, called on North Korea to stop its military tests.
"We urge the North Korean regime to immediately stop its reckless provocations, give up its nuclear ambitions and cooperate with the international community," Democratic Party spokesman Park Kwang-on said. "That would be the only way it can save itself, instead of taking the path of destruction."• Striker, 20, was arrested in early hours of Sunday morning • Ranger had only just been reinstated to first-team training
The Newcastle United striker Nile Ranger has been charged with being drunk and disorderly following a night out drinking with friends.
Police arrested the 20-year-old in the early hours of Sunday morning in Newcastle's Cathedral Square, near the city's famous Bigg Market drinking strip and Tup Tup Palace nightclub.
Officers confirmed Ranger was questioned for more than four hours before he was charged and released on bail. He will appear before magistrates on 17 November.
"At 1.40am on Sunday, police arrested a 20-year-old man for being drunk and disorderly in the Cathedral Square area of Newcastle city centre," a Northumbria police spokesman said. "Nile Ranger, 20, has been charged and will appear at Newcastle magistrates court later this month."
Ranger has only just been reinstated to first-team training with Newcastle after a three-month exile in the reserves. The troubled |
injury, including an outstanding showing on special teams by recording 8 tackles. This shows resilience, grit and toughness, which are qualities I highly admire in my IDP linebackers.
Showing off his endurance and skill in his comeback from injury, Mr. Foster became the “MIKE” linebacker for the Tide against the Mountaineers of West Virginia. After a stellar performance with 7 tackles (2 solo’s) and a tackle for a loss, Foster finished his sophomore season with 22 tackles (11 solo) 2 tackles for a loss and a sack against Texas A & M.
IDP Future
As much as I think this kid would be a tackle machine in IDP, I don’t think he will be that in the NFL. He is too versatile and basically too freaking good to just funnel tackles like some ILB or MLBers in the league. Foster can cover running backs, pick-up the blitz and tackle in both open and closed space. If the team he lands with wants that volume enforcer to get the tackles, then he could be an IDP asset. On the other hand, if the team he lands with wants him to be a “Myles Jack of all trades”, then that could hurt your stat line in IDP.Balotelli is victim of Berlusconi's brother's shocking racist taunt (and he just happens to be AC Milan's vice president)
Shocking: Paolo Berlusconi
Mario Balotelli is at the centre of a race controversy after he was called 'a little n*****' by the brother of AC Milan owner Silvio Berlusconi.
Newspaper boss Paolo Berlusconi, 64, made the shock remarks about Balotelli, 22, at a political rally just hours ahead of the former Manchester City player's debut for Milan following his return to Italy.
Paolo was attending a rally for Fabrizio Sala, the candidate for his brother's right wing coalition People of Freedom party when he made the comments - which were greeted with laughter by the audience.
After initially cracking a joke about Costa Concordia captain Francesco Schettino, Berlusconi turned his attention to striker Balotelli and said: 'I've finished. Right we are all off to see the family's little n*****. He's a madhead. All the young ladies are invited as well - you can even have a chance to meet the president (Silvio Berlusconi).'
Paolo Berlusconi's comments were greeted with laughter by the crowd and video footage of the rally in Monza on the outskirts of Milan showed him smiling at himself.
The incident was uploaded onto several Italian newspaper websites which were immediately flooded with dozens of outraged comments one said: 'What an insult for Italy and Italians' while another on La Repubblica read: 'I didn't know the brother was a clown - they really are a family of buffoons.'
Scroll down to watch the censored video of Berlusconi's speech
Dream debut: Balotelli netted twice for AC Milan against Udinese at the weekend
Paolo Berlusconi, who is vice president of AC Milan, is also the editor of il Giornale which is seen as a mouthpiece for Silvio Berlusconi and his People of Freedom party, and like his older brother he has been involved in several corruption scandals.
In 2002 he was found guilty of false accounting and given a nine-month sentence and ordered to pay a 49 million euros fine while three years ago he was given a further four months for another charge of false accounting.
Racism is a problem in Italian football and, by coincidence, last month AC Milan made a stand against racism by walking off the pitch during a friendly after midfielder Kevin-Prince Boateng was subjected to racist taunts.
Walking off: Kevin-Prince Boateng (right) and his Milan team-mates left the field after the Ghana midfielder was racially abused during a friendly
Balotelli himself was often targeted by racists while playing for Inter Milan and it was one of the reasons he decided to quit Serie A and try out the Premier League, but his return also sparked ugly chants from rival Juventusf ans who sang at a game last week: 'If we jump Balotelli dies.'
The forward was also targeted by Spain fans during Italy's Euro 2012 opener last summer. Balotelli was substituted after an hour having previously said he would walk off the pitch if he was abused during a match.
Last year regional councillor Paolo Ciani - from a right-wing party - posted a picture on his Facebook page, which depicted the Italy international working in a field of cabbages as an immigrant worker.IT WAS a sorry end to an historic reign. When King Juan Carlos said he was abdicating after almost 39 years on the throne, he recognised the futility of trying to regain popularity lost by scandal and arrogance. On June 18th Spain’s parliament will give effect to the decision so his son can take the throne as Felipe VI. The news was greeted with joy. “A new era!” heralded one front page. Others spoke of a “second transition”, to match the one from dictatorship to democracy that Juan Carlos helped to steer early in his reign. A country depressed by mass unemployment and corruption saw the abdication as proof that change is possible. Juan Carlos himself talked of “hope” as one of the gifts his 46-year-old son would bring a country emerging from a bruising double-dip recession.
The Spanish monarch was a victim of his own success. His aims when he was put on the throne by Francisco Franco, who appointed him as his successor, were to restore democracy and re-establish a monarchy thrown out 44 years earlier. Remarkably, he achieved both.
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He began as a rare thing in the late 20th century: a monarch with considerable executive power. He gave up that power by leading his country into constitutional democracy. In return, Spaniards voted to keep the monarchy. They wanted to avoid renewed bloody confrontation between what the poet Antonio Machado called “the two Spains” (of left and right) that provoked civil war in the 1930s. Juan Carlos’s swift squashing of an attempted coup in 1981 settled his place in Spaniards’ hearts. For many years, he was one of Europe’s most popular monarchs.
The new monarchy had come with special privileges, including minimal public scrutiny of the king’s personal and financial affairs. The press complied, ignoring the king’s amorous adventures and the dodgy business dealings of those around him. The king, it was assumed, continued discreetly to exercise some power by banging politicians’ heads together or helping to negotiate deals with foreign powers. He deserved to be left alone.
Yet as Spanish democracy became more robust, this deal began to crack. A new generation that saw democracy as natural demanded transparency and higher ethical standards. The royal family did not notice. The king’s daughter, Cristina, and son-in-law, Iñaki Urdangarin, became embroiled in sleaze allegations that suggested how, at the very least, they exploited their royal status to rake in public money for consultancy work. Fraud and tax-avoidance claims against them are being investigated by the courts.
Juan Carlos also behaved as if nothing had changed. In 2012, as Spain reeled from recession, he flitted to Botswana for a free elephant-hunting trip, accompanied by a glamorous German woman. Spaniards found out only after he was injured and a special aircraft was sent to bring him home. The local branch of the World Wide Fund for Nature fired him. Juan Carlos apologised in public. But the royal family was seen to be poking its snout in the same corruption trough as some politicians. Abdication means Spaniards may forget the scandals and recall Juan Carlos’s contribution to their country’s history.
They may also benefit from some economic uplift. At a summit organised by The Economist in Madrid this week, Mariano Rajoy, the prime minister, crowed over record job growth in May. Luis de Guindos, the finance minister, announced lower borrowing because domestic demand and credit had risen faster than expected. Yet unemployment is still at 25%; it will take years to fall to pre-crisis levels.
Luis Garicano, of the London School of Economics, says a recent surge in imports risks tipping Spain back into the sort of current-account deficit that left it so exposed before. Among the political risks facing the future king are the rise of an anti-capitalist, anti-monarchist left and of Catalan separatism. Those could hurt the economy too. The winds of change could yet blow in a less happy direction.If you’re looking for a financial planner, one of the first things you’ll want to know is how they are paid.
Financial incentives influence decision-making in even the most critical situations, and your financial planner is no different. How he gets paid can impact the recommendations he makes, and if those recommendations become the foundation of your financial plan you’ll want to be sure they’re being made with your interests in mind.
In this post we’ll look at the different ways financial planners get paid, and how working with a fee-only financial planner aligns your planner’s financial incentives with your financial interests.
How Does a Financial Planner Make Money?
There are three main ways:
Commission-based: These planners get paid when they sell a product, like a mutual fund or life insurance. They may offer advice for free, but they will make their money by selling the products they recommend.
Fee-only: These planners do not sell any products. Instead, they are paid directly by the client for the advice they give. There are a few different models here, with some planners working under a monthly retainer, some charging for investment management, and others offering hourly services.
Fee-based: These planners are a combination of the two. They both charge client fees and earn commissions for selling products. It should be noted that “fee-based” is not the same as “fee-only.”
How Fee-Only Benefits You
I’ll be upfront about this: I am a fee-only financial planner and I therefore have a bias toward the fee-only model. But I chose to go that route because I believe it’s the best way to align the planner’s interests with the client’s interests, and therefore to get the best possible outcome for all involved.
Here are three big reasons why:
1. Follow the Money
For a fee-only financial planner, the financial incentive is to satisfy the client. If the client is satisfied with the advice she is receiving, she will continue to pay for it.
For someone earning commissions, the financial incentive is to sell more expensive products. And since we know that low cost is the single best predictor of future investment returns, those expensive products may not be in your best interest.
2. The World Is Your Oyster
A fee-only financial planner is able to recommend any product or solution that helps you reach your goals. There are no limits.
A commissioned planner is, at the very least, limited to products that will earn him a commission. Many are further limited to the products their specific company sells.
Would you rather have your financial planner recommend the best solution for your situation, or the best solution that he is able to sell?
3. Who’s on Your Side?
Many fee-only financial planners chose that path for the same reason I did: They believe it’s the best way to align their own interests with their clients’ interests.
That certainly doesn’t guarantee that they’ll provide a quality service, but it’s nice to know their heart is in the right place.
How to Tell If Your Financial Planner Is Fee-Only
There are a few easy ways to tell:
You can start by looking at their website. Many will proudly state that they are fee-only on their home page or “about” page. A good example is Sophia Bera of Gen Y Planning, who explains that she is a “Fee-Only CFP®” in the sidebar that shows up on every page of her site.
Another option is to check their network membership. The XY Planning Network, NAPFA and the Garrett Planning Network are all financial planner organizations that require their members to be fee-only. If your planner is a member of one of those networks, he or she is definitely fee-only.
You can also use the CFP Board’s financial planner search tool, which lists each planner’s “compensation method” and will clearly say “fee-only” if they meet the definition.
Finally, you can always ask them directly if they are fee-only. If their answer is anything other than an immediate yes, you will know they’re not.
This Is About Your Life
In the end, this is about finding the best financial planner for your specific situation. You want someone who is in a position to make the best possible recommendations for the goals you’re looking to achieve.
No single revenue model can guarantee someone will be able to do that. Not all fee-only financial planners are good, and certainly not all commission-based or fee-based planners are bad. It is by no means that black and white.
But as an initial filter, going fee-only can increase your odds of finding a financial planner who will give you good, objective advice.
Matt Becker is a fee-only financial planner and the founder of Mom and Dad Money, where he helps new parents build a better financial future for their families. His free book, “The New Family Financial Road Map,” guides parents through the most important financial decisions that come with starting a family.Alberta's budgetary predicament is more dire than expected, Premier Rachel Notley told media in Calgary as the NDP's first cabinet meeting got underway Wednesday.
"There's no question that as we get briefed we're starting to find the challenges are bigger than may have been featured in the [PC leader Jim ] Prentice campaign," said Notley.
"Our plan is built off of their plan; now we're looking at the fact their plan was not as fulsome as Albertans may have expected."
Notley, a former labour lawyer, led her party to a 54-seat majority government earlier this month, ending the 44-year Progressive Conservative dynasty in Alberta.
She was sworn in as the province's 17th premier on Sunday, along with the other 11 men and women she appointed to her cabinet — the smallest in decades.
Announcements coming soon
Notley promised several announcements, including plans for a royalty review, health-care restructuring and a new cancer centre in Calgary in the coming days — but not before she and her cabinet are thoroughly briefed, she said.
"We've got new information now that we're behind the curtain," said Notley.
During the short spring sitting, the government will ask the legislature to approve an interim supply bill to finance the operations of government.
A full budget will be tabled during a fall sitting of the legislature.
"It's always a question of projections," said Notley. "There's going to be some challenges, but there's also going to be some upticks."
Royalty review coming
"Rushed decisions can be bad decisions," she said.
Notley promised her government will approach the issue of a royalty review with transparency in "a careful considered approach that takes into account the fulsome contribution of our industry partners."
"We have an obligation to the people of this province to test periodically that we're doing the best we can for them in the royalty regime," she said.
Notley also talked about whether there was a plan to restructure Alberta Health Services.
"Regardless of the merits, what's becoming a new merit is stability," she said. "Health-care reorganization is something that is a longer-term issue."
Progressive taxes on the way
As Finance Minister Joe Ceci arrived at the McDougall Centre for the meeting, he reiterated the new government's pledge to repeal Alberta's flat tax and replace it with a progressive model.
"That's going to change with this government. And you know, every province and territory across the country has a progressive income tax and we haven't," he said.
"That's meant that some things haven't been able to take place in this province. And I want to be part of the group that changes that."
The Progressive Conservatives had proposed changes to Alberta's 10 per cent flat tax in the party's last budget unveiled before the election, which was never passed.
The PCs also proposed a health-care levy, which the NDP campaigned against in the run-up to the election.While Australians Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran wait out a delay in Indonesia's plans to execute them, their predicament has inspired two very different social media campaigns.
The Australians were to be moved from Bali's Kerobokan jail last week but a team reporting to the attorney-general found the execution location, the Central Java prison island Nusakambangan, was under prepared.
It leaves Chan, 31, and Sukumaran, 33, more time to spend with family visiting from Sydney, and more time for their lawyers to prepare a legal challenge set for next week.
On Saturday, members of a Bali-based group called Mothers for Mercy arrived at Kerobokan jail with armfuls of flowers and cards for Chan, Sukumaran and the prison staff.
Anne-Maree Pearce said the tributes, sent from mothers all over the world who connected through Facebook, were to thank the wardens for supporting the Australians over the past decade.
Kerobokan jail governor Sudjonggo was congratulated on the rehabilitation programs he had helped develop with Chan and Sukumaran.
Meanwhile on Twitter, a more cynical campaign is getting attention.
The hashtag "KoinuntukAustralia" (coins for Australia) is a reaction to Prime Minister Tony Abbott's suggestion that Indonesia should reciprocate for the $A1 billion in aid Australia sent after the 2004 tsunami.
Indonesians have tweeted photos of themselves collecting coins, with the idea to pay Australia back in small change.
"Aceh people happily try to return your money @TonyAbbottMHR" tweeted @Rrsanusi.
Besides the Bali Nine duo, seven other death row drug offenders are in line for the firing squad.
Attorney-General HM Prasetyo says the government is resolved to execute Chan, Sukumaran and other drug offenders denied presidential clemency.
But there has been speculation the executions could be delayed for up to a month, after a spokesman for Indonesia's Vice President Jusuf Kalla was quoted in local media.
Mr Kalla took a phone call on Thursday from Foreign Minister Julie Bishop, who reportedly thanked his government for delaying the transfer and smoothed over Mr Abbott's tsunami comments, which were read by the foreign ministry as "threats".
According to his spokesman, Husain Abdullah, Mr Kalla told Ms Bishop the executions had been delayed "three weeks to one month" because of technical issues, some local media reported.
However, Ms Bishop and Mr Prasetyo deny the length of the delay was discussed.
Mr Prasetyo has given no date for the transfer or the executions but told Indonesia's Tempo magazine he was sure the executions "will not be in February, because of flooding in many places".
He was concerned that Nusakambangan, although an island, was not as secure as he'd like.
Indonesia's military met on Friday to plan for possible disruptions.
"We do not refer to a certain country, but TNI understands well that threats are not impossible," Commander General Moeldoko said, as quoted by wire service Antara.
I pray for u sir! if someday u help your brother u never tell to anyone @TonyAbbottMHR #KoinuntukAustralia pic.twitter.com/4TvKbIzRVS — KresnaAdhiPrahmana (@kreznaAdhi) February 21, 2015Middle school is confusing enough to navigate when your family life is stable, but for the kids at one Oakland school, it’s been even more difficult since the election. They’ve been asking their teachers and counselors a lot of heavy questions, like, “Will my parents be home when I get home from school?”
And “Are they going to split up my family?”
And “Is my friend going to be deported?”
We know how confusing it’s been for lawyers and policymakers to untangle President Trump’s executive order “Enhancing Public Safety in the Interior of the United States.” Although his order affecting travel from six Muslim-majority nations, which was set to take effect Thursday before it was put on hold Wednesday by a federal judge, may be more high profile, the effect of his earlier order may be more pervasive. It touches families in every neighborhood, yet many of them are too fearful to speak up against it.
Trump insists that the top priority of the order is to remove criminal, undocumented residents from the United States. But the section that prioritizes removing, in the president’s words, “bad dudes” also demands the deportation of “aliens” who “in the judgment of an immigration officer, otherwise pose a risk to public safety or national security.”
That means it could apply to anybody for any reason at any time.
Trying to figure out what that means to their undocumented family members and friends “is freaking out” a lot of kids in her school, one Oakland counselor told me. Kids hear about the order through the media but also by overhearing their parents talk about it in anxious, hushed tones.
Recently, one student was worried about her aunt and grandmother, who usually visit from Mexico for a few weeks at a time. They may not this year, the student told her counselor, because they don’t know if they’ll be able to get here. Or get back.
“They’ve got a lot of questions,” the counselor told me. “A lot. They’re scared.”
So is the school. Officials there are also so worried they asked that neither the school, nor the counselors, administrators or teachers with whom I spoke be identified. With an immigration order written so broadly — one that gives wide discretion to deport any people in the country illegally who look as if they “pose a risk to public safety” — the school fears anything that puts its families at risk.
The school district has done a lot to try to make its families feel safe. Similar to many cities, Oakland has declared itself a “sanctuary district.” The school I visited offers a packet of material — in multiple languages — from the Immigrant Legal Resource Center that explains families’ rights “under a Trump administration.” They can learn how to make a “family preparedness plan” “to reduce the stress of the unexpected,” and read the latest news on Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), the federal program for certain people who entered the country as undocumented children.
The uncertainty and fear about what could happen to their families is hitting middle schoolers hard, said Katharine Gin, the co-founder of Educators for Fair Consideration, a San Francisco nonprofit that helps undocumented youths with legal and educational issues.
“I’m hearing that a lot now — that middle school students feel the most vulnerable,” Gin said. Younger students can’t grasp the complexity of how immigration politics made in Washington can affect their families. And older high school students are already starting to develop a sense of independence as they’re preparing to leave the home.
But younger teenagers depend on their parents more: for rides, for emotional support, for guidance.
On top of their natural growing pains, Gin said, students are “feeling their parents’ anxieties about leaving the house or even driving them to school” more. “They’re feeling very protective of them.”
Parents, meanwhile, are often reacting by “reeling the family in tighter,” restricting their children more from staying late at school. Gin said it always has been a challenge to “educate the immigrant community on the value of after-school activities. Now, being out after dark is even more of a concern to a lot of people.”
Estefania Hermosillo knows what that insecurity feels like. She grew up in the Central Valley town of Ceres, raised by a mom who was undocumented. So is she — but, for now at least, she is protected by DACA.
“Growing up, I didn’t think so much about deportation,” Hermosillo told me. “I would worry that my mom would get pulled over by a cop, and you’d get a big ticket and our car would be taken away. That would be bad, because we wouldn’t have a car, but it’s not like now.”
In middle school, she felt optimism as former President Barack Obama was running on a slogan of “hope.” He didn’t demonize immigrants in his campaign as Trump has over the past two years, but talked about creating a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants.
But that didn’t happen. And Obama wound up deporting more immigrants than any other president. The difference is, Hermosillo said, that Obama’s rhetoric didn’t sound as harsh.
“All we see and hear about now is deportation, deportation, deportation — and we see stories of how the parents have to leave (the country) so quickly,” Hermosillo said.
That just feeds the fear Hermosillo hears when she talks to middle-school students all over the Bay Area as a community education coordinator for Educators for Fair Consideration. She sees how that fear can unnerve some young people.
“It’s really real for people, that fear,” Hermosillo said. “And if you are fearful that a person, your parent, might be gone some day, it might affect the decisions you make. Are you going to sign up for that after-school class? Are you going to try to get into that advanced class? Are you going to go away for school when you get older?”
That fear will remain as long as the order does.
Joe Garofoli is The San Francisco Chronicle’s senior political writer. Email: jgarofoli@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @joegarofolinext Image 1 of 3
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The Latest on explosive devices being found in two states (all times local):
8 a.m.
New York's governor now says it looks like the Manhattan bombing could be an act of terrorism with a foreign connection.
Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo made the statement Monday after the New York Police Department said authorities were searching for 28-year-old Ahmad Khan Rahami in connection with the bombing. He is a naturalized citizen from Afghanistan.
Cuomo says: "Today's information suggests it may be foreign related, but we'll see where it goes."
On Sunday, Cuomo had effectively ruled out a link to international terrorism, saying there was no evidence to suggest that.
The bomb went off Saturday in Manhattan's Chelsea neighborhood, injuring 29 people. All have been released from a hospital.
Authorities are still investigating whether that bombing is linked to explosive devices found nearby in Manhattan and in two sites in New Jersey.
___
7:45 a.m.
The New York Police Department says it is looking for a 28-year-old man for questioning in the New York City bombing.
The NYPD tweeted Monday morning that authorities were seeking Ahmad Khan Rahami. He is a naturalized citizen from Afghanistan.
Bill de Blasio says he could be armed and dangerous.
An explosion in Manhattan on Saturday injured 29 people. Gov. Andrew Cuomo had said earlier that it didn't appear to be linked to international terrorism. A pressure cooker device was also found blocks away, but it didn't explode. Authorities were trying to determine if they were connected.
A pipe bomb also exploded Saturday in a New Jersey shore town ahead of a 5K. No one was injured.
And on Sunday night, five explosive devices were found near an Elizabeth, New Jersey, train station.
___
2 a.m.
Authorities are questioning several people as they try to determine any possible connection between an explosion in a bustling New York City neighborhood, an unexploded pressure-cooker device found blocks away and a pipe bomb blast in New Jersey.
FBI spokeswoman Kelly Langmesser says agents stopped "a vehicle of interest in the investigation" of the Manhattan explosion Sunday night. She said no one has been charged.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the Saturday night blast in Manhattan that injured 29 people didn't appear to be linked to international terrorism.
Cell phones were discovered at the site of both bombings. Authorities say the New York City bomb contained residue of an explosive often used for target practice that can be picked up in many sporting goods stores.A viral video out of France shows police brutally beating a woman with a baton and spraying tear gas in her face in a violent arrest that has gotten upwards of a million views on YouTube and sparked nationwide outrage in France..
The video, which comes from Joué-lès-Tours in central France, shows one cop attempting to subdue a man accused of drunk driving while another grapples with a female passenger. The cop is then seen hitting the woman with his baton and later spraying tear gas in her face.
Prosecutors have launched an investigation into the incident.
HuffPost Live's Ahmed Shihab-Eldin reports on the video, which has prompted a strong reaction on social media, with users divide between outrage and support for the police. Below are translations of just two polarized examples:
#bavure Les policiers sur la video frappent une femme à terre, puis la laisse au sol menottée. Honteux, choquant, révoltant!!! -- Tshinkenke (@lunkanga) August 20, 2013
#bavure refus d'optempérer face aux forces de l'ordre et mord un policier non mais je rêve et ça parle de honte à la police Française! -- solis (@GabySolis59) August 20, 2013
"Police officers hit a woman, then leave her handcuffed on the ground. Shameful, shocking, revolting!""[They] refuse to comply and bite police officer. Then they dare to say, 'Shame on the French police.' I must be dreaming!"Mar 30, 2015; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard Andrew Wiggins (22) celebrates his dunk in the second quarter against the Utah Jazz at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports
As much as the deals that a general manager makes will dictate the future of a team, sometimes it’s the deals that don’t happen that loom largest. Last season, the Utah Jazz were active in trade talks prior to the 2014 NBA Draft. If the team had been able to pull the trigger on a move, the franchise would look very different today.
In the days leading up to last year’s draft, Chris Sheridan reported that the Jazz were talking with the Cleveland Cavaliers in an effort to acquire the No. 1 pick. According to Sheridan, Utah would send Derrick Favors and their No. 5 pick to Cleveland for the draft’s top selection in order to pick Jabari Parker of Duke.
Later that week, Spence Checketts of the team-owned radio station 1280 KZN corroborated Sheridan’s report with a twist–the team would also include either Alec Burks and their No. 23 pick in the deal. Moreover, Checketts reported that the Jazz would actually use the No. 1 pick to snag Andrew Wiggins of Kansas.
While a deal was never consummated and the extent that the talks progressed remains unknown, the fact that it was out there had Jazz fans abuzz. National outlets were reporting on the potential deal, which is a rarity given the organization’s normally subterranean operations. After suffering through one of the worst seasons in franchise history, there was cause for excitement.
One year later, I can’t help but think about how things would have unfolded in 2014-15 had a deal been made. With Parker or Wiggins on the roster, are the Jazz willing to match Gordon Hayward‘s max contract offer sheet from the Charlotte Hornets? Maybe, but is it still a given? Perhaps not.
Things get really interesting when you stop to consider the effect of losing Favors to Cleveland. With our starting power forward gone, does that create minutes and touches for Enes Kanter? It’s entirely possible that our own, personal Voldemort becomes a focal point of the Jazz offense in his absence and is still with the team now.
What would this mean for Rudy Gobert and the team’s defensive renaissance? Does he get his shot at the big time earlier in the season or is his development stymied while playing next to Kanter? I shudder to think on what might have been, even with Wiggins or Parker in the fold.
As much as the deal would have changed the look of the Utah Jazz, Cleveland’s fortunes may have been different as well. With Favors on the roster, Cavs GM David Griffin probably isn’t looking for Kevin Love. His and Burks’ addition would also have impacted the team’s later moves.
Whether or not this gets LeBron James and Kyrie Irving a ring in the 2015 NBA Finals will never be known. There’s always the chance that it ends up being a bad mix and Cleveland suddenly faces an earlier exit from the Playoffs.
Somehow, I don’t think Favors would end up being responsible for the downfall of LBJ and company.
For Jazz Nation it may ultimately boil down to this–is the team better with Hayward, Favors, Burks, Dante Exum and Rodney Hood locked in or does the potential of a Wiggins or a Parker as franchise-changers move your needle?
Considering Gobert’s ascension, the team’s defensive resurgence, the mind-boggling idea that Kanter could still be in Utah and countless other scenarios that may have unfolded, I am one guy that is glad to have avoided the “Butterfly Effect.”
Still, the prospect of what might have been will probably rattle around my brain for years to come. If the team is able to draft Wiggins, keep Hayward and Gobert develops the same way, watch out.
Conversely, if the Jazz take on the 2014-15 season with Kanter and/or Marvin Williams stealing minutes from the Stifle Tower and an injured Parker sitting behind the bench in street clothes, well…you get the picture.Latest NPUK News
Nintendo Players UK Community Highlights - January 2019 #Nintendo #Community #VideoGames The first community highlights of the year! How did the NPUK groups bring in the new year? The only way they knew how!...
The Nintendo Roundup: January 2019 Welcome to the January Roundup, this is a monthly round-up of everything Nintendo has been up the weeks of January. This is more to serve...
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The Charity Efforts Of The Nintendo Player Groups It's often understated how much the volunteers work in their local communities around the UK usually without reward or recognition. What some don't realise is...
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A Slightly Longer Talk With...Mike West, the voice of Fox McCloud "It's time to Rock and Roll Boys!" With the release of Super Smash Bros Ultimate and Starlink Battle for Atlas releasing soon, Faz test his mettle...
A Slightly Longer Talk With...Veronica Taylor, the voice of Ash Ketchum Faz returns to the Kanto region to speak with the very best trainer, like no one ever was, Veronica Taylor! She was the original voice...Office—Word, Excel, PowerPoint, the old frenemies—are out of beta and ready to buy. Sort of: you buy the newest version of Office like you buy Netflix or Spotify, with a subscription. And it makes a hell of a lot of sense.
Microsoft Office is usually a big purchase, or no purchase at all—sometimes it comes with your computer, or sometimes you'd have to shell out for the latest version. Not anymore: Office 365 Home Premium, which includes the kitchen sink, doesn't need to come on a couple-hundred-dollar disc. You can pay for Office for as long as you need it, going month by month (for $10 a month) or pay $100 for a year upfront (and save a little). Either way, you'll get a lot more from Microsoft than you have in the past: the entire suite (2013 on Windows, 2011 on a Mac) can be installed across five devices simultaneously (tablets, laptops, whatever), streaming versions of whichever application you happen to need can be beamed to any computer you're on with an Internet connection, and all of your files will be synced as you work, whether you edit them on Office.com, your tablet, or your Windows Phone (if you've got one). You'll even pick up an extra 20 GB of SkyDrive storage and an hour of free global Skype calling each month.
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The subscription also incudes upgrades to any future versions of the suite, so you don't need to fret about upgrade discs. A four year, broke student "University" subscription will also be on the table for a very binge drinking-friendly $80. If this sharing, streaming thing sounds like some sort of socialist plot to you, you cans pay a flat $140 for the home or $220 for the business editions, locking them to a single computer for all eternity.
OK, yes, it's still Office. It's the best version of Office—touch-friendly, simplified, less horrific on the eyes—but it's still that software you have to use for work. Check out our hands-on here. But odds are Office isn't an interesting choice for you, but a reality, just part of being a productive part of society that needs to mess around with.doc files like all the rest of us stiffs. This isn't going to be the most exciting change in your life. But it'll be a welcome one. Microsoft spread across all of your computer, the web, and (maybe) your phone makes sense. Paying for it while you feel like owning it makes sense—you'll keep all your documents if you decide to go elsewhere, don't worry. Being able to stream the software to computers off your beaten path makes sense. And not having to futz around with upgrades is just lovely. If you want Office, keep feeding the meter, and the rest should be pretty smooth. You can pick it up here, today.Business has never been busier for undertaker Alejandro Ormeneta but, after five months on the frontlines of the Philippines’ brutal drug war, he just wants the killings to stop.
Ormeneta and his colleagues at one funeral parlor in Manila said they were retrieving an average of five corpses a night, mostly from slums, and his grisly new routine has left him questioning the forces unleashed by President Duterte’s crackdown on crime.
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“This shouldn’t happen, they are people, not animals,” Ormeneta, 47, told Agence France-Presse (AFP) as he recalled taking out three nails hammered into the skull of an alleged drug trafficker.
“I think he |
Honda Accord.
The suspects were able to get away and fled in an unknown direction. The victim was not hurt.
The suspect with the gun was described as a black male with an afro. He was standing around 5'9'' tall and wearing a white shirt and black pants.
Anyone with information was asked to call Crime Stoppers at 615-74-CRIME.One of the biggest limitations of current virtual reality technology — whether you’re talking about Samsung’s mobile Gear VR or a full home system like the Oculus Rift — is resolution. And progress toward solving this problem is slow, because companies making VR headsets are at the mercy of advances in display technology.
A new company led by former Nokia and Microsoft product managers aims to slash that wait by using a clever crossing of existing hardware and carefully executed software. Today, they’re opening up for the first time about the company they’re building, called Varjo.
70X better resolution
Urho Konttori, the CEO and co-founder of Varjo, used to work on flagship products like the Nokia N9, and Microsoft’s Lumia phones. Varjo’s imaging lead used to worked on camera technology for both Nokia and Intel. Another co-founder was once Nokia’s head of imaging. So it’s no surprise the first goal for Varjo is to make a physical product: a high-end headset capable of both virtual and augmented reality.
That might not sound unique when Facebook, Samsung, Google, and other giant technology companies are already working on VR and / or AR headsets. What will set Varjo’s version apart is how it will enable what the company is referring to as “human eye resolution” — what they say is some 70 times the clarity of current VR headsets.
Varjo uses that phrase with two meanings in mind. For one thing, the company’s headset will offer resolution in the center of the screen that is good enough to hide individual pixels. But the headset’s display will also mimic how human vision works in general.
Smaller, high-density displays will occupy the center of your field of view in Varjo’s headset, and they’ll be surrounded by lower-resolution displays at the left and right edges. Similar to how your brain and your eyes filter out detail that’s outside your focus, the Varjo headset will use eye tracking and software to better render where you’re looking inside a virtual scene, creating the illusion that you’re always looking at a high-resolution display.
Looking through the small high-resolution window was a relief
Selectively rendering for where a person is looking in VR isn’t a completely new idea. But Varjo’s take is much more specific. And it will be asking a lot of the limited amount of tech that can fit inside a corded headset, even if Konttori says aiming the product at the highest end of the current VR market allows his team to use high-quality components.
Konttori says Varjo has a working prototype of the final headset, but he didn’t bring it to the US as he met with press outlets ahead of the company coming out of stealth mode. Instead, Varjo offered a demo that bridged the gap: the company retrofitted the current consumer version of the Oculus with two full-HD Sony microdisplays (one for each eye).
The result of this combination was that the center of my field of view in the headset (maybe about 15 percent of the screen real estate) was a rectangular window with crystal clarity, while the rest of what I saw in the periphery was the typical fuzzy “screen door” view of VR.
The most striking thing about the demo was how much detail is lost in the translation to the fuzzy modern VR headsets. Konttori ran me through a few different setups that illustrated this. The first was a virtual room with furniture, the second a VR desktop with floating windows, and the third was the cockpit and main cabin of a computer-generated private jet — all scenes that could be impressive demonstrations if it was your first time using VR. But these are rather dull if you’ve spent more than a few minutes with an Oculus or HTC Vive.
Looking at them through that window in the center gave each of these scenes new life. Textures that were obscured by the Oculus’ dual 1080 x 1200 displays could now be seen in more lifelike detail. I could read individual filenames in the folders on the virtual desktop. The cockpit of the plane was especially striking. Looking at it through the Oculus displays surrounding Varjo’s tech, I couldn’t understand any of the labels on the many knobs and switches at my virtual fingertips. Looking “through” those microdisplays, though, I was able to read all of them.
Even though this window of ultra clarity was small, it felt like a massive relief. I was able to resolve detail I thought I’d otherwise have to wait years to see in VR, and it didn’t strain my eyes as much, either.
There were shortcomings, like the extra cabling, and an obvious boundary separating the microdisplay and the Oculus’ screens. The different screens also had competing frame rates, which created jitter at the seams where they met. Konttori says this won’t be a problem in the final version of the headset since the company will have full control over the display and the software that powers it. He also says that they’ll be able to more seamlessly blur the edges of where you’re focusing, again mimicking how human vision works.
The team plans to release an early version of the headset compatible with Steam VR to industry partners for free later this year. Then, in 2018, the company is planning a full consumer launch, where the headset will cost somewhere in the thousands of dollars. Konttori and his team are betting that professionals who are already using or thinking about VR — whether they’re architects, designers, or people who create VR experiences — will care enough about extremely high-resolution experiences that the price tag won’t scare them away.
Free preview headsets will be released to industry partners this year ahead of a 2018 launch
The team wants the Varjo headset to handle AR at human eye resolution, too. But they don’t plan to build a see-through heads-up display like HoloLens or Google Glass. Rather, they want to use cameras on the face of the Varjo headset to re-create the outside world on the display. That’s a challenge in its own right, especially because of the limitations of mobile cameras. Konttori showed me a video of an early version of this tech working, but I wasn’t able to demo it.
In the meantime, Konttori said the company has bigger ambitions when it comes to VR, AR, and mixed reality. Resolution just happened to be the first big problem the team ran into as it started working. If Varjo can really carve out a niche within a niche for its high-end, high-resolution solution, then maybe it can tackle other problems. If not, someone will eventually create a high-resolution headset. It just might take a little longer.Image caption Ms Atkinson has thousands of pieces of memorabilia
A royalist County Durham tearoom owner told how she threw three women out after they refused to stand when the national anthem was played.
Anita Atkinson opened Royal Teas in Stanhope in time for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee and to display some of her huge collection of memorabilia.
The national anthem is played at 3pm each day and Ms Atkinson said she expected her customers to stand.
So when three women refused to do so, she made them leave.
'Rubbish coffee'
Ms Atkinson said: "It's meant to be funny and it's a little quirky part of the tearoom that we have got.
"At 3 o'clock every day we play the national anthem and we expect people to stand.
Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Anita Atkinson explains why she threw women out of her tea shop
"It tells you that in the legend on the menu. The whole thing is just a bit of British eccentricity.
"But these three ladies vociferously refused to stand and made it known that they were anti-monarchist, so God only knows why they came into the tearoom in the first place. So I threw them out."
She said she believed the trio had been surprised to be thrown out.
"They told me my coffee was rubbish but it is a tearoom so I don't care."
Ms Atkinson's collection of royal memorabilia runs to thousands of items.
The toilets in the tearoom have been turned into thrones and there are cardboard cut-outs of members of the Royal Family along with many other pieces.Based on a look at the Terminus map from last night's episode of AMC's The Walking Dead, titled "Inmates," it appears as though the as-yet-unseen story location is set in Macon, Georgia.
You can see the map from last night, side-by-side with a map of the state of Georgia, above. Click through for a larger version.
The map itself looks quite a bit like any one of a number of historical railroad maps of the state you can find online (Google Cram's Railroad Maps of Georgia). Many of those maps use counties over cities as the larger designations, so Bieb would be featured more prominently than Macon--and there's a Macon county that's just close enough to the city to be confusing for out-of-state travelers--so that could explain the need for an alternate designation for the site. The west side of Georgia has a very specific outline where it borders Alabama. You can see that outline in the image above (Georgia in its entirety seems to be shaded somewhat more darkly, although that could be just because there's more detail in that portion of the map) and based on the location of Terminus relative to the border, Macon is the only city that seems to fit.
You can see this, particularly, when you look at the little inward point (almost like a nose on a face in profile) directly south of Columbus. In the season premiere, "30 Days Without an Accident," Daryl referred to the Macon area as "seventy miles of walkers [where Michonne] might run into a few un-neighborly types," and discouraged her from heading that way to look for The Governor. Needless to say, if the sanctuary being offered here is actually by...err...The Sanctuary from the comics, the un-neighborly types will be waiting for whoever reaches terminus, indeed.For those involved in the cryptocurrency space, you’ve probably heard of the Waves Platform. Last year, during its crowdfunding campaign, Waves was able to gather an astounding amount of BTC, roughly 30k BTC, making it the 7th most successful crowdfunding campaign in the world so far. But what is Waves exactly?
The Waves platform is described as a Open Blockchain platform, one that takes the functionalities of Bitcoin and extends them further beyond the simple application of value transfer. The idea is not to create a replacement for Bitcoin, but rather a platform where Bitcoin, cryptos, fiat currencies, and all types of real-world commodities and assets can be issued, transferred and exchanged in a fully decentralized manner. The Waves platform also provides a crowdfunding solution through its lite client wallet.
Although the concept of decentralized exchanges and assets is not new, they are usually not very functional. Not only are these exchanges complicated, they also require the user to find an out-of-band solution to convert tokens into fiat and vice versa. Waves, however, employs the best of two worlds to bring a fully functional exchange that is as fast as a centralized one but does not suffer from the same security issues thanks to Matcher enabling HFT, asset-asset trading and innovative token approach. The fiat-crypto problem is also solved through Waves’ fiat gateways.
Waves’ fiat gateways are run by compliant gateway operators which are organizations (like payment providers) thanks to which users can easily convert their fiat currencies into tokens on the Waves blockchain. These fiat tokens (wUSD, wEUR, etc) can then be transferred on the blockchain itself much faster than any traditional banking transfer and for a much lower fee. Users are then able to withdraw their tokens for fiat once they are received. Other cryptocurrencies can also be tokenized on the Waves blockchain, which is the case of wBTC, a corresponding asset on the Waves blockchain that is backed 1:1 by real Bitcoin.
These features can be accessed through the Waves lite wallet which does not require users to store the blockchain and can be downloaded and run as html, or as a standalone Chrome app that automatically updates when new versions are released. The lite wallet is also available for Android.
Through its easy-to-use lite client and implementation of integrated fiat gateways, Waves provides entrant users with an introduction to the world of blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies. Users can deal with fiat currencies or familiar commodity-backed assets on the blockchain and later explore other investment opportunities like Bitcoin and others if they wish to. Users will also be able to invest in company stocks or assets through the Waves’ crowdfunding platform, which makes it easier for developers and companies to raise funds for their projects.
For the more experienced user, Waves can also be “mined” or forged. Since Waves is an inflation less system with limited supply, users can host a full node to earn rewards from transaction fees. Users are required to have a minimum of 10k Waves tokens in order to host a full node. – Learn more.
Currently, the Waves platform is still in development but many of the aforementioned features are already active, including asset issuance, which can be done with a few simple clicks. These assets, dubbed Custom Application Tokens (CATs) can then be transferred in mass or individually, which makes them suitable for crowdfunding campaigns. Waves implemented also unique feature, which is already available, transaction fees are payable in custom tokens above native currency. This opens many great possibilities for the whole ecosystem. WAVES will always be accepted, but this feature means that applications built on Waves will not have to worry about the additional friction and complexity of providing a second currency for fees.
The Bitcoin gateway is already available in the platform, allowing users to send BTC directly to the Waves platform, which is then converted into wBTC and vice versa.
Waves is currently working on deploying the decentralized exchange which will allow users to exchange the aforementioned CATs, custom tokens and Waves directly on the Waves client and in a fully decentralized manner. Fiat gateways are also being implemented, starting with the Euro gateway which will allow users to deposit and withdraw Euro tokens on the Waves platform – Although users will be required to go through KYC and AML procedures. Activities involving only transfer, trading of crypto and fiat tokens won`t require KYC and AML procedures.
At the same time Waves team is working on many innovative tech approaches that will improve functionality and scalability, like Improved Authenticated Dynamic Dictionaries, Bitcoin NG POS and non-Turing complete smarter smart contracts. You can find more info here.
Overall, it’s an exciting piece of technology that is sure to be used by businesses and individuals alike and to expand the overall cryptocurrency user base. Waves Platform is already being recognized and will be/is being used by Incent, MobileGO, BankCoin, ZrCoin, PrimalBase, ChronoBank, with more to come in the near future.The gradual collapse of Syria’s moderate rebel forces is forcing the United States to consider extending its support to the Islamist groups it has long rejected but which are steadily rising to become the Assad regime’s principal opponents.
The irony, as some of Syria’s forlorn moderate rebels are noting, is that the US may have unwittingly aided in the demise of moderate forces because it for so long held off extending lethal and nonlethal aid to them – out of fear that some of that aid might fall into the hands of Islamists.
Now it’s the Islamists who, without any US assistance, have zoomed past the moderate rebel forces in organization, control of territory, and staying power.
Secretary of State John Kerry insisted Friday that the US “continue[s] to have confidence in... the [moderate] opposition, and we will continue to support them.” But the chief US diplomat’s assertion – nearly three years into Syria’s civil war – was hardly a fist-pounding endorsement.
And it was offered even as senior US officials have been meeting with representatives of some of Syria’s Islamist groups that are more moderate. The US envoy to Syria, Robert Ford, met last month with leaders from the recently formed Islamic Front – a coalition of seven groups fighting for a strict Islamic state in Syria. Ambassador Ford could continue those discussions in the coming days as part of a trip to London and Turkey to meet with Syria’s political opposition and its international supporters.
US officials and other members of the international Friends of Syria group have privately fretted for more than a year about the eclipse of the moderate rebels by Islamist factions, which include groups the US has designated as terrorist organizations.
The reversed fortunes of Syria’s rebel coalitions burst into the open last weekend when fighters from the Islamic Front overran the northern Syria base of the moderate, US-backed Supreme Military Council (SMC). The Islamists took control of the base’s warehouses of US-supplied nonlethal material, including pickup trucks, communications equipment, medicines, and thousands of ready-to-eat meals.
The US, joined by Britain, quickly suspended all nonlethal aid to the rebels. US officials insist the suspension is only temporary and could end soon, especially if the Islamic Front returns the seized material as the US is demanding.
But the episode showcases both the weak state of Syria’s moderate rebels – and the disarray in America’s Syria policy.
The elevation of the Islamic Front to a position of power lays bare the divisions among international supporters of Syria rebels – and in particular between the US and Saudi Arabia.
Even as the US held back from providing arms to the rebels, the Saudis and other Gulf states had no such qualms, and in fact they enthusiastically armed Syria’s Sunni Islamist militant groups. As those groups grew in size and influence with the help of outside aid, some groups from the internationally hamstrung moderate-rebel coalition have switched over to the Islamist side of the rebel divide.
According to some regional experts, Saudi Arabia has decided that the Islamic Front is the best bulwark against a worrisome arc of Al Qaeda influence rising across Syria and Iraq and fueled by two Syrian rebel groups – al-Nusra Front, and the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham. But some caution that the line separating the most extreme Islamists from the others is not so well defined, and they warn that the two sides have cooperated on the battlefield.
The US is also working to pull off a peace conference in late January – to be organized by the United Nations and cosponsored by the US and Russia. But it remains unclear who from the opposition forces will attend the conference, and with what authority or public mandate.
The US would like to see some support from within the Islamists’ ranks for the peace conference. Until recently, six of the seven groups within the Islamic Front condemned the conference – the stated goal of which is to end the Syrian war with a plan for a political transition. In recent weeks, however, some Front representatives have suggested they would favor taking part in the conference.
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Yet even if the US is contemplating some representation from the Front at the international conference, the US remains cautious about the Islamists joining the SMC, the moderate rebel coalition, US officials say.
Among key reasons for the reluctance: letting any Islamist groups in would make keeping aid out of the hands of the extremists harder. Beyond that, the Islamists reject the ultimate goal of a democratic transition with equal rights and protection for all Syria’s communities.New UK NNL study supports the ability of the NuScale Power Module to reduce plutonium stockpiles
NuScale Power announced the completion of a study commissioned from the UK National Nuclear Laboratory (NNL) supporting the suitability of NuScale’s world-leading Small Modular Reactor technology for the effective disposition of plutonium. It is the second proposal for use of reactor technology to dispose of surplus plutonium in the UK. The first is the GE-Hitachi PRISM reactor which is based on the design of the Argonne West Integral Fast Reactor.
The NNL study in the UK evaluated scenarios with partial and full-core loading of mixed uranium-plutonium oxide (MOX) fuel and confirmed that MOX could be used in the NuScale core with minimal effect on the reactor’s design and operation.
The study also demonstrated that a 12-module NuScale plant with 100% MOX cores could consume a 100 metric-ton stockpile of discharged plutonium in roughly 40 years, during which time it would generate approximately 200 million megawatt-hours of carbon free electricity.
The NuScale Power ModuleTM is an innovative and flexible technology with the potential to be fueled by either conventional light water reactor fuel or MOX fuel.
The reprocessing of plutonium into MOX fuel for civil nuclear reactors has been realized in several countries, including France, Japan, Belgium, Switzerland, and Germany. The primary advantage of using MOX fuel is to use the huge energy content of plutonium and to degrade its isotopic composition making it much less attractive from a proliferation viewpoint. It also helps to improve fuel resource utilization by reducing the demand for enriched uranium.
NuScale CEO John Hopkins commented, “This is an important step in the continued development of additional flexibility of the NuScale Power Module to operate on various fuel forms. This capability will help support the continued establishment of the NuScale Small Modular Reactor as the technology of choice for commercialization in worldwide markets.”
Dan Mathers, NNL Business Leader for Fuel and Reactors, said, “The National Nuclear Laboratory has been pleased to work with NuScale on a commercial basis to help demonstrate the capability of their SMR in relation to MOX fuel. Reuse of the plutonium for low carbon power generation could be a valuable way forward for dealing with the UK’s nuclear legacy.”
The UK holds the world’s largest stockpile of civil plutonium material. More than 100 metric tons are managed safely at Sellafield in North West England, but the UK Government has said that this situation needs to be addressed through either re-use or disposal.
One of the options under consideration is AREVA’s Convert proposal, which would reprocess the UK’s stockpile of plutonium into MOX fuel using technology proven over 40 years in France. AREVA has already been working with NuScale, having signed a contract in December 2015 to manufacture conventional fuel assemblies for the NuScale Power Module and provide a variety of engineering and testing services associated with the NuScale design.
NuScale is developing a 50 MW small modular reactor based on conventional light water reactor design concepts. The firm plans to submit an application to the NRC by the end of 2016 for safety design review.
GE Hitachi option for disposition of UK plutonium stockpile
The world of advanced reactor development efforts is full of R&D sandboxes, but one proposal stands out. GE-Hitachi (GEH) is developing a 311 MW liquid metal (sodium) cooled reactor based on the Integral Fast Reactor design.
The firm has submitted an unsolicited proposal to the UK Nuclear Decomissioning Authority (NDA) to burn surplus plutonium as a way to dispose of it. The GEH plan calls for two units each with its own turbine.
According to GEH the facility could be built in as little as three years. However, like all other new reactor projects, it would have to pass through the UK Generic Design Review. It is unclear whether the government’s regulators have the means to assess the safety of the new design.
The GEH reactors are intended not only to provide electrical power, but also to solve a major problem for the NDA. It has a large inventory of plutonium from spent fuel and also UK defense sources. Burning it in the PRISM reactors would be a path to safe disposition and would remove the need for a large, permanent geologic repository for it.
GE Hitachi is designing an Advanced Recycling Centre (ARC) which integrates electrometallurgical processing with its PRISM fast reactors. The main feed is used fuel from light water reactors. The three products are fission products, uranium, and transuranics, which become fuel for the fast reactors (with some of the uranium).
A full commercial-scale ARC would comprise an electrometallurgical plant and three power blocks of 622 MWe each (six 311 MWe reactor modules).
# # #BOSTON -- Boston Bruins owner Jeremy Jacobs chose a strange way to welcome the return of hockey on Saturday night.
In what began as a statement of apology to fans following the lockout, the chairman of the NHL's Board of Governors made a bizarre about-face in his pregame news conference as he took deliberate shots at the NHL Players' Association in the wake of the new collective bargaining agreement.
Jacobs, regarded as one of the most militant hard-line owners driving the lockout, appeared to blame the union for a deal not getting done sooner, saying it "should've and could've" been resolved quicker and characterized it as "disappointing."
Of the union, Jacobs said: "There was no expression of a desire to make a deal."
When asked to elaborate how a deal could have been brokered earlier -- the labor standoff lasted almost four months before an agreement was reached earlier this month -- Jacobs deflected blame onto the NHLPA.
"You'd really have to ask the other side on that," he said.
Jacobs said the players were going to get "very rich" under the deal that was ultimately reached.
"The players are going to get very rich under this transaction," he said. "They were very rich going into this. They passed up $700 million in payroll. That's a lot. And I'm hopeful that it was fulfilling."
When asked if he felt that it was fair to say he blamed the union for the time lost as a result of the work stoppage, Jacobs declined to answer.
"I won't comment on that," he said.
It was an odd display for an owner who claimed to be enthused about the start of play and intent on "winning another Stanley Cup for Boston, New England and Bruins fans around the world."
Jacobs praised his partner in the process, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, for his work on the deal and touted his leadership in reaching the 10-year agreement.
"He's probably brought a little bit of an abrasive personality with him," Jacobs said. "Not everyone loves him. And that's understood. But he's done a yeoman's job and worked his butt off. You can't outwork Gary. And for that, I'm very happy that he was there. This agreement would not have gotten done without Gary there."
Jacobs admitted that, before the marathon session that ultimately ended the standoff, there was a legitimate fear among owners that the season would be scrapped entirely.
"If it hadn't happened when it did, the season would've been gone," he said.
Jacobs insisted that, as owner of a financially strong, recent Cup-winning franchise, he had no intention of ever axing the season.
"I'm the last guy that wanted to shut this down," he said.
How did he feel he was characterized throughout the negotiation process?
"Being vilified, I don't think it's right, but what's my opinion in something like this?" he asked.We know this much: The Alouettes will start a rookie quarterback this Friday night against the defending Grey Cup champion Calgary Stampeders at Molson Stadium.
Logic and common sense would dictate that man will be Canadian Brandon Bridge, a fourth-round draft choice this year. Not only has Bridge been around longer than import Rakeem Cato, it was Bridge who played the final 20 minutes last week against Ottawa.
But the two continued to split reps on Wednesday, when the Als practised through heavy rain at Stade Hebert. And even after the team walked off the field in the early afternoon, head coach Tom Higgins insisted no decision had been made.
“Those 37 reps, if it was that many (against the Redblacks), doesn’t necessarily dictate that logic. Some other logic will go into it,” Higgins said. “The confidence level and who’s better at feeling the pressure of starting, who might be better in relief? Right now, there’s no answer to the question. We’re still trying to mull over what makes the most sense for us.
“The players are extremely confident in both. There’s no player favourite. Of course, there’s no history yet.”
Truthfully, it matters not one iota which one starts. Unless the starter’s capable of walking on water — unlikely, considering the lack of experience both possess — both Bridge and Cato are likely to play. If Andrew Manley, who returned this week as the third-string quarterback after being released at the end of training camp, takes any snaps, something truly has gone terribly wrong.
While the scenario is hardly ideal, circumstances have forced the Als into playing this hand. Jonathan Crompton’s on the six-game injured list with a separated right shoulder. His backup, Dan LeFevour, lasted two plays before dislocating his left shoulder, requiring surgery. He’s out for the season. And Tanner Marsh, who now would have assumed the starting role, suffered a severely sprained knee early at camp. He remains a minimum two weeks away from playing.
And for those who suggest the Als have no hope against Calgary, veteran receiver Nik Lewis begs to differ. He was playing for the Stamps on July 24, 2008 when Winnipeg’s Ryan Dinwiddie — now Montreal’s running-backs coach — completed 24 of 39 passes for 450 yards and the winning touchdown, a 35-yard strike to Romby Bryant with 12 seconds remaining, in the Blue Bombers’ 32-28 victory. The game marked Dinwiddie’s first career regular-season start.
“I can tell you right now that it is possible. This is professional football,” Lewis stated, somewhat defiantly.
Should Bridge start, he would become the first non-import to start at the position since British Columbia’s Giulio Caravatta on Oct. 27, 1996. The Lions lost, 25-21, at Toronto. The last Canadian quarterback to play in a game was the Argonauts’ Danny Brannigan in 2010. Both Caravatta and Hamilton’s Larry Jusdanis, in September 1996, were the last Canadians to throw touchdown passes.
Bridge, 6-foot-5 and 235 pounds, said it would help his mindset and preparation if he knew whether he was starting. In 11 games last season for South Alabama, he completed 160 of 307 passes for 1,927 yards along with 15 touchdowns. He was intercepted eight times. He also rushed for 297 yards, scoring four majors.
General manager Jim Popp, after selecting Bridge, called him a “unique guy” and “tremendous talent.” Of course, at that time, he predictably said the plan was to bring Bridge along slowly. That plan now has gone out the window. Only time will tell what the potential repercussions of pressing him into duty potentially were.
“You hope for times like this. Knowing you’re not ready, but because you’re forced into the situation, you have to execute plays,” said Bridge, who completed five of 10 passes for 62 yards against Ottawa. Although he was intercepted once, he also was the team’s most-accurate quarterback.
“We’re forced into this situation and we have to execute to the best of our ability,” Bridge continued. “You can expect a guy who’s prepared. I watched a lot of film. Having the physical reps and going through the whole thing, I’ll be a little more comfortable than I was last game. Expect me to make plays and try to get the ball into the playmakers’ hands.”
Those playmakers, of course, must do everything possible to take the onus off the rookie pivots, veteran slotback S.J. Green explained.
“Eliminate as much thinking for them as we can. Take if off their shoulders and catch the ball ultimately,” he said. “Get them in a comfort zone and make plays for them.”
Green, who caught Bridge’s first completion, said he was impressed with the rookie’s composure, considering he received no practice time with the starting offence. Bridge led the Als to a field goal on his first series.
“He made mistakes, but we all did in that game,” Green said. “You expect those things from a rookie quarterback. I was impressed with how he came in and handled himself, put some drives together and put us in scoring position.”
It appears likely Brandon Rutley will come off the practice roster and be activated for the game, meaning the Als would dress both he and Tyrell Sutton. That would indicate the team will stress the run to take pressure off their quarterbacks.
hzurkowsky@montrealgazette.com
twitter.com/HerbZurkowsky1The good news for Arsenal supporters is that their team are suddenly addicted to winning trophies. The bad news is that an alternative universe exists in which Edin Dzeko raced past Calum Chambers to score the equaliser that gave Manchester City the impetus to win the Community Shield and everyone responded by stating that Arsenal cannot get away with playing a 19-year-old at centre-back if they want to be successful.
Back in reality, however, Dzeko let Chambers off the hook by trying to find a team-mate, the chance was lost and when Arsenal broke, Aaron Ramsey doubled their lead. The narrative swung in favour of Chambers and Arsène Wenger was able to heap praise on his new signing.
These little incidents can colour our perception of players. Such kneejerk reactions are never helpful but Chambers must have been panicking as Dzeko, who is not noted for his pace, sped off into the distance. It was a moment that had the potential to undermine Chambers and there would have been greater scrutiny if Dzeko had scored. Instead we are talking about how assured he looked on his Arsenal debut.
The truth is that aside from that one hairy moment, Chambers was excellent and his performance may be enough to convince Wenger that he does not need to sign another centre-back, even though Arsenal only have three after the sale of Thomas Vermaelen to Barcelona. Wenger is already sounding like the president of the Calum Chambers fan club and he will be given opportunities to challenge Laurent Koscielny and Per Mertesacker.
Initially there was surprise when it became apparent that Wenger sees Chambers as a centre-back after he joined Arsenal from Southampton last month in a deal that could rise to £16m. He was an attacking right-back at Southampton, competing with Nathaniel Clyne for a place in the side, and he never played in the middle.
Yet Chambers is a versatile player. He can be used as a right midfielder or in a holding role and although Wenger made up his mind to buy him after seeing him at right-back in Arsenal’s 2-2 draw with Southampton in January, he has played at centre-back for England Under-19. Southampton expected him to end up in that position and it has been a smooth transition for him at Arsenal.
Chambers mostly looked like a natural alongside Koscielny in the first half at Wembley, bringing the ball out of defence confidently and showing good positional awareness, and City were restricted to a handful of opportunities. What was particularly encouraging was the way he was proactive in retrieving possession, regularly pushing high up the pitch and pinning back City’s attackers.
The youngster showed no inhibitions around his new team-mates and on one occasion he won the ball in City’s half and started a move which almost resulted in a goal for Arsenal, suggesting that they are going to benefit from his sense of adventure. He is a very modern footballer in that sense; a defender who will rely on his speed, anticipation and reading of the game, rather than one who will be throwing himself into shuddering challenges.
The art of defending is becoming less gnarled as the game becomes less physical and that explains why Wenger likes Chambers so much. Yet defenders still need an edge and the concern for Arsenal must be his lack of experience. Chambers, who was often Clyne’s deputy, made his Premier League debut for Southampton last season and an injury to either Koscielny or Mertesacker would place unwanted pressure on his young shoulders. It would surely be an oversight for Arsenal not to find extra cover.
Mertesacker returned to training only on Monday after being given extra time off following Germany’s World Cup win and Koscielny’s substitution at half-time because of a tight achilles meant that Chambers was partnered by Nacho Monreal, who is unconvincing enough at left-back, in the second half. Arsenal were more vulnerable and Stevan Jovetic twice threatened for City.
However, Wenger’s argument is that available centre-backs are in short supply and he pointed out that both Barcelona and Manchester United wanted Vermaelen, who could not get in the Arsenal team. His case is backed up by the number of legendary centre-backs who bemoaned the standard of defending at the World Cup.
This could also be a case of Wenger being Wenger, though. Why buy another centre-back when all he really wants is to see Chambers succeed?Disneyland's currently working on adding the "Star Wars Land" area to its famous amusement park, but you can beat them to the punch with Planet Coaster and the Steam Workshop. There are already dozens of Star Wars creations to choose from, but one creator stands out among them, and his Millennium Falcon is one heck of a ship.
A full-time medical technician, Marcel Münch (aka MuFuTee on Steam) has built 22 creations for the Steam Workshop, with the vast majority of them for Planet Coaster—five of them are street layouts for Cities: Skylines. He's created an Egyptian-themed log flume ride, a Flying Dutchman swinging ship attraction, and a pirate fort filled to the brim with shops, but his most impressive work is his recreations of some of Star Wars' most iconic ships. Put simply, this a result of his love for the movies, which he told me also extended to the prequels.
"Hey, it's Star Wars," Münch said. "If they show me a dog in a flying doghouse, I take it. You should not take it too seriously. It's still just a movie."
What Münch does take seriously, however, is his work. His Millennium Falcon consists of 3,000 pieces and took him a whole weekend to build. It's so big, in fact, that he had to split it into two different parts on the Steam Workshop (Part 1/Part 2). It's his largest project, but the Death Star rollercoaster that took him eight hours to complete definitely doesn't pale in comparison.
"To be honest, I have to force myself to go to sleep because I am a little hooked," he said, telling me that he only uses in-game items to build these attractions.
Other projects like his X-Wing, TIE Fighter, and Tatooine Igloo shops took significantly less time, but he joked that his magnum opus will take him 30 years to complete.
"Soon, my young padawan," he said to himself about a rollercoaster set in the Mos Espa Grand Arena, the stadium in which The Phantom Menace's podrace is set. Based on the size of these projects and his obvious talent, I asked him why he doesn't work on stuff for other games. His answer was simple.
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7. Spin-outs whereby universities commercialize their work in partnership with private finance
8. It's also possible that academics will leave universities to start their venture, as with Entrepreneur First
9. Marketing partnerships whereby companies fund research for more altruistic ends, with direct links to the company's activities
10. Marketing partnerships with less direct links to the industry, similar to how company's support arts or charitable works
I'd love to hear your own experiences with working with a university or an academic. Let me know in the comments.Anne Frank died in a Nazi concentration camp a month earlier than than previously thought, researchers announced on Tuesday - the 70th anniversary of the officially recognized date of her death.
The Jewish teenager likely died, aged 15, at the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in February 1945, said the Amsterdam museum that honors her memory.
"New research...has shed fresh light on the last days of Anne Frank and her sister Margot," the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam said on Tuesday, until now her official date of death.
"Their deaths must have occurred in February 1945," the museum said in a statement.
The Red Cross noted that the deaths of Anne and Margot in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in northern Germany were between 1 and 31 March. Dutch officials then officially set the date at March 31.
Anne's diary about hiding from the Nazi's during the occupation of the Netherlands was published after World War II, becoming an international bestseller and making her an enduring symbol of Holocaust victims.
The new date changes little about the tragic lives of Anne and her sister Margot. "It was horrible. It was terrible. And it still is," said Erika Prins, a researcher at the Anne Frank House museum.
But, she added, the new date lays to rest the idea the sisters could have been rescued if they had lived just a little longer.
"When you say they died at the end of March, it gives you a feeling that they died just before liberation. So maybe if they'd lived two more weeks..." Prins said, her voice trailing off. "Well, that's not true anymore."
'One day they simply weren't there anymore'
Anne and her family went into hiding in 1942 from the Nazis in a secret annex at the back of an Amsterdam canal house, owned by her father Otto Frank's company, until they were betrayed in 1944 and sent to Germany.
The girls were moved from the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp to Bergen-Belsen in November 1944, as the Russian army closed in from the east.
Researchers used Red Cross archives, the International Tracing Service and the Bergen-Belsen Memorial, together "with as many eyewitness testimonies and survivors as possible."
Four Bergen-Belsen survivors reported the sisters showed signs of typhus in late January 1945.
"Most deaths of typhus occur around 12 days after the first systems appeared," the new study said, quoting the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment.
"It is therefore unlikely that they survived until the end of March," the Anne Frank House said.
While Anne and Margot's date of death remains unknown, one surviving witness, Rachel van Amerongen said, "one day they simply weren't there anymore."
jlw/jr (AFP, AP, dpa, Reuters)UFC 182 – January 3, 2015
UFC 182 will take place on January 3 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. A UFC light heavyweight title bout between reigning champion and pound-for-pound kingpin Jon Jones and former 2008 Olympic wrestling captain Daniel Cormier will serve as the night’s main event.
Alexis Dufresne vs. Marion Reneau
Dufresne (5-1), a Team Quest product, is coming off a controversial decision loss in her UFC debut to TUF 18 alumni Sarah Moras at UFC 173 in May. Prior to setback, the ‘Sneak Zebra’ six straight first round stoppage victories under various smaller promotions.
Reneau (4-1), who will be making her UFC debut, will be looking to extend her win streak to four. In her most recent outing, ‘The Bruiser’ earned her third straight first round stoppage victory when she slapped on an armbar late in the opening frame against Maureen Riordan at RFA 16 in July.
RFA 22 – January 9, 2015
RFA 22 is scheduled to take place January 9 at Broadmoor World Arena in Colorado Springs, Colo. The main card will air live on AXS TV.
Chidi Njokuani vs Gilbert Smith – For vacant RFA welterweight title
Smith (10-3), a veteran of season 17 of The Ultimate Fighter, will be looking to pick up his fight win in his last six fights since being released from the UFC following his third round submission loss to Bubba McDaniel at the TUF 17 Finale in April 2013. In his most recent outing, the U.S. Army veteran earned a majority decision win in his promotional debut against Bojan Velickovic at RFA 20 in November. He will enter this bout with six career stoppage victories with all of them ending in submission.
Njokuani (11-4), a kickboxing specialist, will be making his sixth appearance under the RFA, which makes him one of the longest tenured fighters on the entire roster. In his most recent outing, ‘Chidi Bang Bang’ earned a unanimous decision win over Steve Hanna at RFA 18 in September. This victory not only marked his sixth win in his last eight outings but also kept his perfect RFA welterweight record in tact. He previously lost to Jeremy Kimball in their 180-pound catchweight contest at RFA 7 in March 2013. He will enter this bout with nine career stoppage victories, eight of which have ended in knockout.
UFC 183 – Januar 31, 2015
UFC 183 is currently scheduled to take place on January 31 in Las Vegas. A middleweight superfight between former champion Anderson Silva and fan favorite Nick Diaz will serve as the night’s main event.
Derek Brunson vs. Ed Herman
Brunson (12-3), a three-time Division II All-American wrestler, is coming off decision victory over Lorenz Larkin at UFC 177. Prior to this victory, fans saw the 30-year-old’s two-fight win streak snapped at the hands of former Olympic wrestling silver medalist Yoel Romero at UFC Fight Night 35. He will enter this bout with eight career stoppage victories and a UFC record of 3-1.
Herman (22-10), a contestant on season three of The Ultimate Fighter, has traded wins and losses over four fights. In his most recent performance, ‘Short Fuze’ earned a unanimous decision victory over Rafael Natal at UFC Fight Night 40. He will enter this bout with 18 career stoppage victories, with 13 ending in submission, and a UFC record of 9-7.
Bellator 133 – February 13, 2015
Bellator 133 is currently scheduled will take place at the Save Mart Center in Fresno, CA. The main card airs on Spike TV following prelims on MMAjunkie.com. A middleweight battle between knockout artist Melvin Manhoef and former champion Alexander Shlemenko will serve as the main event.
Pat Curran vs. Daniel Weichel
Curran (20-6) will enter this bout as one of the longest tenured fighters on the Bellator most. However, ‘Paddy Mike’ has not competed inside the cage since dropping his 145-pound belt to Patricio ‘Pitbull’ in their main event title fight at Bellator 123 in September. Prior to this win he walked away with a thrilling fifth round submission win over longtime rival Daniel Straus in their rubber match Bellator 112. With this victory, Curran not only reclaimed his featherweight title but also got revenge for his previous loss to Straus, which took place in their title fight Bellator 106. He currently holds 12 career stoppage victories and a Bellator MMA record of 10-3.
Weichel (34-8), a former M-1 Global lightweight champion and Bellator season 10 tournament winner, will enter this bout having picked up wins in 11 of his last 12 bouts, including three straight under the Bellator banner. In his most recent outing ‘The Weasel’ earned a his 21st submission win in the former of a second round rear naked choke against Desmond Green at Bellator 119.
Julia Budd vs. Talita Nogueira
Budd (6-2), a Strikeforce veteran, will enter this bout riding a four fight win streak, all of which came under the all-women’s Invicta Invicta FC promotion. Of these four wins, only her most recent win over Charmaine Tweet being reached the judges scorecard. To date her last professional defeat came at the hands of current women’s bantamweight champion and cultural icon Ronda Rousey at Strikeforce Challengers 20.
Meanwhile, Nogueira’s (6-0) trengths lie in grappling, as she boasts not only a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt but also a pair of grappling world titles. She turned to MMA in 2009 and is undefeated through her first six professional contests, including four wins by submission.
ONE FC 26: Odyssey of Champions – February 14, 2015
ONE FC 26 is scheduled to take place on February 14 at Istora Senayan in the Gelora Bung Karno Sports Complex in Jakarta, Indonesia.
Jens Pulver vs. Fransino Tirta
Pulver (27-19-1) will be making his fourth appearance under the ONF FC banner. The innagural UFC lightweight champion, which he earned with a decision win over UFC icon BJ Penn at UFC 35, the man known as ‘Lil Evil’ has fought a who’s who of fighter below 170-pounds since making his professional debut back in 1999. However, the 40-year-old has fallen on hard times as of late as he has only picked up one win in his last four fights, including his last two straight. In his most recent outing, Pulber dropped a decision to Sami Azziz at Superior Challenge 9 in November. He will enter this bout with 18 career stoppage victories, including 14 by way of knockout, and a ONE FC record of 1-2.
Tirta (16-0-1) is coming off a first round submission win in his promotional debut against Sami Amin at ONE FC 17 in July. This marked the Indonesia based fighter’s first win since earning a decision win over Chengjie Wu at Legend FC 5 in July 2011. He will enter this bout with 13 career stoppage victories, including seven by way of knockout.
UFC Fight Night 61 – February 22, 2015
UFC Fight Night 61 is currently scheduled to take place on February 22 at Gigantinho Gymnasium in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.
Rashad Evans vs. Glover Teixeira
Evans (19-3-1), winner of season two of The Ultimate Fighter, has not stepped foot inside the Octagon since his first round TKO victory over Chael Sonnen at UFC 167 in November 2013. Prior to this win, ‘Suga’ earned a close split decision over former Strikeforce champion Dan Henderson in the main event of UFC 161 in June 2013. This victory snapped Evans’ two fight losing streak, which included a decision loss to current UFC Light Heavyweight champion Jon Jones in their main event title fight at UFC 145 in April 2012. He was originally scheduled to meet current number one contender Daniel Cormier at UFC 170 before a knee injury forced him out 10 days before the bout. He will enter this bout with seven career knockout victories and a UFC record of 14-3-1.
Teixeira (22-4) will enter this bout riding a career worst two-fight win streak, with his most recent outing being a one-sided unanimous decision to former NCAA wrestling national champion Phil Davis in the co-main event of UFC 179. Prior to this setback, the Brazilian knockout artist saw his 20-fight win streak snapped at the hands of current UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones in their title fight at UFC 172. He will enter this bout 19 stoppage wins, including 13 by way of knockout, and a UFC record of 5-2.
Rustam Khabilov vs. Adriano Martins
Khabilov (17-2), a Sambo and Russian pankration champion, will be looking to get back into the win column after dropping his last bout to former UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson in the form of a fourth round submission in their main event matchup at UFC Fight Night 42 in June. This setback not only snapped the Dagestani fighter’s six fight win streak but also marked the first time he had been finished in his professional career. He will enter this bout with nine career stoppage wins and a UFC record of 3-1.
Martins (26-7), a former Jungle Fighter lightweight champion, was last seen earning a violent first round knockout over Juan Puig at The Ultimate Fighter 19 Finale, earning him a Performance of the Night bonus in the process. Prior to this win, the Brazilian saw his six fight win streak snapped at the hands of a Donald Cerrone head kick at UFC on FOX 10 in January 2014. He will enter this bout with 15 career stoppage wins, including 12 by way of knockout, a UFC record of 2-1.
Matt Dwyer vs. William Macario
Sam Alvey vs. Cezar Ferreira
Legacy FC 39 – Februay 27, 2015
Legacy FC 39 is set to take place on February 27 at Houston Arena Theater in Texas. The main card airs on AXS TV.
Larry Crowe vs. Leonardo Leite – For Legacy FC middleweight title
Crowe (9-3), a Houston native, will be making his ninth appearance under the Legacy FC banner. In his most recent appearance, the man known as ‘Tae Kwon’ first round TKO win over Quentin Harry at Legacy FC 37 in November. This win not only gave Crowe wins in four of his last five bouts, including three straight, but also marked fifth career TKO victory. He currently holds a Legacy FC record of 6-2.
Leite (5-0), the reining Legacy FC middleweight champion, was last seen walking away with his belt after fourth round submission win over Myron Dennis in their title fight at Legacy FC 35 in September. This victory not only kept the Jiu-Jitsu champion’s perfect record in tact but also the third submission win of his career.
Daniel Pineda vs. Thomas Webb
Mike Bronzoulis vs. Jon Harris
Kevin Aguilar vs. Alex Black
Elias Garcia vs. Ryan Hollis
Brice Ritani-Coe vs. Dale Mitchell
Jens Grau vs. Danny Orr – 200lb catchweight
Sage Northcutt vs. TBA
Paulo Alcozar vs. Danny DeAlejandro – 140lb catchweight
Bobby Powers vs. Angel Zamora
Roberto Sanchez vs. Jacob Silva
Jordan Carmona vs. Daniel Turner
Jonathan Davis vs. TBA
UFC 184 – February 28, 2015
UFC 184 is currently scheduled to take place on Feb. 28 at the Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles. A middleweight title fight between champion Chris Weidman and Vitor Belfort will serve as headlining act while a women’s bantamweight title fight Ronda Rousey and Cat Zingano take place in the co-main event.
Derrick Lewis vs. Ruan Potts
Mark Munoz vs. Roan Carneiro
Munoz (13-5), a two-time NCAA Divison I All-American wrestler out of Oklahoma State University, has fallen on hard times as of late as he’s only picked up one win in his last four bouts. In his most recent outing, ‘The Filipino Wrecking Machine’ suffered a first round submission loss to former Strikeforce champion Gegard Mousasi in the main event of UFC Fight Night 41 in May. This setback marked his second straight first round stoppage los with his previous being violent headlock knockout to former UFC light heavyweight champion turned middleweight contender Lyoto Machida in the main event of UFC Fight Night 30 in October 2013. He will enter this bout with seven career stoppage wins, including six by way of knockout, and a UFC record of 8-5.
For Carneiro (19-9), this will mark his second run under the UFC banner. He previously fought for the promotion between 2007-2008 where he earned a record of 2-3 before being he handed his walking papers. Since then, the man known as Jucão put tother a record of 7-1 under various smaller promotions, which culminated in winning the BattleGround MMA 5 one night tournament in October. He will enter this bout with 11 career stoppage wins, including nine by way of submission.In March, the Dutch public broadcasting system NOS television reported that the Netherlands has become one of the major European suppliers of Islamic jihadists. According to NOS, about 100 Dutch Muslims are active as jihadists in Syria; most have joined the notorious Jabhat al-Nusra rebel group.
In January, the gangland shootings of two young Moroccan men in downtown Amsterdam drew renewed attention to the growing problem of violent crime among Muslim immigrants. The two men were gunned down with AK-47 assault rifles in a shooting the mayor of Amsterdam, Eberhard van der Laan, described as reminiscent of "the Wild West."
Belgium and the Netherlands have some of the largest Muslim communities in the European Union, in percentage terms.
Belgium is home to an estimated 650,000 Muslims, or around 6% of the overall population, based on an average of several statistical estimates. The Netherlands is home to an estimated 925,000 Muslims, which also works out to around 6% of the overall population. Within the EU, only France (7.5%) has more Muslims in relative terms.
Belgian and Dutch cities have significant Muslim populations, comprised mostly of Turkish and Moroccan immigrants, as well as a growing number of converts to Islam.
The number of Muslims in Brussels—where roughly half of the number of Muslims in Belgium currently live—has reached 300,000, which means that the self-styled "Capital of Europe" is now one of the most Islamic cities in Europe.
In 2013, Muslims made up approximately 26% of the population of metropolitan Brussels, followed by Rotterdam (25%), Amsterdam (24%), Antwerp (17%), The Hague (14%) and Utrecht (13%), according to a panoply of research.
Not coincidentally, Belgium and the Netherlands have been at the forefront of the debate over Muslim immigration and integration in Europe. What follows is a chronological summary of some of the main stories about the rise of Islam in Belgium and the Netherlands during 2013.
In January, the Belgian branch of the Dutch department store chain HEMA lost a wrongful termination lawsuit filed by a Muslim shop assistant whose contract was not renewed because she refused to stop wearing a hijab, the traditional Islamic headscarf.
The woman, a Belgian convert to Islam, had been employed as temporary sales staff for two months, during which time she wore the hijab at work. But when customers complained, the store manager asked her to remove the headscarf.
After she refused to comply, HEMA declined to extend her contract in sales, but did offer her an alternative job in its warehouse, where she would not have direct contact with clients. She said the alternative job offer was unsatisfactory and then consulted a lawyer.
Lawyers defending the Belgian shop said that to maintain the "neutral and discreet image of HEMA, the shop did not want employees wearing any kind of religious symbols."
But a labor court in the nearby Belgian city of Tongeren ruled that HEMA did not have a clearly stated policy on headscarves and thus had no valid justification to dismiss the woman. The court ordered HEMA to pay the 21-year-old woman €9,000 ($12,000), the equivalent of six month's salary, as compensation.
According to the Centre for Equal Opportunities and Opposition to Racism, an NGO that helped bring the woman's case to trial, the main purpose of the legal action was to clarify how far a company can go in seeking to present a "neutral image" to its customers. The NGO believes neutrality cannot be invoked as a genuine and determining occupational requirement, and says it is not self-evident that neutrality can amount to a legitimate goal if and when it is chiefly invoked to please a private company's clients.
Also in January, the gangland shootings of two young Moroccan men in downtown Amsterdam drew renewed attention to the growing problem of violent crime among Muslim immigrants. The two men were gunned down with AK-47 assault rifles in a shooting the mayor of Amsterdam, Eberhard van der Laan, described as reminiscent of "the Wild West."
According to the Amsterdam-based newspaper Het Parool, young Moroccans continue their "unstoppable march to become the largest group of violent criminals" in the country, despite decades of government programs aimed at steering young Muslims away from a life of crime. Moroccan gangsters specialize mainly in robberies of banks and jewelry stores, as well as in drug trafficking, according to Het Parool.
Meanwhile, the Dutch newspaper Trouw reported that the Protestant Church of the Netherlands is planning to close up to 800 of its 2,000 churches around the country due to the dwindling number of practicing Christians. Critics of the move say many of these buildings are likely to be converted into mosques.
In February, Members of the Belgian Parliament introduced a bill that would limit the power of Muslim extremists who win elected office at the local or national levels and isolate themselves from the political mainstream.
The move came after members of the newly established Islam Party vowed to implement Islamic Sharia law in Belgium.
Addressing the Belgian Parliament on February 28, Alain Destexhe, an MP with the Reformist Movement [Mouvement Réformateur], the largest French-speaking classical liberal party in Belgium, and Philippe Pivin, a liberal MP who is also the deputy mayor of Koekelberg, a suburb of Brussels, said it is imperative to curb the power of elected Muslims whose beliefs are inconsistent with the European Convention on Human Rights.
The Strasbourg-based European Court of Human Rights ruled in February 2003 that Islamic Sharia law is "incompatible with the fundamental principles of democracy." The court said that a legal system based on Sharia law "would diverge from the European Convention on Human Rights, particularly with regard to the rules on the status of women, and its intervention in all spheres of private and public life in accordance with religious precepts."
Destexhe said the measure is necessary because Muslim politicians in Belgium are creating isolated communities and parallel societies. "The people of the Islam Party refuse to shake hands with women," he said. "They do not want to mix with others in public transport and other communal places. They advocate getting married and wearing a veil at 12 years old, based on Islamic law."
Also in February, the growing problem of rampant anti-Semitism among Muslim high school students in Arnhem, a city in eastern Holland that has a large Muslim population, was brought to the fore after Turkish students interviewed by NTR public television said they approved of the murder of millions of Jews during World War II and called the Jewish Holocaust "a blessing."
The February 24 broadcast of the NTR program "Unauthorized Authority" [Onbevoegd Gezag] shows a 15-year-old Turkish boy saying: "I hate Jews. It is clear. This thought cannot be taken away from me. I am very pleased with what Hitler did to the Jews." (Six minute video here, in Dutch.) The Turkish boys said in the program that many Dutch friends agree with them.
After the creator of the program, Mehmet Sahin, publicly reprimanded the boys, he was forced to go into hiding due to death threats from members of the Muslim community, who accused Sahin of being a "Jewish agent" and a "collaborator."
Dutch public prosecutors said the boy had violated Article 137c of the Dutch Penal Code, which restricts hate speech. But they decided not to prosecute the boy after he said he was sorry for his remarks.
The Centre for Information and Documentation on Israel (CIDI), an anti-Semitism watchdog group, called on Dutch Education Minister Jet Bussemaker to investigate the rise of anti-Semitic prejudices among high school students in Holland.
Meanwhile, a new research report, entitled "Youth Groups and Violence," found that more than 1,200 youth gangs are active in the Netherlands, and about 300 of these gangs are extremely violent. The report, which was produced under the auspices of the Dutch Ministry of Security and Justice, said the gangs of mostly Moroccan youths operate on the national and international levels and specialize in muggings, armed robberies, house invasions, violent drug crimes and extortion.
In March, the Dutch public broadcasting system NOS television reported that the Netherlands has become one of the major European suppliers of Islamic jihadists. According to NOS, about 100 Dutch Muslims are active as jihadists in Syria; most have joined the notorious Jabhat al-Nusra rebel group.
As in other European countries, Dutch counter-terrorism experts are worried that Dutch jihadists will bring their war-fighting skills back to the Netherlands.
On March 13, the Dutch government raised its alert level for terrorist attacks from "limited" to "substantial." In a statement, the National Coordinator for Security and Counterterrorism (NCTV), a government agency within the Security and Justice Ministry, said: "The chance of an attack in the Netherlands or against Dutch interests abroad has risen. Close to a hundred individuals have recently left the Netherlands for various countries in Africa and the Middle East, especially Syria." The agency said individuals fighting for radical Islam abroad could return and "inspire others in the Netherlands to follow in their footsteps."
On March 16, the Dutch daily newspaper Trouw reported that the Justice Ministry lacks effective measures at its disposal to prevent Dutch jihadists from embarking on their foreign adventures. The paper noted that Dutch courts have so far been unable to prosecute Dutch jihadists for travelling to foreign battlefields.
Trouw describes the trial in a Rotterdam court of three Dutch Kurds, arrested in November 2012 just before travelling to Syria to join jihadist fighters there. Prosecutors accused the three of "taking preparatory actions for the purpose of committing terrorist offenses." But the case stalled because it was unclear which terrorist actions the three were planning to commit in Syria.
In neighboring Belgium, the daily newspaper De Standaard reported on March 11 that at least 70 members of the outlawed Sharia4Belgium, a Muslim group that wants to turn Belgium into an Islamic state, are actively fighting in Syria. The paper noted that that most of the Belgian jihadists are "young people, between the ages of 17 and 25, who grew up here. They are young people without qualifications and often with criminal records. They come from Antwerp, Brussels, Mechelen and Vilvoorde."
De Standaard reported that the Belgian security services are "particularly concerned about what will happen when the military-trained 'drop-outs,' after the war from Syria, return to our country." The paper added that it has been difficult to prosecute jihadists in Belgian courts, as the uprising against Assad is "generally regarded as legitimate."
The newspaper pointed to a recent court case in the Belgian city of Mechelen, where 13 Muslim extremists were acquitted of being members of a terrorist organization. The court said that although there was evidence that the jihadists travelled to Chechnya in Russia, there was no evidence that they fought there as members of a terrorist group.
On March 26, the center-right newspaper La Libre reported that Wallonia, the French-speaking southern region of Belgium, officially renamed the four major Christian holidays on the Belgian school calendar with secular names in the interests of "administrative simplification."
From now on, school calendars within Belgium's French speaking community will permanently use the following terminology: the Christian holiday previously known as All Saints Day will now be referred to as Autumn Leave; Christmas Vacation is now Winter Vacation; Lenten Vacation is now Rest and Relaxation Leave; and Easter is now Spring Vacation.
Critics of the move to "de-Christianize" the Christian holidays said it reflects an ongoing effort by Belgian politicians to remove Christianity from public life to accommodate a burgeoning Muslim population.
Also in March, several Dutch Moroccan organizations sent a letter to the Labor Party (Partij van de Arbeid, PvdA) in which they threatened to urge Dutch Moroccans to stop supporting the party if it agrees to a proposal by its Minister of Social Affairs, Lodewijk Asscher, to cut social welfare payments to Moroccans who do not live in the Netherlands. Asscher accused the organizations of using an "improper electoral threat."
Meanwhile, the mayor of the Belgian city of Liège, Willy Demeyer (PS), banned a protest march against the construction of a Turkish mega-mosque in the city.
Muslims want to build the largest mosque in Wallonia (the French-speaking region of Belgium) on an 11,000 m² (118,000 ft²) plot. The project consists of a main building with a capacity for 1,000 worshippers, a library, a cafeteria and several shops.
Plans to build two 30 meter (98 foot) minarets were scrapped after opposition from local residents. The new plan involves one 18 meter (60 foot) minaret which will be automatically illuminated during calls to prayer.
In April, more than 200 Belgian police carried out dozens of raids and arrested six Islamists—including Fouad Belkacem (alias Abu Imran), the pugnacious ringleader of a Belgian Salafist group called Sharia4Belgium—suspected of recruiting foreign fighters for the war in Syria.
Fouad Belkacem (alias Abu Imran), the leader of Belgian Salafist group Sharia4Belgium. (Image source: MEMRI TV)
The raids were conducted in the northern port city of Antwerp and in Vilvoorde, which is situated about 20 kilometers north of Brussels, home to most of the young Belgians who are known to have departed for Syria.
According to the public prosecutor's office, the objective of the police operation was two-fold: to deter other volunteer jihadists from departing for Syria, and to determine whether a group known as Sharia4Belgium "is a terrorist group," belonging to which is an offense that carries a 10-year jail term.
The public prosecutor's office said one of those arrested was Belkacem, a well-known Antwerp-based Islamist who is the main spokesman for Sharia4Belgium, and who has long called for turning Belgium into an Islamic state.
Although Belkacem had previously been sentenced to two years in prison in February 2012 for incitement to hatred and violence towards non-Muslims, he was released from prison in February 2013 and allowed to serve the rest of his sentence at home, provided he wore an ankle-strap monitor and promised not to speak with his followers. His re-arrest implies that he violated the terms of his release.
Belgian prosecutor Eric Van Der Sypt told a news conference that "the investigation shows that Sharia4Belgium is part of a broad international jihadist movement," accused of providing ideological and martial arts training, organizing violent activities in Belgium and recruiting Islamist fighters for conflicts abroad. Van Der Sypt said Belgian authorities were aware of 33 people with links to Sharia4Belgium who were either fighting with, or on their way to fight with, al-Qaeda-inspired jihadists in Syria.
According to Stanny De Vlieger, the director of the federal judicial police in Antwerp, "The investigation shows that members of Sharia4Belgium have joined Salafi jihadists inspired by al-Qaeda and they appear to have participated in combat and even in the kidnapping and execution of those they call 'infidels.'"
Also in April, a new survey of Muslim youth in Flanders, the Dutch-speaking northern half of Belgium, found that only 30% of Muslim males between the ages of 15 and 25 feel as though they are accepted by Flemish society. This figure drops to 25% for Muslim females in the same age group.
The survey, published by the daily newspaper Gazet van Antwerpen on April 19, shows that 60% of Muslim youths believe that they will never be integrated into Belgian society. One in three of those surveyed say that he or she has been discriminated against at school, and one in five say they have been discriminated against at work. More than 50% say they have been victims of racism. Although 93% of those surveyed have Belgian citizenship, 42% of them say they consider themselves to be foreigners.
The results were virtually unchanged from a similar survey conducted in 2005, and imply that years of government efforts to make Belgium more multicultural have done nothing to change the minds of Muslim youths.
According to the Flemish Minister for integration, Geert Bourgeois, Muslim youths should work harder and complain less. "That so many young people feel discriminated against and do not feel accepted means that our society still has a lot of work to do. It's actually an 'us-them' story. We as a society can and should still make an extra effort, but conversely, Muslim youth should do more as well. Perhaps an inverted research shows that we just think that young Muslims do not belong because they do not want to belong," Bourgeois said.
In May, the Dutch newspaper Trouw reported that a part of the Schilderswijk district of The Hague has become an Islamic enclave run by fundmentalist Muslims who are forcing Muslims and non-Muslims to comply with Sharia law on the street.
The enclave -- which is known as the Sharia Triangle and also "the point of the sword" -- is home to an estimated 5,000 Muslims who have established a "mini-caliphate" run according to Sharia law. Muslims in the enclave have banned the smoking of cigarettes, the use of alcohol and the sale or consumption of pork on the streets. Muslims have ordered Dutch police out of the neighborhood because the local residents "can solve their problems themselves."
Trouw asked the municipality of The Hague for a response, but could not get a "careful and substantive response" regarding this "complex issue."
Also in May, an opinion poll published by NCRV public television and radio found that nearly three-quarters (73%) of Dutch Muslims believe that Muslims who travel to participate in jihad in Syria are heroes. Most Muslims (75%) surveyed believe that those who want to leave for Syria should be free to do so and do not want them to be arrested and prosecuted. Upon their return, they should be accepted back into Dutch society and their Dutch passports should not be revoked.
In June, the Ibn Ghaldoun Muslim High School in Rotterdam was involved in the biggest exam fraud in Dutch history. At least 27 types of exams were stolen from the school's safe, and then copied and sold, sometimes to students in other towns and cities for between €20 ($27) and €250 ($340).
The investigation began when a French exam was posted online, apparently by a whistleblower trying to demonstrate how easy it was to get hold of advance copies.
Students who saw the advance copies were given an ultimatum to admit their role in the fraud and retake their exams, or face having their diplomas cancelled if they were caught out by the inquiry. Although 26 pupils came forward, Deputy Minister of Education Sander Dekker said he believed more students were involved and called it "very regrettable" that more had not taken up the offer. Police eventually investigated 58 suspects.
In July, Dutch police arrested a 19-year-old Muslim woman who goes by the name Oum Usama ("Mother of Osama") for recruiting Dutch Muslims for the civil war in Syria. Usama, a Dutch national of Somali origin, was arrested in Zoetermeer, a city in western Holland.
The arrest came after complaints by several parents of Dutch Muslims who have traveled to Syria. The arrest led to protests by Muslims outside of Dutch embassies in several European countries. The website "The True Religion" ["De Ware Religie"] published a letter warning of potential retribution for the arrest, including the abduction of Dutch citizens in Muslim countries.
Public prosecutors have said that while authorities cannot stop would-be fighters from leaving the country, they can combat recruitment, which is against the law and carries a sentence of up to four years in jail or a fine of €78,000 ($106,000). Nevertheless, such cases are difficult to prove and there have been no successful prosecutions of Muslims on recruitment charges to date.
Oum Usama was freed after ten days and eventually surfaced in Syria under the name Oum Usama al Muhajirah.
In August, the Catholic University of Leuven, the oldest university in Belgium and one that has been a major contributor to the development of Roman Catholic theology for more than 500 years, announced that it would offer a degree in Islamic theology beginning in 2014.
The decision by KU Leuven, as the university is commonly known, to focus on Islam follows similar moves by other leading universities in Europe and reflects the growing influence of Islam on the continent.
Belgian opinion-shapers cast an overwhelmingly positive light on KU Leuven's decision to teach Islamic theology, a move that has been closely coordinated with the government in Flanders, the Dutch-speaking northern part of Belgium.
But critics said such efforts to create a "European Islam" are naïve and misguided, and will serve only to contribute to the "mainstreaming" of a religious and political ideology that is intrinsically opposed to all aspects of the European way of life.
Also in August, it emerged that the government of Kuwait was paying the salaries of Muslim leaders in Amsterdam to promote Islam in the Netherlands. According to the newspaper Het Parool, the Kuwaiti Ministry of Islamic Affairs is financing operations of the Blue Mosque situated in the Sloterdijk district of Amsterdam.
According to an analysis published by the Investigative Project on Terrorism, Kuwait is tying Dutch and other European Muslims directly into the Muslim Brotherhood through a complex network of financial, non-profit and religious organizations in an effort to fund the growth of radical Islam in the West.
In September, military police at Amsterdam's Schiphol airport suspended a Muslim woman because of fears she could be a danger to national security. The woman, identified only as Sabra R, is part of a team charged with combating terrorism and crime. According to the newspaper De Telegraaf, the security services worried she could be susceptible to the influence of radical Muslims.
Military police became suspicious when the woman failed to tell the security service that one of her relatives gave a statement in relation to the Hofstad group terrorism trial in 2005. The Hofstad group was |
= event_port.get_network(); let addr = args[2].to_socket_addrs()?.next().expect( "could not parse address", ); let address = network.get_tcp_address(addr); let stream = address.connect().wait(wait_scope, &mut event_port)?; let network = Box::new(twoparty::VatNetwork::new( stream.clone(), stream, rpc_twoparty_capnp::Side::Client, Default::default(), )); let mut rpc_system = RpcSystem::new(network, None); let hello: hello::Client = rpc_system.bootstrap(rpc_twoparty_capnp::Side::Server); let mut request = hello.hello_request(); request.get().set_name(&args[3]); let _result = request.send().promise.then(|response| { let response = pry!(pry!(response.get()).get_response()); println!("{}", response); Promise::ok(()) }).wait(wait_scope, &mut event_port); Ok(()) }).expect("top level error"); }
The code above initiates the connection with the Server and creates an hello::Client.
Now let's focus on this portion:
let _result = request.send().promise.then(|response| { let response = pry!(pry!(response.get()).get_response()); println!("{}", response); Promise::ok(()) }).wait(wait_scope, &mut event_port);
A lot is happening there. In our case, we call the send() method on request to remotely call hello() on the server. What send() does is returning a Promise<T, E>. Now the problem is that we want to do something with the response received from the server.
Using then(), we can handle the result of the execution with a callback when the promise is fulfilled. It takes the promised result as a parameter for immediate computation or returning a new result.
Finally, wait() blocks for the promise to be fulfilled. Without wait(), the function would exit and close the connection prematurely without waiting for the result.
Hello Stranger!
It's time to test our program. First check that your project builds successfully with cargo build.
Open two shells and cd in the target/debug directory, to start the server:
./hello server 127.0.0.1:6578
For the client:
./hello client 127.0.0.1:6578 Bob
You should see the following result:
On the Client:
Hello Bob!
On the Server:
received request for greetings!
Sources
You can find the sources for this example on this GitHub repository.
For more advanced examples on how to use Capn'proto and RPC, see these Capn'proto rpc examples.A thief who was preparing to blow up an ATM has pulled a homeless man to safety after the vagrant wandered into the blast zone.
CCTV camera from the convenience store in Sao Paulo, Brazil, captured the moment a gang of thieves stormed into the shop and wired up the ATM.
Clad in hoodies and helmets, two of the bandits can be seen fiddling with the front of the ATM for several seconds while another thief empties the register.
The group then burst out onto the street and begin to run off before one of the thugs' spots a homeless man wandering past the blast zone.
At first, after appearing to yell at the man the thief then runs towards him and grabs him by the scruff of the neck before pulling him in the opposite direction.
Seconds later, the bomb explodes.
Thankfully, both men manage to escape harm.
At this stage it is unknown if the thieves have been captured.
Source: Diario
© Nine Digital Pty Ltd 2019This is an edited extract of the 2016 A. N. Smith Lecture in Journalism, delivered by Emily Bell, the founding director of Columbia University’s Tow Centre for Digital Journalism, at the University of Melbourne on March 15, 2017.
The 2016 US presidential election tells us a great deal about the current state of the news media and, more importantly, about the information environment we are operating within. Some of it is shocking, some is deeply worrying, and some of it is hopeful.
There are four key things Donald Trump’s election tells us about the state of journalism today.
The new fusion of media, power and technology
It is the early morning of Sunday, March 5. All over the east coast of America, journalists’ phones vibrate with alerts. So it begins: the president is awake, and he is angry.
It is as well, with the terrible decline in the popularity of The Apprentice, that we have another mesmerising show to keep us on our toes.
Imagine being an American political journalist. Every Saturday and Sunday at 6AM or 7AM, your phone buzzes with a message from the president.
Barack Obama “had my wires tapped in Trump Tower”. Quite a serious allegation. Presidents have been impeached for less. Press Secretary Sean Spicer was at pains to point out the next week that this is not literally what Trump had meant – it was a broader referral to the activities of agencies and surveillance during the campaign.
Welcome to 2017 in the United States of America, where we can experience government in real time, sometimes even before the people in power find out about it themselves.
As journalists who cover Trump have told me, the president, like his audience, reads newspapers and watches cable news. This is why he tweets early in the morning, often about stories that broke on social media the previous day. He opens the “failing” New York Times and, provoked by their “fake news”, he is off.
Trump might not spend much time on social media but he has an acute understanding of how virality in media works, and what the dynamics are that are needed to activate an online following to amplify your message.
How to cover the president is an abiding press topic, because he is unlike any president most have ever seen. Invitations to press conferences where journalists were ignored or insulted. Press huddles that suddenly elevated outlets like OANN or Breitbart above the “failing” New York Times and the “fake news” Washington Post.
In elevating Breitbart’s Steve Bannon to be his chief strategist, Trump has consolidated the idea of putting media presence at the heart of his administration.
There were many media commentaries suggesting that journalists should boycott the press room at the White House. Another extended hand-wringing session took place around whether or not to cover Trump’s tweets at all – again, were the media being played? Was access journalism getting in the way of real stories? And there were questions on how to deal with Trump’s apparent lack of interest in whether something was true or not.
What has happened is that Trump’s Twitter feed and the White House press room have become the live rails of this administration. If you start to think about Trump and Bannon as a media organisation run from the Oval Office, it makes sense that the PR channels of the press room and a Twitter feed with 25 million followers are actually now live policy theatre.
The tweeting, the press conferences and the rallies are confusing for us because they feel like smokescreens. Even more unsettling is the notion that they are not smokescreens at all, but they are the actual presidency.
Political messaging on social media has come of age in a powerful way. In the election of Rodrigo Duterte in the Philippines, we saw similar patterns of deployment as we did in the Trump campaign: tight circles of hyperactive fans and bots on social media that co-ordinate to tweet hashtags signalling the campaign’s most important messages in a repetitious cycle: #TrumpWon, #CrookedHillary, #HillarysHealth.
These are commonly used tactics, and they are bipartisan. Hillary Clinton’s campaign was just as active in similar ways.
But, for Trump, the use of real-time communication was not simply an election tactic: it is his modus operandi. Effectively, the substance of the US government is being shaped by a social media app.
Reuters/Kevin Lamarque
Online media reinforce homogeneity of view
According to the Pew Research Centre in the US, more than 70% of the population now has a smartphone. Of that universe, more than 60% get news through social media. Around 45% of US adults say they get news from Facebook. This is an enormous amount of power concentrated in one newsfeed algorithm.
For more than a decade, 1,000 flowers bloomed on the open web, and 1,000 tabs opened on each desktop.
This diversity is threatened with the commercialised, mobile social web. Smartphones and social media, which work in lock-step to focus our attention on the smaller screen, have been a great rebundling of news services – and a great rebundling of all services.
Facebook, I once observed, was swallowing journalism. But it is also swallowing everything else too.
As the user base has grown from millions to hundreds of millions to billions, the sorting algorithms target us not to show us everything – that would be unmanageable and absurd – but to show us each our own heavily personalised version of the world.
The ubiquity of social media and the way its business model works, targeting us with more of what we like, is an open invitation to stay in our lane – in our interests, our geographies, our views, our media and our lives.
The really efficient thing about social media is we don’t have to even try to do that ourselves anymore. The mysterious algorithmic underpinnings of Google and Facebook do it for us, and we don’t even notice. Until we miss something that happened in someone else’s lane. For liberal America, Trump happened in someone else’s lane.
Breitbart, more than any other news site, represents the noisy voice of the far right. Two weeks ago, the Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society at Harvard released a paper that looked at how a large, fast-growing, right-wing news ecosystem had grown rapidly within Facebook in a relatively short time. Breitbart is the epicentre of that particular echo chamber.
The researchers mapped how that particular ecosystem works. They noted that most of the new hyper-partisan right-wing websites saw few links with the mainstream media, that the readership on the right was more isolated, and that the sites were very efficient in recycling the same themes – Trump’s anti-immigration stance, and Clinton’s emails.
As the campaign wore on the Harvard study notes the attacks were routinely targeted at both Clinton and the “mainstream media”. These messages were also repeated often by Trump. The campaign for him was arguably never about policy development: it was about a ratings-driven approach to winning.
The study’s authors say:
Use of disinformation by partisan media sources is neither new nor limited to the right wing, but the insulation of the partisan right-wing media from traditional journalistic media sources, and the vehemence of its attacks on journalism in common cause with a similarly outspoken president, is new and distinctive.
One of the remarkable things about the 2016 election was how the two worlds of polarised opinion could co-exist without any central arbitration by more moderate “connectors”.
The independent press should have a role here to moderate and foster argument from the point of view of trying to reach a broad consensus. But there is only a small incentive left to do that.
Watching a Trump press conference on Facebook Live video streamed from the Washington Post’s page showed only glowering angry emoji faces. The same stream, viewed from Fox News’ page, had only smiles.
I have wondered more than once during this election cycle whether the American media landscape is particularly badly affected by the encroachment and rise of newer, less-well-known and more-partisan forces because it lacks an equivalent of the ABC or BBC.
Reuters/Regis Duvignau
Obsession with ‘fake news’ obscures the real problems
There is something mesmerising about watching what happens when people are able to continually lie without facing the consequences.
After his initial Obama wiretapping accusations, Trump officials adjusted their body language about the reasons to believe, or not believe, that this “wiretap” had happened.
The story seems to have originated on right-wing talk radio and was picked up by other right-wing media, and then repeated by Trump on Twitter. If this is not true, though, what are the consequences?
Does a lack of truth matter? The tweet is not about the truth: it is about enriching a distracting narrative.
As a profession and a field we have to acknowledge the role we have played over many years in creating a commercial media environment that places higher priority on readership, ratings and reach than on the absolute integrity of information.
The open web was meant to make this better. It was initially a great big engine for correcting and contesting what is published. Instead, on balance, the form of the web we have at the moment enables bad journalism as much as, or maybe even more than, it helps good journalism.
The key to this is in the workings of the advertising market. It is increasingly automated, and decreasingly regulated.
In a digital microtargeted environment, ads are sold not against the integrity of the publication hosting them, but on the value of the person seeing them. Why pay the Wall Street Journal’s ad rates when you can buy one of their desirable readers a couple of sites or pages away?
And how to engage those readers? Well, good jokes and sensational content works better than nuance and complexity.
A combination of human nature, commercial marketplaces and sophisticated large-scale technology has combined to produce almost-perfect conditions for the proliferation of lowest-common-denominator material. The “fake news” epidemic is not new either, but the electrifying possibility it might have contributed to upending democracy has pushed it to the forefront of the debate.
I am not a fan of the phrase “fake news”. The term in Trump’s hands can mean “news you don’t need to pay attention to” or “news I don’t like”. We ought to be calling propaganda what it is, and calling misinformation and lies what they are too.
Buzzfeed media editor Craig Silverman has been into this issue for years. In 2015 he wrote a white paper for the Tow Centre entitled Lies, Damn Lies and Viral Content. It looked at the growth of precisely this epidemic in rumours that circulate through social media at lightning speed and are proliferated and amplified by mainstream news outlets at a much higher rate than they are ever corrected.
It was in the course of doing this work that Silverman started to notice the same patterns confirmed by the Harvard research – notably that the hyper-partisan websites, particularly of the right, were the powerhouses for a particular type of disinformation.
The incentives for feeding made-up stories or maybe even sentiments and stories into this cycle are twofold. First, they are political. Second, they are financial.
In the election these fabricated stories soared in popularity, outperforming the real news stories on Facebook in the closing stages of the campaign.
These were both propagandistic and opportunistic.
“Fake news” was undoubtedly put out by both sides during the election to benefit their preferred candidate. But another type of fakery was manufactured, quite legally, by people who can exploit the attention market for great profit. Someone who actually makes fake news (or, rather, used to) told me he could make US$10,000 from a single post.
In the future, we will see both the automation and more authentic fabrication of material. It is not clear that the platform companies are winning the war with faked propagandistic messages. But it is clear that they have been too relaxed about the type of material that circulates, whether for political or economic advantage.
If the advertising model rewards popularity and shareability – regardless of originality, value and quality – then it is little wonder that it provides a living for a Macedonian teenager but not enough to support core reporting functions in local newsrooms.
Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has said he does not want to be the “arbiter of truth” – which is lucky, because at the moment that is a distant aspiration. Perhaps a more achievable aspiration is not to be the enemy of truth either.
There is a cultural confusion within technology companies about how they execute both their ideological and market positions to encourage the maximum participation – but not to edit their platforms.
The major platforms, and Facebook in particular, were unsettled by the result of the 2016 election and the role they might or might not have played in Trump’s surprising rise. Why else would Zuckerberg write a 6,000-word manifesto about the issues facing global citizens and what Facebook could do to fix them?
The social web is visual; it rewards jokes and comments and easily digestible commentary. It rewards feelings and emotions. It rewards intensity of usage and engagement. It does not really care about veracity or verifiability.
Some of this is not new at all. Tabloid newspapers have always had more readership than broadsheets; cartoonists are more famous than op-ed writers. But the uneven distribution of attention on the web, and the algorithmic response to that – broadly promoting more of the same – shows again that the breaking of the distribution monopoly of old media has been replaced by another kind of monopoly, a monopoly of time, or attention.
Fake news has become a meaningless and rather dangerous phrase. But the problem of feeling unsure of what to believe and what not to believe, the obliteration of credible brands and the squeezing of all types of content into the same undelineated window, is very real.
Reuters/Stephen Lam
Journalism matters
In Western democracies we have become used to the luxury of being sceptical and dismissive of the importance of a free press. Now in the White House Press Room, on Twitter and Facebook, in the feed of the president of the United States of America, that dismissiveness has turned to an open hostility.
I know why phrases like “post-truth societies” or “alternative facts” or “fake news” have taken hold as a result of the election. It is important, though, to be able to separate media theory from reality. We are not in fact living in a world where facts and truth don’t exist anymore.
People who care about democracy recognise this, and the US has seen what is known as the “Trump bump” for news organisations with subscription or membership models. The “failing” New York Times has seen almost 300,000 new subscribers join in the last quarter of 2016 – more additional subscribers than the organisation managed in the previous year.
The head of digital at another national subscription-based news organisation noted that:
Every time Trump tweets about how terrible we are, another 10,000 people give us money. It’s incredible.
Non-profit investigative unit ProPublica has seen enough voluntary contributions coming in to enable it to open another office. The Committee to Protect Journalists, a great organisation that does the hardest work in defending and protecting journalists around the world, was invoked by Meryl Streep, that “over-rated actress”, on stage at the Golden Globes.
I was recently at a marketing conference full of marketing executives talking on stage to two Washington Post executives who were given a spontaneous ovation – by advertisers.
Despite the rocky professional outlook, there is no decline in the number of people applying to Columbia Journalism School – quite the opposite.
And, underneath this, we have seen some really remarkable reporting and analysis from the campaign trail and now from inside the administration. Leakers are posting material through Secure Drop to newsrooms at unprecendented rates.
The advent of a president who calls the press “the enemy of the people” has galvanised news organisations and handed them a mandate.
And the light the election campaign has shone on what an information environment can become, without regulation and without a hierarchy that reflects civic values, I think has rejuvenated the case for a strong and independent press.
Even Zuckerberg recognises the importance of journalism. On President’s Day weekend, he posed outside the offices of the Selma Times-Journal with his wife, Priscilla Chan, and thanked journalists for their work. Via a Facebook post, of course.
In his 6,000 word manifesto he wrote about what Facebook might do to support journalism more:
There is more we must do to support the news industry to make sure this vital social function is sustainable – from growing local news, to developing formats best suited to mobile devices, to improving the range of business models news organisations rely on.
He did not mention a significant transfer of wealth – but maybe that is coming.
What we have seen in the 2016 election cycle though is very clarifying for journalism. We have seen that the information ecosystem has grown in ways that work against the interests of civic society and good journalism.
The functions of journalism – from the packaging and distribution, to the audiences and branding, to the data collection, and crucially the monetisation – have all been subsumed by much larger systems of power and wealth.
Until very recently, technology platforms were ambivalent or even hostile to the idea that they might bear some responsibility for creating a better public sphere. The election cycle of 2016 has shone a light on that too. There is no such thing as algorithmic neutrality. Platforms and technologies have values, and if they carry consequences, intended and accidental.
Recently, a smart, local start-up in upstate New York, the Watershed Post, announced it could not do what it was doing anymore. A very technically literate two-person team had set up the Watershed Post as a new model for local journalism. Founder Lissa Harris wrote about why they could no longer carry on:
The titans of the web have huge and increasing reach, even in our rural communities. They have sophisticated tools for targeting likely customers by geography and demographics. They have products that a business owner can buy for $5 with a few clicks of a mouse, products that require no human time investment on the other end for design or sales or customer support. What they don’t have is reporters.
Journalism matters, but the institutions that support and contain reporting are only healthy if they have subscribers, or vast scale, or another source of revenue. In the US, this increasingly means philanthropy, or a return to the wealthy individual sinking hundreds of millions into an uncertain future.
And the promise of the open web – that it would support all type of new journalistic institutions – is unfulfilled.
Reporting, unlike memes and jokes and native advertising, does not scale well on the privatised social mobile web. This is not the fault of one set of people; I don’t believe that the founders of platforms and search companies wanted to destabilise functions that are civically important but financially insecure. And I don’t believe the generation of creative, technically gifted journalists who are struggling with this necessarily did anything wrong either.
The problem is more that the speed of the emerging landscape for media has been so quick, and largely illegible, so free of regulation in nearly all aspects, that rather like financial deregulation before it, we haven’t been able to really grasp the problem until it is almost too late.
I say “almost” because, as an eternal optimist, I think we have an opportunity to make the right interventions to press for systems that favour sustainable journalism. But we have to be organised, and we have to do it now.
We need better collective action in understanding the complexity of the problems, and we need institutions that will not be buffeted by the markets to help work these problems out in the long term.
We also need the attention, wealth and influence of technology companies.
I have been dismayed as a bystander to see how institutions like the BBC in the UK and the ABC to some extent in Australia are not apparently part of the central conversation for this resettlement for journalism. Their own issues are too often framed in terms of the market and not often enough in terms of civic need and what we might require independent media institutions to do to protect democracy.
Too often we have given into the Silicon Valley narrative that old institutions are inevitably going to perish.
The “free market of information” on the web erases the necessity for old-fashioned public interventions, doesn’t it? The market will fix everything, won’t it? I could not disagree more.
Leadership in public-service journalism institutions is at a critical moment where it can redefine its role in relationship to this new landscape; where it can make a strong case for the support of reporting and innovation that can endure separately from the alternate systems of tech power.
Public media is not the only solution, but it is an important element in figuring out how we manage our way through a complicated and rapidly changing commercial converged marketplace.
I was recently at a rather curious gathering in the UK countryside – between NGOs, government, technology companies and journalists – to talk about the crisis in news and information. I can’t do better than repeat the words of one of the attendees:They call him the ‘young Gandhi’ in his village of Thennur in Tamil Nadu. Like Gandhi, he returned from abroad with a renewed commitment to his environment — to work with the infirm, the young and the needy. It’s been 10 years and his work is having some amazing impact on the ground.
Senthil Nathan had a life anyone coming from a small village in India could only dream of. Born in Thennur village near Trichy in Tamil Nadu, he had a good job in the US where he earned over Rs. 2 lakhs every month.
But good money and a comfortable life abroad were not things that Senthil fancied. He yearned to come back to his roots and help the people of his village.
“I finished my schooling from Trichy and then completed my graduation. After experiencing a few years in the corporate world of Bangalore, I went to the US in 1999,” recollects Senthil.
Like many others, Senthil too wanted to earn a lot of money. But not for himself. He went abroad so that he could save enough to come back to his village and work for the betterment of his people.
By 2004, Senthil had decided to return to Tamil Nadu. Although he was heading a new business initiative in a big corporate house in the US, Senthil had had enough. He knew he had to come back.
“The decision was not a sudden one. I always knew what I eventually wanted to do. Settling abroad for a few years was also just a part of that plan,” says Senthil.
In 2005, Senthil started an NGO Payir, with the aim of bringing holistic development to the village of Thennur.
A step towards better health
Senthil’s first initiative was community health work in villages that come under the Thennur panchayat. He engaged local people and started a network of health workers who gradually built trust within the community.
“This is one of the most backward districts of Tamil Nadu. Malnourishment among children is a common issue. A recent survey says that 75 percent of government school children are underweight and 42 percent are severely malnourished. This is despite the noon meal scheme. A big reason for this is that parents don’t know a lot about nutrition and the role of wholesome food. Further, the noon meal scheme is focused on providing a traditional lunch, but it does not ensure that children consume a variety of vegetables and grains — it is budget-driven,” says Senthil.
Senthil partnered with the state government and started a supplementary nutrition program for adolescent girls in government schools. Senthil and his team distribute nutritious laddoos and milk to girls aged 11 to 17. Each laddoo adds about 450 calories to a child’s daily intake.
Payir currently reaches out to over 3,300 girls from 18 schools in the Thennur area. The team makes 120 kgs of laddoos every day and makes sure the girls receive them on time.
Though the government provides most of the funding for this initiative, it is not enough. Payir’s estimated budget for the program is Rs.1.25 crores annually, and the government contribution roughly comes to Rs. 98 lakhs. “Thankfully, a few companies (like my former employer) have come forward to bridge the gap. We also get some individual donations which help us continue our work,” says Senthil.
Improving education standards
Another aspect of life in the area that required immediate intervention was education. Senthil started a nursery and primary school for kids who had dropped out from mainstream schools. This school has 50 students and uses interesting techniques to educate children and help them absorb concepts that they may otherwise find difficult. Senthil has hired five teachers from the village to take care of the school.
The Payir team also uses the premises of the school to help older children from surrounding schools. The team conducts workshops on health, careers, life skills, gender sensitivity, and other topics for these children.
But Senthil soon realised that reaching out to just 50 students was not enough. Hence, he decided to collaborate with the government schools too. “The government infrastructure in schools in Tamil Nadu is pretty good. But our goal is to provide locally relevant knowledge and skills, as well as an appreciation for a wider range of subjects. We partner with government schools in an effort to bridge staffing and skill gaps and minimize the number of children left behind,” says Senthil.
To take his government school initiative further, Senthil started a residential program for dropouts of government schools too. Supported by the District Collector, the project is expected to have about 30 students by the end of the year.
Senthil recalls a girl named Deepa who was a school dropout and could not continue her studies after 9th grade due to financial restrictions. Payir identified her and extended all the necessary support to the girl. She did not only finish her schooling but is now pursuing an engineering degree. There are many other kids like Deepa who have received a second chance at education with the help of Payir.
Livelihood for all
Apart from education and health, Payir also works to improve livelihood options for villagers. The team has started various small initiatives to help the villagers achieve financial stability.
“We work with farmers in our neighbourhood to help them adopt sustainable practices to minimize crop loss and maximize productivity and revenue. We run a five-acre farm, which we use as a demonstrator for some of these practices. Though we have faced some setbacks due to drought conditions in the area, we want to continue promoting agriculture,” says Senthil.
Since Thennur and nearby areas are drought-prone, Payir has come up with various alternate livelihood options to help villagers when the climatic conditions do not support agriculture in the area.
Payir has engaged local villagers and created non-agricultural employment opportunities in fields like food processing, sewing, and even IT and BPO. For instance, the nutrition project funded by the government and executed in the villages employs over 30 people for food processing, logistics and data entry.
“We have also incubated a women’s self-help group that makes and sells bags. We have found a few retailers that buy from us. However, there is still opportunity to grow here. For instance, the more customers we find for our food processing, IT and BPO services, as well as our bags, the more people we can train and employ,” says Senthil.
Senthil’s IT company is located in the middle of a coconut farm within a village. This company has four employees currently, who are all graduates from the same village. They have a US-based client and are currently working on a $2500 project.
Going the extra mile
Senthil’s simple living and high thinking have earned him the title ‘Young Gandhi’ in his village. He believes in many of Gandhi’s ideologies and says change has to happen from the grassroots level.
“There have to be more choices for the rural population and more opportunities should be given to them for a better life,” says Senthil.
Having spent most of his savings on his work, which started with just 10 panchayats but now extends to 39 panchayats, Senthil now relies on support from other like-minded individuals.
“I believe it’s better to have small individual donations rather than big corporate ones because then a lot more people get to become part of the cause,” says Senthil.
Started with a staff of just eight people, Payir now has over 100 people working for this noble cause. The team has reached out to over 4,500 kids and over 8,000 adults through its work. And the numbers are increasing every year.
In the future, the team would like to work more extensively with nutrition for rural children. Senthil also wants to work with rural youth and help them find better career options.
You too can be part of Senthil’s mission, not just by donating money but also helping him in the field.
Check out their website for more details.
Like this story? Or have something to share? Write to us: contact@thebetterindia.com, or connect with us on Facebook and Twitter (@thebetterindia).Reader JWT writes:
RF, a few friends, and I were shooting out on my range at a dueling tree. After having to shoot one steel paddle no less than 4 times with my 9mm service pistol to get the paddle to swing, I commented on how much I hated the 9mm, and the 5.56 NATO as well, and how I had never seen a single shot kill from those rounds, even at close ranges, and even from head shots.
Robert asked, “Seen a few people shot, have you?”
I responded, “hundreds”. Then he asked me to share...
I hate sharing, but I’ve been all over the world and I have seen a whole lot of people shot, stabbed, burned, run over, and blown up, and some of you might find this information valuable.
I was an EMT and a trauma tech working on a truck and in a trauma room for about 10 years and I was an army combat medic for eight years. Also — and this is important — when deployed I was almost always part of an “advisor” force. I was technically a “combat advisor” for two tours in Afghanistan, embedded with the Afghan National Army and Afghan National Police force. I’ve done the same thing with host nation National Guard troops in Central America.
I’ve never worked OCONUS on a large US base, and my patients have almost always been local nationals. Few of my patients OCONUS have been American troops, and I am grateful for that. Because of my specific role, and because I was often the closest competent medical provider for an extremely large number of people (sometimes over 20,000), I have treated an inordinant amount of gun shot and blast injuries in places where surgical treatment was often well over an hour away. My average medevac time for an urgent or urgent surgical patient in southern Afghanistan was four hours. That’s a long time to bleed. During my first tour in Afghanistan, I averaged one patient death per day.
I kept mission logs and patient logs. Looking through all my logs, both CONUS and OCONUS, I have recorded 371 gun shot wounds and significant blast injuries. About 20% of my patients were children under the approximate age of 12. About half of the total were blast wounds, primarily from mines and IEDs of all types. But that half represent a much greater number of deaths, and it doesn’t include the dead that didn’t make it to me.
Let me cut to the chase here, if the goal is to live, you would rather be shot close range in the face by a 9X19 or.45ACP round than step on a mine or be in the first 10 yards or so of any significant blast. Blasts cause multiple injuries, and shrapnel from the blast is often travelling far faster than even the fastest modern rifle caliber bullets. Wounding comes from overpressure, penetrating trauma (the vast majority of the injuries) and the body actually being thrown against other objects or the ground. So if the choice is to drive over an Italian anti-tank mine (still a little bitter about that one), or take one in the noggin, I say grin and bear it.
I owe Robert an apology. I did actually record one single-shot kill from a 9X18 (Makarov). It was a contact shot into the center chest on a sleeping target. The victim died immediately. I have also recorded a few single-shot kills from a.45ACP, one from as far out as 60 meters, fired from an HK UMP 45, which one of our team members carried and used with Jedi-like skill. The vast majority of engagements with that weapon, however, were within half that distance and patients usually took several hits. What can I say, he got lucky once.
On the civilian side, I saw only one single-shot kill from a pistol ever, and that was from a.357 magnum, within a living room, probably not more than five yards. The round entered the sternum and exited the spine. In fact, within the US, the vast majority of people that I saw shot lived after receiving medical treatment. That includes attempted suicides. I even had a patient live after a self inflicted shotgun wound to the face. He died of the cancer he was attempting to flee from, months later.
Beyond that, I do have recorded kills with a 9X19, but they all required multiple shots or they all took time to die. Time enough to return fire or flee far enough to have to search for them. I don’t mean seconds of life, either — I mean minutes or hours. I have seen people shot that had to traverse long distances that still got away. And damn that’s frustrating.
In just about every country I have been in, our host nation counterparts — army and police — used the 9X19 NATO round. Because so much of what I did was house-to-house police searches, I’ve seen a lot of pistol shootings, much more than US police would ever see, and much more than experienced by most medics deploying solely with US personnel. And yet, I have zero, not one single experience, where a single gunshot wound from a 9X19 NATO round killed someone prior to them being able to return fire or flee. This includes people shot in the chest, back, back of the head (one hit behind the left ear) the neck and the face. None.
Unfortunately, the same goes for the 5.56 NATO round. I have yet to witness a single shot quick kill with this round. I even recorded a patient shot from less than three feet away, square in the back of the head, who lived. The round did not exit his body. Yes, he was immediately rendered unconscious and required (might I say exceptional) medical treatment. He was comatose for at least six months after that, but he lived.
But more importantly, in every experience, at ranges from zero (negligent discharges) to 35 yards (my closest, and worst-placed, shot on a person) to 400 yards (our average initial engagement distance in Afghanistan) individuals shot with a single 5.56 NATO round had time to fire, maneuver, or both. Did I see single shots that killed eventually? Yes. Does that matter in combat? Not one damn bit if you are the one they are still shooting at.
For those of you who say “just shoot them again,” I would tell you that is actually pretty difficult on a mobile target with cover at 400 meters who is shooting at you. Also, once they get shot they tend to be a little more wary. People are tricky that way. I will never forget the terror of shooting a man, watching the round strike his chest, and then see him lay over |
printing presses in the form of blogs; cheap ways to create, edit, and share videos and photos; and democratized distribution channels such as YouTube and Reddit.
[#contributor: /contributors/5932413644db296121d69eea]||||||
Photographers have used Creative Commons to build their name and reputation – take Scott Beale of Laughing Squid as an example. Writers more focused on spreading their ideas than on reserving their exclusive right for the rest of their life (plus 70 years) have used it to find wider audiences – whether they are academics, or writers of sci-fi for teens like Cory Doctorow.
While CC licenses are used in many ways – sometimes to find a way to make more money, sometimes as a way to simply be part of a shared culture – it has always been about building on the work of fellow citizens.
But that ethos isn’t something espoused by popular photo-sharing site Instagram or its new owner Facebook – which since 2008 has been the net's biggest repository of photos.
Yet you might think those services do believe in the idea of a commons. From Facebook’s statement of its principles:
People should have the freedom to share whatever information they want, in any medium and any format.... People should have the freedom to access all of the information made available to them by others. People should also have practical tools that make it easy, quick, and efficient to share and access this information.
And even more explicitly, in his founder’s letter before the Facebook IPO, CEO Mark Zuckerberg wrote:
Facebook was not originally created to be a company. It was built to accomplish a social mission – to make the world more open and connected.
We should judge a company by its actions, not by its statements.
Say you have a gallery of photos of human rights abuses that you uploaded to Facebook – and that you want the world to see, and newspapers to print. Well, there's no option for that on Facebook.
Try to license an Instagram photo via Creative Commons. It’s not that CC isn't the default mode – there's not even an option for it. You get your copyright for a hundred plus years, and Instagram gets a license for that duration too.
Facebook is about Facebook. Sharing to them means sharing... on Facebook. Connecting with other people means connecting with other people... on Facebook. Like the old joke about fortune cookies, you have to append “on Facebook” to get the real meaning.
>Creative Commons embodied an ethos of sharing that went beyond just show-and-tell.
Instagram is still young, so perhaps it can buck its corporate master. But it’s yet to show a commitment to doing right by users and the public, and the recent decision to prevent Twitter users from seeing Instagram photos inside Twitter makes it highly unlikely the company considers being part of a larger sharing culture a priority.
Twitter, which only recently began to control photo sharing, will also have to decide whether it wants to support an open content ecosystem. While I'm still hopeful, its recent, ridiculous dictates about displaying tweets outside of Twitter.com and its limits on third-party clients and APIs throws into doubt whether Twitter will embrace CC licensing of photos.
Thankfully, Flickr remains CC-friendly. Once the star of online photo sharing, Flickr made CC licensing famous and easy. Yahoo’s new CEO Marissa Mayer seems to have revitalized it through a just-launched mobile client that creates the possibility that “Flickr has the opportunity to become the new Flickr.”
YouTube followed Flickr’s early example, eventually making it simple to add CC licenses to a video. Google+ already has CC-licensing for photos you share on its social network. Just look in Settings under Privacy and Permission. Slideshare offers a CC-license option for presentations, too. SoundCloud, a service for sharing music online, makes it simple as well: Musicians upload music, choose a license, and then allow others to remix it, rework it, republish it, use it in a film, etc.
>We should judge a company by its actions, not by its statements.
In the last week alone, nearly 19,000 tracks were uploaded on Soundcloud under one of the CC licenses.
In that same period, not a single photo was uploaded to Facebook or Instagram with a visible CC license.
It's not that it's technically or legally hard. All it takes is a couple of flags in a database and a little user-interface work. Mostly it just takes a belief that part of your company's job is to help sharing culture grow.
Now, there actually is a way to license your Instagram photos under Creative Commons. Philip Neustrom, one of the founders of the non-profit LocalWiki, decided to do something about it with I Am CC, which lets Instagram users sign up to have all their Instagram photos automatically have a Creative Commons license. Neustrom also built an API so people can search those photos.
But this service exists only because Neustrom thought it was important and long overdue, and so he built it himself. None of the $750 million that Facebook doled out for Instagram has gone to adding a CC field to their photo database.
I asked Facebook twice by e-mail for comment on why there's no support for CC licensing in either Instagram or Facebook. The company did not respond.
The silence is telling.
Facebook and Instagram will never add CC-licensing because they've got you and your attention and your content – which leads to money and power. When you've got that, who cares about principles?
Wired Opinion Editor: Sonal Chokshi @smc90At deepsense.ai, we strive to make our mark on the cutting-edge research leading towards intelligent machines by providing practical machine learning tools and designs that make it much easier for scientists to track their experiments and verify novel ideas.
One particular step towards achieving this ideal was distributing a state-of-the-art Reinforcement Learning algorithm on a large CPU cluster, allowing super-fast training of agents that learned to master a wide range of Atari 2600 games. This post contains a brief description of our Distributed Deep Reinforcement Learning experiments. For a more in-depth look you can read our paper on the matter here.
Distributed reinforcement learning
Atari games are a widely accepted benchmark for deep reinforcement learning (RL). One common characteristic of these games is that they are very easy for humans to crack conceptually. Comparing the time it takes humans and computers to master these games can provide a clear indication of the capabilities of modern artificial intelligence. The first approaches to teach an agent to play Atari were developed by DeepMind and required around a week of training. The A3C algorithm developed later was able to achieve human performance in most games and did so with a similar amount of training time. But could computers ever learn faster than us?
Creating such a quick and bright Atari games learner would mean that computers outpaced us in understanding a game environment. The techniques that said agent would use to quickly develop a good grasp of the game could be studied to further develop our understanding of the cognitive features of a human brain. Moreover, faster training would give researchers considerably more flexibility in terms of experimenting and thus make verifying various RL approaches much quicker. Today, we present a Distributed Reinforcement Learning algorithm that efficiently trains on a large cluster of 64 12-core CPUs (768 cores in total). Our design enables agents to learn to play Atari games in as little as 20 minutes. We’re making our implementation available here.
Breakout Initial performance After 15 minutes of training After 30 minutes of training Assault Initial performance After 15 minutes of training After 30 minutes of training Boxing Initial performance After 15 minutes of training After 30 minutes of training
Our achievement and results
By distributing the BA3C (details of single-machine implementation here) reinforcement learning algorithm, we were able to make an agent teach itself to play a wide range of Atari games rapidly, by just looking at a raw pixel output (game screen) from the game emulator. Our best experiments were distributed across 64 machines, each of which had 12 Intel CPU cores. In the game of Breakout, our agent achieves a superhuman score in just 20 minutes, which is a significant reduction of the single machine implementation learning time.
Training for Breakout on a single computer takes around 15 hours, bringing our implementation very close to the theoretical scaling (assuming computational power is maximized, using 64 times more CPUs should yield a 64-fold speed-up). The graph below shows the scaling of our implementation for different numbers of machines. Moreover, our algorithm exhibits robust results on many Atari environments, meaning that it is not only fast, but also adaptable to various learning tasks.
Using Neptune, a tool developed here at deepsense.ai, we were able to proactively track the performance of our agents. This enabled us to instantly verify if a certain feature of the algorithm works as expected. In Neptune, we could observe our agents’ real-time scores along with many other experiment-related metrics that we later used to optimize the algorithm. The graph below shows training curves from 10 different experiments on the Breakout game. Graphs were updated live in Neptune as the training went on.
We managed to achieve very competitive training times. As we hope to inspire further research in the RL domain, we decided to open-source the implementation of our distributed reinforcement learning algorithm.
Details of the implementation
In the following section we describe the technicalities of our distributed set-up, aiming primarily to address a more advanced audience. To get the most out of our description, we recommend readers familiarize with this study done by the Google Brain team.
For parallelization we chose the synchronous paradigm. Synchronizing all our workers yielded much faster training times than the asynchronous set-up, where each node works for itself. Using a synchronous design prevented our model from using stale gradients in the updates, but at the same time introduced a problem known as slow stragglers. As suggested in the Google study linked above, deploying a few more backup workers can significantly reduce the impact of the slow stragglers, and doing just that has worked very well for us.
One of the biggest challenges that arises when dealing with largely distributed training is the cluster interconnect congestion on the parameter server nodes. Sending the gradients from multiple workers to a single parameter server bottlenecks the pipeline, effectively slowing down the training process.
To deal with that, we first reduced the model’s size. We noticed that a contraction of the neural network did not affect the accuracy of the algorithm, but did significantly increase the number of points processed per second, and hence also its speed.
Since the communication overhead between the workers and parameter server was the biggest impeding factor to the speed of learning, we decided to balance the pressure on the pipeline by adding more parameter servers. This way, with the model weights distributed uniformly on multiple parameter servers, our training times began to pick up speed. The increase in processed data points per second for a different number of parameter servers can be seen below.
Related work
The distributed paradigm has been a topic of extensive research. Parallelization on 256 concurrent GPUs recently enabled a Facebook team to efficiently train the Resnet-51 model in one hour. Later developments from UC Berkeley reduced the time of training ImageNet to merely 24 minutes. The development of a distributed evolution strategy (ES) algorithm has led researchers from OpenAI to train agents to play Atari games in one hour by using 720 parallel CPUs. Since none of these designs have ever been applied to classical RL, the work done here can be considered pioneering in the field of distributed reinforcement learning.
Acknowledgements
The work on this distributed reinforcement learning design would not have been possible without the services of the PL-Grid supercomputing infrastructure, which provided us with all the computational power needed to conduct this research. We would like to thank Henryk Michalewski from the University of Warsaw for supervising the project and granting us access to the PL-Grid. We also used tensorpack, developed by Yuxin Wu, a very efficient open-source implementation of the A3C algorithm.“IT’S time for a group hug,” one of the participants joked at the end. After a long and lively exchange, programmers, who write the software behind bitcoin, and “miners”, whose computers mint the digital currency, had indeed found some common ground. But the rapport between the two camps still seemed tentative. At one point a developer asked whether miners, who now mostly hail from China, would ever collude to steal bitcoin.
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Suspicions between developers and miners were not the only ones on display at “Scaling Bitcoin”, a conference in Hong Kong this week. Developers themselves have been feuding, too. The event was intended to end a dispute about how to expand the capacity of the bitcoin system. Currently, it can only handle seven transactions per second—a fraction of what conventional payment systems can manage. The number could be increased by allowing bigger “blocks”—the name given to the batches into which bitcoin transactions are assembled before they are processed.
For years developers have disagreed about how much, if at all, blocks should grow. Fearing that the system would soon hit its limits, two of them, Gavin Andresen and Mike Hearn, lost patience this summer: they called on miners to install a new version of bitcoin’s software which works with much bigger blocks. The result was a rift between developers and a spasm in bitcoin’s yo-yoing value (see chart).
Highly technical talks, lengthy debates and much socialising allowed the more than 200 participants at the conference to air their grievances and discuss all sorts of ways to allow bitcoin to grow. It helped that the two renegades did not attend (Mr Andresen is now a researcher at MIT’s Media Lab and Mr Hearn has joined R3 CEV, a coalition of banks developing bitcoin-like technology). Bitcoin XT, as the controversial new software is called, has not been widely adopted.
Although details still need to be worked out, it now looks likely that developers will first—perhaps within a few months—implement technical fixes to boost bitcoin’s capacity without increasing the maximum block size. A small increase in the block size—probably from one to as many as four megabytes—is expected to come only later; it is considered a risky move that requires all computers on the bitcoin network to install new software at the same time.
That still leaves open the question of how such decisions should be made in future. Civil wars and subsequent peace conferences are an inefficient way to create consensus. As befits advocates of a currency without a central bank, neither developers nor miners want to be at the helm (in practice they share authority, since the system could not work without both groups). Some at the conference argued that, like the internet, bitcoin needs a formal governance structure. Others presented complex technical solutions that would allow market forces to decide how big blocks should be.
Behind such debates lurks a bigger question: what does bitcoin want to be when it grows up? Should it be immutable, like gold, or should it adapt to the demands of its users, even if that means becoming more like a conventional payment system? Perhaps Satoshi Nakamoto, the mysterious creator of bitcoin, could provide guidance. Reports this week suggested he may be an Australian academic under investigation by the taxman.The Pirate Bay is suffering worldwide downtime today, most likely due to technical issues. The problem appears to be a little more widespread than usual as several other torrent related websites are down too, including EZTV, Torrage and the Istole tracker.
The Pirate Bay is down at the moment, which is a cause for concern among many BitTorrent users.
Those wondering whether their ISP has started to block access to the site can be reassured though, as the site is down globally.
Every time TPB becomes unresponsive threads appear on Reddit and other discussion forums as people start to worry that something awful has happened to their beloved site. To users’ relief, however, this is usually not the case.
That being said, today’s issues are a little more widespread. In addition to The Pirate Bay, other torrent related sites such as EZTV, Zoink, Torrage and the Istole tracker are down too. This suggests that there’s a broader technical issue at play.
Pirate Bay, EZTV, and others have had simultaneous downtime in the past. On one occasion the problems were caused by a power failure.
TF contacted the people behind The Pirate Bay and other affected sites to find out more about the current downtime, but we have yet to hear back.
Update: The problems seem to be more serious, more news in a few minutes.
Update: Pirate Bay targeted in police raid.Eduardo Munoz / Reuters Camp Corail, a tent city north of Port-au-Prince, Haiti
Rodrigue Jean and his neighbors are building a desperately needed medical facility in Haiti, but in doing so they're also violating a new government decree. The cinderblock clinic is going up in a sprawling squatter camp called Canaan, one of many that have sprung up in a mountain valley north of Port-au-Prince since January's massive earthquake. Some 30,000 families have settled in Canaan, lured by the Haitian government's announcement that it acquired the land for them via eminent domain. The problem is that Haiti's threadbare treasury apparently can't pony up to compensate the owner, and now the government is backtracking and banning the construction of social infrastructure such as hospitals, schools and streets in the camp. (See photos of Haiti's cholera crisis.)
Jean laughs at the restriction. From the entrance of the clinic, where doctors have agreed to work for nominal fees, he gestures toward Canaan's four schools, its convenience stores and its rough new streets being carved out of the dusty valley. "Only death can pull us out of here now," says Jean, 33, a Port-au-Prince electronics salesman who lost a child in the quake that killed more than 200,000 people, but whose wife is expecting a baby any day now. "I mean, what government is going to tear down a clinic?" (Watch the video "A Breach of Faith in Haiti.")
It's a good question. And his defiance is also a sign of how impatient Haitians have become with the slow pace of recovery and with a weak government that's only beginning to find its reconstruction groove. Canaan isn't one of the squalid tent camps that still house most of the 1.5 million Haitians left homeless by the quake. Its residents live in sturdier, 190-sq.-ft. (18 sq m) "t-shelters," or temporary housing, with plywood walls and tin roofs, built largely by foreign NGOs like the Chile-based Un Techo para Mi Pais (A Roof for My Country). With $2 million funding from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), Techo has erected almost 700 t-shelters in Canaan, and is urging the government to drop its infrastructure ban. "If you don't allow formal urban planning in these communities," warns local Techo director Sebastián Smart, "you're just going to end up with gigantic rural versions of Port-au-Prince slums."
The cholera epidemic that this week reached Port-au-Prince has given the postquake housing crisis a new urgency. So have the looming Nov. 28 presidential election (in which the handpicked successor of President René Préval is running second in polls) and the increase in often violent evictions of tent-camp dwellers from privately owned properties. Perhaps as a result, the transfer of displaced Haitians to t-shelter communities, a critical first benchmark for recovery, finally appears to be quickening.
Since August, the number of t-shelters built in Haiti has jumped from fewer than 10,000 to more than 19,000 close to half the target of 45,000 set for the quake's Jan. 12 first anniversary by the Shelter Cluster, an umbrella body of aid groups including the U.N. Although quake rubble remains a daunting obstacle to finding available land for t-shelter communities (even now, less than a tenth of quake debris has been removed), housing advocates say Préval's government has begun to tackle Haiti's medieval land-title system and is presenting guidelines for identifying who owns what property and how to obtain it for the displaced. "That's a crucial link that was missing before," says Lilianne Fan, a Shelter Cluster coordinator. "We've got a more impressive reconstruction framework now."
Priscilla Phelps, a senior housing advisor to the Interim Haiti Recovery Commission headed by former U.S. President Bill Clinton and Haitian Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive which is managing most of the $10 billion reconstruction aid pledged by international donors agrees. "I've gotten great cooperation from the government," she insists, especially regarding a new property-mapping system modeled after one used in Southeast Asia after the catastrophic 2004 tsunami. "We're seeing a lot more housing being built in rural areas."
And the provinces are exactly where Haiti's future may lie. The government wants many if not most tent-camp dwellers to rebuild their urban neighborhoods. But many development experts advocate relocation: establishing viable communities in the underpopulated heartland for the thousands who lost their homes in the overpopulated capital. Tapping its economic potential, they say, is key to making the western hemisphere's poorest country something more than a basket case so dependent on international aid that even before the earthquake, foreign NGOs had effectively become a substitute for government. (Officials blame the bloated NGO presence even Homeopaths Without Borders has a delegation in Haiti in large part for Port-au-Prince's current traffic paralysis.)
Creating provincial "poles of development" by promoting local agriculture, tourism and garment manufacturing, says IDB Haiti representative Eduardo Almeida, "is really the best, if not the only, way to develop [Haiti] from here on out." Almeida, whose organization is heading an aggressive t-shelter construction effort in areas outside Port-au-Prince, also agrees that Haiti can't afford to "just construct new slums" in the process.
But Canaan and places like it are a reminder of the difficulty Haiti faces in reconciling the need for well-planned communities with the claims of well-heeled property owners like the Haitian real estate development firm Nabatec, which owns the land that 30,000 Canaan families have made their home. Nabatec's president, Gerard-Emile "Aby" Brun, says the Préval government's blunder may now cost him both the 600 acres (245 hectares) where Canaan sits and the $19 million he was supposed to receive for it under eminent domain.
Nabatec, Brun claims, had also planned an industrial park for the valley a source of jobs that he feels may well have benefited the very families now squatting on the land. Equally important to Haiti's development, he insists, are "clear signals that private investment is supported." And he rails at groups like Techo for continuing to build t-shelters in Canaan and arranging the delivery of potable water and other services. "They are violating the [government decree]."
But Nabatec's critics say the land had been idle for too long for the government not to consider it a logical refuge for quake victims. And Techo's Smart insists the NGOs can't turn away families "who have no other place to go," since land for t-shelters is still so scarce. "In the face of the emergency in Haiti," says Smart, "we feel we're doing the only thing we can do." At one of Canaan's schools, principal Joseph Laurent, dressed in suit and tie, herds children wearing uniforms into a sprawling UNICEF tent for classes. "I don't think the government is going to send these children back to Port-au-Prince," says Laurent, whose academy back in the capital collapsed in the earthquake. As its biblical name implies, they see Canaan as their promised land.
See TIME's Pictures of the Week.1994 EP by Alice in Chains
Jar of Flies is the third studio EP by the American rock band Alice in Chains, released on January 25, 1994, through Columbia Records. This is Alice in Chains' second acoustic EP, preceded by 1992's Sap, and it is the first EP in music history to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, with the first week sales exceeding 141,000 copies in the United States. The EP was well received by critics and has been certified triple-platinum by the RIAA, selling 4 million copies worldwide, making Jar of Flies one of the band's most successful releases. The tracks "No Excuses", "I Stay Away" and "Don't Follow" were released as singles to promote the album. Jar of Flies was nominated for two Grammy Awards in 1995; Best Recording Package and Best Hard Rock Performance for "I Stay Away".[3]
In Japan, the EP is titled "Another Side of Alice" (アナザー・サイド・オブ・アリス).
Background and recording [ edit ]
Following Alice in Chains' extensive 1993 world tour for Dirt, Mike Starr getting fired during the tour for his drug use, Mike Inez joining the band and their appearance at Lollapalooza, the band members returned home to Seattle to find themselves evicted from their residence after failing to pay the rent. The band then moved into London Bridge Studio feeling lonely and depressed.[4] Vocalist Layne Staley said the band "just wanted to go into the studio for a few days with our acoustic guitars and see what happened. We never really planned on the music we made at that time to be released. But the record label heard it and they really liked it. For us, it was just the experience of four guys getting together in the studio and making some music."[5]
Written and recorded in one week in September 1993,[6] Jar of Flies was produced by the band members themselves with Toby Wright, and marks the first major studio recording with bassist Mike Inez, who replaced Starr (the band recorded two songs with Inez, "What the Hell Have I" and "A Little Bitter", for the Summer 1993 Last Action Hero soundtrack earlier in the year).[7] Guitarist Jerry Cantrell said, "That was the first time we'd written with Mike Inez... The whole Jar of Flies EP proved to both us and the fans what a talented and valid part of the band Mike was. He plays the nastiest, darkest shit but he's got the sweetest heart in the world."[8] The album was recorded on a DAT machine, which was state-of-the-art for the time.
Music and lyrics [ edit ]
Jar of Flies well demonstrates Alice in Chains' broad musical scope and features a variety of predominantly acoustic songs ranging from dark, depressed passages like "Rotten Apple" and "Nutshell" to the more upbeat anthems like "No Excuses". It also boasts various instrumentation not otherwise common in the Alice in Chains catalog; the opening track, "Rotten Apple", features a talk box effect, and "Don't Follow" includes both harmonica and soul-driven vocals. However, Cantrell's signature electric guitar style still plays a prominent role in correspondence with the acoustic rhythms. "Whale & Wasp" also offers another Alice in Chains rarity in its purely instrumental nature, as does the blues/country-inspired "Swing on This", the closing track of the album.
Packaging and title [ edit ]
According to Layne Staley, the title for the album came from a science experiment that Jerry Cantrell conducted in third grade:
"They gave him two jars full of flies. One of the jars they overfed, the other jar they underfed. The one they overfed flourished for a while, then all the flies died from overpopulation. The one they underfed had most of the flies survive all year. I guess there's a message in there somewhere. Evidently that experiment had a big impact on Jerry."[5]
Rocky Schenck photographed the album cover in his dining room on September 8, 1993. Schenck's assistant collected hundreds of flies with a butterfly net in a nearby stable.[9] Schenck said in the 2015 book Alice in Chains: The Untold Story:
"The band had come up with the idea for the title and wanted the cover to be a young boy looking into a jar filled with flies. I remember they asked me to use 'crazy colors' in the shot, so I utilized lots of different gels over the lights to achieve the final look."[9]
Release and reception [ edit ]
While it was never originally intended for a public release, Columbia Records released Jar of Flies on January 25, 1994. The album entered the Billboard 200 chart at number one;[16] the sales that prompted this was over 141,000 during the first week of its release thus becoming the first ever EP and first Alice in Chains release to top the charts.[citation needed] It was the only EP ever to gain this distinction until 2004, when the Collision Course mashup EP by Jay-Z and Linkin Park also achieved the number one spot ten years later, and Bad Meets Evil's EP Hell: The Sequel in 2011. Jar of Flies has since been certified triple platinum, with over 2,037,853 copies sold during its first year and another million more copies after two years.
Paul Evans of Rolling Stone called the EP "darkly gorgeous",[12] and Steve Huey stated "Jar of Flies is a low-key stunner, achingly gorgeous and harrowingly sorrowful all at once."[10]
Jar of Flies included the singles "No Excuses" and "I Stay Away", both of which had accompanying music videos. "No Excuses", which was a number one single on the Mainstream Rock charts,[17] was Alice in Chains' most successful radio song until 2009. The second single, "I Stay Away", reached number ten on the Mainstream Rock charts,[18] while the final single "Don't Follow", reached number 25.[19]
The final single released from the EP was a bold offering for a grunge-oriented band: a promo of the string instrumental "Whale & Wasp" was released as a promo-only single in January 1995.[citation needed]
The album was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Recording Package in 1995,[3] but lost to Buddy Jackson for "Tribute to the Music of Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys" performed by Asleep at the Wheel.[20] And the single "I Stay Away" was nominated for the Best Hard Rock Performance.[21]
In November 2011, Jar of Flies was ranked number four on Guitar World magazine's top ten list of guitar albums of 1994.[22] It was featured in Guitar World magazine's "Superunknown: 50 Iconic Albums That Defined 1994" list.[23]
In May 2014, the EP was placed at number five on Loudwire's "10 Best Hard Rock Albums of 1994" list.[24]
Influence [ edit ]
Cane Hill's lead vocalist Elijah Witt said that Jar of Flies was a big influence on the band's 2018 acoustic EP Kill the Sun.[25] The album was also an inspiration for Strung Out's 2018 acoustic EP, Black Out the Sky.[26]
Track listing [ edit ]
All music composed by Jerry Cantrell except where noted. Lyrics by Layne Staley, except where noted.
Personnel [ edit ]
Charts [ edit ]
Album charts [ edit ]
Singles charts [ edit ]
Certifications [ edit ]
Region Certification Certified units/Sales Canada (Music Canada)[39] 2× Platinum 200,000^ United Kingdom (BPI)[40] Silver 60,000^ United States (RIAA)[41] 3× Platinum 3,000,000^ *sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification aloneThe Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved a plan to restore pedestrian access to a half-mile-long mural along the Tujunga Wash that depicts California from prehistoric times to the 1950s.
More than 400 youngsters and their families created the Great Wall of Los Angeles mural over a five-year period beginning in 1974. Located on the west side of the Tujunga Wash, the art can be seen from Coldwater Canyon Avenue between Burbank Boulevard and Oxnard Street.
“When I first saw the wall, I envisioned a long narrative of another history of California, one which included ethnic peoples, women and minorities who were so invisible in conventional textbook accounts,” Judith Baca, founder and artistic director of the Social and Public Art Resource Center, said in a statement posted on SPARC’s website.
A wooden bridge from years ago fell into disrepair and was removed. The installation of a solar-lit steel pedestrian bridge and viewing station is estimated to cost $1.3 million. It will be funded by $181,500 from the county, supplemented by money from the City of Los Angeles, the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy and the California Cultural Historical Endowment.Nooooo! Jared Leto Does The Unthinkable And Chops Off His AH-Mazing Locks! See His New Look For Suicide Squad HERE!
All that beautiful hair, gone with just one snip…
Please give us a moment while we mourn the loss of Jared Leto‘s luscious, beautiful, ombr├â┬⌐ colored hair.
The 30 Seconds to Mars frontman has been preparing for his role as The Joker in Suicide Squad ever since he nabbed it, so we totally should’ve seen this one coming.
[ Related: Is Jared Trying To Fatten Up For His Role As The Joker? ]
However, we don’t blame anyone for wanting the 43-year-old to wear a wig instead of chopping off his locks!
David Ayer, the director of the flick, teased a photo of Jared beautiful hair in between a pair of scary scissors on Twitter:
What a sad day.
Shortly after that initial tweet, David shared the end result of the chop and wrote:
#SuicideSquad
Ugh. Cutting that hair is total devastating. But hey, at least he still looks good, right?
R.I.P. Jared Leto’s man bun November 2013 – March 2015.
[Image via David Ayer/Twitter.]Jews Push Perversion, America In Decline Articles
The Jews Behind Michael Sam
By Brother Nathanael Kapner February 12, 2014 ©
Support The Brother Nathanael Foundation!
Or Send Your Contribution To:
The Brother Nathanael Foundation, PO Box 547, Priest River ID 83856
E-mail: brothernathanaelfoundation@yahoo.com
___________________________________
IS IT ANY SURPRISE
that the much celebrated Michael Sam announced
Jew-owned
his ‘pride’ in being a homosexual via the New York Times and ESPN, both
Indeed, college football star Michael Sam is one large piece of homosexual propaganda resonating throughout Jewry in its relentless attack on Christian morality.
Since Sam’s public relations team decided to announce his ‘queerness’ right before the NFL draft, one wonders how many teams will decide to pass on him.
Would they dare such a thing? The Jew-infested press will destroy them.
And since 34% of the League are Jew-owned, there will be no shortage of teams clamoring for the services of Sam seeing that the Jew-promoted NFL is fully behind the idea of open homosexuality.
And what better way to promote perversion than to have a Jew doing the PR!
Sam picked the Jew Howard Bragman as his personal PR pro to “lead the charge” in the creation of his soon-to-be NFL identity.
Bragman, also an open sodomite, is known as the “gay guru” who helps celebrities “come out” …and Sam, (his father repudiates his son’s vile sin ), is Bragman’s latest client.
The night before Sam’s “coming out,” Bragman offered a toast during a celebratory dinner for the up-and-coming hero.
A host of perverts in the sports community were honored in the toast but Sam got the highest honors as “the bravest of all.”
Timing is everything, and with the non-stop Jew-bashing of Putin and his traditional Orthodox opposition to all things homosexual, what a wonderful opportunity to show the rest of the world the disgrace of homosexual worship here in the Jewnited States of Jewmerica.
No doubt, America’s newest hero will have no qualms when it comes to donning pink in the hot new fad of feminizing the manly sport of football under the guise of “good causes” which in reality are no more than Marxist social engineering indoctrination.
Maybe Sam’s agents can team up with the copyright owners of the works of famous children’s writer, Dr Seuss, aka Theodor Seuss Geisel, a noted Jewish propagandist for Stalin’s Marxism.
You can see it now, a cleverly designed spin off of “Sam I Am” & I’m Gay Too!
What a wonderful way to help young “goyim” minds to accept new ideas, overturn the accepted order of things, and fall in love with our latest and greatest sports hero.
This will help those young goyim to think that being homosexual is a “cool thing.”
But if having sex with another man’s feces is a “cool thing” then this country is toast.
God rained down fire on Sodom and Gomorrah.
The Jews are provoking God to do the same here in our Jew-ruined nation.
And Michael Sam is just another chump in Jewry’s plan to sodomize America.
___________________________________
Support The Brother Nathanael Foundation!
Or Send Your Contribution To:
The Brother Nathanael Foundation, PO Box 547, Priest River ID 83856
E-mail: brothernathanaelfoundation@yahoo.com
Scroll Down For Comments[Greek translation here and in comments] Istanbul, June 23
Dear people,
It has been an extraordinary week of revolutionary assemblies in all parts of the city. But I have to admit, I kind of missed the tear gas.
Yesterday at last we were bound to have some. Taksim Solidarity made a call for people to come to the square with flowers, and make a statement as standing men and women.
Measured by attendance, the gathering was a success. The square was full. Aside from that, it was dull. There was no point to it all, and no real emotion. More than the flowers, you noticed the flags. They were all the same prefab banners carrying the text ‘Taksim Solidarity.’
As my brother Naber pointed out, the umbrella organization that launched the protest is desperately trying to consolidate its power and conserve a central position in the movement. In the last week, they were overtaken by the people on all fronts. The neighbourhood assemblies are not linked to Taksim Solidarity, or to any other party or organization for that matter. It’s a giant leap compared to the politics of the occupation in Gezi. Those who came to the park with banners, left those banners at home when they came to the assemblies.
For an overview of the square, we occupy the Burger King balcony. After little less than an hour of chanting and jumping, the people start to disperse. There was no need for police to lend them a hand, but for some reason they did.
Gezi Park is under permanent occupation of police |
Huldai said: “Welcome to all our guests from abroad to the gay-friendliest city in the world.
“We’ve been through a lot. In 17 years, we’ve achieved a different reality in this city, and also in Israel.
“I want to tell all the politicians, there is still a great deal of legislation that has to be passed to accept the gay community. We will continue to walk this path, and to support the Pride parade.”
Tel Aviv is considered one of Israel’s more progressive cities, compared to the more conservative Jerusalem, which holds a smaller Pride.
Jerusalem football team Hapoel Katamon caused controversy when they replaced the traditional corner flags with rainbow ones during an official match.
The Isreali AIDS Taskforce recently stripped off to encourage HIV testing.On March 18, 2013, the government dropped a bombshell on Coinbase, a two-man San Francisco startup that had attracted 30,000 users to its cloud-based "wallet" service for buying, storing and spending bitcoins.
That day the U.S. Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) released "interpretive guidance" stating that those administering or exchanging virtual currencies such as bitcoin should be considered "money transmitters," subject to state licensing, federal registration and Bank Secrecy Act rules designed to help the feds uncover money laundering, tax fraud and other crimes.
Coinbase president Fred Ehrsam immediately called the company's lawyer. "He said, 'It's [only] guidance, and you guys are small, and it's going to be a pain in the butt to comply. It's going to take a lot of your time and money to do it,' " Ehrsam recalls. "So his advice to me was to try to make a good argument as to why it [registration] didn't apply to us and avoid it for the time being."
But that night Ehrsam and Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong had a come-to-Jesus discussion. They agreed that skirting registration was wrong for their brand. While beloved by tech-savvy libertarians, bitcoin had taken a hit to its reputation after being sullied by hacks, Ponzi schemes and its use on the Silk Road dark-net drug market. Coinbase wanted to be seen as the easy, safe and legitimate way for a wider population to use cryptocurrency.
That week the pair fired their lawyer and hired a new one. They had been operating with $600,000 from angel investors and were trying to raise Series A funding. The decision to register would add millions to Coinbase's costs but also give it a strong selling point. At that time the most well-known venture capitalist who had publicly expressed interest in bitcoin was Union Square Ventures partner Fred Wilson. When Ehrsam and Armstrong pitched USV, Wilson grilled them on their approach to regulation. Their compliant stance helped win them a deal.
In May 2013 USV led a $6.1 million Series A fundraising for Coinbase. In November the company got insurance (brokered by Aon) covering thefts and hacks. In December Andreessen Horowitz led a $25 million Series B round for it, the largest VC investment in a bitcoin firm to that date.
Today Armstrong, 33, and Ehrsam, 28, have 117 employees and are pillars of the cryptocurrency establishment. Coinbase's wallet is used by 4.8 million customers from 33 countries to buy, store and spend bitcoin and a newer cryptocurrency, ether. Customers link their wallets to their regular bank accounts and pay Coinbase a commission--1.49% for U.S. account holders--to convert from or back to a government-issued currency.
A newer Coinbase business, the Global Digital Asset Exchange (GDAX), enables residents of 47 U.S. states, Canada, the U.K., the euro zone, Singapore and Australia to trade the currencies directly, either by manually clicking buy and sell buttons or by creating bots for algorithmic trading.
Coinbase stores about 6% of the world's bitcoins, or some $700 million, on its computers. It gives customers the option of holding the only encryption keys to access their money or sharing the keys with Coinbase--protection if they lose the keys but an approach that rubs libertarians the wrong way.
Investors have poured $117 million into building Coinbase's infrastructure and controls. In January 2015 Draper Fisher Jurvetson led a $75 million round that included investors such as the New York Stock Exchange, the insurer USAA and the Spanish banking group BBVA, among others. Coinbase's most recent funding, $10.5 million in July, valued the enterprise at $500 million and drew money from Japan's largest bank, Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, ahead of Coinbase's expected expansion into Japan next year.
Coinbase is now part of the establishment, and a strict enforcer of Bank Secrecy Act rules, in an industry fueled by those who value bitcoin as a way to protect privacy or thumb their nose at government. If it sees suspicious transactions in a wallet, it may demand that a user explain himself, or it may suspend or close the account.
No surprise that a chorus of Reddit users have accused it of acting like "Big Brother," "spying for the U.S. government" and using "Gestapo" tactics. One disaffected Coinbase customer posted: "Wow, somebody clearly forgot the reason people use bitcoin in the first place. If I wanted to be questioned about where every transaction happens, I'd ask the IRS for an audit."
FROM THE FIRST Armstrong and Ehrsam saw bitcoin as the base for an open system that would disrupt the financial industry, not governments, by making payments fast, cheap and international. That vision has been evolving. Cryptocurrency hasn't made inroads at the speed they'd anticipated, but they see it spreading beyond payments to, for example, new ways to crowdfund peer-to-peer networks that do file storage or predict events like the outcome of the World Series.
Raised in San Jose, California, by a father who was an environmental engineer for the Lawrence Livermore National Lab and a mother who taught math before going to work at IBM, Armstrong was the family entrepreneur. In high school he built websites in a garage. As a Rice University economics and computer science double major, he launched a successful tutor-matching service, UniversityTutor.com, and learned how difficult it was to take--and make--payments online.
After earning a master's in computer science, Armstrong tried consulting and then lived in Argentina for a while before taking a job as a software engineer at Airbnb in San Francisco. That gave him a close-up view of problems connected with international money transfers, including delays, high (and opaque) fees and fraud. "If we sent $100 to Uruguay, we didn't know how much they were going to get, and the company providing the service couldn't even tell us," he recalls.
So when Armstrong stumbled upon the white paper by the (still anonymous) inventor of bitcoin, describing the currency and the novel blockchain protocol underpinning it, he was enthralled. Blockchain transactions are recorded on a single unified ledger, with copies of that ledger maintained by computers around the world--a revolutionary idea that drastically reduces transaction settlement time and costs, while improving security.
Ehrsam, too, had seen how financial middlemen could make steep profits. His first job out of Duke, where like Armstrong he had double-majored in econ and computer science, was as a foreign exchange trader for Goldman Sachs in New York. While growing up in Concord, Massachusetts, his passion was gaming. During high school he went semiprofessional, playing on two championship America's Army teams. But he also spent lots of time talking business with his father, a Bain consultant with a Harvard M.B.A.
While at Goldman Ehrsam became fascinated with bitcoin. He even made a little profit trading it at night using what he calls "superbasic" techniques, like going long when the term "bitcoin" was trending on Google. He quit Goldman after two years and moved to Sunnyvale, California, to work with Duke buddies on ideas for new apps.
In October 2012 he came across a post by Armstrong on Reddit describing his prototype for a cloud-based bitcoin wallet serving folks who weren't "ubernerds" or didn't want to risk storing it on their own computers. He e-mailed Armstrong, who had developed the wallet as a member of the June 2012 Y Combinator incubator class. They met and clicked: Ehrsam's big-picture analysis complemented Armstrong's coder's focus. Armstrong invited Ehrsam to join him as Coinbase's cofounder.
Since teaming up they've seen plenty of high drama in cryptocurrency but slower adoption than they expected as true believers. There was the epic speculative bubble, as the price of a bitcoin rose more than a hundredfold, from under $10 to above $1,100 in 2013, before sinking below $200 in January 2015. (It recently traded around $740, giving all the bitcoins outstanding a market value of $11.8 billion.) And there were those hacks--most notably of the Tokyo-based Mt. Gox exchange, which shut down in 2014 after losing over $450 million of its customers' funds.
Early on the duo thought simplifying purchase transactions might speed bitcoin's acceptance. In November 2013 they brought on Adam White, another bitcoin obsessive, and gave him an ambitious goal: Over the next year sign up ten companies with more than $1 billion in sales each to accept bitcoins. White, now 33, was no slacker. After studying optical engineering at the University of California, Davis, he served five years in the U.S. Air Force, then earned an M.B.A. at Harvard.
White moved fast: Within two months he had signed Overstock.com. Then, ten days later, on January 9, 2014, the first Overstock bitcoin purchase was made--a $2,700 patio set. "That really opened the floodgates," White says. Other big names, including Expedia and Dell, soon followed, adding to bitcoin's and Coinbase's credibility. Today more than 45,000 mostly small merchants accept bitcoin payments through Coinbase--a number boosted, no doubt, by the fact that they get the first $1 million in transactions processed free. But buying stuff hasn't become a killer app for cryptocurrency. "It's not the explosive one that will get 100 million users on the network," Ehrsam concedes.
Indeed, after the run-up in bitcoin's price, Coinbase noticed that a growing number of its wallet users were not buying patio furniture but instead were holding bitcoins as a speculative investment. With their customers hoarding, Coinbase had to purchase more bitcoins on exchanges. That made Armstrong nervous. "We felt the existing exchanges were questionable in many ways--security, the quality of the team, solvency, all kinds of question marks," he says.
So in January 2015 Coinbase launched its own exchange, now called GDAX, which charges traders up to 0.25% for each transaction. The budding marketplace did $1 billion in trades its first year, and given that a rival exchange, Hong Kong's Bitfinex, was recently hacked to the tune of $72 million, Ehrsam and Armstrong's "white hat" platform couldn't be better positioned.
Despite GDAX's early success, Coinbase believes trading isn't by itself the path to the widespread adoption of bitcoin. Ehrsam describes a lull in 2015 when the bitcoin apps that seemed most promising--such as ones that sped up international remittances or allowed readers to make micropayments to publishers for each article they read--didn't take off. During that period some other blockchain startups turned their attention toward the inefficiencies inherent in the back offices of financial firms. For example, Chain (like Coinbase, a member of the 2016 Forbes Fintech 50 listing of the most innovative financial startups) teamed with Nasdaq to build a blockchain-based system for trading private company shares and is working with Visa on a proprietary international business payments system.
Coinbase's investors asked Armstrong and Ehrsam whether building private blockchains for financial firms shouldn't be their next move. They rejected the detour, convinced that public blockchains and cryptocurrencies would eventually produce greater innovation, just as the open Internet has changed society more than private intranets have. "We have a high conviction that the open networks will be the ultimate winners even if there's a lot of hype and cash being thrown around these closed blockchains," Ehrsam says.
Perhaps the most exciting recent development in cryptocurrencies is the emergence of more technologically advanced blockchains that can be used for more than simple purchases or money transfers. The most promising so far is Ethereum, which is designed to work in applications that incorporate "smart contracts"--when you execute a transaction, you're agreeing to certain publicly visible contractual terms that have been built into the software. Thus developers can create markets that store registries of debts or promises and potentially move values around according to specific and sometimes complex instructions baked into the software/platform. Examples might be the assets due in a will or a futures contract. The key, of course, is the elimination of fee-greedy middlemen and counterparty risk.
In May, when Coinbase started allowing the trading of ether (the Ethereum coin) on GDAX, Ehrsam described its potential in a blog post this way: "Ethereum has taken what was a four-function calculator of a programming language in Bitcoin and turned it into a full- fledged computer."
The Ethereum blockchain has spurred the development of "app-coins" or "tokens" to crowdfund new businesses and operate peer-to-peer networks. One example is Augur, which in 2015 sold $5.3 million of Ethereum-based Reputation tokens that allow holders to share in the fees the site generates. Augur takes the "wisdom of the crowd" principle and lets participants create betting markets around the outcome of future events. Participants earn Rep tokens by reporting accurately on event outcomes but lose coins if their reports are inaccurate.
Another app-coin in development is Filecoin, which aims to fund and power a decentralized, peer-to-peer file-storage and file-sharing service that could compete with Amazon Web Services. Filecoins will be paid to those who host storage space, while those uploading files to the network will pay for storage with Filecoins. With such app-coins, entrepreneurs and developers can dream up new networks and recruit a base of users. If the networks blossom and their app-coin values rise, the creators, who typically retain a share of the original coins, can profit greatly.
In May The DAO (for "decentralized autonomous organization") said it had collected $150 million worth of ether from 10,000 people for a venture capital fund; participants would vote on investments, with their votes weighted to reflect how many DAO tokens (built atop ether) they had purchased. But less than a month after it launched, an unknown person or group exploited a loophole in The DAO's code to divert $50 million worth of ether from investors' accounts.
While such blowups are likely to slow the advance of cryptofinance, they also play into Coinbase's competitive advantage--its internal controls and a cautious, patient culture reinforced by its heavyweight investors. Unlike some other exchanges, GDAX refused to trade The DAO tokens.
Ultimately Coinbase's success may hinge on its ability to be perceived as a champion for the liberating and innovative aspects of blockchain, while staying on the "right" side of the law. It won't be easy.
In November the Internal Revenue Service asked a federal judge to approve a sweeping "John Doe" summons requiring Coinbase to turn over the identities and transactions of all customers with a U.S. connection who were active in 2013 through 2015. Juan Suarez, Coinbase's lawyer, said that while the company is "committed to cooperating with law enforcement in general" it feels "compelled to really resist" such a broad "fishing expedition." Stay tuned.In November of 1975, Australia faced one of the most uncertain periods in its political history. The Prime Minister, Gough Whitlam, was unexpectedly dismissed (which is to say fired) by a man named John Kerr, the Governor-General of Australia. Rumors have swirled for years about whether the CIA or British intelligence services had anything to do with it. And while a new document obtained by Gizmodo doesn’t answer that question, it does add a bit of color to the mystery.
The CIA keeps biographic files on world leaders that the agency periodically updates. So back in April, I filed a Freedom of Information Act request for the CIA’s biographic report on Whitlam written two years before his dismissal. Today I received that one-page report in the mail.
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For the most part the report, dated October 19, 1973, is straightforward and factual with an emphasis on how his actions might affect the CIA. It talks about Whitlam’s friendly relations with the US and his goal for more Australian independence in the South Pacific region. Curiously, Australian troops had just exited the Vietnam War completely in July 1973 as one of the few Western allies of the United States in that conflict, but the report doesn’t even mention this.
The conspiracy theories around the CIA’s involvement in Whitlam’s ouster have to do with his opposition to US military and intelligence gathering operations in Australia. Pine Gap in Alice Springs, Australia is perhaps the most infamous NSA installation in the country, installed to spy on practically all of Asia. Whitlam had threatened to shut down the facility if the Australian government wasn’t told more about what was going on there.
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While it has never been firmly established that the Americans nor the British were directly involved in the ousting of Prime Minister Whitlam, it has come out that the Queen at least knew it was going to happen beforehand. Whitlam’s legacy and the reasons for his ouster are still the topic of heated debate in Australian historian and political circles.
While most of Whitlam’s CIA report is about what we’d expect, there’s one redaction that leaves an air of mystery: “The pragmatic [long redaction] Whitlam exudes self-confidence [...]”
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Agencies that make redactions are required to make notes about why they’re making a redaction. And in the case of this particular redaction the CIA cites exemption 1 and exemption 3 under the Freedom of Information Act. Exemption 1 allows agencies to withhold information in the name of national security that is “properly classified.” And exemption 3 is an incredibly broad brush that lets agencies get away with withholding pretty much anything they deem “confidential.”
What else did the CIA describe Whitlam as other than pragmatic? You could play CIA Mad Libs all day long with this one. “Pinko statesman?” “Nosy pantsman?” “Secret vampire jellyfish?” I have no idea.
I’m not saying that Gough Whitlam was a secret vampire jellyfish. I’m just saying that without the CIA releasing the unredacted portion of his biographic report, we can’t know for sure.
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You can read the full transcribed version of the document below. Perfect for copying and pasting into your own blog:
(Edward) Gough Whitlam Prime Minister: Minister of Foreign Affairs Addressed as: Mr. Prime Minister Leader of the Australian Labor Party since 1967, Gough (rhymes with cough) Whitlam, 57, became Prime Minister and Foreign Minister in December 1972. He intends to turn over the latter position by early 1974 to his friend and confidant, Donald Wille see, who, as his foreign affairs assistant, has frequently acted on Whitlam’s behalf. The pragmatic [redacted] Whitlam exudes self-confidence in governing Australia. He has amply demonstrated his ability to quickly implement his “independent Australia” policies. Severing relations with Taipei, his government has opened Embassies in Peking, Hanoi and East Berlin, reduced its military commitments abroad, and strengthened its ties with Japan and Indonesia in a move toward peace and prosperity. Whitlam advocates a strong free enterprise economy, the elimination of social inequality and an open-door immigration policy. He supports the ANZUS alliance but is interested in establishing a regional organization to promote political, social and economic advancement. Friendly toward the United States, Whitlam met with President Nixon and other senior US officials in Washington before attending the Commonwealth Prime Minister’s Meeting in Ottawa in July 1973. Married, Whitlam has four children. 19 October 1973With rising oil prices and the possibility of a Tory majority, the future is looking brighter for northern Alberta’s massive oil sands development. Observers say Conservative Party gains in the May 2 federal election would translate into more federal support for the sector, particularly in the form of a delayed phase out of subsidies for oil and gas producers.
The Syncrude oil sands extraction facility is reflected in a lake reclaimed from an old mine near the town of Fort McMurray. ( MARK RALSTON / AFP )
But the Harper government is also pushing to close a popular corporate loophole that would slow write-offs of lease expenses and mine investments, a shift intended to boost the tax load on energy companies that have seen profits surge on triple-digit crude oil. And while the Tory platform on the environment touts government actions to address climate change, Conservative environment minister Peter Kent has also defended oil sands output as an “ethical” and secure alternative to supplies from foreign producers with spotty records on the environment and human rights. “There has been a demonizing of a legitimate resource,” Kent said after his appointment to the portfolio in January.
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“It is ethical oil. It is regulated oil. And it’s secure oil in a world where many of the free world’s oil sources are somewhat less secure.” The Conservatives platform supports “economically viable” clean-energy projects that help provinces and other regions move away from the use of fossil fuels, but it makes no commitment to act on phasing out fossil fuel subsidies. It fails to even mention the oil sands, the fastest-growing source of greenhouse gas pollution in Canada. Extracting the black gold generates two to four times the amount of greenhouse gases per barrel versus production of conventional oil. Environmentalists cite widespread damage to Canada’s carbon-absorbing boreal forest, degradation of the land’s ability to support forestry and farming, and the creation of toxic tailings ponds. The NDP election platform commits to developing cumulative oil sands impact assessments, supports measures to protect fishery and trans-boundary waters — and would implement “science-based” monitoring and enforcement.
The Liberals promise increased federal oversight of oil sands development, but there are few details in the party’s election platform on how a Liberal government would address the environmental impacts. Liberal Party Leader Michael Ignatieff has even stepped in line with the Conservatives on the oil sands at times.
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Ignatieff, asked about the oil sands in a town hall meeting in Vancouver in January, responded: “This is where a chill falls over the room because everybody expects me to say they’re terrible and shut them down,” he said “Absolutely not.” He went to tell the audience they were “awe-inspiring.” Two days later, Ignatieff told The Calgary Herald editorial board that the resource “massively increases Canada’s geopolitical importance, above all, to the United States. They have to be aware of one simple fact, that Canada exports more petroleum to the United States than Saudi Arabia. “This is a very important partnership and they should balance their legitimate environmental concerns with an understanding of just how important the oil sands are to the future of the American economy.” The point was brought home Thursday when Suncor Energy Inc. chief executive Rick George said Alberta’s oil sands reserves may double with the use of new technology. Still, the wildcard is U.S. President Barack Obama, who has sent mixed signals on his intentions. The week he called the oil sands potentially destructive, but said the mining process can be made cleaner through measures including carbon capture and storage. “These tar sands, there are some environmental questions about how destructive they are, potentially, what are the dangers there, and we’ve got to examine all those questions,” Obama told an energy town hall meeting in Fairless Hills, Pennsylvania. In a speech in late March as civil war in Libya caused world oil prices to spike past $110 per barrel, Obama said the U.S. would slash foreign imports by a third over a decade. But he added that America would continue to view Canada as an important source of “steady, stable and reliable” crude. “I think he singled out Canada pretty clearly as part of the solution, rather than part of the problem. So we feel very good about that,” said Tom Huffaker, vice-president of policy and environment for the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers, a Calgary-based industry group. He said Obama’s remarks bode well for U.S. approval of a controversial $13 billion pipeline that will ship 435,000 barrels of raw bitumen daily from Athabasca to U.S. Gulf Coast refineries. The TransCanada Keystone XL project has the green light in Canada but must still be approved by the U.S. State Department. It faces significant opposition from environmentalists and some state politicians who worry about possible spills among other environmental impacts. The Obama administration also said Wednesday it will “take a fresh look” at plans issued under the prior Bush administration to develop commercial oil shale and oil sands in three U.S. states. The Interior Department said its Bureau of Land Management plans to review the environmental impact of allocating oil shale and oil sands resources on federal government-owned lands in Colorado, Utah and Wyoming. The BLM in 2008, during the administration of President George W. Bush, issued an environmental impact statement on making 1.9 million acres of public lands available for oil shale development and 431,244 acres to lease for oil sands development. “With commercial development of oil shale at least several years away, the new planning process will allow the BLM to take a fresh look at what public lands are best suited for oil shale and oil sands development,” the agency said. “Final land-use decisions will be made in light of any new information about potential resource needs.” Many environmental groups in the U.S. oppose oil sands and oil shale because of the impact of their extraction process and the high level of greenhouse gases they generate. Green groups argue the oil sands development, in particular, conflicts with the Obama administration’s efforts to fight global warming. Canada is the largest supplier of crude oil and refined products to the United States, supplying about 20 per cent of total U.S. imports. This proportion is expected to increase in coming decades as bitumen production grows while conventional oil production declines.Today, Bitcoin isn’t always the currency of choice in moving value. Some transactions are taking days instead of 10 minutes, and the average transaction cost recently reached $4.50.
The Bitcoin network is currently at a turning point. 1 MB blocks are no longer a sustainable length to enable fast and affordable transactions.
When the network flirts with full capacity, miners are incentivized to settle transactions with higher fees, leaving behind less important transactions.
The actions that can be taken to prevent this from happening are currently competing for miner approval.
Indeed, opinions within the community are divergent. Some support Bitcoin Core’s SegWit and others Bitcoin Unlimited, or even an increase to 8 MB blocks.
Unpleasant truth
Bitcoin has made a nice rally lately, doubling its initial unit price in one quarter.
However, this rally is hiding an unpleasant truth. The Bitcoin community is engaged in a battle and the situation is already having a negative impact on the currency.
Bitcoin was initially promoted as an inclusive system, with fast settlement times and low transaction fees. It was even compared to Visa to bring out its strong capabilities.
But today, the scalability problem is creating some impatience in the user experience, which might push participants to move to other coins for their transactions.
This will cause Bitcoin to lose popularity and momentum, instead of growing and scaling up.
Startups are eyeing altcoins
Some companies and startups have started looking at altcoins as an alternative to Bitcoin.
As an example, the Brave browser first started on Bitcoin, before launching its own Basic Attention Token (BAT) based on Ethereum.
The social network Yours shifted from Bitcoin to Litecoin to avoid higher transaction fees.
The Irish gift card company BitCart had to drop Bitcoin as a payment means because it started taking more than 24 hours to settle, and the business couldn’t afford it.
Some companies are even creating their own cryptocurrency. That is the case of the messaging app Kik, which is developing Kin on Ethereum.
“A lot of people aren’t using Bitcoin anymore. People are moving their coins out of bitcoin, converting it to another coin.… If Bitcoins were performing and executing on all cylinders two years ago and meeting the demands of all its constituents, would we have these other coins at all? Bitcoin had all the market share. Today it doesn’t,” says Mike Belshe, chief executive officer of BitGo.
Bitcoin crypto market share falls
Indeed, the scalability crisis that is boiling the Bitcoin community has brought, for the first time, the market capitalization of Bitcoin under 50 percent of the total cryptocurrency capitalization.
Only recently, Bitcoin has enjoyed a dominant position within the market, by being at around 80-90 percent. Altcoins are now taking over some of the market share.
Bitcoin still strongly loved
That being said, the unit price of Bitcoin is still increasing. This has to do, on the one hand, with the recent halving of the daily issuing of Bitcoin.
Every four years, the number of coins minted is divided by two. Since the demand for Bitcoin is still growing globally, it pushes its unit price up.
On the other hand, Bitcoin is the cryptocurrency with the highest level of mainstream widespread. While altcoins are growing, this is not the case everywhere.
Chris Burniske, Blockchain products lead at ARK, explains:
“I was just on this Bitcoin cruise with people from 20 different nations. In Venezuela, they don’t care about Ethereum. They just want bitcoin. Everyone in the west is really charged up about Ethereum, but when you go back to explaining this on a worldwide basis, Bitcoin is at least two orders of magnitude more well-known than Ethereum.”
Let’s also keep in mind that while it took four years to reach $16 bln in market cap, it only took four months to double that capitalization in 2017, and another two months for another doubling.
Whatever happens in the course of the next few months, Bitcoin is definitely at a turning point. Whether it will become an exclusive technology reserved to users that can afford high transaction fees or the inclusive cryptocurrency that would give all users freedom to transact, will depend on the decisions soon to be taken by the community.President Obama said that a stronger economy is due in part to a smaller Wall Street. | Getty Obama: Smaller banking profits not a 'bad thing'
The U.S. economy is safer and more stable now than it was seven and a half years ago, President Obama said this week in an interview with Bloomberg published on Thursday — and one of the reasons is that the financial industry is smaller, with less "froth."
"They’re still making a profit, it’s just that there is a froth that’s been eliminated, and that’s good over the long term for the financial sector," he added.
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And he argued that Wall Street profits weren't necessarily the best way to allocate scarce capital that is better invested in science and technology, anyway: "I would say the American people should be suspicious if anybody who’s occupying this office thinks that whatever’s good for the top 10 banks is automatically good for America," he said. "Even bankers shouldn’t want their president to be thinking that way."
The president ducked a specific question on how high the minimum wage should be, but argued that raising it would benefit not just employees, but employers as well by increasing Americans' spending power and spurring innovation. Obama linked lower wages to nativist movements in the U.S. and in the United Kingdom, where voters on Thursday are deciding whether or not to leave the European Union.
Unless corporate leaders agree to spread the wealth around, the president said, the economy will eventually suffer.
“Over time, you’ll strangle this goose that’s been laying you all these golden eggs,” he said. “Share the eggs.”
Obama chuckled at the notion that he might work in the financial industry after his administration, and said of his daughters Sasha and Malia when asked: "Well, I’m pretty certain that my daughters will not end up working on Wall Street."
He did tell Bloomberg that had he not gone into politics, he likely would have started a business. "The skill set of starting my presidential campaigns — and building the kinds of teams that we did and marketing ideas — I think would be the same kinds of skills that I would enjoy exercising in the private sector," he said, though he acknowledged his irritation when "CEOs who come in and start explaining to me how I should be running the presidency."
He also scoffed at Donald Trump’s claims of incredible business success and said he’s not alone in doubting the real estate mogul’s bona fides.
“There’s no successful businessman in America who actually thinks the most successful businessman in the country is Donald Trump,” he said. “I know those guys, and so do you, and I guarantee you, that’s not their view.”China–Somalia relations (Chinese: 中索关系/中索關係, Somali: Xiriirka Shiinaha-Soomaaliya) refers to the bilateral relations between China and Somalia.
History [ edit ]
Exotic animals such as the giraffe caught and sold by Somali merchants were very popular in medieval China
Somalia and China have a long relations in terms of trade, military, culture and language.[1]
Middle Ages [ edit ]
Relations between Somalia and China long predate the Middle Ages. Through trade, the peoples of both areas established good relations. Giraffes, zebras and incense were exported to the Ming Empire of China, which established Somali merchants as leaders in the commerce between Asia and Africa,[2] and in the process influenced the Chinese language with the Somali language and vice versa. The Chinese exported celadon wares, spices and muskets in return for horses, exotic animals and ivory. The prominent Hui-Chinese explorer, mariner, diplomat and fleet admiral, Zheng He, arrived in his fourth and fifth voyage to the Somali cities of Mogadishu, Zeila, Merca and Berbera.[3] Sa'id of Mogadishu a Somali explorer travelled to China in the 14th century, when China was ruled by the Yuan Dynasty, and noted the trading communities of the Chinese ports and cities.
Cold war era [ edit ]
Official relations between the Somali and Chinese governments were established on 14 December 1960.[4] Somalia and China later signed their first official trade agreement in June 1963.[5]
During the Cold War period, the Somali government maintained active relations with its Chinese counterpart. The Somali authorities campaigned for an end to China's diplomatic isolation and supported instead its entry into the United Nations.[6]
The Sino-Soviet split had a large influence on China's relations with countries in Africa. As early as 1964, Somalia was described as the first major center of Sino-Soviet rivalry on the continent.[7] When the Somali side expelled Soviet representatives in late 1977, China agreed to take over many of the development projects started by them.[8]
In January 1991, the Chinese embassy in Mogadishu closed down operations due to the start of the civil war in Somalia.[9] Despite the departure of most Chinese officials, the two countries maintained a small trading relationship in the ensuing years. Total trade volume in 2002 was US$3.39 million, with Somalia exporting US$1.56 million of goods to China and importing $1.83 million.[4]
From 2000 to 2011, approximately seven Chinese development projects were launched in Somalia.[10] These initiatives included $6 million in economic assistance,[11] donation of anti-malaria drugs,[12] and $3 million in debt relief.[13]
Following the establishment of the Federal Government of Somalia in mid-2012, the Chinese authorities reaffirmed their support for the Somali government and called on the international community to strengthen its commitment to the Somali peace process. China's Permanent Representative to the UN, Li Baodong, also emphasized his administration's support for the Somali federal government's stabilization plan, including the latter's efforts at "implementing an interim Constitution, carrying out its six-point plan, strengthening institutional capacity, exercising government functions and extending effective authority over all its national territory."[14]
In August 2013, follow a meeting with Chinese Vice Premier Wang Yang, Somalia's Foreign Minister Fowziya Yusuf Haji Adan announced that the Somali authorities looked forward to cooperation with the Chinese government in the energy, infrastructure, national security and agriculture sectors, among others. Wang also praised the traditional friendship between both nations and re-affirmed China's commitment to the Somali peace process.[15]
In June 2014, during the Arab-China Summit in Beijing, Somali Foreign Minister Abdirahman Duale Beyle met with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi to discuss bilateral cooperation between Somalia and China. The meeting was held at the Chinese foreign ministry center and focused on trade, security and reconstruction. Among the issues discussed were the various Chinese development projects that were in the process of being implemented in Somalia. Beyle also indicated that the Chinese authorities were slated to broaden their support for Somalia, which would serve to create new employment opportunities. Additionally, Wang commended the Somali federal government on its peace-building efforts. He likewise reaffirmed the historically close diplomatic ties between both territories, recalling China's recognition of the nascent Somali Republic in 1960 and Somalia's subsequent campaigning which helped China obtain a permanent seat in the United Nations Security Council.[16]
On 30 June 2014, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei announced that China would dispatch a diplomatic team on 1 July to reopen the Chinese embassy in Mogadishu. He described the move as both recognition that the Somali authorities were making progress in their national reconstruction efforts and a symbol of the importance that the Chinese government attaches to its bilateral relations with Somalia.[17] On 3 July 2014, Chargé d'Affaires of the Embassy of the People's Republic of China Wei Hongtian presented his credentials to Foreign Minister of Somalia Abdirahman Duale Beyle at an event in the Somali capital. Beyle similarly hailed the appointment as a sign of the nation's strengthening security and foreign diplomatic relations.[18] On 12 October 2014, the new Chinese embassy officially opened in Mogadishu.[19]
On 15 December 2014, Wei Hongtian presented his credentials to President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud as the newly appointed Chinese Ambassador to Somalia. He is the first such envoy after the reopening of the Chinese embassy in Mogadishu.[20] Foreign Minister of Somalia Beyle and Ambassador Wei subsequently held a joint press conference, wherein the officials pledged to further strengthen bilateral ties. As part of the local reconstruction process, Wei also indicated that the Chinese authorities were slated to implement various development projects in Somalia.[21]
Agreements [ edit ]
In July 2007, the Chinese state-owned oil company CNOOC also signed an oil exploration agreement with the Somali government over the north-central Mudug province, situated in the autonomous Puntland region.[22]
In September 2013, both governments signed an official cooperation agreement in Mogadishu as part of a five-year national recovery plan |
in a dark blue civilian suit, sat next to his father on a viewing platform at Kim Il-sung Plaza as tanks with rocket-propelled grenades and long-range missiles rolled by.
The missiles carried the slogan of the Korean People's Army: "Defeat the US military. US soldiers are the Korean People's Army's enemy."
Thousands of troops goose-stepped around the plaza, which was decorated with banners and flags.
Ordinary citizens were waving plastic bouquets.
Officials say the anniversary celebrations will be biggest of their kind in the nation's history.
Third generation
On Saturday, father and son had appeared at a festival in the capital.
Members of the international media were also invited in to witness the event.
At the scene The military parade in Pyongyang's Kim Il-sung Square was an extraordinary event. North Korea is perhaps the world's most secretive country. Few foreigners are allowed to visit - and even fewer journalists. But suddenly two days ago the North Korean government decided to allow the world's media to visit Pyongyang. Officials did not say why, but that became clear almost immediately. At a performance of the Arirang Games on Saturday evening at a stadium in Pyongyang, journalists saw leader Kim Jong-il turn up to watch the event with his son, Kim Jong-un. The crowd was ecstatic. It was the first time the two Kims appeared together at such an important event and in front of the world's media. They stood together again at the massive military parade held in Pyongyang on Sunday morning. Many believe this confirms that the man North Koreans have started to call the 'young general' will be the next leader of their country.
As a spotlight shone on the two men, the massive crowd at the Arirang gymnastics and dance festival rose to their feet and burst into applause.
Last month, the Swiss-educated Kim Jong-un was made a four-star general and given senior positions in the government and the Workers' Party, at a rare party conference.
Analysts say this means he is in line to succeed his father, who took over the leadership of North Korea in 1994 after his father, Kim Il-sung, died. However, the title of President has been assigned "eternally" to Kim Il-sung.
Little is known about Kim Jong-un, who is believed to be about 27 years old,.
He would take the Kim dynasty rule over the nation of 24 million into the third generation.
"The future of our country is rosy and bright because Kim Jong-un was elected vice chairman of the military commission of the Workers' Party," said a government official.
"We have a proverb in Korean that great teachers produce great students and great parents produce great children," the official added.
Kim Jong-il is thought to be in poor health and is widely believed to have suffered a stroke two years ago.
The 68-year-old, dressed in his customary khaki tunic suit, stood for over an hour during the parade and waved to the crowds, but he limped noticeably and reached to the balcony for support.
North Korea is locked in a dispute with the West over its nuclear weapons programme and is struggling to revive its crumbling economy.U.S. Rep. Ron Paul during a rally in the Sun Dome at the University of South Florida in Tampa on Sunday, on the eve of the postponed Republican convention.
Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images
TAMPA—The Ron Paul RepubliCAN “We Are the Future Rally” breaks the first rule of campaign events—pack the front rows. The University of South Florida Sun Dome, which seats 10,411, is full-up in the second and third decks. The bottom deck isn’t full. Easily more than 100 seats, in clean view of TV cameras, are empty, even when the noon start time arrives. Those seats were supposed to be for Republican National Committee delegates. There were supposed to be more of them.
“We welcome you, delegates!” says our MC, presidential family historian and Paul diehard Doug Wead. Alas, “some are so traumatized that they aren’t even coming here.” They’d been “locked out, lied to, told that the ‘nays’ have it when we can all see on YouTube that the ‘ayes’ have it.”
Everybody boos; everybody knows. The big boys down the road, at the convention center, need to be shamed and exposed and shamed some more. Ron Paul supporters are not immune to paranoia, and in rooms all over Tampa, they are trading rumors about the ways their movement is being screwed. Did you hear that they kicked out all our delegates? The RNC sent out a message that this rally was cancelled. And so on.
They’re right to be confused. This stuff is confusing. Paul’s third, and probably final (he’s 77), presidential bid ended with zero primary or preference poll wins. Thanks to proportional representation, he managed to grab a bunch of delegates in places like Rhode Island and Vermont and Virginia.
Then Paul’s movement seriously knuckled down. Throughout the spring and summer of 2012, Paul supporters swarmed state Republican conventions and precinct-county-district-state caucuses, scooping up delegates that lazy media counts had assigned to the “winners” of the preference-poll states. Iowa. Minnesota. Colorado. Maine. They needed pluralities in five state delegations in order to nominate Ron Paul from the convention floor on the first ballot. They failed.
Other presidential campaigns have gotten much further, then folded. But Paul’s people kept up hope. Maybe they could influence the Republican platform. Maybe they could scoop up uncommitted delegates and nominate Paul anyway. Maybe they could force the convention to a third ballot—which would free up delegates to look into their souls and vote for Dr. No.
This hope is alive in Tampa, exacerbated by blurts and shouts and tweets of new proof that the Paul delegates are getting screwed. The Paul movement has largely gathered in two large rallies, a few thousand people at each—“We Are the Future” at the Sun Dome, the P.A.U.L. Festival at the Florida Fairgrounds. (People Awakening and Uniting for Liberty, if you were wondering.) Paul would only speak at the first rally, a tightly controlled five-hour lectures-and-music session. The second, a three-day freedom-palooza, let in everybody—Scientologists, the John Birch Society, authors of self-published books about the healing powers of oregano, and the Libertarian Party. (Paul’s not speaking at the Republican National Convention itself. He declined to “fully endorse” Mitt Romney.)
Two Ron Paul supporters cheer for Gary Johnson at the August 25 PAULfest rally in Tampa. Photograph for Slate by David Weigel.
The common theme: Ron Paul could still win, if these bastards didn’t keep taking delegates away. A group of Maine delegates walked around PAUL Fest in matching baseball caps, explaining how the state party had taken half their votes away in a series of arguments before the larger, pro-Romney Republican National Committee. It was so rotten, such obvious cheating, that Maine’s Republican governor was refusing to come to Tampa.
“The rationale is that there was ‘lax security’ at the convention,” said Ashley Ryan, 21, a Paul supporter who’s become the nation’s youngest RNC member. (Each state has two of them.) “Here’s the funny thing about that. The people in charge of security at the convention were on the state committee. My own mother checked me for ID at the convention, which should tell you something about how ‘lax’ it was.”
This is what outsiders don’t understand: Oodles of Paul supporters believe that the delegate switch-ups literally cost them a chance at the nomination. James DiPasquale, a Florida activist who watched some friends try and fail to become delegates, argues that Paul could win if the contest stretched on for a few ballots. (There has been no multi-ballot convention for decades.) “If every delegate was allowed to vote his conscience,” he asks, “how many of them really would want to vote for Romney? It would be a landslide for Ron Paul.” To emphasize the point, he walks around with a life-size stand-up poster of Ronald Reagan, to which he’s attached a quote from the Republican demigod, praising Paul.
And then there are Paul fans who want to move on. There are legitimate reasons. Paul won only 10 percent of the GOP primary vote, after all, and around 10 percent of the delegates if you round up. The Libertarian Party’s investment in PAUL fest comes with speeches from their presidential ticket, former Gov. Gary Johnson and former Judge Jim Gray. On Saturday afternoon, I see his most famous Republican backer, the legendary Nixon fixer Roger Stone, dressed in a purple polo shirt, explaining how the GOP might alienate Paul fans by taking the delegates away. “I can’t imagine why any voter would vote for Mitt Romney!” Eventually, surely, that’s got to help out his guy Johnson. Right? Doesn’t it?
A supporter of Ron Paul waves his portrait during the Sunday rally in Tampa
Photo by MLADEN ANTONOV/AFP/GettyImages.
I join Gray and walk past the booths to the vast concrete hangar where Johnson’s going to speak. “Some of these supporters are avid,” he says, half-admiringly, half-frustrated, “and they’re holding out hope that Paul will be the Republican nominee.” He settles in backstage; I stand behind two men wearing “Ron Paul or Bust” T-shirts. Johnson’s strategy for winning over the crowd: solidarity with the angry delegates.
“This is an exclusionary process, and each and every one of you know it,” he says. “You’ve had sand kicked in your face again and again!” That gets huge cheers. They are less huge when Johnson says he’s the “only other candidate” on the ballot with Romney and Obama, and that he’s been given a rare chance to carry the torch of liberty. A blond woman in a sundress right next to me is overcome. She wants to scream. And then she does. “Give it to Paul!”
On Sunday, at the official Paul party, I’m reminded of all the reasons it’s hard to imagine Paul’s people backing someone else. They’ve come to adore the guy. They cheer at video clips of Paul quoting Friedrich von Hayek to Ben Bernanke and Alan Greenspan. They tote copies of the Ron Paul family cookbook, an old promo brochure from the trail. The speakers—chosen by Paul—pay tribute to their friend as if he’s being buried with the Oscar and six gold medals he just won.
“He’s the one congressman who can actually be described as ‘the honorable,’ ” says the old Paul aide Lew Rockwell, chairman of the Ludwig von Mises Institute, proprietor of LewRockwell.com
They had to cancel it. If they held it, only the Ron Paul people would show up.
“He is our Gandhi,” says Wead. “He is untouched.”
“When he calls it’s like Mises calling me,” says Walter Block, an economist at that think tank. “It’s like God calling me.”
God arrives onstage shortly before 5 p.m. He’s a little modest, giving the movement the credit, denying it to himself. “One paper in Washington had a headline, ‘The Revolution Will Not Be Happening,’ ” he says. “Don’t they wish!” But actually, what the Washington Post had claimed was that “The Ron Paul Revolution Will Not Be Happening.” He politely redacted his own name. He seems to be moving on, past the whole idea of getting the Republican nomination.
Almost.
“Ultimately, numbers do count,” says Paul. “And numbers do count even when they don’t count all the votes as well. Because we do have the numbers!”Paul Souders/Corbis
It took hundreds of thousands of workers decades to create China’s terracotta army, but digital avatars made in minutes could solve the lingering mystery of one of the country’s most famous relics. By creating three-dimensional (3D) models of the 2,200-year-old collection of statues, archaeologists hope to confirm whether the soldiers were intended to represent a real army of distinct individuals.
Known broadly as computer vision, the technology was developed to enable machines such as factory robots and the Mars rovers to map a 3D world from camera images. But now it is quietly revolutionizing archaeology and palaeontology, allowing virtual bones, artefacts and whole excavation sites to be shared and studied without risk of damage.
“In the future, it’s highly likely that these sorts of methods will be the standard thing you do to record an archaeological site,” says Andrew Bevan, an archaeologist at University College London, who is part of a team using computer vision to build digital models of the terracotta army’s life-size warriors.
Since the army was discovered in 1974 in an emperor’s mausoleum near Xian, historians have debated whether the soldiers’ facial details were modelled on actual militiamen. “Are the warriors portraits of individual people? Or are they a ‘Mr Potato Head’ approach to individualism, where you slap on different noses and moustaches and ears?” Bevan says.
Computer-vision models might offer the answer, Bevan suggests. Digital photos can be taken quickly, cheaply and without disturbing the statues. Several dozen high-quality photos of a soldier, taken from multiple perspectives, can provide a computer algorithm with enough data to determine where each image was taken from and create a 3D map in a few minutes. The model — a set of x, y and z coordinates — can be plotted against other models, analysed and even used to make a cast with a 3D printer.
A. Bevan et al. J. Archaeol. Sci. http://doi.org/s7v (2014)/CC-BY
In a pilot study published on 4 June, Bevan’s team modelled the faces of 30 warriors and found that no two ears were identical — evidence that the army consists of individuals (A. Bevan et al. J. Archaeol. Sci. http://doi.org/s7v; 2014). The researchers compared ears because these are unique and may have been modelled on real people. But they plan to analyse other anatomical features to see whether the soldiers vary in ethnicity or bear the hallmarks of distinct craftsmen. Bevan stresses that the work is at an early stage.
Andrew Bevan
Archaeologists and palaeontologists have used computer modelling for decades, to map digs with laser scanners or study bones with computed tomography (CT), for example. But proponents of computer vision argue that these technologies are costly and not made for routine use in the field.
“You’re talking about having a camera versus having a £30,000 [US$50,000] piece of kit ready,” says Sarah Duffy, an archaeologist at the University of York, UK. When 900,000-year-old footprints were found on eastern England’s Norfolk coast last year, she was part of a team that raced to photograph the scene and capture the footprints in 3D. The resulting model revealed that they had been left by a human ancestor — the oldest such relics discovered outside Africa (N. Ashton et al. PLoS ONE http://doi.org/rd2; 2014). The prints had nearly vanished by the time the researchers lugged a laser scanner to the site a week later.
Benjamin Ducke at the German Archaeological Institute in Berlin agrees that the technology has the potential to preserve sites that are disappearing. Last October, he used a drone equipped with a video camera to create a 3D map of a large pre-Columbian settlement in Mexico in a couple of days. His team, called Project Archaeocopter, plans to analyse sites in Uzbekistan and at Pompeii in Italy. With an infrared camera mounted on a drone, the technology could map archaeological sites obscured by dense forests, he says.
“We can expect to see entire collections of hundreds of thousands of objects digitally available.”
Powerful computer-vision software is affordable and readily available, but advocates such as Heinrich Mallison, a palaeontologist at Berlin’s Natural History Museum, see the technology as more than a time and money saver. “It means we can expect to see entire collections of hundreds of thousands of objects digitally available in a decade, so everybody can use these for research,” he says. Ducke thinks that the technology has the potential to break the “interpretative monopoly” of scholars whose theories prevail because others lack access to particular artefacts or remains.
Jean-Jacques Hublin, a palaeoanthropologist at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, expects museums to limit the creation and distribution of such models in their collections, in the same way as some have done for CT scans. Museums worry about losing control over their collections, but Hublin thinks that demand among scientists will inevitably push more collections online. With computer-vision technology in mind, in May the European Union began accepting applications for a €14-million (US$19-million) fund to create 3D models of examples of Europe’s cultural heritage.
But data theft is a worry, Mallison says. “I can go to a museum in Beijing, pull out my Canon, play tourist and do research on a high-resolution 3D model of their fossils.” Academics might not risk the backlash of collecting data without permission, but replica sellers could pillage museum collections with computer-vision software, says Mallison. He thinks that international rules are needed to prevent this. Nevertheless, he predicts that it is only a matter of time before 3D models of museum collections are widely available. “The question is, do we see it in 5 years or 10 years or 15 years?” he says.WASHINGTON—Emphasizing the numerous ecological benefits of blocking the proposed legislation, experts confirmed Wednesday that President Obama’s decision to veto the Keystone XL pipeline bill should buy the environment an additional three or four hours of viability. “Given the negative impact that this project could have had on the planet, we believe that the president’s efforts have successfully pushed back the complete breakdown of global ecosystems from about 3 p.m. to possibly 6:30 p.m. on the final day of ecological stability,” said Peter Grant of the Brookings Institution, adding that, by forestalling the construction of an oil pipeline that threatened to degrade air quality, interrupt species migration, and contribute to global warming, the White House had extended the era in which the earth can sustain life by as many as 300 minutes. “While the suspension of this project will do little to reverse the current damage to our environment, we can say with confidence that we’ve definitely delayed the complete destruction of nature by about the length of an afternoon.” At press time, Grant confirmed that the announcement of a new plastics manufacturing plant in Shanghai had cut their estimate in half.
AdvertisementAlan Mathews has been named as the new manager of League of Ireland side Bray Wanderers.
Alan Mathews has been named as the new manager of League of Ireland side Bray Wanderers.
Alan Mathews appointed as the new manager of Bray Wanderers
Barry O’Connor, a member of our '99 cup winning team, will take up the role of Assistant Manager to Alan Matthews.
Mathews, who previously coached Longford Town, Cork City, Drogheda United and Shelbourne, is looking forward to taking over management of the Seagulls.
“I am delighted to have been given this exciting opportunity and look forward to commencing pre-season training," he said.
“There are a lot of good people at this club & Barry O’Connor and I will put all our energy & commitment into a successful season"
Win One of Five Pairs of Tickets to Ireland v France - Click here
Online Editors19 December 2015, 19:21
An audio appeal of a resident of Chechnya, in which she criticized Ramzan Kadyrov for ways of collecting payments for housing and utility services, has acquired a wide resonance in the Chechen segment of the Internet. Then, the Chechen State TV and Radio Company "Grozny" featured a story about the meeting of the author of the appeal with Kadyrov, at which she retracted her words.
The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that Kadyrov demanded to pay all the debts accrued in 2015 for using electricity, water and gas before January 17, 2016. Checks are conducted throughout the republic, as a result of which malicious non-payers are disconnected from power supplies.
The above woman complained about forced deductions from wages and threats of dismissal for refusing to prepay the housing and utility services. According to her story, ordinary residents of Chechnya are suffering from the difficult economic situation, while officials and members of Kadyrov retinue live in luxury. She treated the campaigns of giving out expensive gifts and support of charitable actions outside the republic as "window dressing".
After that, Internet users reported that the author of the appeal was severely beaten.
On December 18, the TV Channel "Grozny" featured a story about Kadyrov's meeting with the author of the appeal – Aishat Inaeva, a resident of the Nadterechny District.
At the meeting, Kadyrov asked the woman to give particular facts of his order to deduct money from wages and "engagement in window dressing." He also said that every year Chechnya pays more than a billion roubles to residents who have privileges.
The information about Inaeva's beating was refuted by Aza Djankhotova, Director of the Social Rehabilitation Centre for Minors in the village of Gvardeiskoe, where Inaeva works as an educator.
Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.New pipeline could mean tax bonanza for NJ towns, but for Pa.? Not so much
Katie Colaneri Bio Recent Stories Katie Colaneri is a reporter for StateImpact Pennsylvania and WHYY in Philadelphia covering energy and the environment. Before joining StateImpact, Katie worked as an investigative and enterprise reporter at WBGO in Newark, New Jersey. She covered some of New Jersey's biggest stories including the devastation and aftermath of Hurricane Sandy in 2012 and Tropical Storm Irene in 2011, as well as the day-to-day triumphs and struggles to revitalize state's largest city. A native of New Jersey with roots in South Central Pennsylvania, Katie holds a bachelor's degree from Wellesley College.
Katie Colaneri/StateImpact Pennsylvania
As Republican legislative leaders and the natural gas industry unite to beat back Gov. Tom Wolf’s severance tax proposal, here’s something lawmakers in Harrisburg are not talking about: Companies building new pipelines to grow markets for Pennsylvania’s natural gas don’t have to pay local property taxes on those lines to counties, towns and school districts.
So how much could local communities be missing out on?
In one case, StateImpact Pennsylvania has found that a proposed pipeline that would run beneath the Delaware River, the undulating boundary between Pennsylvania and New Jersey, could mean millions of dollars a year in new property tax revenue for towns in the Garden State. But on the other side of the river, Pennsylvania could be leaving millions of dollars a year on the table.
Two towns, one river, one pipeline
Delaware Township in western New Jersey stretches out from the banks of the Delaware River into rolling fields. Silos, big red barns and horse farms dot the landscape.
“Just a beautiful little gem of a township that represents what rural New Jersey used to be like,” said Jim Borders, who has lived here for 18 years. He’s proud his township is home to the last surviving covered bridge in New Jersey.
Delaware is one of 27 towns along the main route of the proposed PennEast pipeline, which would stretch more than 100 miles to bring natural gas from Northeast Pennsylvania’s Marcellus Shale to customers on the East Coast.
In Delaware Township, that could mean about $380,000 a year in new property tax revenue, according to tax assessor Michelle Trivigno.
Katie Colaneri/StateImpact Pennsylvania
In her office on the second floor of the historic township building, Trivigno crunches the numbers. She starts with the number six, which is about how many miles of new, 36-inch pipe could pass through Delaware if the PennEast pipeline is built in 2017.
With a few taps on her calculator, she estimates the township could receive about $54,000 a year. She’s basing that on the assessed value of the pipeline according to the Marshall & Swift cost estimating service.
The rest of the annual haul would be split up among the county, the schools and open space funds.
For a township with an annual budget of about $4 million, “it’s significant,” Trivigno said.
Remember: That $380,000 a year is for just six miles of new pipeline in one town.
Based on 2014 tax rates, a StateImpact Pennsylvania analysis found the project could bring in an estimated $2.2 million a year for the six New Jersey towns that lie in the PennEast pipeline’s path.
But on the Pennsylvania side of the river, most local governments won’t be seeing any new property tax revenue.
Unlike New Jersey, Pennsylvania law does not consider pipelines to be permanent property like a factory building. Rather, the state treats pipelines like the equipment and machinery inside the factory — those are not taxed.
“Basically, we have no benefit whatsoever,” said Joe Kulick, the manager of Durham Township in Bucks County.
Durham looks a lot like Delaware Township, with big old barns, rolling fields and residents who are fiercely proud of its history.
Here’s another thing these two towns have in common: They don’t want PennEast to come through and they’re making their case to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the agency that will have final say sometime in 2016 on whether the pipeline gets built.
Back on the New Jersey side of the river, Jim Borders believes most residents like him are willing to do without the new tax revenue.
Borders, the township’s open space coordinator, says Delaware has spent more than $8 million dollars to preserve farmland from development since the 1980s. Some of those farms are in the path of the pipeline.
“Other people are going to be making tons of money off of this and we’re going to have to put up with the disruption,” he said. “It’s not going to be something that’s really going to benefit this township.”
Susan Phillips/StateImpact Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania missing out on millions
Borders acknowledges Delaware Township is lucky it can afford to forgo that revenue. It sits in Hunterdon County, which is consistently ranked among the wealthiest counties in the United States.
But if the PennEast pipeline is approved, will towns like Durham in Pennsylvania get the short end of the stick?
StateImpact Pennsylvania found that if the state did collect property taxes on pipelines in the way New Jersey does, the 21 towns that sit over PennEast’s main route could collect an estimated $4.3 million a year, based on the most recent information available. Please see the end of this story for more details about our analysis.
The 1.5 mile stretch of pipe through Durham would bring in about $52,000 dollars a year for the township.
Bear Creek Township, Luzerne County could see about $565,000 dollars a year in property tax revenue on 10.4 miles of pipeline. The township has an annual budget of about $680,000.
Courtesy of PennEast Pipeline LLC
Backers of the PennEast pipeline say you can’t limit a calculation of its local benefits to property taxes. To them, the fuller picture includes jobs and lower energy costs.
“The pipe is being built because it will reduce the cost of natural gas and electricity to eastern [Pennsylvania] and New Jersey consumers,” said Pete Terranova, who heads up the consortium of companies behind the $1 billion project.
PennEast also claims the project will employ thousands of workers who will pay millions in income taxes to both states during the construction phase.
But Penn State economist Tim Kelsey says the benefits of pipelines for local communities are often over-stated and don’t last long.
“Overall, there’s generally very little local economic impact of a new gas pipeline going through a community,” Kelsey said.
Construction jobs are by nature only temporary and often go to people who don’t live in the immediate community.
Plus, like many companies working in Pennsylvania, PennEast is registered in the state of Delaware, which means it can take advantage of a loophole in state law and avoid paying the full amount on sales and corporate income taxes.
Kelsey notes new pipelines can even end up costing local governments money if they opt to hire professionals to guide them through the approval and construction processes.
Back in January, Durham Township hired a geological consultant to the tune of $130 an hour.
Delaware Township recently set aside $15,000 in its annual budget to hire expert witnesses to testify against the pipeline at future hearings.
Susan Phillips/StateImpact Pennsylvania
“We’re going to be severely impacted”
Two state senators from Pennsylvania are working on a bill that would place an impact fee on pipelines similar to the one the state charges on natural gas drillers. Since 2011, the impact fee has brought in $853.5 million to communities hosting wells.
State Sen. John Rafferty (R-Chester), one of the bill’s co-sponsors, said the pipeline-building boom is putting new burdens on towns hours away from the nearest gas well. The U.S. Energy Information Administration estimates Pennsylvania could see another 4,600 miles of new interstate pipeline built in the next several years.
“We’re going to be severely impacted here for years to come with installation of these lines,” Rafferty said.
His bill was referred to a senate committee in early March.
In the meantime, companies like PennEast have tried to sweeten the pot by offering grants to communities along the pipeline’s route.
Durham Township applied for one and got a check in the mail for $5,000, more than a month after the company announced the grant award in a press release.
Katie Colaneri/StateImpact Pennsylvania
Joe Kulick, the township manager, wants to use the money to help fix up Durham’s 195-year-old gristmill. He points to rotting beams and cracked window panes held together with duct tape.
“Could easily spend $5,000, not even blinking an eye,” he says.
The local ambulance squad recently applied for another $5,000 grant. It’s a fraction of what the township would receive in property tax revenue, but Kulick says it’s better than nothing.
Property tax revenues lost in Pennsylvania towns
Sources: PennEast Pipeline LLC; County websites; CSVRealtors.com; Newpa.com; Marshall & Swift cost estimating service.
Note: StateImpact Pennsylvania used an estimated assessed value of $2,317,392 per mile of new, 36-inch pipeline. That number is based on our interpretation of the Marshall & Swift cost estimation with guidance from a tax assessor and a real estate appraiser familiar with the service. Our property tax analysis is based on 2015 local millage rates adjusted for each county’s 2013 “common level ratio.” In Pennsylvania, this ratio of assessed to market value is calculated county by county each year. The 2013 ratios are the most recent ones available from the State Tax Equalization Board.
Kidder Township, Carbon County has two different school district millage rates. StateImpact Pennsylvania used the lower of the two millage rates in Kidder Township North for this analysis.
Editor's PicksThe official went on to list the types and name the number of weapons used in the war-torn territories.
"650 tanks, 1,310 armored combat vehicles, almost 500 piecese of artillery of various calibers (including large-caliber artillery proscribed by Minsk agreements), almost 260 multiple launch rocket systems, and up to 100 anti-aircraft missile systems," Matios said, stressing that these are all Russian weapons.
"The Russian Federation is currently represented in in Donbas with an almost 3,000-strong [regular] force consisting of two battalion-tactical groups and a tactical group, which, besides the weapons mentioned, also has almost 200 tanks, 400 APCs, 140 artillery pieces, and the latest types of anti-aircraft missile systems," said Matios.
The chief military prosecutor listed the Russian military units involved in the fighting.
Read alsoDonbas militants intensify attacks, three Ukrainian soldiers wounded in action "Battalion-tactical group of the 333rd paratrooper regiment of the 98th Airborne Brigade, permanently based in Ivanovo, Russia, and now deployed in Donetsk. Another Russian battalion-tactical group is the 20th separate motorized rifle brigade of the 49th army with a permanent base in Stavropol, Russia, and now deployed in the town of Snizhne. There is also a company tactical group from Novorossiysk. Airborne-assault brigade, which is now in the city of Luhansk.The 155th Marine Brigade from Vladivostok, 61 Marine Brigade from the town of Sputnik, Murmansk region," said the chief military prosecutor.
According to him, the total number of Russians fighting in Donbas amounts to 11,000, including 3,000 regular troops.
Read alsoNumber of Russians in OSCE SMM in Donbas doubles in past year – Ukraine's envoy"The first army corps deployed in the city of Donetsk ("1 AC DPR") has a strength of five brigades, three separate regiments, eight separate battalions, two separate companies, five territorial defense battalions, more than 18,000 people.The so-called "1 AC DPR" has in service almost 350 tanks, 600 APCs, 250 atrillery pieces, and 130 MLR systems," he said. "The second army corps deployed in Luhansk ("2 AC LPR") consists of four brigades, two separate regiments, six separate battalions, right territorial defense battalions, two separate companies. It has 155 tanks, 300 APCs, 110 artillery pieces, and 40 MLR systems," said Matios.
Read alsoU.S. Army releases handbook for defeating Russia in hybrid warAs UNIAN reported earlier, President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko said in June this year that more than 40,000 militants and servicemen of the Russian Federation's regular military forces were involved in hostilities in the temporarily occupied areas of Donbas.• Forward said to be open-minded about a move to Celtic • 28-year-old is out of contract with Cardiff this summer
Celtic have joined the list of clubs with an interest in the Cardiff City striker Jay Bothroyd. Neil Lennon, the Celtic manager, watched Bothroyd during Cardiff's 3-0 play-off semi-final defeat by Reading in Wales on Tuesday night.
Lennon is keen to boost his attacking options this summer, with the fact Bothroyd is out of contract this summer and his physical presence both appealing factors. Celtic have been long-time admirers of Reading's Shane Long, who scored twice in Cardiff, but may be priced out of a move for the Republic of Ireland international. Long has been rated at £4m by his club, a figure that would only increase were Reading to seal promotion to the Premier League.
A source close to Bothroyd confirmed Celtic's interest in the striker, and that the 28-year-old will take two or three weeks to consider his future. He is thought to be open-minded about a potential move to Scotland, given Celtic's size.
Cardiff, who refused to sell Bothroyd in January in an effort to boost their promotion chances, fear losing the forward for nothing, three years after he signed from Wolverhampton Wanderers for £300,000. The player has been coy about his future plans.
Bothroyd's former team-mate Joe Ledley has been a key performer for Lennon this season and another Cardiff player, Adam Matthews, has signed a pre-contract to move to Parkhead in the summer.
Bothroyd appeared as a substitute for England during their friendly against France last November, after which his scoring form dipped. The forward, who finished the season with 20 goals, has been linked with Everton. Sunderland and Birmingham City have also been mentioned in relation to the former Arsenal trainee. Such clubs could get in ahead of Celtic if Bothroyd decides he wants to play in the Premier League.
The player said Cardiff would be wrong to dismiss their manager, Dave Jones, after a second successive play-off failure. The Cardiff board and Jones have said they will review his position in the coming weeks.
"Cardiff would be mad to get rid of Dave Jones. He's been great, he's brought in quality," Bothroyd said. "It's not just the manager, it's a collective thing – we're involved as well. We're the boys that go out on the pitch and play the game and he can't affect that. All he can do is pick the team."SCOTLAND risks a reputation as being “anti-science” over a controversial ban recently imposed on genetically modified (GM) crops, scientific leaders have warned.
The Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE) has accused the Scottish Government of using “emotive language” and warned it could damage the prospect of attracting top researchers to come and work in Scotland in future.
Nicola Sturgeon has admitted that the decision was not based on scientific evidence and came under fire yesterday from opposition MSPs over the issue. The First Minister said the ban was imposed to protect the “clean and green” reputation of Scotland’s lucrative food and drink sector.
But the Society has issued a call for a “rational debate” on the issue of a new advisory paper.
It stated: “Scientific advice should be available to government ministers and civil servants when considering policy issues related to science.”
The “ambiguous responses” from ministers suggest the Chief Scientific Adviser for rural affairs, food and the environment was not involved in the decision, the paper states.
Concerns are also raised over the absence of a Chief Scientific Adviser in Scotland and vacancies on the Scottish Scientific Advisory Council.
It added: “This regrettable coincidence could create a perception of an ‘anti-science attitude’.”
Professor Nigel Brown, a fellow of the RSE, said: “Scotland is renowned for its world-class scientific research, therefore it would be regrettable to stigmatise an area of exciting development which provides real scope for global benefit.”
The assumption of “public hostility” towards GM is also not backed up evidence, the paper states, with recent polling suggesting that there is a wider acceptance. The ban could damage business growth, with Scotland looking to the bio-economy to deliver a “significant proportion” of future prosperity.
Much of Scottish agriculture is also reliant on imported fertilisers and animal feed from South America, which is “far from clean and green”.
Instead, many new GM crops under research are aimed at cutting fertiliser and pesticide use or reducing soil damage.
Ms Sturgeon told MSPs yesterday: “We will consider the report from the Royal Society of Edinburgh very carefully and take whatever action is required.
“Our scientific advisor was consulted on the scientific background, which was made available to ministers prior to this decision, but that was not our primary factor in reaching a conclusion.
“We took the decision we took on GM crops because we wanted to protect our food and drinks sector, and protect |
and other Muslims write frequently on Islamic feminism and related themes. Please click these links to reach the writings of the respective authors: Kecia Ali | Laury Silvers | Amina Wadud | Vanessa Rivera de la Fuente | Jameelah X. Medina | And let me do some shameless self-promotion or whatevz and link y’all to my article over at the same blog titled Why I am an Islamic Feminist.
Islamic Feminism, Feminist/Progressive/Gender-Egalitarian Interpretations of Islam (or: scholarship that challenges dominant orientalist (re)presentations of Muslims/Islam and the dominant mainstream interpretations of Islam and Muslim women)
Listed in order of author’s last name. P.S. I plan, at some point, to categorize them better, since the list is getting longer by the week!
Other feminist/gender egalitarian resources
AdvertisementsDisclaimer: this post is purely for amusement & LOLs ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ
ISTJ: TRADITIONALIST
- has a fetish for Mon-Fri 9 to 5 jobs + benefits
- traditional AF
- this species is v endangered, please donate
- has had the same goals and dreams since they were a fetus
- productive member of society™
ESTJ: YUPPIE
- working 27/9 on multiple projects, multiple jobs & multiple underlings to command
- getting more stuff done than you’ll ever do in your lifetime
- somehow has a neater desk than you but knows how to party it up when they’re finally off hours
- fav type of party is a networking party
- actually has time and money to Netflix
INTJ: COLLECTORS
- is on all the social medias but almost never posts
- knows all the tings but never really says it
- v secretive
- will low-key become a billionaire overnight for starting a very important company that no one has heard of
ENTJ: YOUR BOSS
- is the only person who actually knows what they’re doing
- started taking on leadership roles since birth (re: shoved the doctor out of the way to cut their own umbilical cord)
- shows love via loud criticism – is only trying to help you help yourself
- so DONEEE with incompetence
ISFJ: MILLENNIAL MOM
- shares so many Facebook posts that fb definitely knows who they voted for/where they shop at/intimate details even they don’t know
- actually writes Amazon reviews (thank you)
- replies to all messages from fam within 30 seconds
- attends annual mom convention just to maintain their status (Level 10 Mom Friend™)
ESFJ: FOODIES
- has multiple social platforms to display their culinary skills (STATUS: black belt)
- charming AF but WILL throw shade if provoked
- hair is goals
- listed on Huffington Post as top 21 Pinterest users to follow
INTP: THE FUTURE™
- obsessed with the possibilities of the future
- topics all INTPs are pre-programmed to get excited about: AI, start-ups, technology, STEM jokes
- may combust when stupid arguments are portrayed as facts
- procrastination level: over 9000
ENTP: BROGRAMMERS
- speaks a foreign language invented by them
- beer parties & philosophical debates are always lit
- pretty WOKE actually
- Nerd™
INFJ: MODERN HIPSTER
- had first quarter life crisis at 15
- your official therapist
- writes self-love/compassion/know-yourself/nostalgia posts for a website
- stares through a window from time to time looking contemplative
ENFJ: GRASSROOTS CHAMPION
- actually has their life together despite repeat quarter life crises
- persuasive AF
- “I do what I want, I don’t need your validation … but also I consider how it affects everyone around me and how I’ll be perceived”
- won Volunteer of the Year award every year for the last 5 years; got promoted to presenting the Volunteer of the Year award instead
ENFP: EXUBERANTS
- lives off of the Likes of friends and random Internet strangers
- needs social validation through an IV drip
- will most likely die of FOMO
- life motto: pics or it didn’t happen
- golden retriever but looks like a person (cute either way)
INFP: UNDEREMPLOYED
- Feelings™
- overqualified for all the jobs but doesn’t know what jobs they actually care enough to apply for
- posts are always either WOKE AF or self-deprecating
- hopes and dreams are on life support
ESTP: WANDERLUST™
- bucket-list longer than Santa’s list
- only has semi-naked pics on Tinder
- knows the most important words in every language (i.e. “what’s your phone number”)
- no honey, don’t call them; yes, they’re definitely seeing other people
ISTP: SHUT OUTs
- self-employed
- will low-key land a steady 6 figure job for being in the right place at the right time
- moonlights as a hand model
- credit card ebills show 20% of income spent on Redbull/coffee
ESFP: YOUTUBE VLOGGER
- EXTRA AF™
- somehow amassed a HUGE following from weekly 10 minute videos about their day
- will fake their death if no one is paying attention to them
- actually really savage
- sparkly
ISFP: PROFESSIONAL SELFIES TAKER
- living embodiment of the word “aesthetic”
- hair/style/make-up/art is goals
- snapchat game is on point
- etsy is only their side hussle
- flower crowns filtersThe vaccine is introduced into the child, the child then grows and tries to find its own personality, and if this is inhibited by mercury or other substances present in the vaccine which enter the brain, the child becomes gay. The problem will especially be present in the next generations, because when gays have children, the children will carry along with them the DNA of their parent’s illness. Because homosexuality is a disease, even though the WHO has decided that it is not. Who cares! The reality is that it is so. Each vaccination produces homosexuality, because it prevents the formation of one’s personality. It is a microform of autism, if you will. You will see how many gays there will be in the next generation, it will be a disaster.Jimmy Lopez-Valadez was booked Sept. 30, 2015 into the Washoe County jail on four charges including battery with a deadly weapon causing substantial bodily harm, discharging a gun into an occupied place and two counts of discharging a gun in a prohibited area. All arrested are innocent until proven guilty. Bail set at $80,000. (Photo: Washoe County Sheriff's Office)
A man accused of shooting a 13-year-old boy in the head in a drive-by last year was sentenced, according to the Sparks Police Department.
Jimmy Lopez-Valadez, 35, pleaded guilty to two charges including discharging a firearm into a structure and discharging a firearm from a vehicle.
Lopez-Valadez as sentenced to a minimum of 15 months and a maximum of 72 months for discharging a firearm into a structure. He was also sentenced to 72 months to 180 months on the second charge, Sparks police said in a news release on Thursday. The sentences are expected to run consecutively, police said.
On Sept. 20, 2015, Sparks police officers responded to a call of a boy shot inside an apartment on 4005 Moor Park Ct. Upon arrival, they found Eduardo Barajas-Poti had been shot in the head.
The boy was taken to a hospital where he was listed in critical condition with life-threatening injuries, police said. Since the shooting, he recovered and is doing well, Sparks Police Lt. Rocky Triplett said in an email on Thursday.
Investigators said they believe Eduardo was inside his apartment when someone fired a single round through the wall when he was hit. Detectives found that the family was not intentionally targeted and that the shooting was random.
“The members of the Sparks Police Department would like to thank Secret Witness and the citizens of the community for all the assistance in this case,” authorities said in a statement Thursday. “This case was solved and successfully prosecuted because a concerned, conscientious citizen called Secret Witness with the information that lead to the identity and prosecution of Mr. Lopez-Valadez.”
Marcella Corona covers breaking news for the Reno Gazette-Journal. Contact her at 775-788-6340, email her at mcorona@rgj.com or follow her on Twitter at @Marcella_Anahi or on Facebook at Facebook.com/Marcella.Anahi
Read or Share this story: http://on.rgj.com/1S0Ap4DThe Las Vegas daily owned by GOP mega-donor Sheldon Adelson granted Donald Trump his first major newspaper endorsement on Saturday, framing him as a flawed but determined “source of disruption.”
“Mr. Trump represents neither the danger his critics claim nor the magic elixir many of his supporters crave,” the Las Vegas Review Journal editorial board writes. “But he promises to be a source of disruption and discomfort to the privileged, back-scratching political elites for whom the nation’s strength and solvency have become subservient to power’s pursuit and preservation.”
Much of the endorsement is spent picking apart the dangers posed by a Hillary Clinton presidency rather than praising the Republican nominee. The board writes that Clinton would appoint liberal Supreme Court justices, raise taxes, and “indulge the worst instincts of the authoritarian left.”
Yet the board members are also unusually critical of the nominee they are supporting, noting that “Trump’s impulsivenesss and overheated rhetoric alienate many voters.”
“He has trouble dealing with critics and would be wise to discover the power of humility,” the board adds.
The Review Journal’s endorsement marks an achievement for the GOP nominee, who has received the backing of some smaller hometown newspapers but had until now failed to earn support from any high-circulation publication.
Trump-supporting casino magnate Adelson secretly purchased the newspaper, which is Nevada’s largest, in December. While he said he would not influence coverage, a columnist resigned this spring after he was banned from writing about Adelson.
Recent news reports have signaled that the billionaire donor has grown tired of Trump’s tirades against his fellow Republicans and will no longer donate the full $100 million he said he would put towards Trump’s election. Instead, some of that money will be diverted to down-ballot candidates.Editor's note: The following is an opinion piece. The views expressed here do not necessarily represent those of Military Times or its editorial staff.
Amidst claims of Russian meddling in the presidential elections, the recent expulsion of 35 Russian diplomats from the U.S. offers a brief view into the ongoing, Cold War-esque spycraft between two superpowers.
In this game, the Russians send intelligence officers, known as handlers or case officers, to recruit and manage assets, or spies. Winning and not ending up with your name in the paper is the rule for both the Russian agents and American counterintelligence officers. So when a Russian diplomat is publicly declared persona non grata (PNG in spy parlance) by the U.S., it can have wide-ranging impact on Russian intelligence collection efforts and operations.
35 Russian diplomats ordered through executive order to leave the U.S.
However, pushing out Russian intelligence officers is only part of the spy equation – it doesn't account for their cultivated assets. Did these diplomats have assets who were engaged in espionage on behalf of Russia?
As a former double-agent who spent three years working undercover for FBI counterintelligence as a Russian spy, it is a question that concerns me.
Unlike in the movies, the job of a Russian intelligence officer is not to actually spy; it is to recruit and manipulate assets to do the spying for them. Furthermore, successfully recruiting an asset to spy is more akin to running a sales campaign then it is to spying. It becomes a numbers game, with intelligence officers speaking to many potential assets to find the few that have both the ability and willingness to spy.
× Fear of missing out? Fear no longer. Be the first to hear about breaking news, as it happens. You'll get alerts delivered directly to your inbox each time something noteworthy happens in the Military community. Thanks for signing up. By giving us your email, you are opting in to our Newsletter: Sign up for the Early Bird Brief
As my years working with the Russians showed me, their process to validate a potential asset is both careful and painstakingly slow. It required dozens of meetings before the Russians began to trust me enough to discuss how I could spy for them.
Additionally, my meetings with them were never spur of the moment. They were carefully orchestrated operations requiring planning and additional resources. In sum, the meetings were a manpower-heavy exercise.
With a limited number of Russian diplomats, if only a handful of the 35 who were expelled were involved in espionage activities, their departure creates a temporary but significant downgrade in Russia's ability to carry out its espionage mission in the U.S. Of course, this impact can be reversed as soon as the officers' replacements land on American soil.
One of the last things that Oleg Kulikov, my Russian handler and GRU (Russian intelligence) officer, said to me was how excited he was to be able to throw a party in my honor. It was the last of many statements designed to stroke my ego, and was what Oleg spent most of his time doing.
Naveed Jamali
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Sunshine Sachs
The Russians did not get me to spy for them by coercion, blackmail or threats; they focused on appealing to my ego using both praise and money. Oleg had a clear idea of why Americans would spy for Russia, and my job was very much to convince him that I was, in fact, a real spy. I did that by playing the role that both Oleg and his Russian intelligence service were looking for, becoming a narcissist who believed he was smarter than the FBI and who liked money.
The persona of a young American excited by money and who could be manipulated by careful appeal to his ego was exactly what the Russians were looking for in a spy. What Oleg didn't know as he delivered his news of the upcoming party in that parking lot in Wayne, New Jersey, was that after spending years on preparing me to be a long-term Russian spy, I was about to revealed as a long-term counterintelligence asset who had been working against Russia for the FBI.
Oleg's excitement at my recruitment made clear to me that without assets, he simply would not have been able to collect intelligence for Russia. If the U.S. wishes to truly cripple Russian espionage efforts, it must unmask intelligence officers and identify their assets.
While Russian intelligence officers like Oleg and those recently sent home can be quickly replaced, it takes years to identify and cultivate an asset. The failure to publicly identify and take actions against these individuals (who do not have diplomatic immunity) and their role in Russia's espionage efforts leaves them in place for future use and sends a message that spying for Russia goes unpunished.Jobs must lead, not lag, the recovery
The economy's shedding jobs again due to a pullback in government workers.
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- It's time to put to bed this silly notion that the still weak labor market is nothing to worry about because jobs are a lagging economic indicator.
The economy will not and cannot recover until a lot more people go back to work. It's tempting to write off the worse-than-expected loss in jobs in July because it was primarily a result of temporary Census jobs coming to an end.
Still, the 71,000 gain in private sector jobs in July was lower than what economists were hoping for and has to be considered a disappointment.
Whether another round of government stimulus is needed to prod businesses to start hiring again is up for debate. But it's painfully clear that businesses MUST add workers for the economy to bounce back.
Sure, jobs growth usually doesn't pick up until after the broad economy does in the wake of recessions. But there was nothing usual about the 2008-2009 downturn.
"The financial panic was the underlying cause of this recession. That makes it different," said Bill Seyfried, professor of economics at Rollins College in Winter Park, Fla. "Coming out of a credit crisis, recoveries tend to be much weaker. I don't anticipate a strong bounce in jobs or the economy."
In 2001, for example, the recession was relatively mild and mostly felt by high-tech companies on the two coasts. It was a business-led slowdown.
But the unemployment rate back then never got anywhere close to the 9.5% it is at now, let alone the 10.1% peak it hit last October. So that's why the economy was able to bounce back in 2002 and 2003. Even during the worst of that jobless recovery, the unemployment rate only got up to a high of 6.3%.
Too much is riding on a job rebound now. The housing market is still in shambles. It's tough to imagine improvement until more people are back to work. Without that, the foreclosure epidemic won't end and the continued glut of houses could make it tough for home prices to rise.
Consumer spending is also not increasing at a decent enough clip to get the economy moving in the short-term. This is great for the long haul as the pickup in the savings rate is a sign of responsible fiscal behavior -- which means we may not suffer through another credit-bubble-induced collapse anytime soon.
But if everybody hunkers down and pinches pennies, that will probably mean that the economy continues to grind along at a low and slow pace, which is why I've coined the term the barbecue recovery to describe the economy.
Businesses, despite having relatively large levels of cash at their disposal, won't hire until consumers start spending again. But many consumers aren't spending because they either don't have a job, don't have a high-enough paying job or are worried about holding on to their job.
"It is a chicken vs. the egg dilemma, but the weakness in the labor market reflects a gradual and slow recovery," said Sean Snaith, director of the Institute for Economic Competitiveness at the University of Central Florida in Orlando. "The aftermath of the long recession has left scars on consumers and it's going to take time for them to heal."
So consumers and businesses both are sitting and waiting. I still think businesses need to be the ones brave enough to make the first move. They need to hire more even if demand isn't fully back yet because they could actually help create demand by giving consumers a reason to be more confident.
But someone has to blink or the fears about a double-dip recession and/or deflation could come to pass.
"At some point, jobs have to kick in for the economic engine to really work. Each month is like a little bit of torture where there are reasons to worry even more," said Bill Cheney, chief economist with John Hancock Financial in Boston. "The real problem is not that employment lags, but that it's lagging too much."
Reader comment of the week. I wrote on Tuesday about how Ford's stock is on a tear and that it may still have room to head higher as the automaker's sales continue to rebound. One reader definitely seems to be a fan of Ford and offers lavish praise to its CEO for its revival.
"Alan Mulally for President," wrote Pete Wagner.
- The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Paul R. La Monica. Other than Time Warner, the parent of CNNMoney.com, La Monica does not own positions in any individual stocks.by
On the first day of Trump’s administration, well over one out of every hundred Americans took to the streets to march and rally against the new President. A week later, airports around the country were flooded with protesters, forcing Trump’s team to back down on one of their signature proposals. In any normal parliamentary democracy, a crisis of legitimacy of this magnitude would have already led to the head of state stepping down and scheduling a new election.
This is America, and Hamilton and Madison and the rest feared the common rabble far too much to allow for that degree of instability, but even within the constitutional framework they designed, mass protest movements can be effective. A generation ago, such movements ended segregation, forced Lyndon Johnson out of office, and ended America’s quasi-genocidal war in Vietnam. More recently, the occupiers in Zucotti Park and other encampments around the country moved issues of income inequality and economic injustice to the forefront of national consciousness in a way that probably doomed the Presidential campaign of poor hapless Mitt Romney and which definitely paved the way for the insurgent campaign of Bernie Sanders and most recently the astonishing growth of Democratic Socialists of America.
The effectiveness of Occupy Wall Street was inseparable from the genius of its slogans. This isn’t a matter of precise accuracy. The really elite super-rich make up well under one percent of the population, and the broader ruling class is considerably larger. A businessman who ‘only’ has a hundred employees and who fires fifty of those hundred when they try to organize a union may not be anywhere near the top one percent of wealth-hoarders, but I hope no one in Zucotti mentally included him in the ‘we’ of “We are the ninety-nine percent!” Statistical nit-picking aside, the genius of the slogan was that it powerfully and succinctly conveyed the entirely accurate impression that the people whose interests are actually served by the current economic system are vastly outnumbered by their victims. The rules of political mobilization at that level resemble grenade-throwing far more than chess. It’s a context in which there absolutely is such a thing as ‘close enough.’
Still, we should be mindful of whether our grenades are being thrown in the right general direction. “Hey Hey, Ho Ho, Donald Trump Has Got To Go” is a perfectly fine slogan, even if it raises tricky questions about the prospect of a President Mike Pence. You don’t have to take any particular position about exactly where President Trump and his close advisor Steve Bannon land on the Kinsey Scale of Fascism to cheerfully chant, “No Trump, No KKK, No Fascist USA!”
….but please, please stop chanting, “We Won The Popular Vote.”
It’s easy to see the rationale for this slogan. A popular vote victory is a source of legitimacy, Trump lacks it, ergo anything that reminds people of that usefully undermines Trump. Right?
There are at least three problems with that line of reasoning.
First and perhaps most obviously, it re-enforces the Fox News/talk radio narrative that anti-Trump protesters must just be Hillary partisans protesting the fact that their candidate didn’t make it to 270 electoral votes. “They’re just sore losers!”
Secondly, if Hillary had won, that wouldn’t have removed the need for street protests about the rights of immigrants and refugees. She was Secretary of State in an administration that deported more undocumented workers than all the Presidents in the twentieth century put together. She both diplomatically enabled a coup in Honduras and took a hard line on sending back Honduran children fleeing from the subsequent humanitarian disaster.
That’s not to say there’s no difference. Hillary would have violated immigrant rights to a ‘normal’ degree, like the sensible representative of the establishment that she is. Trump dialed those attacks up to eleven, like the crazed demagogue that he is. Even so, there’s no reason to pretend that Secretary Clinton has ever been on the right side of the struggle.
Finally, there’s a reason she didn’t get those 270 electoral votes. She was one of the most unpopular politicians in the history of polling even before she declared her candidacy. She combined the poisonous neoliberal politics of her husband with a stunning lack of charisma. (As she herself liked to put it, she wasn’t a “natural politician.”) Unlike Bernie Sanders, who as Barbara Ehrenreich said, “would have dispatched Trump’s populist pretension with a wrist flick,” Clinton defended NAFTA in her first debate with Trump. Facing tough battles in a series of economically depressed swing states, her message was literally that (as she said several times in those debates) “America is already great.”
Faced with a choice between pseudo-populist scapegoating and a miserable status quo defined by endless war abroad and the immiseration of the working class at home, a few million more people voted for Clinton than Trump, but the “we” of “we won the popular vote” leaves out not only the tiny smattering of people who voted for Jill Stein (and the somewhat larger number who voted for more popular protest candidates like Harambe, Deez Nuts, and Gary Johnson) but the more than ninety million eligible voters who stayed home in disgust. Adding in the Trump voters, more than a few of whom may see the error of their ways in the coming months, and we’re talking about seventy percent of eligible voters.
The vast majority of us aren’t protesting because we loved Hillary and she lost. We’re protesting because we’re against Trump’s racist bans, walls, and registries. We’re protesting because we want to defend abortion rights and collective bargaining rights and the rest against the vile judges Trump wants to put on the Supreme Court. We know damn well that, as George Carlin so memorably predicted, “they’re coming for your Social Security,” and with Paul Ryan as Speaker, Mitch McConnell as Majority Leader, and Trump as President, we’ve never been in greater danger of the Carlin Prophecy coming true.
Nothing can be gained from stitching the political corpse of a deeply unpopular and uninspiring politician to the living body of the movement to stop Trump, and telling seventy percent of the public that they aren’t part of our “we” is staggeringly counterproductive. The issues we’re mobilizing over impact the overwhelming majority of the population, not just the sixty-five million people who voted for Hillary Clinton. “We” didn’t win the popular vote, because we weren’t on the ballot. We are the ninety-nine percent.
Ben Burgis is a philosophy instructor at Rutgers University.Burt, a Whippet, was reunited Jan. 27, 2015 with his Harlem owner, Lauren Piccolo, after being missing for five months. View Full Caption Facebook/BringBurtHome
MANHATTAN — A dog missing for five months was reunited with his Harlem owner after being found rummaging for food near the FDNY training facility on Randall’s Island, a fire department spokeswoman said.
Burt, a 1-year-old brindled Whippet, went missing from his home on Aug. 20 and was finally caught in a trap set by Lt. David Kelly during the blizzard early Tuesday morning.
"I am tremendously grateful for the efforts of the FDNY to recover Burt. Burt had been running loose in the city for more than five months and managed to evade capture by friends, family and many good Samaritans," owner Lauren Piccolo wrote online.
Kelly, a 25-year veteran from Ladder 22 in Harlem, first saw the Whippet about a month ago and started to feed him dog food after noticing that the pooch looked hungry, the spokeswoman said.
Kelly started looking online for missing greyhounds, which look similar to Whippets, and finally came upon the Facebook page for Burt.
Kelly contacted Piccolo and got a few pictures of Burt, confirming it was the same dog.
He then decided to try and trap the dog so it wouldn’t be harmed in the blizzard.
Kelly set up a metal cage with food in it and was finally able to capture Burt.
“After five months, and of course in the middle of a mega snow storm, I get a call from a really nice fireman who has seen a whippet, nightly for 2 - 3 weeks, near the FDNY training facility on Randall's Island,” Piccolo wrote on Burt's Facebook page after first being contacted by Kelly. “I can't believe you are still out there, Burt!!!!!!!!!!”
Piccolo had been frantically looking for her dog for months, at one point covering 90 blocks with posters, according to a Facebook post on Sept. 3.
Burt and Piccolo were reunited later Tuesday morning.
"While Burt is a resilient dog, I don’t think he would have survived such a fierce storm. The FDNY’s efforts were incredible and timely!" Piccolo said. "Burt is resting at home and is expected to make a full recovery."Steve Jobs's black turtlenecks helped make him the world's most recognizable CEO. But the Apple co-founder wouldn't have worn them if his employees had accepted the nylon jacket he proposed as a corporate uniform instead. Before he died, Jobs himself explained his sartorial signature to biographer Walter Isaacson, in an interview published for the first time below.
Today, Jobs' fashion choices look downright visionary. Acclaimed designer Ralph Rucci has called 501 jeans and black turtlenecks like Jobs's two of the three most "wholly original" pieces of clothing in modern fashion. Sales of Jobs style turtlenecks spiked in the days following his death last week.
But before he was a cultural icon parodied on Saturday Night Live, imitated in TV commercials, and celebrated in a national theatrical production, Jobs was regarded as a corporate oddball, even within his own company. According to Isaacson's book Steve Jobs, due out in two weeks, Apple employees jeered their boss's scheme for a corporate outfit. So he had to settle for a personal uniform, modeled on shirts he saw noted designer Issey Miyake wearing.
This story has been glanced before but never fully told. Isaacson sent us this excerpt after reading our August post "Steve Jobs, Fashion Icon?" At the time, the closing quote did not have the haunting edge it does now. Writes Isaacson:
On a trip to Japan in the early 1980s, Jobs asked Sony's chairman Akio Morita why everyone in the company's factories wore uniforms. He told Jobs that after the war, no one had any clothes, and companies like Sony had to give their workers something to wear each day. Over the years, the uniforms developed their own signatures styles, especially at companies such as Sony, and it became a way of bonding workers to the company. "I decided that I wanted that type of bonding for Apple," Jobs recalled. Sony, with its appreciation for style, had gotten the famous designer Issey Miyake to create its uniform. It was a jacket made of rip-stop nylon with sleeves that could unzip to make it a vest. So Jobs called Issey Miyake and asked him to design a vest for Apple, Jobs recalled, "I came back with some samples and told everyone it would great if we would all wear these vests. Oh man, did I get booed off the stage. Everybody hated the idea." In the process, however, he became friends with Miyake and would visit him regularly. He also came to like the idea of having a uniform for himself, both because of its daily convenience (the rationale he claimed) and its ability to convey a signature style. "So I asked Issey to make me some of his black turtlenecks that I liked, and he made me like a hundred of them." Jobs noticed my surprise when he told this story, so he showed them stacked up in the closet. "That's what I wear," he said. "I have enough to last for the rest of my life."
Excerpt from "Steve Jobs" by Walter Isaacson. Reprinted with permission.
[Photo of Miyake in 1998, left, via AP. Photo of Jobs in 2005 via Getty Images]Daniel Kerr, one of two snowboarders missing on Victoria's Mount Bogong, has been found dead at the bottom of an avalanche.
The 32-year-old and his friend Martin Buckland, 33, were reported missing when they did not return from their snowboarding trip for a family function on Saturday.
Search and rescue police found Mr Kerr's body and said they expected to find Mr Buckland's nearby.
Inspector Dave Ryan from Victoria Police said it appeared the men were caught in an avalanche not far from their campsite.
"I've spoken with both families and it's a really, really tragic time for them," Inspector Ryan said.
"They understand the situation we're faced with. Essentially we are looking to try and recover the second body."
He said an unknown signal led them to the area where they found the body and were tracking it in order to find the other missing man.
"There's every possibility the second male's not far away, however the snow depth at the moment is over four, four-and-a-half metres, which is making it a bit challenging for actually trying to probe and trying to discover exactly where he is," Inspector Ryan said.
Mr Buckland and Mr Kerr planned to camp at Michell's Hut before moving on to Eskdale Spur, about half a kilometre away.
A group of walkers found the pair's empty tent with sleeping bags and other equipment inside on Sunday morning.
Mr Kerr's body was found 400 metres down a slope off Eskdale Spur.
Police warn of potential dangers
They'd been up there on a number of occasions, they're equipped, they know what they're doing, and they got caught out. Inspector David Ryan, Victoria Police
Inspector Ryan said people needed to be vigilant with their planning for snow trips, including taking the area's environment and weather forecast into account.
"You need to do a lot of pre-planning, you need to let a lot of people know where you're going and then start to invest some real money in safety equipment," he said.
"The snow can catch people out in a hurry.
"This is something that these two guys were highly experienced in.
"They'd been up there on a number of occasions, they're equipped, they know what they're doing, and they got caught out.
"The message is... it's not somewhere that just anybody should go. It's a very hazardous environment.
"Whilst you might think you're a good snowboarder there are so many other things you need to worry about other than just your ability to ski or snowboard."
Inspector Ryan said emergency services were making about one rescue a week across the Victorian high country this ski season, including three in the past week at Mount Bogong.A couple and their son, a 3-year-old toddler, were killed in an explosion that occurred late Sunday night in an apartment in Jerusalem, apparently caused by a gas leak in the third floor of the building.
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Police have arrested a gas technician who was called to the building Sunday to attend to a gas related issue, but failed to complete the job, promising to return the next morning. Though cautious not blame the man directly, fire forces claim there is little doubt the blast was a result of negligence.
An initial search found the life-less bodies of a man and a woman in their thirties, and the toddler son's death was pronounced later on at Jerusalem's Shaare Zedek Medical Center. At least 15 additional people were injured in the event, including one woman who was seriously injured. It is feared the building may collapse.
Photo: Motti Kimchi
Jerusalem District Police have begun investigating the event and have already apprehended a gas technician who was called to the building Sunday by the neighbors in the apartment adjacent to the family.
Inna Ivanov, who was wounded in the blast and was rescued from the building by her grandson, a police volunteer, said "at 1 am there was a blast. We didn't understand what, suddenly the winds, doors and walls blew off. We ran to stairwell and then MDA ambulances and the police arrived and we learned that it was a blast caused by a gas leak in the adjacent building. It was a huge blast, it felt like a bomb went off."
Photo: Noam Dvir
According to neighbor, the Super Gas technician began to work but stopped mid-way. He allegedly told the neighbors he temporarily solved the problem and would return Monday morning to complete the work.
'Everything will be fine'
Head of Jerusalem's firefighter services, Fire-Chief Shahar Ayalon said "it is hard to say what the origin of the blast was. We will attempt recreate the event to better learn what happened. The neighbors said that they alerted a gas technician. It is unclear what he exactly did, but it is clear there was negligence."
Meir Kadosh, who called the technician, explained that the building complex's heating is built on gas – which is uncommon in Israel – and every new tenant in the 65-unit strong building must privately tap into the system, creating a patch work of connections to the central gas system.
"A little more than a year ago we sent a letter to the gas company (Super Gas), warning that the gas-pipe situation was criminally neglected. The only answer we got was 'everything will be fine.' Every once and a while there is a strong gas smell, and you can only badger them so much.
"My daughter returned home and smelt gas. We called a technician who arrived at quarter of eight and said he would return tomorrow, and in the meantime he said 'everything would be fine.' At 1 am there was a blast."
Photo: Noam Dvir
Among those wounded were a 60-year-old man who was trapped under the wreckages and suffered moderate wounds, a 50-year-old woman who suffered burns to the face, a 80-year-old man and a young girl of twelve who sustained head wounds.
The brother of the man killed arrived at the scene and police were forced to inform him of the untimely death of his brother, sister-in-law and young nephew.
"The explosion shook all of southern Jerusalem," concerned residents in the area testified. Police are examining whether the incident was caused by negligence.
The explosion caused extensive damage to a three-story building and additional constructions in the area.
A vehicle nearby was also damaged by the event. Magen David Adom emergency services paramedics began searching the site and evacuated 15 people from the scene, including one woman who was seriously injured and eight who were lightly injured who were taken to Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital in Jerusalem, and five other people who were taken to Shaare Zedek Medical Center.STOCKTON -- The Stockton Police Department was apparently the target of a drive-by shooting Wednesday night, one that peppered the building with gunfire but injured no one.
STOCKTON -- The Stockton Police Department was apparently the target of a drive-by shooting Wednesday night, one that peppered the building with gunfire but injured no one.
Police said that about 8:50 p.m., officers in the parking lot of the Police Department, which is on Market Street between Center and El Dorado streets, heard four to five gunshots fired from not far away.
At least two of the rounds were found to have hit the building. Police said that it appeared the shots had been fired from the Crosstown Freeway.
"It does not appear this shooting was a random act but actually an intentional crime directed at the police department," said Officer Pete Smith, a police spokesman.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Police Department at (209) 937-8377.
Read Friday's Record for more on this story by staff |
one capitalist owns the whole structure, these capital goods, it must be stressed, do him no good whatever.
And why is that? Because the test of the value of all capital goods is conducted at the level of final consumption. The final consumer is the master of the richest capitalist.
Many people (I've been among them) rail against the term capitalism because it implies that freedom is all about privileging the owners of capital.
But there is a sense in which capitalism is the perfect term for a developed economy: the development, accumulation, and sophistication of the capital-goods sector is the characteristic feature that makes it different from an undeveloped economy.
The thriving of the capital-goods sector was the great contribution of the Industrial Revolution to the world.
Capitalism did in fact arise at a specific time in history, as Mises said, and this was the beginning of the mass democratization of wealth.
Rising wealth is always characterized by such extended orders of production. These are nearly absent in Haiti. Most all people are engaged in day-to-day commercial activities. They live for the day. They trade for the day. They plan for the day. Their time horizons are necessarily short, and their economic structures reflect that. It is for this reason that all the toil and trading and busyness in Haiti feels like peddling a stationary bicycle. You are working very hard and getting better and better at what you are doing, but you are not actually moving forward.
Now, this is interesting to me because anyone can easily miss this point just by looking around Haiti where you see people working and producing like crazy, and yet the people never seem to get their footing. Without an understanding of economics, it is nearly impossible to see the unseen: the capital that is absent that would otherwise permit economic growth. And this is the very reason for the persistence of poverty, which, after all, is the natural condition of mankind. It takes something heroic, something special, something historically unique, to dig out of it.
Now to the question of why the absence of capital.
The answer has to do with the regime. It is a well-known fact that any accumulation of wealth in Haiti makes you a target, if not of the population in general (which has grown suspicious of wealth, and probably for good reason), then certainly of the government. The regime, no matter who is in charge, is like a voracious dog on the loose, seeking to devour any private wealth that happens to emerge.
This creates something even worse than the Higgsian problem of "regime uncertainty." The regime is certain: it is certain to steal anything it can, whenever it can, always and forever. So why don't people vote out the bad guys and vote in the good guys? Well, those of us in the United States who have a bit of experience with democracy know the answer: there are no good guys. The system itself is owned by the state and rooted in evil. Change is always illusory, a fiction designed for public consumption.
This is an interesting case of a peculiar way in which government is keeping prosperity at bay. It is not wrecking the country through an intense enforcement of taxation and regulation or nationalization. One gets the sense that most people never have any face time with a government official and never deal with paperwork or bureaucracy really. The state strikes only when there is something to loot. And loot it does: predictably and consistently. And that alone is enough to guarantee a permanent state of poverty.
Now, to be sure, there are plenty of Americans who are firmly convinced that we would all be better off if we grew our own food, bought only locally, kept firms small, eschewed modern conveniences like home appliances, went back to using only natural products, expropriated wealthy savers, harassed the capitalistic class until it felt itself unwelcome and vanished. This paradise has a name, and it is Haiti.Washington Capitals head coach Barry Trotz apologized to New York Rangers defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk for calling into question his former player's abilities.
Prior to a game between the two clubs on Dec. 7, Trotz said the Capitals acquired Shattenkirk last season with a view to installing him as a top-pair defenseman down the stretch, but he didn't come as advertised and failed expectations.
Trotz, however, later clarified his comments in a personal moment with Shattenkirk.
"He came up to me and apologized after the game," Shattenkirk said Monday, per Larry Brooks of the New York Post. "He explained what he had said and told me that it had been portrayed differently than he intended. I appreciated that."
Washington won that game 4-2, and Shattenkirk added Trotz's comments were weighing on his mind when he took to the ice.
"That game I felt I had a point to prove and then the first shift it’s in the net,” said Shattenkirk, whose turnover led to a goal 14 seconds in. "I felt that I was playing catch-up the rest of the way. But after the game, talking to him and with the explanation he gave me, I put it out of my mind. It hasn’t stuck with me."Here are some magnificent pictures of the biggest party under the African sun.
For the lot of you who don’t know, AfrikaBurn is Burning Man’s largest regional event and is held in Tankwa, South Africa during the end of April to early May (bang in the middle of the country’s beautiful winter). Pictures from this year’s edition revealed some fairly interesting and impressive art and various forms of creative expression much like what we see at Black Rock City.
Similar to its mother festival, AfrikaBurn adheres to the ten principles of Burning Man like – Leave no Trace, Philosophy, self-expression, self-reliance, and communal effort. The event has been running from 2007 and aims to be “radically inclusive and accessible to anyone”.
Simply put, the festival is participant oriented that experiments with community building, creativity and self reliance among the citizens of Tankwa Town in Karoo once a year.
“Nothing is for sale but ice at the event. Nothing. There are no vendors, no advertising or branding. It just doesn’t fit in. It’s not even a barter economy – it’s a de-commodified zone with a gift economy that’s about giving without expecting anything in return.”
1. A bird’s eye view of Tankwa Town, Karoo.
2. A Robot Easter Bunny or Donnie Darko’s favourite alter ego? You choose.
3. People of AfrikaBurn, unite!
4. San Clan. It is designed to look like a San rock art glyph of a group of people. The intention is to convey the idea of unity and community at the event.
5. Fancy a death ride, love?
6. What about this one?
7. Lose your shit. Find yourself.
8. So Tankwa has it’s own airport. Errm.
9. Pun not intended.
10. Half woman. Half Flamingo?
11. A Purple Wedding. Where’s Joeffrey?
12. A gorgeous sky and some nuclear warheads.
13. At AfrikaBurn, to be giving is key. Open your heart without expecting anything back.
14. Just look at that horizon
15. ‘Here I give you a poem.’
16. A fortuitous yet friendly visit from pacman!
17. The ritual burning of San Clan and a beautiful end to a beautiful festival.
Pictures Courtesy : Buzzfeed & AfrikaBurnIn his first official appearance in the White House briefing room Trump press secretary Sean Spicer went on a tear against the media. Spicer said attempts by the media to "lessen enthusiasm" of Trump's inauguration by showing bad images of the crowd is "shameful and wrong."
Spicer's remarks on the "misrepresentation" of the number of people witnessing the inauguration:
SPICER: Photographs of the inaugural proceedings were intentionally framed in a way in one particular tweet to minimize the enormous support that it gathered on the National Mall. This was the first time in our nation's history that floor coverings had been used the protect the grass in the mall. That had the affect of highlighting any areas where people were not standing while in years past the grass eliminated this visual.
This was also the first time that fencing and magnetometers went as far back on the mall preventing hundreds of thousands of people from being able to access the mall as quickly as they had in inaugurations past. Inaccurate numbers involving crowd size were also tweeted. No one had numbers because the National Park Service which controls the National Mall does not put any out.
By the way, this applies to any attempts to try to count the number of protesters today in the same fashion. We do know a few things so let's go through the facts. We know that from the platform where the president was sworn in to 4th Street holds about 250,000 people. From 4th street to the media tent is about another 220,000. And from media tent to the Washington Monument another 250,000 people.
All of this space was full when the president took the oath of office. We know that 420,000 people used the D.C. metro public transit yesterday which actually compares to 317,000 that used it for President Obama's last inaugural.
This was the largest audience to ever witness an inauguration. Period. Both in person and around the globe. Even The New York Times printed a photograph showing that a misrepresentation of the crowd in the original tweet in their paper which showed the full extent of the support, depth and crowd and intensity that existed. These attempts to lessen the enthusiasm of the inauguration are shameful and wrong.
SPICER: The president is committed to unifying the country and that was the focus of his inaugural address. This kind of dishonesty in the media, the challenge of bringing about our nation together is making it more difficult. There's been a lot of talk in the media about the responsibility to hold Donald Trump accountable. And I am here to tell you that it goes two ways. We are going to hold the press accountable as well. The American people deserve better and as long as he serves as the messenger for this incredible movement he will take his message directly to the American people where his focus will always be.
FYI, CNN made a conscious choice not to show the @PressSec statement live. The decision was to monitor the statement & then report on it. — Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) January 21, 2017
I've run out of adjectives. — Chuck Todd (@chucktodd) January 21, 2017
Sean Spicer is the new Baghdad Bob. That was positively Soviet. https://t.co/jcj8cMeKxq — Joy Reid (@JoyAnnReid) January 21, 2017
Sean Spicer's first hostage video... that was pathetic. Embarrassing. Bad. Just bad. — Mika Brzezinski (@morningmika) January 21, 2017
Spicer moved on to Trump's visit to the CIA today and the "raucous" crowd of intelligence employees. He said they were "ecstatic" by the president's visit. He also noted it was "a shame" that the CIA did not have a director because Democrats are "stalling" the confirmation of Trump's nominee.Spicer finished the presser by warning the media being held accountable is a two way street:Shortly after the press conference MSNBC's Brian Williams did acknowledge that a member of the press misreported that the MLK Jr. bust was gone. The reporter, Zeke Miller of TIME, did apologize for the error CNN did not carry Spicer's statement live. CNN's Brian Stelter reported why : "CNN made a conscious choice not to show the @PressSec statement live. The decision was to monitor the statement & then report on it."NBC's Chuck Todd was left speechless, tweeting: "I've run out of adjectives."MSNBC's Joy Reid called the presser "positively Soviet."MSNBC's Mika Brzezinski called it a "hostage video."Sacha Baron Cohen is a brave, brave man.
He's already goofed the world with his characters on "Da Ali G Show," and caused cultural ruckuses with "Borat" and "Bruno," so now he's taking the next logical step: wading into the most sensitive of international politics. And if one man can spoof the brutal regime of a dictator -- and somehow even make him likable -- it's got to be this lanky British mastermind.
Enter "The Dictator," Baron Cohen's latest film. He plays a North African dictator named General Aladeen, a combination of such deposed despots as Saddam Hussein and Muammar Gaddafi who gets sent to the United States, and from the look of this first trailer, relies less on a culture clash than exaggerating the awful things a power hungry, egomaniacal dictator might do to make sure he holds on tight to his rule. And, remarkably, it's hilarious.The man Barack Obama consulted on medical matters for over two decades said on Tuesday that the president's vision for health care reform is bound for failure.
Dr. David Scheiner, a 70-year Chicago-based physician who treated Obama for more than 20 years, said he was disheartened by the health care legislation his former patient is championing, calling it piecemeal and ineffectual.
"I look at his program and I can't see how it's going to work," Scheiner told the Huffington Post. "He has no cost control. There would be no effective cost control in his program. The [Congressional Budget Office] said it's going be incredibly expensive... and the thing that I really am worried about is, if it is the failure that I think it would be, then health reform will be set back a long, long time."
Scheiner, who prefers a more progressive approach to reform, was hesitant about trying to divine the president's motives, although he said he believed that "in his heart of hearts" Obama "may well like a single-payer program."
"His pragmatism is what is overwhelming him." Scheiner added: "I think he's afraid that he can't get anything through if he doesn't go through this incredibly compromised program."
Admitting that he was not a political practitioner, Scheiner said he felt compelled to speak out because of his unique relationship with the president and this critical moment in the health care debate. A champion of a single-payer health care system, Scheiner noted repeatedly that he came to the debate from the perspective of having dealt with the hassles and pitfalls of the current system. His speaking out is part of a larger effort, launched by Physicians for a National Health Program, to push Congress to consider single-payer as an alternative to current reform proposals.
As Scheiner sees it, all alternatives simply fall short. Keeping private insurers in the market, he warns, would simply maintain burdensome administrative costs. He argued further that the pharmaceutical industry is not being asked to make "any kind of significant sacrifices" in the current round of reform negotiations. As for a public health care option, Scheiner insists that the proposal remains vague and inadequate.
"First of all, they haven't really gone into great detail about the public option," he said. "How much is it going to cost, are they going to really undercut private health insurance by a considerable amount? Will there be any restriction that you can get for public option?"
Despite his policy critiques, Scheiner's affection for his long-time patient is quite obvious. He recalled the president as being "gracious" and "never pulling rank" when he came to his office. "Part of my shtick, is I sing songs and I love humor," Scheiner said. "I remember last time I saw him I told him a joke, he said, 'Doc, you told me that joke before.' I was so impressed he can remember my bad jokes -- this guy has to be really bright."
During the course of the campaign, Scheiner became one of the many mini-celebrities in Obama's orbit. When the then-Senator released a one-page summary documenting his health, criticism for its brevity was laid on the doc's doorstep.
"The guy was healthy, you know," Scheiner recalled. "What can you say? His only problem was that he smoked... But there wasn't that much to say. If I had added anything it would have been pure drivel. There wasn't anything serious in his record. He'd never had anything. The guy is built like a rock, he could probably bench-press me...
"I think my most impressive time was when Jon Stewart actually mocked my report," he added. "I thought that was wonderful."
All of which makes his current criticism of Obama's health care policies all the more difficult. While Scheiner raved about the president's intellectual curiosity, he was at loss for words as to why Obama had consulted with private industry executives more than primary care physicians. And while he spoke glowingly about the president's oratorical talents, he expressed disappointment that Obama had not done more to explain the benefits of single-payer coverage to the American public.
The White House has said that the president moved away from a single-payer approach both because of philosophical objections (consumers should be allowed to keep their coverage) as well as political realities (limited support for the proposal in Congress). The administration's position increasingly resembles the maxim, Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good.
"It's a good question," Scheiner said, when asked if having watered-down reform become law was better than getting a single-payer system stalled in Congress. "Is something better than nothing? That is a hard one for me. That is a difficult one, because, in the end, I think [Obama's] program is going to fail."SoundCloud has been beta testing its podcasting features with a private group since 2011, but today it’s finally letting everyone in. The SoundCloud podcasting features come in multiple tiers, including one free and two paid options. They challenge existing industry leaders, including Libsyn, as well as provide the RSS hooks necessary to also publish to iTunes and get picked up by podcast apps like Overcast.
SoundCloud is aggressively competitive with its primary competitors out of the gate – it charges $55 per year for six hours of audio uploads per month and provides unlimited-length hosting for $135 per year. Lisbon charges $5 per month to start, but you only get 50MB of storage per month, which runs out pretty quickly. $15 per month gets you a more reasonable and generally useful 250MB, but SoundCloud’s unlimited tier seems like it will be a popular option. There’s also a free tier for more casual users, providing three hours of audio uploads.
Previously, anyone could technically use SoundCloud’s basic features for podcasts, with some considerable caveats: Basically, you had to bring your audience to SoundCloud itself if you wanted them to listen. Because the new features generate an RSS feed of your podcast, you can then publish to iTunes, as well as submit the feed to other sources for audio discovery and online radio, including Deezer-owned Stitcher. Apps like Instacast and Overcast will also be able to add your show, and users will be able to add them manually to podcast clients using your feed URL.
Other advantages of SoundCloud’s platform include instant publishing to SoundCloud, which has considerable reach, and embed tools that allow you to easily share your show on social media, blogs and other websites.
In addition to legacy competitors like Libsyn, SoundCloud might have more challengers in the podcast category in the near future. Spotify looks to be planning to introduce a podcasts section to its app, based on mobile app discoveries first reported by TechCrunch. It’s unclear whether Spotify will angle to host itself, however, or seek feeds like Apple does with iTunes, in which case that could actually be even better news for SoundCloud’s attempt to monetize podcasts.
Here’s how to get started with SoundCloud podcasting if you’re interested. We’ll probably try it out ourselves here at TechCrunch, since we already cross-post all our podcasts to our own official account.VILLAGE OF LAKEWOOD CLUB — Village trustees are forcing a resident who owns six dogs — more than the three animals per-home allowed under its ordinance — to get rid of three of her pets.
Saying they don't want to deviate from the village ordinance, the trustees decided against pursuing a compromise that would allow Christina LaMay, 6475 Central, to keep all six dogs under the condition that she not replace any when her three oldest dogs die. Trustees gave her 90 days to get rid of the animals.
“Do we like people having to get rid of their beloved pets,” village President Russell Lichner asked. “No. But we have a responsibility to the community.”
The decision left LaMay, 58, fuming. She said she would consult with her attorney and find out whether there's a way to keep her pets. She's owned all six since 2007.
“They're our babies,” she said. “You raise them, you nurse them through all their sickness, just like kids.”
Trustees said they decided against reaching a compromise because they feared it would set a harmful precedent.
“If we allowed one person to do it, we would have to allow everyone else to do it,” Lichner said, adding that asking LaMay to give up her dogs was “a real hard decision.”
The village of Lakewood Club, with a population of 1,291, is in the northwest corner of Dalton Township, southeast of Whitehall.
Village trustees said asking residents to reduce the number of animals they own is rare, but it has been done. This past summer, one resident was asked to find a different home for some of her dogs because she owned more than the village allows. Village officials couldn't immediately say how many dogs the resident owned.
LaMay criticized the trustees, asking why they were making her get rid of her pets when none of her neighbors had complained about them. She said they weren't a nuisance and didn't bother neighbors with excessive barking.
“I think they're petty,” she said of the trustees. “It's stupid.”
LaMay's dogs came to the attention of the village recently when its ordinance enforcer spotted them outside her house.
With demand for space at many animal shelters high, LaMay fears her dogs will be euthanized. She plans on giving up her three oldest dogs — Princess, 13, Ranger, 13, Goblin, 12 — all of which struggle with health problems. All three are a "shepard mix."
“We walked out (of the meeting) and my daughter asked can we keep them and now I think she's out in the parking lot crying,” LaMay said following the meeting.
While the order for LaMay to get rid of the dogs may be unpopular, the decision was made in the interest of village residents, Lichner said. A large number of dogs can be a nuisance to neighbors and create unsanitary conditions for the animals and their owner, he said.
“I really do feel three animals is enough,” he said.
Connie Karry, director of Pound Buddies Animal Shelter and Adoption Center, said most shelters are running at capacity, leaving little room for new dogs.
LaMay occasionally fosters dogs for Pound Buddies.
“The chances are very high that they will be euthanized,” Karry said. “We have limited foster homes and we have young, healthy dogs that we have no room for and are euthanized.”
Email: bmcvicar@muskegonchronicle.comNEW DELHI (Reuters) - India called on Pakistan on Thursday to take “prompt and decisive” action against militants it blames for an attack on an air base, days before fraught peace talks between the nuclear-armed neighbors are scheduled to resume.
An Indian security personnel stands guard on a building at the Indian Air Force (IAF) base at Pathankot in Punjab, India, January 5, 2016. REUTERS/Mukesh Gupta
A meeting between the foreign secretaries of both nations had been tentatively scheduled for Jan. 15, but it is unclear if it will still happen after the weekend attack on the Indian Air Force base near the Pakistan border. India’s foreign ministry said Islamabad has been given actionable intelligence that those who planned the assault came from Pakistan.
“As far as we are concerned the ball is now in Pakistan’s court,” spokesman Vikas Swarup told reporters when asked if the talks were on. “The immediate issue in front of us is Pakistan’s response to the terrorist attack.”
A senior Pakistani official said India provided intelligence that included telephone numbers, call intercepts, and locations where they believe the attackers or their handlers were.
Pakistan is following up the leads, the official said, and hopes that the talks would not be canceled while it explores them.
Prime ministers Narendra Modi of India and Nawaz Sharif of Pakistan are struggling to keep their renewed dialogue on track after the militant attack killed seven Indian military personnel and wounded 22.Modi made a surprise stopover in Pakistan last month, the first time an Indian premier has visited in over a decade.
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The standoff after the apparent thaw is part of a pattern over the years. Attempts to restart talks have been frequently thwarted by attacks between the two countries, which have fought three wars since becoming separate nations in 1947.
With such an eventuality in mind, the national security advisers of the two countries agreed on a process during a meeting in early December to keep dialogue going in case of a potential disruption, the Pakistani official said.
As a result, Indian NSA Ajit Doval has spoken at least three times by phone with his Pakistani counterpart, Naseer Khan Janjua, since the attack, including last Saturday evening when the fighting was still ongoing, the Pakistani official said.
India’s security establishment has blamed the attack on militant group Jaish-e-Mohammad, alleged to have been behind an assault on the country’s parliament in 2001 that almost brought the two countries to war for a fourth time. The Pakistani official said Pakistan could temporarily arrest Jaish-e-Mohammad’s leader Masood Azhar to appease India, but only if the leads checked out.
Pakistan also expects DNA evidence, bodies and other forms of identification from India “within days”, the official said.Sharif met senior ministers and his national security advisers on Thursday and discussed “issues pertaining to national and regional security”, according to a statement from his office.Despite repeated promises to the contrary, it is now becoming clear that the Abbott government has no intention of taking meaningful action on climate change.
The Coalition’s so-called Direct Action policy has always been a farce and a policy fig leaf to cover Tony Abbott’s belief that climate change science is, as he once described it, “crap” – a view shared by the hand-picked chair of his new Business Advisory Council, Maurice Newman, who recently declared that “anthropological” (as he described it) climate change was a “myth”.
No sooner had it taken office than the Abbott government, having apparently cast aside its Direct Action policy charade in favour of the diversion of a new white paper, set about wrecking the achievements and successes of the previous government in addressing Australia’s emissions.
The most graphic illustration of Abbott’s ideological warfare against action on climate change may not be the axing of the Climate Commission, but his attempt to shut down theClean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC).
The CEFC forms part of the suite of measures set up by the previous government to reduce Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions by grasping the huge economic opportunities offered by the burgeoning clean energy sector.
With an eminent board and high-performing staff headed by former Macquarie Bank executive Oliver Yates, the CEFC possesses considerable financial nous and business experience, ranging across investments, portfolio management, finance, corporate treasury, legal, human resources, marketing and communications, risk management, governance, corporate affairs and government.
The market was quick to respond to it. In just its first two months of operation – since 1 July this year – the CEFC has been able to attract investment in new, clean energy projects worth $1.6bn, raising around $2.90 in private sector investment for every $1 of taxpayer funds invested. Thus far, the CEFC has committed investments of around $500m, with total project value of around $2bn.
The CEFC has been in active discussions with some 50 project proponents, and more than 100 others have expressed interest in CEFC finance. Projects include waste-to-energy plants, wind farms, bio-energy generation ventures, solar farms and low-energy street lighting investments for councils. If the CEFC is allowed to continue its work, these projects will be worth many billions of dollars to the Australian economy, and will create thousands of jobs.
And all this investment is occurring at minimal cost to taxpayers. The CEFC has no adverse impact on government net debt and its contracted investments are expected to earn an average return of around 7%, which is 4% above the government’s cost of funds.
Coalition claims that the CEFC is some kind of “green slush fund” suggest either a catastrophic lack of financial acumen, or a catastrophic lack of honesty. The CEFC will have a positive net contribution to the nation’s finances as a fund that invests money in clean energy projects for a positive return.
It is clear that Abbott’s primary concern about the CEFC is not that it has been unsuccessful in stimulating new business opportunities and jobs in the clean energy sector. Rather, it seems his concern may be that the CEFC has succeeded admirably. This success is anathema to a government that won office by disparaging the effectiveness of the government that it was seeking to replace.
In stark contrast to the CEFC’s role as an investment vehicle to stimulate the clean energy industry in Australia, it is the Coalition’s Direct Action policy that proposes a slush-fund of taxpayers' money to be doled out without return – and not to new clean technology businesses, but rather, to existing big polluters.
Abbott now seems determined to ensure that good policies implemented over the past six years by Labor are torn down as fast as possible, regardless of their economic merit, regardless of the negative impact this might have on the jobs and businesses that have been created, and regardless of whether this tearing down is done in an appropriate legal manner – or not.
On this last point, it appears that Abbott has been in such a desperate rush to destroy the CEFC that he has sought to bypass the legal processes required to dismantle an independent statutory body. Independent statutory bodies such as the CEFC are created by legislation, and legislation is needed to dissolve them. Treasurer Joe Hockey has sought to get around the troublesome requirements of Australia’s laws and democratic processes by asking the Board of the CEFC to suspend its operations, placing the Board in the invidious position of potentially breaching its legal and contractual obligations.
The CEFC has already shown itself to be a financially sound and economically effective instrument for action on climate change. As a vehicle for jobs creation, innovation and new, clean energy industries, it ticks all the boxes. At the very least, the new government should recognise that the CEFC’s existence is not incompatible with its own claimed policy priorities under Direct Action.
If it persists with its ham-fisted attempts to shut down the CEFC, it will be clear not just that the government regards climate change as a myth, but that it is prepared to attack sound job creation and economic investment to pursue its blinkered ideological opposition to effective action on climate change.The reticent and relentlessly abstract logician Kurt Gödel might seem an unlikely candidate for popular appreciation. But that’s what Rebecca Goldstein aims for in her new book Incompleteness, an account of Gödel’s most famous theorem, which was announced 75 years ago this October. Goldstein calls Gödel’s incompleteness theorem “the third leg, together with Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle and Einstein’s relativity, of that tripod of theoretical cataclysms that have been felt to force disturbances deep down in the foundations of the ‘exact sciences.’ “
What is this great theorem? And what difference does it really make?
Mathematicians, like other scientists, strive for simplicity; we want to boil messy phenomena down to some short list of first principles called axioms, akin to basic physical laws, from which everything we see can be derived. This tendency goes back as far as Euclid, who used just five postulates to deduce his geometrical theorems.
But plane geometry isn’t all of mathematics, and other fields proved surprisingly resistant to axiomatization; irritating paradoxes kept springing up, to be knocked down again by more refined axiomatic systems. The so-called “formalist program” aimed to find a master list of axioms, from which all of mathematics could be derived by rigid logical deduction. Goldstein cleverly compares this objective to a “Communist takeover of mathematics” in which individuality and intuition would be subjugated, for the common good, to logical rules. By the early 20th century, this outcome was understood to be the condition toward which mathematics must strive.
Then Gödel kicked the whole thing over.
Gödel’s incompleteness theorem says:
Given any system of axioms that produces no paradoxes, there exist statements about numbers which are true, but which cannot be proved using the given axioms.
In other words, there is no hope of reducing even mere arithmetic, the starting point of mathematics, to axioms; any such system will miss out on some truths. And Gödel not only shows that true-but-unprovable statements exist—he produces one! His method is a marvel of ingenuity; he encodes the notion of “provability” itself into arithmetic and thereby devises an arithmetic statement P that, when decoded, reads:
P is not provable using the given axioms.
So a proof of P would imply that P was false—in other words, the proof of P would itself constitute a disproof of P, and we have found a paradox. So we’re forced to concede that P is not provable—which is precisely what P claims. So P is a true statement that cannot be proved with the given axioms. (The dizzy-making self-reference inherent in this argument is the subject of Douglas Hofstadter’s Pulitzer Prize-winning Gödel, Escher, Bach, a mathematical exposition of clarity, liveliness, and scope unequalled since its publication in 1979.)
One way to understand Gödel’s theorem (in combination with his 1929 “completeness theorem”) is that no system of logical axioms can produce all truths about numbers because no system of logical axioms can pin down exactly what numbers are. My fourth-grade teacher used to ask the class to define a peanut butter sandwich, with comic results. Whatever definition you propose (say, “two slices of bread with peanut butter in between”), there are still lots of non-peanut-butter-sandwiches that fall within its scope (say, two pieces of bread laid side by side with a stripe of peanut butter spread on the table between them). Mathematics, post-Gödel, is very similar: There are many different things we could mean by the word “number,” all of which will be perfectly compatible with our axioms. Now Gödel’s undecidable statement P doesn’t seem so paradoxical. Under some interpretations of the word “number,” it is true; under others, it is false.
In his recent New York Times review of Incompleteness, Edward Rothstein wrote that it’s “difficult to overstate the impact of Gödel’s theorem.” But actually, it’s easy to overstate it: Goldstein does it when she likens the impact of Gödel’s incompleteness theorem to that of relativity and quantum mechanics and calls him “the most famous mathematician that you have most likely never heard of.” But what’s most startling about Gödel’s theorem, given its conceptual importance, is not how much it’s changed mathematics, but how little. No theoretical physicist could start a career today without a thorough understanding of Einstein’s and Heisenberg’s contributions. But most pure mathematicians can easily go through life with only a vague acquaintance with Gödel’s work. So far, I’ve done it myself.
How can this be, when Gödel cuts the very definition of “number” out from under us? Well, don’t forget that just as there are some statements that are true under any definition of “peanut butter sandwich”—for instance, “peanut butter sandwiches contain peanut butter”—there are some statements that are true under any definition of “number”—for instance, “2 + 2 = 4.” It turns out that, at least so far, interesting statements about number theory are much more likely to resemble “2 + 2 = 4” than Gödel’s vexing “P.” Gödel’s theorem, for most working mathematicians, is like a sign warning us away from logical terrain we’d never visit anyway.
What is it about Gödel’s theorem that so captures the imagination? Probably that its oversimplified plain-English form—”There are true things which cannot be proved”—is naturally appealing to anyone with a remotely romantic sensibility. Call it “the curse of the slogan”: Any scientific result that can be approximated by an aphorism is ripe for misappropriation. The precise mathematical formulation that is Gödel’s theorem doesn’t really say “there are true things which cannot be proved” any more than Einstein’s theory means “everything is relative, dude, it just depends on your point of view.” And it certainly doesn’t say anything directly about the world outside mathematics, though the physicist Roger Penrose does use the incompleteness theorem in making his controversial case for the role of quantum mechanics in human consciousness. Yet, Gödel is routinely deployed by people with antirationalist agendas as a stick to whack any offending piece of science that happens by. A typical recent article, “Why Evolutionary Theories Are Unbelievable,” claims, “Basically, Gödel’s theorems prove the Doctrine of Original Sin, the need for the sacrament of penance, and that there is a future eternity.” If Gödel’s theorems could prove that, he’d be even more important than Einstein and Heisenberg!
One person who would not have been surprised about the relative inconsequence of Gödel’s theorem is Gödel himself. He believed that mathematical objects, like numbers, were not human constructions but real things, as real as peanut butter sandwiches. Goldstein, whose training is in philosophy, is at her strongest when tracing the relation between Gödel’s mathematical results and his philosophical commitments. If numbers are real things, independent of our minds, they don’t care whether or not we can define them; we apprehend them through some intuitive faculty whose nature remains a mystery. From this point of view, it’s not at all strange that the mathematics we do today is very much like the mathematics we’d be doing if Gödel had never knocked out the possibility of axiomatic foundations. For Gödel, axiomatic foundations, however useful, were never truly necessary in the first place. His work was revolutionary, yes, but it was a revolution of the most unusual kind: one that abolished the constitution while leaving the material circumstances of the citizens more or less unchanged.Cor, what’s with all the horror games of late? Amnesia: AMFP, Outlast, other ones… isn’t real life scary |
NERV, and 3rd Impact. The other MAGI branches attempt to crack the Tokyo-3 MAGI, and fail. The JSSDF invades NERV headquarters, but fails to prevent Asuka and Shinji from launching with their respective Evangelions. Asuka is eventually defeated by the Mass Production Evangelion units after Unit-02's power runs out. Shinji and Unit-01 initiate 3rd Impact.
records the war between SEELE and NERV, and 3rd Impact.
2016 Edit
1 January [3] Rei Ayanami (III) reunites with Lilith's body and merges with Adam, whom she absorbed along with Gendo Ikari's right hand. Third Impact occurs. Shinji Ikari rejects Human Instrumentality.
References EditSingularDTV: Launching Blockchain Applications in 3–2–1…
Breaker Blocked Unblock Follow Following May 29, 2017
By Zach LeBeau, CEO of SingularDTV
For many of us that have been with Ethereum from the start or with bitcoin/altcoins before Ethereum, it feels like we’re beginning the crossover from the innovation phase into early adoption of blockchain technologies. This first wave of adoption is being felt through the administering of token launches and tokenization. I’ve heard many say they feel the entire token launch/ICO phenomenon will become saturated soon. I profoundly disagree. As the multi-billion dollar cryptosphere grows, so will token launches. ICOs may phase themselves out, but token launches are just beginning. Click the following link if you’re interested in the “Difference Between an ICO and a Token Launch”. On a side note… it’s good to see many recovering bitcoin maximalists start to jump on the Ethereum/token bandwagon. ;-)
If token launches and tokenization represent the first great phase of adoption, then the production and release of blockchain applications — specifically Ethereum applications —should be the result of this.
SingularDTV has been working on tokenized ecosystems and tokenization since early 2014, and are happy to be ahead of the curve — we’re releasing 5 of our 11 applications this year in 2017.
The week of May 22nd, 2017 marked a new phase for the SingularDTV team. We flew our team from China, South America, Europe and from around the US to join us in NYC. Check out the group pic below. We also brought artists from around the world to demo our first two applications, Tokit (Module #1) and Launch Pad (Module #4). Tokit is our rights management and project creation application. Launch Pad is our project funding application. As outlined in “Be Your Own Economy”, SingularDTV’s entertainment economy is made up of 11 different modules/applications.
This week (May 29, 2017) marks the beginning of launch preparations for us. It’s looking like 8 weeks from now Tokit and LaunchPad will go live. The above photo is the set we built in a sound stage in NYC where these artists demo’d our applications. It was a great experience, as our c0-founder, President of Entertainment and lead producer — Kim Jackson — put her talent and experience to work assembling the crew that designed, built and managed our beautiful set. She also brought high profile talent to present and demo our apps. Our editors are putting together all the footage we shot, and we’ll be releasing this footage when our apps launch in July/August.
The success of SingularDTV is heavily dependent upon the team we’ve created and I’ve never worked with a more harmonious and positive crew. We look forward to launching our apps and art and artists empowered with their own tokenized ecosystems and tokens. Stay tuned to the SingularDTV blog for more updates and visit us on SingularDTV’s Slack to join the discussion about how artists and creators can be their own economy.
Zach LeBeau, CEO of SingularDTVGoogle on Wednesday announced that it will encrypt Gmail at all times, not just during sign-on, and make the process an opt-out feature rather than opt-in.
At this point, Google only uses this encryption process, known as HTTPS, during the sign-in process in order to protect your password. HTTPS keeps e-mail encrypted as it travels between your web browser and servers and is mostly used for things like banks and credit card company Web sites.
In 2008, Google rolled out the option to switch to HTTPS at all times. Last year, at the behest of 37 privacy and security experts, Google said it was thinking about moving all Gmail users to 24-7 HTTPS as a security measure.
"Over the last few months, we've been researching the security/latency tradeoff and decided that turning https on for everyone was the right thing to do," Sam Schillace, Gmail engineering director, wrote in a Wednesday blog post.
Why is this even an issue? While HTTPS makes your Gmail inbox more secure, that extra security can also affect performance, causing a delay in Gmail activities. As a result, those who believe their network is secure and do not want to risk Gmail delays can opt-out of HTTPS under the Gmail Settings menu.
"We are currently rolling out default https for everyone," Schillace wrote. "If you've previously set your own https preference from Gmail Settings, nothing will change for your account."
Customers who use offline Gmail will likely encounter problems, Schillace said. Specifically, offline Gmail might not sync your mail and shortcuts and bookmarks might behave differently when you're online versus offline.
The easiest way to fix this problem is to opt-out of HTTPS, but for those worried about security, Google has posted a workaround on its Gmail Help page that lets you switch your Offline Gmail so that it syncs with the HTTPS URL rather than HTTP.Donald Trump unwittingly lit the fuses of combat veterans from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq when he decided to talk IEDs during a pre-caucus rally in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Monday.
The controversial quote came while Trump discussed the situation for troops on the ground in the Middle East, as told to him by a friend's son. According to the young combat vet, Trump said, "the enemy has the good stuff" because when American troops attempt to give equipment to parties perceived as being U.S. allies on the ground, they instead rob U.S. forces. Trump, looking to emphasize the severity of the equipment loss, decided to praise Humvees as part of said "good stuff."
"If a bomb goes off, our wounded warriors, instead of losing their legs, their arms, worse, they're okay," Trump told the crowd. "They go for a little ride upward, and they come down. The best stuff, all gone. Taken by the enemy."
Donald Trump said as long as US troop vehicles are armored, when they get hit by IEDs troops just "go for a little ride."#NoProblem — Ben Kesling (@bkesling) February 1, 2016
But vets and their loved ones quickly took to Twitter to dispute his view of the risks IEDs pose to service members -- humvees or not.
This is what my seat looked like after I took my "little ride" from an IED. It was a brand new armored humvee. pic.twitter.com/82OQrEnLsP — J.R. Salzman (@jrsalzman) February 1, 2016
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Trump clearly does not understand the problems associated w/ IEDs & explosively formed penetrators agains armor @allahpundit @seanmdav — Jonas (@VFWd) February 1, 2016
Trump's clueless on this. I've seen the results of IEDs first hand while at Walter Reed w/ my husband in '04 https://t.co/1XGI9wQR5r — Keely_LKP 🇺🇸❤️🇮🇱 (@kr_romm) February 2, 2016
@redsteeze @bkesling Wow, that's exactly what my husband was thinking when he got hit by an IED? Trump is a joke! — leslie (@essiejoe) February 1, 2016
Trump's story* about IEDs and armored HMMWVs—as dumb as it was—isn't insulting to vets. Seek outrage elsewhere.
*fabricated, obvs — Mike (@forbesmm) February 2, 2016
Trump IED comment was about U.S. armored vehicles captured by the Islamic State and how great they were. https://t.co/a9pZBgbgWY — Thomas Gibbons-Neff (@Tmgneff) February 1, 2016April 3rd, 2008 | Published in erlang, REST, yaws | 3 Comments | Bookmark on Pinboard.in
Regarding my “RESTful Services with Erlang and Yaws” article on InfoQ.com, Sam Ruby said:
This otherwise excellent article fails my ETag test.
When Sam speaks, I listen, so I’ve given his feedback a lot of thought.
As I wrote in a comment on Sam’s blog, the Erlang/Yaws RESTful services I work on do indeed support conditional GETs, so at least my day-to-day work passes his ETags test. As for the article, there are two ways to think about it:
If you focus on the “RESTful Design” portion of the article, then yes, I could have added a “think about where you need to support conditional GETs” item to the “key areas to pay attention to” list. If you focus on the Yaws/Erlang aspect of the article, then keep in mind that dealing with ETags requires dealing with HTTP headers such as If-none-match and the ETag header itself. The article already shows you how to read request headers and write reply headers, though, and how you actually create specific ETag values for use in the headers depends on the particulars of your resources — Leonard Richardson’s and Sam’s excellent book already covers this pretty well.
I intended the focus of the article to be more about item 2 than item 1, so I think not specifically addressing ETags is OK.For years, the Japanese government has been desperately trying to encourage its citizenry to have more sex to combat the collapsing demographics the nation faces, trying guilt (blasting their "sexual apathy") and punishment (imposing a "handsome tax" to make lief more even for ugly men), to no avail.
Now it appears Finland is suffering a similar fate. As Bloomberg reports, Finland, a first-rate place in which to be a mother, has registered the lowest number of newborns in nearly 150 years.
The birth rate has been falling steadily since the start of the decade, and there's little to suggest a reversal in the trend.
Demographics are a concern across the developed world, of course. But they are particularly problematic for countries with a generous welfare state, since they endanger its long-term survival.
For Heidi Schauman, the statistics are "frightening."
"They show how fast our society is changing, and we don't have solutions ready to stop the development," the Aktia Bank chief economist said in a telephone interview in Helsinki. "We have a large public sector and the system needs taxpayers in the future."
As Bloomberg notes, that's a surprisingly low level, given the efforts made by the state to support parenthood.
Perhaps nothing illustrates those better than Finland's famous baby-boxes.
Introduced in 1937, containers full of baby clothes and care products are delivered to expectant mothers, with the cardboard boxes doubling up as a makeshift cot. The idea behind the maternity packages was prompted by concerns over high infant mortality rates in low-income families. The starter kits were eventually extended to all families.
Offering generous parental leave and one of the best education system in the world doesn't seem to be working either.
Reversing the modern idea that it's ok not to have kids is impracticable. Opening the doors to immigrants is a political no-go area (Prime Minister Juha Sipila's center-right government relies on the support of nationalist lawmakers).
The leader of the opposition Social Democrats, Antti Rinne, caused a stir in August when he urged women to fulfill their patriotic duty and have more babies.
"The discussion has revolved around gender equality and the employment of women, with the issue of natality sent to the background," she said. What Finland really needs is a political program that treasures the family and increases the value of parenthood, the economist argued.
The baby boxes that are delivered to expectant mothers contain all sorts of goodies. They include bodysuits, leggings, mittens, bra pads, talcum powder, lubricant, a hairbrush and a bath thermometer.
One suggestion is to leave out the condoms.School letterhead used to make a political statement on medical marijuana made the rounds at the State Capitol. State senators received a letter from University of Nebraska-Omaha chemistry professor Dr. Ronald Bartzatt on Monday.
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School letterhead used to make a political statement on medical marijuana made the rounds at the State Capitol. State senators received a letter from University of Nebraska-Omaha chemistry professor Dr. Ronald Bartzatt on Monday."Here is an individual misusing time and resources," Sen. Tommy Garrett said.Garrett introduced the bill to legalize medical marijuana. One of his biggest opponents is Attorney General Doug Peterson. According to the Attorney General's Office, an aid handed Bartzatt's letter to all of the senators.The attorney general's office said Peterson hoped to initiate a discussion in the Capitol a few weeks ago by distributing drug binders with a personal letter to state senators, along with a core of articles related to marijuana. As Peterson reads and receives information of interest on the issues related to marijuana and medical marijuana, his office said he has continued to add to the binder by providing additional articles."We think it is really important that senators and Nebraskans know the science behind marijuana before they make these important public policy decisions," Peterson said.Bartzatt made it clear when he testified in front of the judiciary committee that he was voicing his personal opinion."The damage is done," Garrett said. "This individual has disseminated this information to all 49th state senators, and their offices and God knows who else," Garrett said.On the same day, at 5:29 p.m., Senior Associate Vice President for University Affairs and Director of Governmental Relations Ron Withem emailed senators that, "Dr. Bartzatt wasn't speaking on behalf of the university," and "unfortunately, that clarification was not made in this case.""Sorry afterwards, I guess, is better than nothing," Garrett said. "But I think they need to take a little more caution before going about spending government time, and resources and effort to counter a bill."Withem left work before anyone returned KETV NewsWatch 7's phone call. The communications director said they have no problem with staff members sharing person opinions. They only want to make sure it's clearly separated from the university.Read part one of Bartzatt's letter hereRead part two Bartzatt's letter hereRead the UNO response letter hereSeptember 17, 2015 by Kate Harrington
It’s been almost a year since the failure of a light rail proposal, and ever since voters overwhelmingly said “no” to that line, there have been conversations in the public and private sector about next steps to fix Austin’s increasing traffic congestion.
On Sept. 14, city leaders announced a partnership that they hope will be part of those next steps in combatting traffic. The Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI), a Colorado-based nonprofit that promotes renewable energy, selected Austin to be a lead partner in an initiative that will explore the role of emerging technology in expanding transportation options.
RMI will bring six to eight employees to Austin and work here for three to five years with city staff, mobility experts, and entrepreneurs to look at the role of technology in addressing transportation. The city will provide office space and city staff collaboration, but will not foot the bill for those RMI staffers.
Beyond those details, there aren’t many specifics about what solutions might emerge from the partnership. Mayor Steve Adler, Council Member Ann Kitchen, and RMI Director Jeruld Weiland talked about reshaping the way we think about transportation. That could mean that instead of building roads and buying cars to suit a “just in case” mindset – e.g. owning a car that might sit idle for most of the day until you need it to get somewhere – transportation becomes a “just in time” service. Leveraging new technology could mean instant transportation on demand, which in turn would reduce infrastructure and overall costs associated with transportation, Welund said.
Austin has already seen an explosion of disruptions to traditional transportation systems, including Austin-based RideScout, as well as solutions that other cities are also using: bike sharing and transportation network companies like Uber and Lyft. With autonomous cars entering the conversation, the way companies and individuals approach mobility may change dramatically in the coming decades, mobility experts say.
“Austin is growing fast and we are at a crossroads,” Adler said in a press release about Austin’s partnership with RMI. “To make progress on our city’s mobility challenges, we need an ‘all of the above’ approach—that means embracing innovative solutions. We’ve had an explosion of new technology for car-, ride-, and bike sharing, transportation apps, web capability, and more, none of which were in place five to ten years ago. This partnership will give Austin the capacity to leverage these technologies on a broad scale to keep people moving and improve their lives.”
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commentsCornel Rasor, who chairs the Idaho Republican Party’s resolutions committee, says that he pushed for a resolution to void all local ordinances banning discrimination against LGBT people because he wants to be able to fire any gay man who “comes into work in a tutu.”
The Associated Press reported that a non-binding resolution passed Saturday at the party’s Central Committee summer meeting in McCall calls for the state legislature to block anti-discrimination ordinances passed by at least five municipalities throughout the state.
For seven years, the Republican-controlled Legislature has refused to add sexual orientation to the Idaho Human Rights Act, which bans discrimination based on race, religion and disability. So local governments like Coeur d’Alene, Sandpoint, Ketchum, Moscow and Boise have responded by passing their own ordinances protecting LGBT people.
That’s a trend that the Idaho Republican Party wants to stop before it spreads to more towns.
“I’d hire a gay guy if I thought he was a good worker,” Rasor explained at the party’s summer meeting, according to The Spokesman-Review. “But if he comes into work in a tutu … he’s not producing what I want in my office.”
“If a guy has a particular predilection and keeps it to himself, that’s fine,” he added. “But if he wants to use my business as a platform for his lifestyle, why should I have to subsidize that? And that’s what these anti-discrimination laws do.”
The Spokesman-Review reported that the central committee approved the resolution with “little debate.”
The resolution states: “Resolved, that the Idaho Republican State Central Committee recommends that our legislators support Idaho’s current anti-discrimination laws and policies and enact a law that would make unenforceable any municipal ordinances that would seek to expand categories of prohibited discrimination beyond current state anti-discrimination laws and policies.”
Watch this video from KBOI, broadcast June 17, 2013.
[Photo credit: cornelrasor.com]I’m working on a pre-compiler for Delphi and as a result of that have to do a lot of string concatenations.
It’s reasonably fast to use plain old string concatenation, but using TStringBuilder turned out to be about twice as fast.
Emba is not known for writing efficient RTL code so I was wondering if we could speed up the generation (even) further.
The answer is FastStringBuilder, a drop-in replacement.
Building a large string by adding lots of small strings is always faster using FastStringBuilder.TStringBuilder. Note that the Win64 target has the lion share of optimizations. I plan to add additional Win32 optimizations in due course.
The degree of speed-up differs depending on the use case. I’m still working on a faster alternative for the calls to System.Move. Move can deal with overlapping moves, which I don’t need to worry about here.
You can download FastStringBuilder from https://github.com/JBontes/FastCode/blob/master/FastStringBuilder.pas
Here’s how to use the unit:
unit MyTest; interface uses SysUtils, FastStringBuilder; //Make sure FastStringBuilder is used after SysUtils! type TExample = class private SB: TStringBuilder; public function Test: integer; end; implementation function TExample.Test; var i: integer; begin if not(Assigned(SB)) then SB:= TStringBuilder.Create; for i:= 0 to 100 * 1000 do SB.Append('apple'); end;
Timings for a number of additions:
StringBuilder FastStringBuilder String concat string 1531 1203 1781 char 188 47 1734 integer 1563 562 1656
Note that the test timing are somewhat worse case; if I shorten the test string from 'appleappleapple to 'apple' FastStringBuilder speeds up to 562, String-Concat and StringBuilder stay more or less the same.
The code used to obtain the above timings:
var SSB: SysUtils.TStringBuilder; FSB: TStringBuilder; S: string; LTick: cardinal; const TestCount = 100 * 1000 * 100; procedure Timings; var Test: string; C: Char; i,j: integer; begin j:= 1457454; Test:= 'appleappleapple'; SSB:= SysUtils.TStringBuilder.Create; FSB:= TStringBuilder.Create; LTick:= TThread.GetTickCount; for i:= 0 to TestCount do begin SSB.Append(Test); end; WriteLn('Standard SB: ',TThread.GetTickCount- LTick,'ms'); LTick:= TThread.GetTickCount; for i:= 0 to TestCount do begin FSB.Append(Test); end; Writeln('Fast SB: ',TThread.GetTickCount- LTick,'ms'); LTick:= TThread.GetTickCount; for i:= 0 to TestCount do begin S:= S + Test; end; Assert(S ''); Writeln('string: ',TThread.GetTickCount- LTick,'ms'); WriteLn('Char'); LTick:= TThread.GetTickCount; for i:= 0 to TestCount do begin SSB.Append(C); end; Writeln('Standard SB: ',TThread.GetTickCount- LTick,'ms'); LTick:= TThread.GetTickCount; for i:= 0 to TestCount do begin FSB.Append(C); end; Writeln('Fast SB: ',TThread.GetTickCount- LTick,'ms'); LTick:= TThread.GetTickCount; for i:= 0 to TestCount do begin S:= S + C; end; Assert(S ''); Writeln('String: ',TThread.GetTickCount- LTick,'ms'); WriteLn('Integer'); LTick:= TThread.GetTickCount; for i:= 0 to TestCount do begin SSB.Append(i); end; Writeln('Standard SB: ',TThread.GetTickCount- LTick,'ms'); LTick:= TThread.GetTickCount; for i:= 0 to TestCount do begin FSB.Append(i); end; Writeln('Fast SB: ',TThread.GetTickCount- LTick,'ms'); LTick:= TThread.GetTickCount; for i:= 0 to TestCount do begin S:= S + i.ToString; end; Assert(S ''); Writeln('String: ',TThread.GetTickCount- LTick,'ms'); SSB.Free; FSB.Free ReadLn; end;
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New Jersey metal outfit Lorna Shore debut a new song and music video.
Lorna Shore
"FVNERAL MOON was the one song we were most excited about during the writing process. The song is by far the darkest, most melody driven song we have written yet. With the help from Director Joey Durango, we were able to capture a visual that perfectly portrays our vision."
"Sometimes people forget, that beyond our jobs, everything we own or our social standings, We're just people. Some of us damaged and simply trying to cover a wound so none can see weakness, and some of us just covered in scars just ashamed of their past wanting no one to see their mistakes. Everything has its way of surfacing in the end, and you are the master of your own fate. Whatever it may be, understand that everyone struggles, no one is perfect, and always acknowledge there is beauty in the struggle of life. Never give in to the darkness."
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If you haven't been paying attention,will be releasing their second full-length album next month. Formed in 2010 and hailing from New Jersey, the band continues to rapidly expand its fanbase via their relentless, yet nuanced brand of technical, blackened deathcore. Titled, the new record will hit streets on February 17 through Outerloop Records (pre-orders are available here ).In the meantime, today we're exclusively premiering a music video for new track, "FVNERAL MOON." Drummer Austin Archey had this to say about the song and video:Meanwhile, vocalist Tom Barber offered up the following:Check out the video below, and be sure to keep up with Lorna Shore through FacebookThe Panasonic GH4’s versatile lens mount opens up a whole new world of lens options to you. However, these new options also come with a completely different set of rules compared to buying native lenses.
Welcome to the world of legacy lenses.
Why Legacy Lenses?
One of the best things about having such an adaptable lens mount on the GH4 is that you can use legacy lenses– older lenses that have fallen into disuse simply due to being bound to a discontinued lens mount or because they lack modern amenities such as autofocus.
With the aid of a simple adapter, you have access to all of this awesome glass that would otherwise sit unused in someone’s closet.
Better For Filmmakers
Modern lenses are great, but it’s getting harder to find lenses that have features important to filmmakers, such as a smooth focus ring with hard stops. Fly-by-wire focusing rings on modern lenses are not made for repeatable manual focus when shooting video, but many legacy lenses have buttery smooth focus rings with a nice long throw and real hard stops.
Who Needs Autofocus?
Autofocus is convenient when shooting stills, but it’s far less useful for video production. Simply put, you cannot depend on autofocus to consistently lock on the subject when shooting video. Instead, manual focus is essential for keeping your subject in focus.
Manual focus isn’t easy, especially at wide apertures, but legacy lenses with smooth manual focus have been given a new life thanks to the GH4’s focus peaking. With focus peaking enabled, it’s child’s play to quickly and accurately keep the subject in focus when shooting video.
Priced to Sell
As a result of the exodus to modern lenses, legacy lenses are now available at rock bottom prices. Considering that the quality of legacy lenses are on par with– if not better than– modern lenses, buying legacy lenses is the best way to build a high quality set of glass without breaking the bank.
New Rules for Old Lenses
There’s no doubt that legacy lenses represent an incredible opportunity to get your hands on some great glass. However, when you’re buying lenses that could be over 50 years old, there are some things you need to consider that don’t come into play when buying modern lenses.
Aside from making sure the lens is fully functional, here are 6 things to pay attention to when buying legacy lenses:
1. Scratches
It should go without saying, but scratches on the lens aren’t ideal.
That said, when you’re buying legacy lenses that have been in use for several decades, you might encounter a lens with the odd scratch. The good news is that scratches don’t affect image quality as much as you would think, so a small scratch or cleaning mark should not pose a problem.
Larger or deeper scratches can affect sharpness and lens flare, so they should be avoided.
Bottom line: Avoid lenses with scratches when possible, but a minor scratch or cleaning mark isn’t the end of the world.
2. Dust
Lenses might be assembled in a dust-free clean room, but as soon as they are released into the wild, dust will eventually find its way into a lens. Legacy lenses that have been around the block a few times, so there’s sure to be some dust in the lens.
Thankfully, like scratches, unless it’s very heavy, dust will not noticeably affect image quality. The lens might not look as pristine as a brand new lens, but at least the dust won’t show up in your footage and stills.
Bottom line: Dust is everywhere. Deal with it. Small amounts of dust particles in the lens do not affect image quality.
3. Lens Barrel Damage
After years of use, there’s bound to be some wear on the lens barrel. There may even be some damage.
However, unless the damage affects the operation of the lens, it should not be a cause for concern. Like dust in the lens, barrel wear may not look pretty, but it won’t affect image quality, which is what really matters.
How can damage affect a lens’ operation? If the lens still works, everything should be fine, right? Not quite.
I once received a lens with a small dent on the focus ring. The focus ring still functioned, but it occasionally made a quiet scraping sound as it turned. This sound is not a problem if you’re only shooting stills, but could definitely be an issue when shooting video if the mic picks it up.
Bottom line: Lens wear is fine. Damage that affects the operation of the lens in any way should be avoided.
4. Damaged Filter Threads
The first thing most people look for when inspecting a legacy lens is scratches on the front of the lens. What many of them miss though are the filter threads.
Damaged filter threads often go unnoticed at first because they don’t directly affect the image. However, once you need to mount a filter, a damaged thread can become a serious hindrance.
If you cannot mount a filter due to damaged threads on the lens, you either have to shoot without filters or resort to using a matte box, substantially increasing the bulk of your camera setup. Neither option is ideal.
An even worse scenario is when you can mount the filter on a lens with damaged threads. Later, when you try to remove the filter, you may find that it simply won’t budge. Damaged filter threads can cause a filter to get stuck on the lens. Your only recourse then is to disassemble the filter (which usually involves breaking the glass) and prying off the filter. Doing this without damaging the lens itself is tricky business indeed.
Bottom line: Damaged filter threads are a deal-breaker. Always confirm that a lens’ filter threads are fully functional.
5. Fungus
Fungus is everywhere! Under the right conditions (usually involving moisture or acute temperature changes), fungus can even grow in a lens.
In the short term, the haze caused by fungus can decrease the brightness and sharpness of a lens. Over time, fungus can corrode the lens’ coatings, making the lens more prone to flare and reflections. If left unchecked, fungus can eventually etch into the glass.
Fungus usually grows inside the lens before spreading to the glass so it’s impossible to confirm that a lens has no fungus at all. If fungus does appear down the road, take it immediately to a local camera shop to have the fungus removed.
Bottom line: Avoid any lens with fungus on the glass.
6. Oily Aperture Blades
As a lens ages, lubricant from other internal components can leak out onto the aperture blades.
Generally, oily aperture blades do not directly affect image quality. However, oil can cause the blades to respond sluggishly when you attempt to adjust the aperture. This affects the amount of control you have over the lens and can be a problem when shooting either video or stills.
Bottom line: Stay away from lenses with oil on the aperture blades.
Free Consult Are you excited about the potential of the Panasonic GH4 and its versatile Micro Four Thirds lens mount, but feel overwhelmed by all the options? The Panasonic GH4’s MFT system may be completely new territory for a many of you. It’s such a versatile system that it can all be a bit hard to digest. I’ve been shooting on the MFT system and Panasonic’s GH-series cameras for several years and I want to help you find your bearings quickly so you can get back to shooting awesome stuff! That’s why I’m currently offering free consults to help answer your questions. Get your free consult today
Ready For Legacy Lenses
If you are a filmmaker, you owe it to yourself to explore legacy lenses. Legacy lenses give you access to unique and amazing glass at affordable prices. Now that you know what to watch out for when buying legacy lenses, you can ensure that you get great lenses every time.
Grab some legacy lenses and get shooting!
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More Panasonic GH4 GuidesHere is the announcement by Bitcoin Core that I would have liked to have seen, but that never was. Thanks to the few core developers (including Peter Todd), as well as Elizabeth Stark, who reviewed earlier drafts of this post:
“By the Bitcoin Core Developers (a complete list of signers can be found below)
We’re here to talk about scaling and the roadmap we’ve set for Bitcoin Core.
As with any roadmap, we’ve heard your feedback and we want to continue to hear it, so please keep it coming.
We’ve had extensive conversations with all of you — from the miners to the wallets and exchanges to everyday community members — and want to make it clear that we’ve listened to everything you have to say with regards to the growth of the bitcoin blockchain and evolution of Bitcoin core.
We feel we have a fair grasp of what your needs are and are well-equipped to examine them against the constraints of the Bitcoin network and the software that powers it, and determine how best we can make everyone happy and ensure that the system is fully operational and is able to scale.
Part of this work means looking at a variety of increases to the Bitcoin block size and doing extensive analysis and testing to determine the effects that each of these increases would have.
As many of you may be aware, we have to be aware of two facts:
Increasing the capacity of the bitcoin blockchain is critical. Bitcoin needs to grow and support more and more users, and each of these users needs to have access to relatively low transaction fees. Block size increases should not be taken lightly and it is imperative they be carefully tested beforehand. Block size increases impact many aspects of the Bitcoin network and do have the potential to reduce decentralization and network stability.
It is clear that both of these are largely in conflict with one another, and so they will have to be weighed against one another and a compromise will need to be reached.
Just because we have the need to support certain levels of usage, doesn’t mean we should dare to compromise either the stability of the system or the level of decentralization that makes Bitcoin so unique and powerful. And just because we have a fear of the effects of block size increases does not mean that we should fail to subject such increases to real world tests and do everything we can to increase the system-wide capacity.
Bitcoin will scale, but it will require a combination of efforts and it will be a gradual process. So we need to come together and agree on the tradeoffs we’re making and we need to be patient.
Last, we need to be civil and respectful of one another and make sure we all come together to push Bitcoin forward.
We’ve done some extensive real world testing on many global test beds, including Princeton University’s Planet Lab, the largest in the world. From this we’ve concluded that 8MB blocks are simply too large to be considered safe for the network at this point in time, considering the current global bandwidth levels.
So while many of us may want to shoot for the stars, we must agree that it is more important to ensure that the network remains healthy and strong.
At the same time, it is important that we push for an increase that is as big as we can safely handle, and we believe that Adam Back’s 2–4–8 proposal that scales the block size to 4MB after 2 years and then to 8MB after 4 years is the plan of action that is the most ambitious while still being safe.
In addition, it seems we can do even better in terms of performance by sticking with 2–4–8 but allowing non-fully-validating nodes to ignore approximately half of this data. This would be a big improvement that would alleviate the pressure that we’ll be putting on nodes by scaling the block size. The improvement is being called Segregated Witness and involves separating signatures out from the main block and putting them into a Merkle tree that only fully-validating nodes have to see.
We want to roll this plan out slowly and carefully, and we believe the best course of action is to first roll out Segregated Witness so we can get a quick win on an approximately 2x data capacity increase. This would involve removing signatures from the main portion of blocks, which would double the number of transactions that can be fit into the current 1MB limit (this means the effective limit would be 2MB).
Next, we plan on shifting gears to prepare for the hard fork that would put Adam Back’s 2–4–8 proposal into place alongside Segregated Witness, where the limits would be scaled to account for the optimizations made by Segregated Witness (the limits would be approximate limits that would continue to include signature data).
Beyond this, in order to prepare for the two bumps over the next 4 years and ensure that orphan rates don’t increase, we’re working on integrating efficient relay techniques like the relay network and IBLT, so that most block data is disseminated throughout the network even before a block is found.
Further, we’ll be working hard on preparing for the hard fork that will need to come with the second increase. We’re buying a bit of time considering that the cleverness of Segregated Witness will allow us to do the first doubling with just a soft fork, which will reduce risk in the short run. And of course, this hard fork should not be taken lightly as hard forks in general do pose a significant risk of network fracturing, which could result in a significant monetary loss for stakeholders.
In summary, this roadmap is meant to do the best possible job at addressing the growth needs felt by all Bitcoin stakeholders, while ensuring the stability and decentralization of the Bitcoin ecosystem.
We want to stress that Bitcoin Core is comprised of a group of volunteers |
The Name Game – Celebs Who’ve Changed Their Names
The Red Side of Life, Conservative Musings from New York says on their website, “Gloria Allred Prepares Anti-Mitt Strike. You Can STOP Her Now! (action!) Don’t underestimate Gloria Allred’s ability to inflict damage. The media will ‘eat up’ anything she feeds them and turn it into an endless scandal. Recall she took down Cain and RINO Whitman with NO EVIDENCE. We’re doing too well to risk ‘an Allred.’ She can be stopped, but it will take action on our behalf.”
The blog asks supporters to “please make these two calls. We will only get their attention if we bombard them. If you get VM, leave a message,” to the Republican National Committee and Mitt Romney’s national presidential campaign headquarters.
PHOTOS: Stars Who Look Like Other Stars
“The critical points to get across: Warn them about the pending attack (they really may not know) – Explain the severity of damage Allred can inflict – Demand that they get their teams of lawyers to launch a pre-emptive strike against Allred, coming down on her first like a ton of bricks -This is no trifling matter. Let’s roll!”
During GOP Meg Whitman‘s run to become governor of California, Allred represented Nicky Diaz, a former housekeeper for the Whitman family. The housekeeper alleged that she was terminated from her employment because she was an illegal immigrant and that could have derailed Whitman’s quest to become California’s first female governor. Whitman ultimately lost the election to Democrat Jerry Brown.
PHOTOS: Stars’ Most Embarrassing Moments
Allred was a delegate for President Obama at the DNC in North Carolina last summer.
Most polls show the presidential race between President Obama and Governor Romney to be in a statistical dead heat, with both candidates heavily courting the female vote.
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Big Bird Goes Viral, Thanks To Mitt RomneyWe've been throwing cold water on the administration's so-called exchange "enrollment" figures for months, and for good reason: They're incomplete to the point of deception. The Washington Post reported back in November that official tabulations were including anyone who's "selected a plan," which is the equivalent of placing an item in a virtual shopping cart online, regardless of whether the check-out and payment steps ever took place. At Kathleen Sebelius' behest, the House Energy and Commerce Committee contacted every insurer listed as a participant in the federal exchange at Healthcare.gov in order to discern how many of these "sign ups" translated into paid enrollments. The initial batch of information, based on data through mid-April, revealed a paltry payment rate of 67 percent. When the official totals are finally revisited to include the state exchanges (whose performances are widely varying), and numbers from the late sign-up surge, the final payment statistics will likely shift. Some large insurers testified today that they've experienced payment rates in the low-80s range, which is closer to experts' estimated ballpark prior to the release of the committee's report -- problems with which we highlighted here. What is almost certainly the case is that the genuine enrollment figure is seven figures lower that the White House-touted one. Phil Kerpen catches yet another inflationary ingredient in HHS' propaganda brew, the extent of which we don't yet know:
Seriously... how do you NOT EVEN DEDUP??? Hey Media, you are reporting a totally fake number! http://t.co/jOhhcuV9bW pic.twitter.com/iTLFyjzQe5 — Phil Kerpen (@kerpen) May 7, 2014
The existence of some significant number of duplicate enrollments isn't a surprise to anyone who's been following Obamacare's implementation process. While Healthcare.gov's front end was collapsing over the first few months, many would-be enrollees' sign-ups were sucked into the website's black hole. Unsure about whether any of their information had been transmitted, consumers were encouraged to go though the process again. Some did so multiple times. The screenshot in that tweet comes from a report prepared by America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) for Congress. It confirms that "many" of the sign-ups being celebrated as "enrollments" are in fact various iterations of the same person's enrollment efforts. Phil asks "how do you not even [de-duplicate]?" The answer is pretty straightforward: The online "reconciliation" system that would perform this Herculean task through automation is still under construction -- and may not be ready for months (beyond the eight months that have already elapsed). That's why the administration's enrollment statistics are useless in the aggregate. They just manufactured the largest-sounding number possible and heralded it as exciting proof that the "law is working" and the "debate is over." Much of the media blindly repeated the number, some going so far as to pant excitedly about an Obamacare "winning streak." As we noted earlier in the week, the American people have obstinately declined to hop aboard that bandwagon:
Obamacare is as unpopular as ever (41/55), with a 17-point intensity gap on the question. The law's much-hailed "winning streak" has failed to materialize in public polling, as its "accomplishments" appear increasingly dubious. Average Americans do not share Democrats' misplaced triumphalism. Quoth Pew, "the share disapproving of [Obamacare] is as high as it ever has been in the four-year history of the law.”
We've seen fresh warning signs of the bad news yet to come: Additional cancellation notices and major premium increases, disproportionately impacting consumers in the small group market. The Las Vegas Review-Journal story offered a stark reminder of what's on tap, but again, none of it is a surprise. The administration itself acknowledged earlier this year that the vast majority of American small businesses would experience increased costs due to Obamacare. I'll leave you with a health insurance CEO discussing whether or not the new law is reducing "uncompensated care" and Emergency Room visits -- which was one of its many selling points:
The definitive study on this question has shown that Obamacare (particularly through expanding the broken Medicaid program) is making this problem more acute, not alleviating it. Massachusetts experienced the same uptick under Romneycare. Politicians should retire this talking point because it is empirically false.Ausgabe 1/2, Band 6 – November 2011
The Power of Non-Reconciliation – Arendt’s Judgment of Adolf Eichmann
By Roger Berkowitz
Academic director of the Hannah Arendt Center for Politics and Humanities and Associate Professor of Politics, Philosophy, and Human Rights at Bard College
Hannah Arendt's Eichmann in Jerusalem has caused controversy for all the wrong reasons. Arendt's criticisms of the Judenräte for cooperating with the Nazis and protecting their friends and families while selecting Jews to be sent to the camps is well commented upon, if rarely thoughtfully considered. Her insight into the banality of evil is now common sense, which makes it an easy target for those who seek to discredit her criticisms of the trial in Jerusalem. But Arendt's rejection of the Israeli Court's legalistic response to Eichmann's great wrongs—and her framing of the question of war crimes outside the law and, instead, through the political question of reconciliation—has been poorly understood. As a result, her book has failed to provoke as it ought. The truly radical judgment in Eichmann in Jerusalem is Arendt's insistence that the question for the Israeli Court was one of reconciliation versus non-reconciliation rather than punishment, and thus her argument that the Israeli judges should have dared to judge politically rather than legally.
The judgment that Eichmann must die, Arendt argues, should have been a singular, political, and non-legal judgment that no common world was possible. What was called for in the Eichmann trial was, she argued, was an extraordinary judgment--one not grounded in law—that such things as Eichmann did ought not to have happened. Eichmann must die in order to state unequivocally that we reject a world in which he and the deeds he helped enact could happen. Eichmann must die, in other words, because something happened in Germany to which we, as human beings, cannot be reconciled.
I.
Arendt went to Jerusalem to cover the Eichmann trial for at least two reasons. She went, first, as "part of her continual interest in and study of totalitarianism." (Zertal, 2010, 132) Arendt had already described Eichmann's type in her book The Origins of Totalitarianism, a lonely man who would choose the logical consistency of an evil totalitarian worldview over facts and the claims of conscience, someone who would do the most unconscionable and unthinkable evils simply for the elation of belonging to a movement. (Arendt, 1973, 474-478) She suspected she would find Eichmann to be vacuous, an empty vessel, a "déclassé son of a solid middle-class family," uprooted and lonely, looking for meaning by joining a movement, whether the Freemasons or the Nazis. (Arendt, 1977, 31-32) But, she had "never seen these people in the flesh," as she wrote in a letter to the Rockefeller Foundation. (Cited in Zertal, 2010, 132) It was to encounter Eichmann, the middle-class mass criminal that Arendt went to Jerusalem.
Arendt also went to Israel to think about the problem of judgment. "Justice," she writes in her postscript to Eichmann in Jerusalem, "is a matter of judgment." (Arendt, 1977, 296) Having considered the trials at Nuremberg and Tokyo, Arendt came to believe that the "fundamental problem" infecting all the post-war trials is the "nature and function of human judgment." (Arendt, 1977, 294)
II.
The problem of judgment is doubled in trials addressing crimes against humanity. On the one hand, the premise of the trials is that we find human beings guilty not, as is usually the case, because they violated laws, but rather for following laws that ought never to have been made, let alone followed. Eichmann "had committed "legal" crimes" by scrupulously and enthusiastically following unjust laws. He was of a type that "would have had a bad conscience only if he had not done what he was ordered to do: to ship millions of men, women and children, to their death with great zeal and the most meticulous care." (Arendt, 1977, 25) What Eichmann was guilty of was not lawbreaking, but thoughtlessly and even enthusiastically (they are not contradictions) following inhuman laws. Undoubtedly evil and irrefutably guilty, Eichmann's crimes were of a new order that could not be encompassed by traditional legal forms.
On the other hand, Eichmann's crimes called for a legal judgment. Justice, in order to be done, "must be seen to be done," and for that justice demands a legal trial. (Arendt, 1977, 277) The paradox at the heart of the Eichmann trial was the simultaneous need for a legal response to obvious and horrific wrongs combined with the recognition of the inadequacy of all legal responses to those wrongs. As Arendt wrote to Karl Jaspers before the trial began: "We have no tools to hand except legal ones with which we have to judge and pass sentence on something that cannot even be adequately represented either in legal terms or in political terms." (Arendt/Jaspers, 1992, 417) For Arendt, honest judgment of Adolf Eichmann requires admitting a hard truth, that the law is the necessary albeit imperfect and ultimately inadequate means to deal with the new kinds of bureaucratic criminals that Eichmann represented.
The question that Arendt brings with her to Jerusalem is: how can a legal trial do justice to a crime so extraordinary that it bursts the bounds of legal comprehension? This was, for Arendt, an old question. Already in 1946 she had written that "Nazi crimes, it seems to me, explode the limits of the law; and that is precisely what constitutes their monstrousness." (Arendt-Jaspers, 54) There is a difference, Arendt continues explaining her point, "between a man who sets out to murder his old aunt and people who without considering the economic usefulness of their actions at all (the deportations were very damaging to the war effort) built factories to produce corpses." (Arendt-Jaspers, 69) In 1946, however, Arendt could admit that her attempts were still undeveloped and that she had not "understood what actually went on." (Arendt-Jaspers, 69) The opportunity of attending the Eichmann trial was, among other things, a chance to finally confront the question of whether and how the law could respond to organized and administrative massacres.
Arendt's response, after observing the Eichmann trial, is to affirm the "inadequacy of the prevailing legal system and of current juridical concepts to deal with the facts of administrative massacres organized by the state apparatus." (Arendt, 1977, 294) It was this inadequacy of the legal response to the evils of the holocaust that, above all, is the radical target of Arendt's book. And it is Arendt's turn to the political question of reconciliation as an alternative to the failure of legal punishment that must be seen as the truly radical claim of Eichmann in Jerusalem.
III.
Arendt's focus on the incapacity of legal judgment to address bureaucratic mass murder is the background for her comment upon the "word-and-thought-defying banality of evil," an idea mentioned once, in the last line of the book proper (not including the epilogue and postscript). (Arendt, 1977, 252) It is precisely because Eichmann was so normal — "more normal, at any rate, than I am after having examined him," in the words of one Israeli psychiatrist — that he posed such a challenge for legal judgment. (Arendt, 1977, 48) Eichmann was punctilious about obeying the laws and regulations under which he found himself. He took pride in his lawfulness and his doing his duty, and he mistakenly invoked the categorical imperative to justify his sacrificial devotion to the law. In what Arendt saw as Eichmann's chilling vacuity that comprised the core of his evil, he — and those like him who populate administrative bureaucracies of mass killing — performed the most evil of deeds while lacking the guilty mind that is the basic quality of criminality in modern legal thinking. Indeed, the trouble with Eichmann was that he represents a "new type of criminal" who, lost in a nameless bureaucracy, "commits his crimes under circumstances that make it well-nigh impossible for him to know or to feel that he is doing wrong." (Arendt, 1977, 276)
To say that Eichmann was normal and banal is in no way to excuse or justify his actions; it is simply to say, as Arendt did, that his type presents a challenge to the prevailing legal doctrines of criminal responsibility. As Arendt writes, "Foremost among the larger issues at stake in the Eichmann trial, was the assumption current in all modern legal systems that intent to do wrong is necessary for the commission of a crime." (Arendt, 1977, 277) The very pride of Western legal thinking since Hegel has been the insistence that in a rational system of law, punishment is only justified when the criminal knew that he was in fact doing something wrong. Arendt takes aim at this most basic precept and insists that the wrongdoer’s guilty mind, his mens rea, is not relevant to the judgment of those who have participated in grave and harrowing humanitarian crimes.
Arendt's attack on the foundation of modern criminal jurisprudence is born from her willingness to take seriously the actual legal problem of the Eichmann trial. The problem that the Israeli Court faced was to judge whether Eichmann — who admitted to his role in the administrative massacres of the Holocaust — had violated any laws. Eichmann was charged in Israel with 15 counts, of which 12 concerned his activities. Four of these 12 addressed his crimes against the Jewish people and eight concerned "crimes against humanity." In law, each one of these crimes requires a certain mens rea, a state of mind or intent. In other words, the law requires that Eichmann intended to cause the "killing of millions of Jews" (count 1) and non-Jews (count 5); that he intended to place "millions of Jews under conditions which were likely to lead to their physical destruction" (count 2); that he sought to cause them "serious bodily and mental harm" (cause 3); that he directed "that births be banned and pregnancies interrupted among Jewish women" (count 4); that he knowingly or recklessly "persecuted Jews on racial, religious, and political grounds" (count 6) and intentionally engaged in the "plunder of property...linked with the murder... of these Jews (count 7) and other war crimes (count 8); that he intentionally expelled "hundreds of thousands of Poles from their homes" (count 9), "fourteen thousand Slovenes" from Yugoslavia (count 10); that he was intentionally responsible for the deportation of Gypsies to Auschwitz (count 11), and the deportation of 93 children from Lidice, a Czech village (count 12) — of this last charge he was partially exonerated.
The problem was, as Arendt reports, that the Israeli court rightly judged that Eichmann did not actually possess the requisite mens rea for these crimes to justify a guilty verdict, at least under traditional juridical concepts. (Arendt, 1977, 244-246) The judgment by the Israeli court accepted Eichmann's own legal analysis, that he was "guilty only of 'aiding and abetting' in the commission of the crimes with which he was charged, that he himself had never committed an overt act." (Arendt, 1977, 246). In the Court's words, Eichmann was guilty of aiding and abetting a genocide:
What the judgment had to say on this point was more than correct, it was the truth: "Expressing his activities in terms of Section 23 of our Criminal Code Ordinance, we should say that they were mainly those of a person soliciting by giving counsel or advice to others and of one who enabled or aided others in [the criminal] act." (Arendt, 1977, 246)
It is crucial to recognize that both Arendt and the Israeli Court concluded that the evidence did not support a finding that Eichmann had the mens rea needed to find him guilty of crimes against the Jewish people or crimes against humanity. And yet both Arendt and the Israeli Court knew that Eichmann was guilty and that they needed to figure out a way around the traditional mens rea requirement.
The Israeli Court's workaround of mens rea is simply to say that in cases of bureaucratic crime and administrative massacres, those most guilty are those who are furthest from the doings of the actual deeds. "[I]n such an enormous and complicated crime as the one we are now considering," the Court writes, one
wherein many people participated, on various levels and in various modes of activity--the planners, the organizers, and those executing the deeds, according to their various ranks--there is not much point in using ordinary concepts of counseling and soliciting to commit a crime. For these crimes were committed en masse, not only in regard to the number of victims, but also in regard to the numbers of those who perpetrated the crime, and the extent to which any one of the many criminals was close to or remote from the actual killer of the victim means nothing, as far as the measure of his responsibility is concerned. On the contrary, in general the degree of responsibility increases as we draw further away from the man who uses the fatal instrument with his own hands. (Arendt, 1977, 246-47 (italics added by Arendt))
Arendt offers little comment on the Israeli Court's explanation for finding Eichmann guilty in spite of his lack of mens rea. And yet, it is clear that she does not think the Court's reasoning sufficient.
IV.
The "failure of the Jerusalem court," as Arendt writes in her epilogue, is most deeply rooted in its inability to confront the radical challenge that Eichmann's bureaucratic personality posed to legal judgment. What the court could not see and still remain a court of law was that Eichmann's guilt—Arendt never wavers from her conviction in his profound guilt was not of the kind recognized by our "civilized jurisprudence" that insists guilt be accompanied by intent to do wrong.
Instead, Arendt at least suggests that "Eichmann was brought to justice" on the basis of "long-forgotten propositions" that insist that "a great crime offends nature, so that the very earth cries out for vengeance." Against the Israeli Court's attempt to workaround the law's inadequacy and to find a legal justification for holding Eichmann guilty of crimes against the Jewish people and crimes against humanity—and not simply of aiding and abetting crimes against the Jewish people and aiding and abetting crimes against humanity—Arendt raises the possibility that we punish and condemn Eichmann because "evil violates a natural harmony which only retribution can restore."
The citation Arendt offers characterizing revenge as a response to a great crime that offends nature is from the great legal scholar Yosal Rogat’s essay The Eichmann Trial and the Rule of Law, in which Rogat suggests that “traditional justifications for punishment do not seem relevant here.” The magnitude of Eichmann’s crimes, he writes, make a mockery of punishment as a way to reform the criminal or to deter future crimes. At the same time, to speak of Eichmann’s punishment as an act of retribution or compensation for what was done is “to assign such a role to him [that] would trivialize the deaths of the European Jews.” What is left, Rogat concludes, is perhaps nothing other than the “simple desire for revenge, the feeling that Eichmann must somehow be punished…." (Rogat, 1961, 11-12) Not long ago, he muses, the earth’s claim to vengeance was not only not considered barbarous, it was widely accepted.
Arendt shares Rogat's suspicion that modern understandings of criminal law are inadequate to understand Eichmann's guilt; and yet, Arendt does not in the end speak the language of vengeance. Arendt's own judgment, judicially spoken at the end of her epilogue, says simply that she, and the entirety of the human race, cannot be expected to share the earth with someone like Adolf Eichmann. Her judgment, in other words, speaks in the language of reconciliation and, in this case, non-reconciliation. It is this judgment of non-reconciliation that the judges in Jerusalem should have "dared" to offer. (Arendt, 1977, 277) Arendt's judgment reads:
You admitted that the crime committed against the Jewish people during the war was the greatest crime in recorded history, and you admitted your role in it.... We are concerned here only with what you did, and not with the possible noncriminal nature of your inner life and of your motives…. Let us assume, for the sake of argument, that it was nothing more than misfortune that made you a willing instrument in the organization of mass murder; there still remains the fact that you have carried out, and therefore actively supported, a policy of mass murder. For politics is not like the nursery; in politics obedience and support are the same. And just as you supported and carried out a policy of not wanting to share the earth with the Jewish people and the people of a number of other nations… we find that no one, that is, no member of the human race, can be expected to want to share the earth with you. This is the reason, and the only reason, you must hang. (Arendt, 1977, 279)
Eichmann must hang, Arendt argues, neither because he broke the law, nor merely as a setting right of the scales of justice through revenge. He must hang, instead, because no human being must be expected to share the earth with him. He must hang, in other words, because what he did was so horrific that it must simply be rejected, eradicated, and said no to. This does not mean it should be forgotten, not at all. Rather, the world in which Eichmann's crimes could and did happen must simply be said no to. In short, Eichmann must hang because his crimes are irreconcilable with a civilized world.
As Arendt explains in an interview with Günter Gaus, the Final Solution and the administrative massacres that Eichmann played a fateful role in making possible exceed the reconcilable and represent something wholly different in history. She describes how she and her husband, Heinrich Blücher, originally could not believe the reports emerging from Auschwitz, reports based on the testimony of two escapees Rudolf Vrba and Alfred Wetzler. Once the facts were confirmed and irrefutable, her response was: "Well, one has enemies. That is entirely natural. Why shouldn't a people have enemies? But this was different. It was really as if an abyss had opened." The abyss that opened separates the Nazis involved in Auschwitz from humanity. This indeed also separates the SS from other Germans in the war. As Arendt says, before she knew of the mass killings in administrative massacres, she "had the idea that amends could somehow be made for everything else, as amends can be made for just about everything at some point in politics." But the administrative terror and genocide in Auschwitz was something new and different, something that, in her words, "ought not to have happened." What ought never to have been is not the number of victims, but the "method, the fabrication of corpses and so on." (Arendt, 1994, 14) These horrors, these abominations, meant that "something happened there to which we cannot reconcile ourselves. None of us ever can." It is the irreconcilable nature of simply inhuman and unbelievable crimes that, for Arendt, is the lesson she takes from the holocaust. And it is this irreconcilability to the crimes that underlies Arendt's judgment of Adolf Eichmann.
V.
The foundations for Arendt’s judgment of Eichmann as well as her thinking about judgment are laid out in her engagement with the question of reconciliation in her Denktagebuch. Arendt begins her inquiry in the very first entry of her Denktagebuch by characterizing the wrong of a wrongdoer. Written shortly after her return from Germany and a visit with Martin Heidegger in 1950, Arendt begins her Denktagebuch with a reflection on the burdens of past wrongs: “Das Unrechte, das man getan hat, ist die Last auf den Schultern, etwas, was man trägt, weil man es sich aufgeladen hat.” (Arendt, 2003, 3) From Arendt’s letters to and from Martin Heidegger, we now know that these lines refer to and build upon Arendt’s response to Friedrich Hölderlin’s poem, “Mnemosyne.” Arendt and Heidegger had been discussing the question of revenge and reconciliation and they had done so in the context of Hölderlin’s poem.
Mnemosyne begins with the image of ripe fruit, dipped [getaucht] and cooked in fire. It is a law, the poet writes, that all things pass on to the hills of heaven, just as snakes disappear into the crevices of the earth. Evoking disappearance, loss, and the question of memory, Hölderlin continues:
Und vieles
Wie auf den Schultern eine
Last von Scheitern ist
Zu behalten.
(Hölderlin, 1990, 274-75)
What, Hölderlin asks, is it to remember a burden, to bear it in mind? In the fullness of the present, the ripe fruits of history will pass; these ripe fruits, ready to enjoy, have a history. Like logs loaded on one’s shoulders, our present banquet has roots deep in the soil of the past, a past of which there is “much / To bear in mind.” We must, the poet counsels, bear the burden of the past, just as we must know that in the future, all things pass away. Yet, we cannot dwell too long on either past or future. The ripe fruits of the present are to be enjoyed.
As Hölderlin writes, speaking of the paths from past and the paths to the future, “But the paths/ Are evil.” These paths forward and backward can lead us astray and fill us with the longing to lose ourselves in other times and other worlds, for the beyond of our lives. While there is much to be retained—Vieles aber ist/ Zu behalten—we must, Hölderlin tells us, move neither forwards nor backwards, but rock safely in the cradle of the now.
Vorwärts aber und rückwärts wollen wir
Nicht sehn. Uns wiegen lassen, wie
Auf schwankem Kahne der See.
We must attend to the now and eat the fruit when it is ripe. Yes we must remember the dark soil from which the fruit springs; yes, we must peer into the abyss of the future. Ripeness, however, is not to be overlooked in the now.
By equating Hölderlin’s “Last auf den Schultern” with the wrong one has done, Arendt opposes the wrong, the “burden on one’s shoulders,” to the Christian idea of sin, “according to which the wrong arises out of the person.” The logs that the wrongdoer carries upon his shoulders say nothing about the goodness or evil of his soul. This is the essential first step of Arendt’s argument that opens the door to move from revenge to reconciliation: The wrong is not something internal to the person and thus it does not poison the inner and moral quality of the person. The wrongdoer need not be punished to cleanse his soul or do penance for his sin. Instead, the burden on one’s shoulders is one’s fate, what has been given. The acceptance of that fate is what she names reconciliation. Reconciliation means, she writes, "‘to come to terms with’ reality as such and to affirm one's belonging to this reality as one who acts in it.” (Arendt, 2003, 331)
VI.
The advantage of reconciliation over forgiveness and revenge proceeds from Arendt’s emphasis on politics. In The Human Condition, Arendt offers forgiveness as a solution to what she calls the predicament of action. Since no man can know the distant and unpredictable consequences of his action, he is “ ‘guilty’ of consequences he never intended or even foresaw.” (Arendt, 1998, 233) Without the capacity to forgive and thus free man from the burden of the irreversibility and unpredictability of his actions, man would cease all action. (Arendt, 1998, 237)
Arendt critically limits the province of forgiveness to minor trespasses. Citing Luke’s Gospel, she writes that the defense of forgiveness is limited to trespasses: “And if he trespass against thee seven times a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him.”” (Arendt, 1998, 239-40) As she notes, the Greek word in the Gospels traditionally translated as “forgiveness” is aphienai, which Arendt suggests means to “dismiss” and “release” rather than “forgive”. (Arendt, 1998, 240) As a release, Arendt’s defense of forgiveness does not reach the forgiving of crimes and sins. Instead, forgiveness is limited to the “constant mutual release” that allows men to continue to act in the world.
When crimes are at issue, the question of forgiveness cedes to the judgment regarding reconciliation. The point is that political action is only possible insofar as one judges whether or not to reconcile oneself to a wrong. What distinguishes reconciliation and forgiveness is not the activity of the latter and the passivity of the former; rather, forgiveness is the judgment to “dismiss” and to “release” another from the burden of his crime and reconciliation is the judgment to accept or to reject the world as it is.
Reconciliation and the act of forgiveness are, in other words, two sides of a single coin. In a note in her Denktagebuch from 1953, Arendt writes:
Deshalb ist kein Handeln möglich ohne gegenseitiges Verzeihen (das in der Politik Versöhnung heisst). (Arendt, 2003, 303)
Forgiveness is what makes human action possible in light of the unavoidable fact that all human action carries with it the uncertain risk of transgression, of intentionally or not, causing harm and doing wrong. Reconciliation, as opposed to forgiveness, is activated precisely when the offending action is elevated from a mere transgression to a sin or a crime. Once the transgression becomes crime and inserts itself in the public realm so as to demand a political response, forgiveness remains humanly impossible and politically impotent. Reconciliation, on the other hand, is what makes politics possible in the face of crimes. Reconciliation is what makes possible the political re-constitution of a common world.
VII.
What is essential in the decision to enact reconciliation is the judgment to affirm a common fatefulness with the wrongdoer and the wrong. The affirmation of a common fate is what makes reconciliation so important for Arendt’s politics. One can only act in public when one knows how to be in the world. Such knowing one's way in the world is called understanding, the standing within and thus also the reconciling oneself to the world. As Arendt writes: “In understanding happens the reconciliation with the world that precedes all acting, that actually makes acting possible.” (Arendt, 2003, 331) Understanding, the way in which one comes to make sense of the world, is a way of rooting oneself in a world. In this sense, “Understanding creates depth.” The political activity of making oneself a home in the world depends upon “understanding in the sense of reconciliation.” Only someone who is reconciled with the world—someone who accepts the world as it is and comes to terms with the world—can politically act in that world. (Arendt, 2003, 332)
In her essay “Understanding and Politics” published in The Partisan Review in 1954, Arendt turns to King Solomon’s prayer asking God for the gift of an understanding heart to explore the inner unity of understanding, reconciliation, and political action. Solomon prayed for this gift, she writes, “because he was a king and knew that only an ‘understanding heart,’” and not mere reflection or mere feeling, makes it bearable for us to live with other people, strangers forever, in the same world, and makes it possible for them to bear with us.” (Arendt, 1994b, 322) Understanding, this “strange enterprise,” is not a scientific knowing. Rather, it is an “unending activity” by which we “come to terms with and reconcile ourselves to reality, that is, try to be at home in the world.” (Arendt, 1994b, 308) In understanding and reconciliation, the thinking human being acts; he comes to terms with the world and thus, in the act of reconciliation, affirms the world and allows it to be.
It is here, in the decision to affirm one’s participation in a shared world, that reconciliation serves to build a political solidarity free from the universal sinfulness of Christian and moral political theology. Because reconciliation “presupposes acting-and-potentially-wrongfully-acting men, but not men who are poisoned by sin,” what is reconciled is neither an evil soul nor a sinful humanity, but rather the world containing the “actually existing wrong.” (Arendt, 2003, 6-7) In language likely reminiscent of her conversations with Heidegger, Arendt concludes: the reconciling man resolves himself (sich entschliesst) to be responsible-with (mit-verantwortlich zu sein), but in no circumstances guilty-with (mit-schuldig) the wrongdoer and his wrong. (Arendt, 2003, 7) What reconciliation allows therefore, is the development of a common world. Thus, Arendt can say that no political action is possible without reconciliation.
Faced with a wrong, as was the Israeli court, Arendt suggests that we have the choice of either reconciliation—affirming one’s acceptance of the existence of a world that includes such a wrong—or silently allowing the wrong to exist. In either case, the judgment is made that reconciles oneself to the existence of the wrong and persistence of the wrongdoer.
Another choice is available as well: namely, in the face of that which is irreconcilable, to deny reconciliation. This of course is the choice that Arendt makes in her own judgment of Adolf Eichmann: to act beyond the boundary of reconciliation’s power to inaugurate a common world. “Reconciliation has a merciless boundary,” Arendt writes, a boundary that “forgiveness and revenge don’t recognize—namely, at that about which one must say: This ought not to have happened.” (Arendt, 2003, 7) Arendt explains what she means by reference to Kant’s discussion of the rules of war, where Kant says that actions in war that might make a subsequent peace impossible are not permitted. Such acts, like pogroms and genocides, whether in war or peace, are examples of “radical evil;” they are “what ought not to have come to pass.” Such acts are also those that cannot be reconciled, “what |
now) on the other side of the aisle: to show that you put in the same sort of emotional investment and intellectual effort that they have, and yet you “evolved beyond” it. There can be a palpable amount of hubris in this, to be sure. Much of the impetus here is in extending a sort of invitation to people who are still (un)believers to take the next step in putting away childish things—one that you’ve taken and yet that others, stuck in their ways, aren’t quite mature enough yet to.
At this point it might be asked, are there any notable differences between conversion narratives and deconversion narratives (or, more importantly, with the process underlying these narratives itself)? I think so, especially when we speak specifically of deconversion to atheism vis-à-vis religious conversion. With this deconversion, more often than not there’s a movement from a very specific set of beliefs to a much more expansive one; whereas with conversion, it’s much the opposite. Even a conversion to a sort of vague, non-denominational Christianity is really the story of conversion to a very specific ideology—one where the crucifixion of a 1st century Galilean Jew (and its cosmic effects) becomes the epistemological and indeed ontological center of one’s spiritual life.
For me, personally, there was no earth-shattering moment where I lost my faith—it went out with a whimper, not a bang. At first, the failure of key predicted dates in our eschatological schema to yield any tangible results was rationalized, in the exact same way that often happens when prophecy fails: maybe there had been some sort of miscalculation; or maybe the sort of transformation we were expecting did happen, but was somehow more subtle or intangible than we could realize. But over the course of several years, as I began to think about these things critically in a way that I hadn’t been able to before, things changed.
At heart, all that happened was that my internal epistemological compass shifted from conviction to thinking that it was more probable that these traditions were mistaken. Again, in retrospect, it doesn’t feel like this shift was monumental. From a distance, the line between the two looks much thinner; and it seems like this could easily happen to anyone, given just a little critical room to work with.
There’s something simultaneously humbling and empowering about losing your faith. Empowering, because of the sort of realization that you are the ultimate arbiter of your own beliefs, what you accept as true or false in the world; humbling, because the process entails admitting that you were wrong, and the often painful process of working through that new instability.
But there’s an aspect of “humility” here that I think could be easily overlooked, having to do with the interplay between the personal and the collective, and yet to my mind is vitally important.
In many of these cases, it’s not just “I was wrong,” but “we were wrong”—the group with which you had identified, who shared your convictions.
On one hand, group dynamics seem to produce some new, emergent phenomena here that can’t exist in isolation. It’s easier to deflect criticism when you can cast one individual’s dissent as their having going rogue. This is easily characterized as their arrogance—thinking that they, a single person, could possibly know better than the collective wisdom of dozens, thousands, millions.
Of course, there are plenty of things in the world that the thousands/millions are right about and that the dissenting maverick is dead wrong on.
But people can also be right for the wrong reasons; and they can also be wrong about something even though they seemed to have the right reasons for believing it, or at least had the right intentions. This is the burden of being the ultimate arbiter of your own beliefs.
To take some examples: the fact of biological evolution is true, and accepted by every serious authority out there; but it takes serious effort for any one person to truly have a high-level understanding of the mechanisms of evolution. At the same time, there are thousands, possibly millions of otherwise reasonable and well-intentioned Mormons out there who nonetheless have little-to-no critical grasp on the origins of their religion and its myriad impossibilities—an understanding that some lone voice in the wilderness may indeed have, and yet be drowned out by the numerical majority of their community.
But the worst violation against reason comes from those who insist that they cannot be wrong, while also ignoring all standards of critical inquiry that might legitimately challenge their beliefs. Yet this ideology is in fact a fundamental aspect of some major Christian movements—including the largest one in history.
“Let God be true, but every man a liar,” as the apostle Paul proclaims in his epistle to the Romans. Again going back to evolution, this has been adopted as one of the rallying cries of fundamentalist creationists, who have no qualms about proclaiming that the most competent and well-intentioned scientists can simply be dead wrong on evolution. (Though whether they genuinely think that scientists are “well-intentioned” here is a matter of debate, and not a small number seem to sympathize more with the “liar” approach.)
Yet this claim of immunity to error (in the face of all evidence otherwise) is also an integral part of Orthodox Christianity, too—specifically Catholicism.
One of the most (in)famous examples of this claim appears in the 11th century Dictatus papae, attributed to Pope Gregory VII, and consisting of decrees on the Catholic faith. The 22nd of these reads Quod Romana ecclesia nunquam erravit nec imperpetuum scriptura testante errabit: “…That the Roman church has never erred; nor will it err to all eternity, the Scripture bearing witness.” Although this is a particularly strong statement, this in fact picks up on earlier teachings, e.g. in the letter of Pope Agatho, written in 680 to Constantine IV and accepted at the Third (Ecumenical) Council of Constantinople—a letter which which the Council called divine perscriptas, “divinely written”²—where we read
Peter... received the spiritual sheep of the Church through a threefold commendation by the Redeemer of all, to be fed by him—under whose protection this Apostolic Church of his has never turned aside from the way of truth into any error whatsoever.³
In the late 19th century Pastor aeternus, the dogmatic constitution of the First Vatican Council, we read (echoing especially the 6th century Hormisdas formula)
And indeed, all the venerable Fathers have embraced, and the holy orthodox Doctors have venerated and followed, [the successors of Peter’s] doctrine; knowing most fully that this See of holy Peter remains ever free from all blemish of error [ab omni semper errore illibatam permanere], according to the Divine promise that the Lord our Savior made to the Prince of His disciples: “But I have prayed for you, so that your faith may not fail, and so that you, once converted, may confirm your brothers.” (Luke 22:32).
At first there may be some ambiguity here, especially with the phrase Petri Sedem, the “See of Peter.” Does this refer to the Holy See in general, or specifically to the Pope? (And in either case, what exactly does it mean that they’re free from all error?) The larger context of these lines is the idea of Papal infallibility, of which First Vatican Council represented the most monumental affirmation of. Interestingly enough, though—and probably not a coincidence—the ambiguity of the reference here was precisely an issue that Catholic theologians had struggled with in earlier centuries. Brian Tierney, speaking about the medieval canonists, writes
The canonists’ understanding of Luke 22:32 was decisive for their interpretation of the phrase “The Roman church has never erred.” Huguccio, we noted, observed that, when Christ prayed for Peter’s faith, the apostle stood as a symbol of the church. This idea was inherently ambiguous. It could mean that all the authority Christ conferred on the church was epitomized in Peter and his successors. Some canonists were inclined to develop their thought in this direction when considering the extent of papal jurisdiction. But, in discussing the maintenance of the true faith in the church, the canonists invariably interpreted the idea that Peter “signified” the church in a disjunctive sense, that is as implying a distinction between the whole Christian community, whose faith could never fail, and the person of an individual pope, who was a mere erring mortal after all and so only an imperfect symbol of the church. Typically they explained that phrases describing an unerring “apostolic see” or “Roman church” could make sense only if they were taken to refer, not to the pope alone, but to the whole congregation of the faithful. (Origins of Papal Infallibility, 1150-1350, 36-37)
There would be infinitely more to say on all of this.⁴
Suffice it to say, though, that it has been a long-standing tradition in the Roman Catholic Church that it is unable to err. Again, delineating what exactly this means has been a topic of intense debate. In more recent times, it’s been unambiguously qualified that the Church can only infallibly teach on matters of “faith and morals” (though, again, there’s a huge ambiguity with what this means). This includes both “explicitly infallible” statements of the Pope, as well as teachings of the “ordinary and universal magisterium.” (See the link for more info.)
I want to hone in on this last line from the long quote above, though: ‘Typically they explained that phrases describing an unerring “apostolic see” or “Roman church” could make sense only if they were taken to refer, not to the pope alone, but to the whole congregation of the faithful.’⁶
The necessity of this qualification comes not least of which because there have been several blatantly immoral Popes, and/or Popes who have fallen into obvious heresy, etc.⁵ Yet, conversely, there are very few teachings which are agreed upon by the “whole congregation of the faithful.” One need only think of how many Catholics (inadvertently) hold a heretical modalist view of the Trinity, or the wide support for contraceptives among Catholics. (The data from the U.S. on this is well-known, though there are some misunderstandings. A more recent survey of 12,000 people from 12 countries shows comparable views—notwithstanding, say, comparatively weaker support in East and Central Africa.)
In searching for a collective body of Catholics in which this freedom from error resides, then, we might instead look toward the ordinary and universal magisterium. As linked above, Adam Lee explains this concept that “If all bishops throughout the world at any given time agree on a particular belief, then that belief is considered to automatically be infallibly true and dogmatically binding on all Catholics present and future.”
Of course, here, we could think of a multitude of issues that complicate this idea. Do we really mean all the bishops throughout the world? How do we know when they agree? Further, what if a certain belief is universally agreed upon in one era, and yet denied in another? Is it meaningful to say that unerring truth could be historically contingent? What if there is some mass exodus of bishops, or some massive heresy?⁷
In considering similar questions, the medieval theologians were forced into all sorts of ad hoc explanations. Italian canonist Huguccio delivered the near inanity that “Wherever there are good faithful Christians, there is the Roman church.” A common idea here also focused on the idea that although the Church may be temporarily weakened or fail, it can never ultimately fail. In the anonymous Summa Cantabrigiensis, we read “the Church can be small; it cannot be nothing.” Hucoccio also suggests “Vices and mortal sin... shall never prevail so that there are no good persons in the Church”; and at the most extreme, Tierney notes the view of some Decretists that “the true faith had lived on in Mary alone at the time of the Crucifixion.” (Apparently not even Peter, until his rehabilitation!)
In Catholic theology, there have been centuries of squabbling over who it is that cannot be wrong (and in what situations), or what it is that cannot be wrong. At the end of the day, though, I can’t help but think that the forest is being missed for the trees. Why can’t the Church be wrong?
Of course, it’s not as if this question has been ignored. The answer, however, is usually simply “because Jesus said that the ‘gates of Hell’ would never prevail against the Church.”
But how do we know this is true? For the time-being, Catholics can (anecdotally) appeal to the fact that the Church still exists, and apparently thrives, at least in terms of numbers of adherents—though, again, there’s also the problem of just how far the laity is willing to actually faithfully follow the tenets of Catholicism beyond the name itself. Yet beyond this, apologists fall into a fatal circularity: that (they know that) the Church is protected from error because Jesus affirms this; and (they know that) Jesus was not in error because the Church attests to the truth of his teachings.
And finally, after this long tangent, I can return to what I started with.
At the real end of the day, there are numerous facts of reality that make the claimed truth(s) of Christianity—and Catholicism in particular—prima facie implausible, if not absurd and/or demonstrably untrue.⁸ Because of this, for those who do subscribe to these religious traditions—and who aren’t willing to egregiously discard or ignore the challenges presented by critical knowledge—there has to be something that transforms these impossible or near-impossible things into things that are true. Yet not even the tenets of reformed epistemology, however, can bridge the gap between belief in (a) God and the sort of things that must be believed so that specific tenets of Christianity are true.
Faith is what’s ultimately supposed to make everything hang together; yet this suffers from the same fatal circularity described above, re: conviction in Jesus and conviction in the Church. Without faith, notions like the Trinity are just a meaningless metaphysical jumble. Yet almost every other Christian doctrine also suffers similarly under critical scrutiny, too; and if everything else here is indeterminate (if not simply false) until faith comes along, what exactly is it that leads one around to faith—or confirms it—in the first place?
If “faith” within a specific religion is worth anything, it should be conviction in a certain body of doctrine; but in fact, taken in itself, it’s often merely a conviction that things can be adequately worked out so that there can be something worth having conviction in. (That is, it assumes the solution to the problem—or at least that the problem is coherent and/or that a solution can be arrived at—in order to justify the method of working out the problem to begin with.)
Unless, of course, there’s another foundation that faith rests on.
It’s here, though, that we’re finally back at the very issue that this post began at. Above all, faith begins with what we might best call phenomenology. This certainly is connected with what we call “subjective experience”; but, of course, this doesn’t mean that everyone is ushered into the faith via a Damascus Road experience, with the blinding light and voice from heaven. Rather, it’s deeper, and indeed more substantive than this.
In the light of faith, the world is imbued with meaning and hope and joy; and the world and one’s beliefs seem to hang together as a cohesive whole that just feels right. It’s this that C. S. Lewis spoke of in his oft-quoted line, “I believe in Christianity as I believe that the Sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.”
But the thing here, though, is that while some of this might be understood as “cognition” simpliciter, it also treads dangerously close to what we’d simply call emotion—a sort of elation or otherwise a perspective unusually beholden to the (unstable) whims of biochemical and neurology. And this is a dangerous foundation to be building (purported) Truth on.
Can there be any doubt that this is where sentiments of “I cannot be wrong” emerge from?
It’s funny, then, how depersonalized this sentiment has become in Orthodox thought. Infallibility is not even so much this quality that any person possesses, but rather something that one engages in, or rather something that simply manifests itself if the right conditions are met.
The psychologist might venture to say that this is simultaneously deflection and projection. Among reasonable people, it is simply bad form to personally suggest that you yourself cannot be wrong (especially in those situations when you precisely can be); and so you let others carry that burden. But this is not something that just the layman does; but rather, as seen, this is something that has been done by ecclesiastical authorities for centuries. It is the Church, in the abstract, to whom believers have handed over infallibility—as if beliefs or doctrines could exist independent of someone to hold them.⁹
It’s here that we really need humility, to disavow such claims to infallibility. And it’s in the fact that we the ex-religious, too, have lived in a world imbued with meaning and hope and joy—yet one with strings attached, going far beyond the immediacy of experience to make all sorts of claims about metaphysics and historical events—that we believe we’ve earned the right to encourage other people to disavow such, too.
I had originally ended by saying that if the real sentiment behind personal infallibility is “I cannot be wrong because it would be too much to bear (emotionally),” then this is no good reason at all, but really conceals a hubris to match that of the Gnostic Demiurge. (Yeah, that was over-dramatic… and not the greatest analogy, either.) But in fact, thinking about it more, I think this may be exactly one of the steps that one has to take in letting go of infallibility—the recognition of one of its main foundations: the emotional core that’s protecting us from what we think we cannot bear.
Rather, what seems to lie before this is “my Church cannot be wrong,” or “I (or we)cannot be wrong because my/our Church cannot be wrong.” Challenging this may seem like an act of hubris, or recklessness, as it threatens that an edifice of two millennia be torn down, to be rebuilt anew, or even abandoned completely.¹⁰ Yet, in fact, it’s simultaneously bold and humble. As the journey of a thousands miles begins with one step, so the responsibility for error—the humility to acknowledge it—begins with each and every individual.
⁂ ⁂ ⁂
Notes
[1] There were three traditions I gravitated toward that were similar in this regard, and interrelated in some ways: Terence McKenna and his eschatological speculations; the hybrid Indian-New Age traditions made popular by Paramhansa Yogananda and some of his followers (cf. especially Norman Paulsen); and, most importantly, I was attached to at least a couple of New Age “channeling” traditions which were eminently eschatological, the most significant among these being Lee Carroll and the “Kryon.”
[2] The English text can be found here. (Epistula concilii ad Agathonem papam; cf. Gr. θεολογηθέντα.)
[3] Latin: spirituales oves ecclesiae ab ipso redemptore omnium terna commendatione pascendas suscepit: cuias annitente praesidio haec apostolica eius ecclesia nunquam a via veritatis in qualibet erroris parte deflexa est. The Greek reads quite differently: ὃς καὶ τοῦ ποιμαίνειν τὰ πνευματικὰ πρόβατα τῆς Ἐκκλησίας ἀπ’ αὐτοῦ τοῦ Λυτρωτοῦ τῶν πάντων τῇ τρίτῃ παραθέσει ἐδέξατο· οὗτινος ἐπινεύσαντος τῇ βοηθείᾳ… Both Greek and Latin text can be found here.
[4] A particularly interesting issue that this debate connects with is one over infallibility and the First Vatican Council itself, specifically over what has been termed by some 20th century commentators “moderate infallibilism” vs. “extreme infallibilism.” Francis Sullivan (“The Meaning of Conciliar Dogmas”) quotes Avery Dulles that “An infallibilism of this second type may be found in the pre-Vatican I writings of William G. Ward, H. E. Manning, and Louis Veuillot, and in the post-Vatican I writings of J. M. A. Vacant, J. C. Fenton, and I. Salaverri.” Here, the debate is over exactly when and Pope. Regarding these extreme infallibilists, Sullivan writes that
Their opinion was strongly and effectively refuted by a number of other Catholic theologians, and the resulting consensus was confirmed by Vatican II, which clearly distinguished between the pope’s ordinary magisterium and his exercise of the “charism of infallibility.”
Tierney notes that “[e]vidently the medieval canonists were moving in a climate of thought very different from that of the nineteenth century Ultramontane theologians” (38).
[5] For more on all these issues, cf. also James Moynihan, Papal Immunity and Liability in the Writings of the Medieval Canonists.
[6] In addition to Huguccio, this was also expressed by Laurentius Hispanus and Alanus Anglicus.
[7] The question is considered for bishops outside of ecumenical councils. As for historical contingency, Sullivan (2003:611) writes “the bishops at the Council of Florence taught that all pagans and Jews would go to hell if they did not become Catholics before they died. Since this is no longer Catholic doctrine, the medieval consensus about it can hardly be said to have fulfilled the conditions for infallible teaching” Welch (1998:18) writes that
It... follows, according to Sullivan, that if there is a breakdown in consensus on a point of doctrine about which formerly there was a consensus, then ‘it would seem necessary to conclude that this was not the kind of constant consensus that points to infallible teaching’. Sullivan points to the problem of monogenism and polygenism as an example from the history of theology which illustrates this conclusion.
The 1990s and 2000s saw a great number of back-and-forths on the ordinary universal magisterium in the relevant academic journals. As mentioned, cf. the work of Francis Sullivan; also Gaillardetz 2002; Welch 1998, 2005.
[8] I’d be happy to elaborate on this further to anyone who wants, but I really am trying to limit space here.
[9] Of course, the idea is that God ensures that the Church does not ultimately err. Needless to say, though, I think this is supremely ad hoc, and as circular as several of the other things I’ve discussed.
[10] And this goes beyond any distinctions we might make between “Catholicism” and other denominations, penetrating to the heart of Christianity itself.
[Edit:] Some more notes, not organized yet:
Paul Valadier, “Has the Concept of Sensus Fidelium Fallen into Desuetude?”
Bellarmine:
When we say that the church cannot err, we understand this both of the entire body of the faithful and of the entire body of the bishops, so that the meaning of the proposition that the Church cannot err is this: that what all the faithful hold as of faith is necessarily true and of faith; and and likewise what all the bishops teach as of faith is necessarily true and of faith.
Burtchaell (quoted by Bolin):
inerrancy, whether it has been in any given age stressed or inconsistently pursued, has been a tenet of every age of Catholic belief. It might even be better to call it a working assumption. Like its cousin-tenet, ecclesiastical infallibility, it has not really been probed; it has been taken for granted. A comparison with infallibility is instructive …. In practice, infallibility is invoked as a safety clause in any matter that might threaten the Church’s existence. We have quite lately been told that if ever the Church put official endorsement on any teaching, it was on her absolute condemnation of ‘artificial’ birth prevention. Church authority, it was argued, could collapse were there any reversal here. This sort of theology has been known to backfire. Anyone with a student’s exposure to ecclesiastical history can recall, for example, that exactly a century ago Catholics were anathematized for holding that loss of the Papal States might turn out best for the Church. Garibaldi took them away. Church authority survived, to the surprise of some. Others felt it was even enhanced. The birth control issue has probably already been resolved in similarly peremptory fashion, and Church authority will survive even in its humiliation.... In the end, we should probably be more accurate to say that what God has promised his Church is not certitude, but survival. I have digressed somewhat over ecclesiastical infallibility, for as a dogma it is as much an unprobed working assumption as is biblical inerrancy. The Church is confessed to be the alter ego of Christ, and it is quickly assumed that no error can exist in her most official utterances. Likewise the Holy Spirit is declared to have authored the Scriptures, and the inference is smoothly made that the Bible can teach no error.
Flanagin, “Extra ecclesiam salus non est–sed quae ecclesia?”, 356f. on Ockham and others.Ang Thong provincial police last night seized a Thai neighbour in Saraburi province after he was suspected to kill the aged Japanese businessman in his house in Ang Thong province on Tuesday.
he man was identified as Samphand Jaemjang, 46, a neighbour of the Japanese victim Kazuo Yoshioka.
Ang Thong police said Samphand is an elder brother of Ms Poranee Napadol, the wife of Mr Yoshioka.
Samphand left his home in Ang Thong suspiciously after the murder was revealed. He left his motorcycle 500 metres from home.
Samphand was questioned at a safe house after his arrest at a petrol station in Saraburi and he was reported to have confessed to killing the Japanese man who was his brother-in-law.
But he said he was hired to kill the Japanese Businessman by his Thai wife who is also his sister.
The police were escorting him back to Vises Chaicharn district in Ang Thong province for further questioning.
They also will summon Ms Poranee for questioning after her brother confessed that she paid him to kill her Japanese husband.
The 83-year-old Japanese was found dead Tuesday morning at a rented two-storey home in Vises Chaicharn district of Ang Thong province.
His throat was slashed and he was found dead inside his bedroom.
According to his Thai wife, Ms Poranee Napadol, she was not at home but went to visit her mother who was suffering from kidney sickness.
When she returned home, she found that her house was ransacked and her husband was found lying dead in pool of blood inside the ransacked bedroom.
Duty police officer Pol Lt Ratakit Khaokaen and a team of investigators inspected the house located in a large area found blood traces in front of her neighbour house and a blood stained scissor inside the dust bin in front of the house.
A neighbour Mrs Sompong Napadol told police that her husband, Samphand, has disappeared from home since last night leaving only his motorcycle 500 metres from home.A Gold Coast fisherman landed a whopping four-metre tiger shark on a beach just south of the Queensland border at the weekend before setting it free again.
Gold Coast fisherman Max Muggeridge struggled with the four metre tiger shark for three hours. (Supplied:Alexia Rivera)
Max Muggeridge of Coomera is still feeling worse for wear nursing blood-blistered hands after an epic three-hour fight to reel in the shark while land fishing at Pottsville.
The 19-year-old stands just under six foot tall and weighs about 90 kilograms, but 20 seconds into the struggle he thought he might be severely outgunned by the monster.
"It definitely was a lot stronger... it was a lot bigger and better than me, that's for sure," he has told ABC Gold Coast's Nicole Dyer.
"I honestly thought that I wasn't going to be able to do it, I thought it was going to be one of them stories of the one that got away."
Max puts his catch down to a combination of patience, perseverance and luck.
He says he did not set out to land such a big shark.
"I was only aiming for a shark maybe half if not smaller than that size, then in the morning I got a bit of an awakening when I realised just how big the fish was that I hooked," he said.
After taking a few photos with the shark in the shallows, Max led it back into the water.
He says he catches sharks in the name of conservation, to track already tagged sharks for research.
"Their migration patterns, their movements - for preservation of their species for future years to come," he said.
He says sharks are resilient and deal well with being caught and released.
"For me when I bring a shark in, it's a duty for me to make sure that it swims off," he said.
"Unfortunately it's the only way for the shark species conservation to continue, for us to gain research and knowledge about these species."
Listen to Max Muggeridge's full interview on ABC Gold Coast Mornings.Hillary Clinton greets voters at a house party in Windham, N.H., in 2015. (Melina Mara/The Washington Post)
The Clinton campaign has asked the Associated Press to amend or remove a tweet promoting an investigative story on the meetings of Hillary Clinton when she served as secretary of state. It reads, “BREAKING: AP analysis: More than half those who met Clinton as Cabinet secretary gave money to Clinton Foundation.”
BREAKING: AP analysis: More than half those who met Clinton as Cabinet secretary gave money to Clinton Foundation. — The Associated Press (@AP) August 23, 2016
Holy Moly! So more than half of all the people that huddled with Clinton were donors to her family’s foundation? Grab the can of damage-control spray!
Or maybe not. Click through to the actual article and a key qualifier rears its head. The count doesn’t include anyone in the U.S. federal government or representatives of foreign governments. In other words, most of the people with whom Clinton met as secretary of state. The analysis drilled in on “154 people from private interests” who chatted by phone or met with Clinton in person. Eighty-five of them “donated to her family charity or pledged commitments to its international programs,” for a total of “as much as $156 million.”
Those numbers represent the fruit of worthwhile investigation; we ought to know everything about the overlaps between Clinton’s work as secretary of state and the operations of the Clinton Foundation. Yet the tweet promoting the story, which has more than 10,000 retweets and likes combined, is tendentious and misleading. A lamentable hyping on social media. The AP is apparently cognizant of its shortcomings. Brian Fallon, press secretary for the Clinton campaign, tells the Erik Wemple Blog:
We have formally requested that AP remove or amend this tweet. They apparently considered it, but officially decided to let it stand. That seems pretty egregious to knowingly allow a falsehood to remain posted under AP’s banner.
The outlet just released an extensive defense of the reporting by Vice President and Director of Media Relations Paul Colford, which features mention of the obstacles it encountered in nailing down the story. “As AP wrote, our reporting was based on Mrs. Clinton’s calendars covering the entirety of her tenure as secretary of state and on more detailed schedules of meetings and phone calls covering roughly half that period. AP first requested Mrs. Clinton’s calendars and schedules in 2010 and again in 2013 but was unsuccessful. AP then sued the State Department in federal court to obtain the schedules it has received so far,” reads Colford’s statement, in part. The investigation, explained Colford, “focused on Mrs. Clinton’s meetings and calls involving people outside government who were not federal employees or foreign diplomats, because meeting with U.S. or foreign government officials would inherently have been part of her job as secretary of state.”
Such intricacies, unfortunately, were too verbose for the AP tweet.
Credit the AP for fighting for this data and presenting it to the public. What this blog could do without is this line in the resulting story: “But the frequency of the overlaps shows the intermingling of access and donations, and fuels perceptions that giving the foundation money was a price of admission for face time with Clinton.” Bolding inserted to highlight Mainstream Media Investigative Story Boilerplate (see this Vox.com piece by Matthew Yglesias). Instead of throwing around such language, the AP should be in the business of using its data to inform readers whether those “perceptions” are substantive or baseless. Plus, what really “fuels perceptions” is a ham-handed tweet from a major media outlet.INTRODUCTION
Disclaimer: I want to thank MoarPizza for providing this excellent template for build guides.
Tala Moana, Warrior!
Welcome to the guide for my Ichimonji Cleave Gladiator I am currently playing on HSC. Let me start off by saying that I will try to make this guide as beginner friendly as possible, since it - in my opinion - is a good build to get started with.
The purpose of this build is to utilise the unique sword
I chose to focus on this particular sword because 1: I play solo most of the time, and 2: It is very rarely used (as far as I know!) and it has potential.
The build is HC viable I would say, but the tree needs to be altered slightly and there is not as much room for uniques. I will not be covering a HC version of the build in this guide, but feel free to ask questions about it either as a reply to this post or in a PM.
Link to my profile
Note that the profile does not reflect this particular variant of the build, as I have recently converted into a more expensive version. Direct your attention to this guide for information on the budget version.
VIDEO
T16 Minotaur run [4:21]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yo6gpvgUPMg&t
If you have a specific map or encounter in mind that you would like me to show off, post a reply or send me a PM - I'll try my best to deliver.
OVERVIEW
Pros:
+ Very cheap (max 20c to clear T16)
+ Fast clear speed
+ Can clear all map mods (Reflect explained later)
+ Excellent Uber Lab farmer and Atziri farmer; face-tank both!
+ Strong Defense
+ Fun! Most things explode in a gory mess!
Cons:
- The Bringer of Rain (BoR) version lacks available sockets
- Not the strongest single-target DPS, but Conc Effect helps a lot.
- Can't really do Shaper or Uber Atziri with the budget version
SKILL TREE
Duelist ascended to Gladiator
Passives
Ascendancy Points: First Gratuitous Violence or Outmatch and Outlast (in the order you prefer, take the other one as 2nd). Then Painforged. The Uber Lab ascendancy is more flexible: I would recommend Blood in the Eyes as and offensive choice, or Versatile Combatant as a defensive choice - which one you prefer is up to you entirely! I went with Blood in the Eyes.
Bandits: Kill all; alternatively help Oak
LEVELING TREES
Spoiler Passive Tree (30 Passives)
Passive Tree (60 Passives)
Passive Tree (90 Passives)
SKILL TREE EXPLANATION
When leveling, you start by rushing to Resolute Technique (RT), which will greatly increase both your effective DPS and the smoothness while you level. The inability to critical strike is made up for by "Your hits can't be evaded". We pick up some life along the way to RT, too. Next, we go grab some Area of Effect (AoE) nodes to further smoothen the leveling process, since Cleave has a very small radius from the beginning (this increases as you level the Cleave gem). If you choose to level as Cleave I recommend you pick up a jewel slot early on in order to use the Cleave jewel Overwhelming Odds. You don't have to level as Cleave; Sunder is another excellent choice, and also benefits from the increased AoE. We grab some damage here and there, but nothing that limits our choice of weapon to a specific base type.
You'll want to path to the leech nodes early on, as this will improve your survivability a great deal while also taking care of any mana issues you may encounter. While at it, grab the dual-wield specific Ambidexterity. You might notice that I get a lot of resistances from the passive tree - this is to make gearing up easier, and you can spec out of these nodes later on, when your gear makes up for the resists. When you hit level 58, you are ready to put on your 2 beautiful Ichimonji swords, and go for the sword nodes on the tree. At this point the leveling process is extremely smooth, especially with Whirling Blades as your movement skill. I picked up an extra Frenzy charge, but this is not necessary. You can go for an Endurance charge instead, or something entirely different.
JEWELS
First off, you will need one specific jewel:
This gives you free
Here is a list of stats you should look for on jewels listed in order of priority:
| +2 mana gained for each enemy hit by your attacks. Must-have on one of your jewels. Mana leech from passive tree will take care of the rest.
| % increases to damage that apply to you and your damage type. Keywords here are dual-wielding, melee damage, physical damage, swords, area damage, and one-handed weapons.
| % increases to attack speed that apply in general, and/or to you and the weapons you are using. Keywords here are dual-wielding, swords, and one-handed weapons.
| % increases to maximum life. This stat is |
.
Rusty patch on shoulders.
Yellow or yellowish on chest.
Breeding male has large black "V" on yellow chest.
Male Description Breeding (Alternate) Plumage: Streaked grayish head. Yellow stripe above eyes. Chin white. Thin black stripes at sides of throat. Black throat patch extending onto breast in a point. Chest bright yellow. Belly light gray. Back brown with black streaks. Tail and wings blackish. Chestnut shoulder patch.
Nonbreeding (Basic) Plumage: Black bib partly concealed by pale whitish to yellowish feather tips.
Female Description Duller face and head pattern, with light yellow stripe over eyes. Throat whitish, with faint, thin dark stripes at sides. Breast dull yellow. Belly light gray. Thin dark streaks on flanks. Back brown with black streaks. Wings and tail blackish. Pale chestnut shoulder patch.
Immature Description Immature similar to adult female, but duller. Yearling male with little black on chest.Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Jiang Hong: 'If a society only listens to one voice, mistakes can be made'
After 11 days of interminable speeches, followed by ritualistic voting to approve everything put before it, China's annual parliamentary gathering will, once again, leave little worthy of note in its wake.
That is precisely the intention of course because it is not meant to hold power to account.
That is kept tightly in the hands of the ruling Communist Party, and the key policies have long been decided in advance.
Nonetheless, every year, the meetings do provide an occasional glimpse of something meaningful for those watching closely.
Here then are two of them for 2016; the first, a rare act of dissent that could not be stifled and the second, paradoxically, an all-too-common act of obeisance that was mysteriously hidden from view.
Much has already been written about Jiang Hong.
As thousands of his fellow delegates began arriving in Beijing two weeks ago, with their rubber stamps at the ready, Mr Jiang had different ideas.
Image copyright Reuters Image caption There is no shortage of security in Beijing, especially around the Tiananmen square area
Image copyright Reuters Image caption Tribute songs to Xi Jinping (centre) have become something of a musical genre in their own right
He had already given an interview to a Chinese online current affairs magazine, Caixin, suggesting that delegates should be free to speak their own minds, rather than be compelled blithely to follow the will of the party.
Government censors promptly deleted that interview, a clear demonstration that delegates are not free to do anything of the sort.
Undeterred, Mr Jiang proceeded to give another interview to the same magazine in which he described the censorship as "terrible and bewildering".
Published along with a daring photo of a mouth gagged with masking tape, that follow-up article was deleted too.
Hurried away
But still far from cowed, Mr Jiang agreed to a BBC interview, conducted inside the meeting hall close to Tiananmen Square.
Image copyright EPA Image caption China's annual parliament is not always quite so rigid as appearances suggest
Image copyright AFP Image caption Security has been tight for this year's annual parliamentary gathering
Image copyright Reuters Image caption The curtain has been partially lifted on hidden tensions
"If a society only listens to one voice, then mistakes can be made," he told us.
"A good way to prevent this from happening is to let everyone speak up, to give us the whole picture."
"I feel there's been an increase in things being deleted online - articles and blogs and posts on Wechat," he continued.
"This has made people worried about expressing their opinions."
Before we could finish our interview, Jiang Hong was hurried away by an official who insisted that we would make him late for his meeting - something other media outlets have experienced amid reports that delegates have been advised against impromptu discussions with the foreign media.
But Mr Jiang's determined insistence on exercising his right to free speech illustrates how China's annual parliament is not always quite so rigid and compliant as it first seems.
Image copyright Reuters Image caption There is growing disquiet over the recent tightening of the restrictions on freedom of expression
Image copyright AFP Image caption The Chinese economy has been under-performing in recent months
For the few who choose to use the opportunity, with the media access and at least the pretence of openness, it offers a precious moment in which they can push the boundaries a bit and, in doing so, highlight the debates that are often rumoured to be raging inside the ruling elite.
And Mr Jiang has done exactly that.
The response to his comments suggests that there is growing disquiet over the recent tightening of the restrictions on freedom of expression, with even one state-run newspaper weighing in with an old saying that "a thousand yes men cannot compare with one person who criticises frankly".
Lavish production
And so to our second moment at this year's event, one that has also lifted the curtain somewhat on the hidden tensions behind the scenes.
Image copyright AP Image caption Even critics like Jiang Hong acknowledge that what is happening in China today is a lot better than what happened during Mao's Cultural Revolution
Image copyright AP Image caption Power in China is kept tightly in the hands of the ruling Communist Party, and key policies have long been decided in advance
It came inside the Great Hall of the People as China's President Xi Jinping attended a sideline meeting of the Province of Hunan Communist Party Committee.
The Provincial Party Secretary Xu Shousheng is in mid-flow when his speech takes an unexpected change of tack.
"Before Chinese New Year," he says to President Xi, "a song by the title 'I don't know how to address you' went viral online in Hunan."
The lavish production, reportedly commissioned by the Hunan government, tells the story of one of Xi Jinping's visits to the Hunan countryside, and Mr Xu was keen to sing its praises.
"It vividly reflects [your] devotion to the poverty-stricken village of Shibadong," he tells him.
Mr Xi can be seen smiling and nodding slightly, although soon after video links of the exchange, along with references to the viral song being raised at the meeting, were seemingly deleted from the internet, with the links returning instead the familiar error message for removed content.
At a time when the main message of this year's parliament was meant to be the Communist Party's efforts to boost a flagging economy, with the looming threat of mass industrial layoffs, having the nation's top brass compose songs to each other and then crow about them, probably does not seem like the best exercise in public relations.
Image copyright AFP Image caption The fringes of China's parliamentary set pieces are sometimes all observers have to go on when trying to assess what is happening within the corridors of power
Nonetheless, tribute songs to Xi Jinping have become something of a musical genre in their own right in recent years, leading to speculation that such public displays of devotion are being encouraged as part of a growing cult of personality around him.
While spontaneous songs written and sung by grass roots performers - of which there are many - are one thing, for such tributes to be commissioned by senior party officials is altogether different.
Along with the crackdown on dissent and freedom of speech, as well as an increasingly ideological tone, some observers worry that Chinese politics is now taking a more authoritarian direction of the kind not seen since the days of Chairman Mao.
And with the normal political process so opaque and closed, the things we can glimpse on the edges of China's parliamentary set pieces are sometimes all we have to go on in trying to assess the truth.
The last word, perhaps, should go to Jiang Hong, the censored but still determined delegate.
"What's happening now is a lot better than what happened during the Cultural Revolution," he tells us.
"However, in terms of citizens' freedom of expression, there are still obstacles. At least I can still express my thoughts; I can voice my opinion within the boundaries of this meeting.
"But what really upsets me is that I can't express my opinion to the public. In this aspect, there's still a lot of improvement needed in our country. "I wish I could disagree with the consensus that Romney routed Obama in the first debate, but I can’t. Obama supporter Andrew Sullivan caught the angst of his fellows during the debate–pointing out in real time how Obama was flat and boring, while Romney managed to misrepresent effectively, all the while sounding like Reagan.
Clearly Obama was playing not to lose. He never was a particularly good debater. He held his own in a seemingly endless series of wonkish debates with Hillary (a smart and diligent public servant, but no great public debater either) and did fine against an aged McCain. But clearly facing Romney, who is genuinely good at this, displayed the weaknesses of Obama’s often rambling, professorial approach. As several commenters noted, Obama looked like someone who hadn’t had to confront aggressive disagreement in the same room in some time. Maybe he should have had that meeting with Netanyahu.
Of course the decision never to bring up Bain Capital, Romney’s Cayman Island accounts, or the 47% remark was made well before last night; the thinking must have been that Obama can remain aloof and above all that, while “the campaign” makes the necessary points. Romney’s big win will probably bring the race back to near toss-up status, where it was for much of the summer. And it puts pressure on Obama to change his approach to the next ones.
In the pending debates at Hofstra and in Boca Raton, a reprise of last night’s “prevent defense” style clearly won’t cut it for Obama. Foreign policy will be featured in both, particularly in the second one. The president would be well advised not to pretend that there is “no daylight’ between the United States and Israel, and to emphasize that Romney has surrounded himself with the same group of geniuses who brought us the Iraq war. With his drone killings and successful targetting of bin Laden, Obama has plenty of toughness to crow about, and he probably should. But Romney is on record as saying that he would essentially place America’s entire Middle East policy under Netanyahu’s domain, and clearly wants a war with Iran. Or, if he doesn’t know whether he does or doesn’t, his advisors certainly do. This puts Romney in conflict with sentiment in the country at large, as well as with the American intelligence and defense establishments. Obama can’t be passive about letting the American people know this. If he is, he will lose.HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong legislators said Saturday that the Chinese government should make the final decision on whether former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden should be extradited to the United States now that the Justice Department has charged him with espionage and theft of government property.
Snowden, believed to be holed up in Hong Kong, has admitted providing information to the news media about two highly classified NSA surveillance programs.
It is not known if the U.S. government has made a formal extradition request to Hong Kong, and the Hong Kong government had no immediate reaction to the charges against Snowden. Police Commissioner, Andy Tsang, when was asked about the development, told reporters only that the case would be dealt with according to the law.
When China regained control of Hong Kong in 1997, the former British colony was granted a high degree of autonomy and granted rights and freedoms not seen on mainland china. However, under the city's mini constitution Beijing is allowed to intervene in matters involving defense and diplomatic affairs.
Outspoken legislator Leung Kwok-hung said Beijing should instruct Hong Kong to protect Snowden from extradition before his case gets dragged through the court system. Leung also urged the people of Hong Kong to "take to the streets to protect Snowden."
Another legislator, Cyd Ho, vice-chairwoman of the pro-democracy Labour Party, said China "should now make its stance clear to the Hong Kong SAR (Special Administrative Region) government" before the case goes before a court.
China has urged Washington to provide explanations following the disclosures of National Security Agency programs which collect millions of telephone records and track foreign Internet activity on U.S. networks, but it has not commented on Snowden's status in Hong Kong.
His whereabouts have not been publicly known since he checked out of a Hong Kong hotel on June 10. He said in an interview with the South China Morning Post that he hoped to stay in the autonomous region of China because he has faith in "the courts and people of Hong Kong to decide my fate."
He and his supporters have also spoken of his seeking asylum from Iceland.
A prominent former politician in Hong Kong, Martin Lee, the founding chairman of the Democratic Party, said he doubted whether Beijing would intervene at this stage.
"Beijing would only intervene according to my understanding at the last stage. If the magistrate said there is enough to extradite, then Mr. Snowden can then appeal," he said.
Lee said Beijing could then decide at the end of the appeal process if it wanted Snowden extradited or not.
A one-page criminal complaint unsealed Friday in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia, said Snowden engaged in unauthorized communication of national defense information and willful communication of classified communications intelligence information. Both are charges under the Espionage Act. Snowden also is charged with theft of government property. All three crimes carry a maximum 10-year prison penalty.
The complaint will be an integral part of the U.S. government's effort to have Snowden extradited from Hong Kong, a process that could become a prolonged legal battle. Snowden could contest extradition on grounds of political persecution.
Hong Kong lawyer Mark Sutherland said that the filing of a refugee, torture or inhuman punishment claim acts as an automatic bar on any extradition proceedings until those claims can be assessed.
"Some asylum seekers came to Hong Kong 10 years ago and still haven't had their protection claims assessed," Sutherland said.
Organizers of a public protest in support of Snowden last week said Saturday there were no plans for similar demonstrations this weekend.A woman in Jharkhand has alleged she was gang-raped by more than a dozen men because she is working with the BJP, the police said on Tuesday.The woman, who is Muslim and in her 30s, says she is part of a local minority wing of the BJP designed to attract Muslim voters to the party, which is expected to win the most seats in the national election.The woman says in her police complaint that a mob attacked her at her home on Monday and also assaulted her 13-year-old daughter. Her husband was allegedly handcuffed during the attack.Anurag Gupta, a senior officer and spokesman for Jharkhand police, confirmed an investigation had started but said it was too soon to confirm her allegations of a political motive for the attack."An investigation from all angles is on and it is very difficult at present to say the exact reason behind the incident," Mr Gupta told news agency AFP. Police inspector TN Singh in the police station closest to woman's home said villagers had used the loudspeaker of the mosque to alert others to the assault, after which the attackers fled.Women's issues are high on the agenda in the parliamentary elections following the fatal gang-rape of a student on a New Delhi bus in December 2012, which ignited a national debate about sexual violence.In the current Parliament women hold only 11 per cent of seats in both houses.A police officer in the East Bay has resigned rather than endure an investigation over some controversial photos. The pictures were taken at a Halloween party, and show the officer making a white supremacist gesture.
The Halloween party photo shows 27-year-old Richmond Police Officer, Ben Murdoch, dressed up like a rock star. He appears to be raising a Nazi salute with a friend dressed in a Ku Klux Klan outfit.
"We take very seriously the way officers behave away from the job as well as on the job. What they do directly reflects back on the department, particularly when that reflects a significant lack of judgment," said Richmond Police Chief Chris Magnus.
The rookie officer was placed on paid leave on Tuesday, but on Wednesday he resigned. His lawyer said he did not want to embarrass the department any further.
Matters of race are a sensitive issue at the Richmond Police Department. A group of black officers is suing the city claiming racism on the part of the Police Chief Chris Magnus who wasted no time accepting the resignation of Officer Murdoch on Wednesday.
"Yes, I feel we've been very proactive here," said Magnus.
Last month Police Commissioner Chris Tallerico dropped out of the Richmond City Council race after the Police Officers Association supported him with a flyer. It was widely seen as a racist stereotyping of Richmond's Latino residents.
"Specifically to the police department, I think moral is at the lowest point I've ever seen it. As far as things around town, I think the city has been fractionalized and it's not a good thing," said Tallerico.
The flyers were distributed without Tallerico's knowledge and he draws no similarities between his case and Murdoch's.
"Police officers standing around with people in a Klan outfit making Nazi solutes is just unacceptable behavior and I'm glad the officer resigned and saved the city the embarrassment of having to go through an investigation," said Tallerico.Shams Charania breaks NBA trades on the shuttle between his college’s campuses. He tweets signings in class. Not-always-understanding professors watch as he steps out to take the occasional phone call from an important source.
Charania, a senior at Loyola University Chicago who turned 22 in April, is one of the most prolific NBA news breakers today.
“Every time he breaks a story,” says Sports Illustrated’s Lee Jenkins, “I sit there and look at Twitter and envision him in, like, junior year chemistry, sort of tuning out the professor and getting a text from a major agent about a story that’s going down.”
Announcing his hiring in December, Yahoo! called him a “wunderkind.” ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne has nicknamed him “Doogie Howser.” Adrian Wojnarowski, Charania’s boss at The Vertical, Yahoo!’s basketball site, says he’s the “best young basketball reporter on the planet.”
If there were such a thing as a prep-to-pro journalism prospect, Charania would be it.
“When I went into it, I didn’t want anyone to know how old I was,” Charania says from his home in suburban Chicago. “It’s easy to mask how old you are if you approach things the right way.”
With news-breaking spearheaded by Wojnarowski and his new understudy, The Vertical has flexed in the first free agency since the site launched in January. They beat ESPN’s television coverage to every draft pick. They were first to the news of Dwyane Wade and Al Horford and, were it not for the nature of The Players’ Tribune, probably would’ve had Kevin Durant, too.
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I think a lot of reporters throw stuff against the wall based on third-degree information, whereas everything he was getting was directly from the source—the actual player, agent, or team.
If you hadn’t seen Charania’s name before this summer, you almost certainly have by now. His follower count has jumped from about 33,000 to 73,000 since June 20 because Shams (rhymes with “Woj bombs”) has been all over some major deals.
He broke Dwight Howard to the Hawks, DeMar DeRozan re-signing with the Raptors, Luol Deng to the Lakers and Jamal Crawford re-signing with the Clippers. Consider this free agency period his coming-out party.
“Shams is a bit of a phenomenon,” says Jenkins, who broke LeBron James' decision to return to Cleveland in 2014.
But Charania has never worked or interned for a newspaper. He doesn’t have a fancy degree. He didn’t start with any industry connections. So how did this happen?
How did he go from one of a million NBA-obsessed teenagers to 22-year-old media phenom?
Charania has quietly built a network of sources over four years of full-time reporting. Glued to his phone, he sends hundreds of texts and emails each day. Even when he’s not looking for news, he regularly checks in with his sources—players, agents, and team executives. He calls it a steady diet of dialogue and says scoops come organically.
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“Obviously there are people who just don’t know,” he says. “Why are you always on your phone? Why are you always texting? Get a life. I love that aspect (of always being on the phone). I don’t even consider it work because I would be doing it anyway. I would be scrolling RealGM or HoopsHype.”
Agents and players have connected with his humble, trustworthy nature. Though he won't reveal much about how he has built his rolodex, Charania says going to games and meeting people in person has been critical to making connections.
He started small, breaking international, D-League, and 10-day contract news. One relationship led to another.
His career started at 18. As a high school senior writing for his school paper, he reached out to ChicagoNOW, a subsidiary of the Chicago Tribune. They allowed him to write daily Chicago Bulls recaps.
“At that point you’re just looking for any platform,” says Charania, who sports a shaped-up black beard that makes him look more like 25. “It could be a viewership of like 100 people, but as long as you’re getting the reps in, that’s what it was about to me.”
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Using his clips from ChicagoNOW, Charania contacted RealGM, a basketball site he and his friends followed religiously. Chris Reina, RealGM’s executive editor, allowed him to write wire news and analysis. Impressed by Charania’s work ethic and professionalism, Reina offered him a full-time, salaried reporting job less than a year later.
“He was very clear from the start what he wanted his career to look like,” Reina says. “At that age, he wanted to be a basketball reporter, and he was using Wojnarowski as a model for how to do it.”
Charania says Wojnarowski is “the blueprint to sports journalism, period.”
He will be the news breaker in the NBA—whether it’s tomorrow or next year or five years from now. He’s going to be that.
An apparent stroke of misfortune with RealGM jump-started Charania’s career. The Bulls gave him a credential, but revoked it when they discovered he was 19. The team had a policy against giving press passes to college students.
Charania found another solution: he started driving 90 minutes each way to cover the Milwaukee Bucks, a smaller-market team with less media demand. He’d hang around after press scrums and try to grab a player for a one-on-one conversation.
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“You develop a reputation pretty quickly,” says Reina. “NBA players are surprisingly open to media contacts…he reached out to agents and made that initial contact, and once you get that initial contact, he was able to establish relationships and build trust with them—that anything he was going to report was going to be handled professionally, and he was never going to betray their trust with anything they told him off the record.”
It was also in Milwaukee that Charania met some of his journalism idols. He introduced himself to Wojnarowski and Jenkins, among others. Wojnarowski, who recalls introducing himself to Bob Ryan as a recent college grad at the 1994 NBA Draft, took a liking to the driven 19-year-old.
“You could tell right away he was very serious-minded about it and obviously far ahead of his years in how he was carrying himself and what he was investing into it,” says Wojnarowski.
Charania’s big moment with RealGM came in 2014, when he broke the news of Luol Deng being traded from Chicago to Cleveland. Many veteran NBA reporters were hounding the story, but Charania got it first.
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It’s one thing to get it first, but Charania is batting nearly 1.000 at getting it right. He’s made the occasional minor error, sure—for example, reporting Tony Wroten and the Knicks were finalizing a three-year deal when Wroten ended up signing for two years—but his record of accuracy is impressive.
“I think a lot of reporters throw stuff against the wall based on third-degree information, whereas everything he was getting was directly from the source—the actual player, agent, or team,” says Reina. “It’s not a guy from the Celtics saying something about the Spurs.”
People who know Shams will tell you his clarity of purpose, personable nature, and determination to outwork the competition have separated him from the rest.
He sleeps next to his phone. Though he loves playing basketball (he got cut early in high school and runs the point in pickup), he’s hesitant to hop in a game now. It could mean missing the next big scoop.
“It’s got to be really important to you to do this job,” says Wojnarowski. “To have any level of success at it or any level of impact, it’s really got to be that you wake up with it, you go to bed with it, it’s a 365-day-a-year job. It was clear to me he’s willing to invest that. There really aren’t any off days, there aren’t any holidays, there aren’t any vacations from it. If you’re going to do it right, you can’t ever put it away.”
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In the time it took for Charania and Reina to catch up over lunch in San Francisco last month, Charania broke two pieces of news: David West declining his player option and Ian Clark being listed inactive for Game 5 of the NBA Finals.
“What drove me to the NBA is the fact that there are always so many storylines,” says Charania, whose parents both work in the medical field. “Whether it’s player drama or team drama or signings and trades going on, there’s always something.”
Less is demanded of him during the school year. Though he stays on full-time salary, Wojnarowski says the job is secondary to schoolwork. Charania is majoring in communications with a concentration in journalism. Still, it’s hard to keep him from working.
“Woj is a great judge of talent and he’s a great mentor,” says Jenkins. “Even though I don’t work there, I think of him as a mentor also. I think early on, he saw in Shams he did it the right way. I think it reminded Woj of the way he did it.”
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Big-time story break by the best young reporter in business, @ShamsCharania. This kid is still in school. He's a Parker-Wiggins combo. — Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojVerticalNBA) January 7, 2014
Like young basketball players pattern their game after the greats, so do up-and-coming reporters. Kobe wanted Jordan’s turnaround J; Steph wanted Iverson’s handle. Charania watches his idols and tries to mimic them.
“An artist takes everything from different artists and makes their own painting, so that’s what I’ve always tried to do,” he says.
He wants to grow in areas other than breaking news. Charania appeared on The Vertical’s NBA Draft and free agency shows, and he has written many features—his RealGM pieces on James Johnson and the Derrick Rose/Jimmy Butler dynamic are among his best—but his next goals are to become more proficient at broadcasting and long-form writing.
“If we’re doing our job, it’s to develop him in a full way,” says Wojnarowski. “He will be the news breaker in the NBA—whether it’s tomorrow or next year or five years from now. He’s going to be that. But he could be a lot more, and that’s my job, to help him in all those facets.”
Charania frequently mentions how “honored” and “grateful” he is to work with The Vertical staff. “I love our team,” he says. He doesn’t like drawing attention to himself. He wonders why anyone would want to write about him.
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“What I like about him is, he breaks a story and he’s onto the next one,” says Wojnarowski. “He’s not a guy doing victory laps. What’s the next thing I’ve got to do? And I think that’s an important characteristic.”
If he continues improving, whatever outlet is the pinnacle of NBA journalism in 10 years—and Wojnarowski is on a long-standing mission to make sure it’s Yahoo!—Charania will likely be at the center of it.
As a journalist, mastering and balancing the human element of sport is a rare gift. As Charania has proven, a reporter who grasps this reality can achieve remarkable things—regardless of age.
“This business is always about building trust with someone,” Charania said. “I would never want to shortcut anything. I’ve never considered anything to be just about the scoop…the whole name of this game and life in general is about relationships, period. And that’s what I’ve always tried to value first and foremost.”
htZmF0NDE6Ik0Rj2tN8Czgpdfq9ApxDlStanford researchers have developed a Virtual Reality (VR) headset that reduces eye fatigue, nausea, and “VR motion sickness,” often reported by users of VR headsets. The device, developed by the Stanford Computational Imaging Group, is a light-field stereoscope that creates a more natural VR experience than today’s leading headsets.
“Virtual Reality is exploding today in Silicon Valley, Hollywood, and beyond,” notes Gordon Wetzstein, an assistant professor of electrical engineering at Stanford and the Computational Imaging Group leader, in the video. In fact, Facebook’s VR headset Oculus Rift, scheduled to hit the consumer market early next year, and similar devices developed by other manufacturers, are poised to transform entertainment and social interaction online. Recently Steven Spielberg joined a Holliwood VR company as an adviser, and the era of VR cinema is starting.
“Virtual reality gives us a new way of communicating among people, of telling stories, of experiencing all kinds of things remotely or closely,” said Wetzstein.
It’s going to change communication between people on a fundamental level.
Avoiding VR Motion Sickness
However, while current VR display technology imitates natural vision, it doesn’t yet imitate natural vision well enough to avoid unnatural feelings, and some people get VR motion sickness (apparently more women than men report getting VR motion sickness).
In current “flat” stereoscopic virtual reality headsets, each eye sees only one image, explains Wetzstein. Depth of field is also limited, as the eye is forced to focus on only a single plane. In the real world, we see slightly different perspectives of the same 3D scene at different positions of our eye’s pupil. Therefore, VR headsets introduce “a conflict between the visual cues your eyes focus on and how your brain combines what your two eyes see.”
The researchers developed a new light-field stereoscope technology that creates a sort of hologram for each eye to make the experience more natural. The light field creates multiple, slightly different perspectives over different parts of the same pupil. Viewers can freely move focus and experience depth in the virtual scene, just as in real life. Wetzstein said:
You have a virtual window which ideally looks the same as the real world, whereas today you basically have a 2D screen in front of your eye.
The device, dubbed “Light Field Stereoscope” and develoepd in collaboration with NVIDIA, will be presented and demonstrated at SIGGRAPH 2015. It’s interesting to speculate on the possibility that NVIDIA, in collaboration with the Stanford Computational Imaging Group, could enter the VR headset market. Writing on Seeking Alpha, technology stock analyst Paulo Santos notes that a high-performance VR headsets require a high-end GPU, which makes the sector a natural match for NVIDIA.
Images from Stanford University, NVIDIA, and Wikimedia Commons.This article was written by David Shabotinsky, a Financial Analyst at I Know First, and enrolled at the undergraduate Finance program at the Interdisciplinary Center, Herzliya.
Machine Learning Stock Market
Summary
Background behind Machine Learning and Deep Learning
Strategic adaption of AI and Machine Learning in a business environment
Why financial firms need Deep Learning techniques to remain competitive
Finance firm’s adoption of GPUs into operational activities
Background
Today, as a result of globalization and other technological advancements many businesses are finding their margins ever shrinking as they enter pricing wars in red ocean markets. Though finding niche markets may be a solution for few, businesses that would like to stay competitive and revert their margin to grow again must adapt to the new technical trend of AI. Machine Learning, is a branch of Artificial Intelligence, which uses mass computing power and advanced algorithms to analyze data and perform human functions.
Machine Learning has developed exponentially over the past half a century but dates back to early uses classical statistical inferences during the 18th century. Then, smaller data sets were used to develop statistical inferences. Today, as a result of big data, scientists have developed new techniques to better analyze the large quantities of data with better quality. During the 1930s and 1940s, early adapters of Artificial Intelligence, such as Alan Turing, had set forth in motion the process of using neural networks which evolved into what we know has Machine Learning today. Due to a lack real technological advancements over the next forty years, Machine Learning only began to break out in the late 1970s and 1980s. Technologies such as the steam engine, a higher usage of electricity, and modern computers had scientist and business begin to adapt and unlock the value of Machine Learning and later Deep Learning techniques.
What is Machine Learning?
Machine Learning in general is algorithmic based and utilizing the concept of self-learning, being able to learn from large amounts of data (without relying on specific rules). Thanks to cheap computer power and the digitalization era, scientists were able to adapt this with more ease. Though scientists have made tremendous strides in the development of machine learning and AI, the more big data grows, and an increasing in complexity, the demand for machine learning to analyze this large volume of data increases every day.
In the mid-200-s, Fei-Fei Li began developing a program that identities the visual elements of any picture with a high degree of accuracy. He had developed this by inputting data sets of various images till his program began developing its own rules and use those to identify similar pictures. In this way, it is similar to how the neurons in our brains identify objects as well. Big firms such as Google and IBM have as well developed similar to programs and have even competed in popular games around the world. IBM’s Watson was able to beat the world’s best Jeopardy players in 2011, and Google developed Alpha Go to beat the 2500-year-old Chinese game called GO.
Implementing Machine Learning in Business Strategies
Overall, Machine Learning can add significant competitive advantages to businesses’’ strategies if implemented correctly, especially in the financial industry. Originally, the inputs that Machine Learning carried were for structured data, Deep Learning Techniques were adapted so that businesses could begin to analyze unstructured data. In the financial industry, for these programs to accurately analyze the data with high-quality outputs, they need to be able to adapt to unstructured data. Though Machine Learning is used across the most business, even General Electric, the oldest firm of the Dow Jones, it is especially prevalent in the financial industry with banking as it can not only help a business grow its margins, but empower consumers as well, creating a win-win scenario. To learn about the background of Deep Learning, read this article on I Know First.
(Source: An executive’s guide to machine learning)
In order to for C-level executives at large firms to successfully utilize Machine Learning and Deep Learning, they must begin with a strategy as a focus point as McKinsey explains. If a firm simply adapts a specific program without setting aside a specific goal for it or merging the program into its business strategy, there is a huge risk the firm will lose the long-term value of the program and rather be used for a short-term gain i.e. customer retention.
McKinsey explains that the method of going about adapting Machine Learning and Deep Learning is similar to how a firm would go about an M&A transaction. That is there are three cascading commitments: investigating feasible alternatives, having a ready to go strategy at the C-suite level and to use/obtain existing and expertise on the topic to guide the leaders of the firm in pursuit of the strategy. For example, having a “quant” to develop the program, and a “translator” to explain to the executives of a firm.
Deep Learning in the Financial Industry
In the financial industry, banks across Europe and America are beginning to rapidly adapt Deep Learning techniques in their business operations. They have been able to develop micro-targeted models to analyze for examples the likelihood and impact of client loan default and other credit analysis. As a result of these types of innovative tactics, banks have been able to increase sales in products at 10%, save about 20% in capital expenditure, a 20% increase in cash collection, and a 20% decline in churn. However, unlike other business types, the banks need to utilize Deep Learning, because they need to be able to take unstructured data and identify patterns and trends through that.
Deep Learning techniques have allowed banks to further excel in the adaptation of Machine Learning in many fields. For example, risk management is a primary concern of banks, whose main operational revenue is from interest rates and thus focus on securing that sum. Since their revenue models can seem static, they are very risk-averse in nature and Deep Learning tools help identify the specific audiences with varying degrees of risk. They are able to for example to deduce credit worthiness based on shopping patterns of their clients. This not only allows banks to detect which clients are likely to default but as well gives customers the ability to negotiate better terms if they are credit worthy. Additionally, fraud analytics is another key area that Deep Learning can help banks focus on. Where general credit fraud damages are estimated to be at around $16 billion, this field can greatly help banks increase their brand reputation and keep their clients’ assets safe. It as well allows these banks increase in their customer segmentation and deeply leverage social media and other new avenues to attract a new, younger client base. The banks are able to data mine and segment customers accordingly.
How GPUs Are Used By Financial Firms
Additionally, in order to obtain the best Deep Learning technology, banks are partnering with technology companies such as NVIDIA and use the technology of those firms. Banks and other investment firms are beginning to use NVIDIA’s GPU and DGX-1 technology, which are built using Deep Learning analytics. This can be mainly used for risk management of a trader’s portfolio. Instead of having to do an extensive and long research, these GPUs are able to perform data exploration and model development/scoring at a much faster pace with more accurate results (reality deviates less from the expected result). No longer do clients or quants have a data movement challenge, as they are able to deploy these models and run sophisticated data science workloads on a single database.
Furthermore, using the GPU’s and Deep Learning allows clients and institutional investors to be able to get the best price for the underlying assets that you are trading. The technology and analyze and determine the best price within milliseconds of accuracy levels. This is able to be done since the programs back test empirical evidence of the asset’s pricing to determine in real time the |
and while it’s uncertain what he did there, several Gambians living in Europe participated in the plot. He also called Papa Faal, another Gambian who had served in the US army in Afghanistan.
A grand-nephew of president Jawara, Faal had attended the Raleigh conference with Manneh and Njie, where he had openly voiced his support for military force. “There is no other choice than to force this guy out through the barrel of the gun,” Faal told me in a phone conversation from Minnesota, where he is under house arrest. He didn’t know Njaga or most of the other conspirators, but he looked at the operational plan the soldiers had drawn up, which resembled those he had seen in the army. “It seemed very detailed and professional,” Faal said. “That got me very impressed with the team.” The plan allegedly anticipated that around 160 Gambian soldiers loyal to Sanneh would join them. Faal said some of these supposed allies ultimately met with them in Banjul. “Sanneh and all the other Gambian soldiers who joined us always said, ‘No Gambian in the State House will fight for Yahya Jammeh,’” Faal told me.
The operation was supposed to be swift and bloodless. It was supposed to be such a cakewalk, in fact, that Faal brought his wife and young child along with him to the Gambia. His family expected to be with him for the holidays, and he couldn’t figure out a way to dissuade them without raising his wife’s suspicions. “With something like this,” Faal said, “if you tell them, they might try to talk you out of it.”
* * *
On the evening of 30 December, Sigga Jagne went to dinner with some friends. It was the end of an exhausting year – she had spent months in New York responding to the Ebola crisis – and they were just about to relax with a movie when she received a text message from a friend in the diaspora. There’s a coup in Gambia, are you listening to Freedom? Sigga used her phone to access a live web broadcast, but the situation was confusing. Freedom initially reported that army mutineers had taken control of the State House, as well as the airport, a strategic bridge and a notorious prison. But it also said that the leader of the coup, Colonel Lamin Sanneh, was dead.
Sigga knew that Njaga had travelled out of the country a few weeks before, but she had the impression he was going back to Germany. “He’s never been to Gambia since he came here,” she said. Now, however, she started hearing rumours. “All of a sudden, I’m getting information that, hey, your brother is involved,” Sigga said. “I’m like, OK, wait a minute how is my brother involved? And what is going on? But in the chaos of things I couldn’t really get clarity.” The next day, Freedom posted an update: “Breaking news: Two US residents killed during army mutiny in Gambia!!” The other casualty, the site reported, was Captain Njaga Jagne.
Amid the frantic uncertainty, Sigga called the US embassy in Banjul. “They were more focused on saying, ‘If your brother is involved, it was a crime,’” she said. That same day, Papa Faal walked into the US embassy in Dakar, the capital of neighbouring Senegal. He had managed to flee, but he was worried about the safety of his wife and child, who were still trying to get out of the Gambia. As a US citizen, he was expecting the embassy’s protection, but instead he was interrogated. He described how the plan went awry.
Most of the conspirators had arrived in the Gambia in early December. According to the Gambian media, Njaga and others operated out of a seaside luxury apartment complex. Njie joined them later in the month. All the men reportedly went by code names: Njie was “Dave,” Faal was “Fox”, Barrow was “X”, and Njaga was “Bandit”. In the end, only about half the expected number of men actually participated. The plotters wanted to ambush Jammeh’s convoy during his traditional holiday travels around the country, but then the president abruptly went on an overseas trip.
They suspected a leak, but Sanneh’s sources inside the presidential guard were still reassuring him. He argued that they could still depose the regime if they acted fast. Njaga sent a text message to his wife back in Kentucky, telling her to cook a celebratory dinner – he was about to return. On the night of 30 December, Njie allegedly retreated to a safe house while the other conspirators rendezvoused in some woods near the president’s residence to change into assault gear. One man failed to show up, taking with him one of their two pairs of night vision goggles. Nonetheless, Sanneh called his State House contacts to say he was coming. He and Njaga went with the team that approached the front door, while Faal went with the team taking the rear. The plan was for Njaga to fire his M4 rifle once in the air as a signal to their Gambian collaborators. But when the shot went up, the guards out front instead opened fire on him.
Afterwards, the survivors came to the bitter conclusion that they had been betrayed. But by whom? They blamed Sanneh’s moles. Some also wondered why Faal had turned himself in so quickly. But Faal told me that when he was flown back to the US and told his story to FBI agents, they indicated they had been aware of the plot all along. He claims that without prompting, they held up a picture of Njie, and asked: “Is this Dave?”
FBI agents said they had been aware of the plot all along. They held up a picture of Njie, and asked: 'Is this Dave?'
In May, the Washington Post reported that the FBI had visited Sanneh at his home in Maryland prior to his departure, asking why he had purchased a plane ticket to Dakar. The agency alerted the State Department, the Post reported, which in turn “secretly tipped off” an unnamed west African country – generally presumed to be Senegal – in the hope that it would intercept Sanneh. The coup plotters suspect that the information instead ended up in Jammeh’s hands. “When we, the people in prison right now, are going through this ordeal, Gambians are thinking: is the US hiding something?” Faal said. Later, after the Post story appeared, Faal added, “I would go so far as saying they killed Njaga. They are responsible for that.”
US prosecutors ultimately indicted Faal, Njie, Barrow and Manneh on conspiracy and weapons charges. (A fifth Gambian-American was also charged in a sealed indictment.) Diaspora activists were infuriated by the charges. “What is America’s interest with Yahya Jammeh?” asked Pa Moudou An, a former Gambian army officer who heads a Minnesota-based exile group. I met him in Washington in April, in front of the White House, for a rally commemorating the 15th anniversary of the student massacre that set Njaga on his path. Beneath pinkish rose blossoms, protesters jostled with demonstrators for other causes, shouting into a din of slogans: “Yahya Jammeh must go! Yahya Jammeh terrorist!”
Across the street was a hotel where, the year before, Jammeh had stayed before a White House meeting. The state visit had resulted in a photograph of the dictator, in white robes and carrying a ceremonial staff, posing with Barack and Michelle Obama. Jammeh immediately had the picture plastered on T-shirts back in Gambia. After the coup attempt, Jammeh blamed “western backed terrorists”, and began rounding up anyone connected to the attackers, including innocent family members. The State Department responded with conciliation. “We are not interested in regime change in the Gambia,” the highest-ranking US diplomat in the country recently told a local newspaper.
Facebook Twitter Pinterest President Yahya Jammeh with Barack and Michelle Obama at the White House in 2014. Photograph: ddp USA/REX Shutterstock
Since the coup, many Gambian democracy activists have been visited by the FBI. The diaspora media has reported many rumours about other co-conspirators, political figures who positioned themselves conveniently in Senegal before the coup. “Whether you know it or not,” one of them said when I reached him by phone back at home in the US, “the FBI is even listening to us as we talk.” There’s no longer much loose talk about violent revolt. After the protest, some two dozen Gambians, representing about as many exile organisations, gathered in Silver Spring for another summit. They ate well, gave speeches urging unity and democratic opposition, and then they dispersed.
After the coup, Sigga resigned from the Committee for the Restoration of Democracy in the Gambia. She told me she understood why her brother felt he had to take drastic action against Jammeh. “There was a growing feeling among Gambians that nothing short of forceful removal would take him out,” she said. Sigga was acquainted with almost all of the publicly identified participants in the coup plot, but she insists that she had no idea it was under way. When I asked if she wished she had known about the plot, she sighed.
“You know, it’s a hard thing,” she said. “I was saying to myself, I wish I had spoken to him more, had taken the time to really warn him, be that voice to say, hey, trust me.”
After a pause, Sigga went on. “To say OK, listen, do we all want Jammeh to get out? Yes. If I had the power militarily or otherwise to pluck him out today, would I do it? Yes.... Yes, you’re right, we’ve tried all these things. And he’s seen me put in so much of my money, my time, my effort, and a lot of talking and arguing and fighting, without it happening. But is there something else?”
At some point after she linked her brother to Cherno Njie, however, their insurgent talk had turned to action. Sigga was now left to bear the consequences: contending with Njaga’s widow and the settlement of his estate – a particularly complicated matter, because the US embassy hadn’t provided the documentation necessary for a death certificate. The surviving conspirators were dealing with prosecutors, who could potentially escalate the charges and ask a judge for long prison terms. To date, all the defendants have pleaded guilty except Njie. But no one expects him to go to trial. His wife gave birth to their second child while he was out on bail, living in a halfway house. His business has gone dormant, and he is trying to sell the Austin tract where he was planning his next project. Since January, his hair has turned completely white.
Sigga did not recieve confirmation of her brother’s death until a few days after the coup, when someone – presumably affiliated with Jammeh – sent her a picture of his corpse on Facebook. At first, she didn’t believe it. “What I saw was not the brother I knew,” she said. Sigga told me that the pictures were also sent to the editor of the Freedom Newspaper, who published them on the web. In our many hours of conversation about her brother’s death, it was the only moment that she cried.
Everyone in the family was worried about what would happen with Njaga’s sons, both around 10 – old enough to understand that their father was dead, if not why. Sigga was still having trouble with that question herself. How could her brother have put so much at risk? “It was just crazy!” she told me. “They should have thought it through. What if this fails?”
Like many Gambians, she wondered if the conspirators, in their secret fervour, had confused Jammeh as he appeared on Facebook – the cartoonish monster almost begging to be overthrown – with the real dictator, a brutally effective survivor. If Sigga felt one consolation, it was that because of her brother’s sacrifice, the rest of the world was now aware of that real Jammeh’s deadly serious abuses. For this reason, she said: “I believe this attempted coup did not fail.” She is now devoting her own considerable energies, however, to a more personal cause: an American military funeral. “This became his country,” Sigga said. “To have a military burial with his kids there, it would be closure.”
The Kentucky National Guard seemed amenable, but Sigga wasn’t even sure where her brother was. When we talked in April, rumour had it that Njaga’s body was sitting in a Banjul mortuary, under 24-hour military guard. But Jammeh’s government refused to either provide any information or to turn the remains over to the Jagne family. Due to the circumstances of his death, the United States seemed unwilling to press for repatriation. Since then, the body has completely disappeared, but there’s been no indication of a decent burial. As far as anyone knows, Captain Jagne rests on a cold slab, somewhere a long way from home. •
• Follow the Long Read on Twitter: @gdnlongreadThe Air Force confirmed Thursday that unclaimed remains of 274 U.S. service members were disposed of in a Virginia landfill between 2003 and 2008. NBC's Jim Miklaszewski reports.
The incinerated partial remains of at least 274 American troops were dumped in a Virginia landfill, according to government records, The Washington Post reported on Thursday.
Air Force officials said that the dumping was hidden from families who had given authorization for the remains to be disposed of in a respectful and dignified manner, according to the newspaper.
There were no plans to inform families, officials told the newspaper.
New information revealed that the practice, exposed by The Washington Post in November, had become very widespread until it was halted in 2008, the newspaper reported.
Last month, Pentagon and Air Force officials said that figuring out how many remains were sent to the King George County, Va., landfill would take combing through the records of more than 6,300 troops.
Full story in the Washington Post: Air Force dumped more ashes than acknowledged
"It would require a massive effort and time to recall records and research individually," Jo Ann Rooney, the Pentagon's acting undersecretary for personnel, said in a Nov. 22 letter to Rep. Rush Holt (Dem.-N.J.), who has pressured the Pentagon for information on the issue on behalf of one of his constituents, according to the newspaper.
Steve Ruark / AP file An Army carry team moves a transfer case containing the remains of a soldier on Oct. 15, 2011 at Dover Air Force Base, Del.
Holt reacted angrily to the news, the newspaper reported.
"What the hell?" he told the Post. "We spent millions, tens of millions, to find any trace of soldiers killed, and they're concerned about a'massive' effort to go back and pull out the files and find out how many soldiers were disrespected this way?"
"They just don't want to ask questions or look very hard," he added, according to the newspaper.
According to records the military gave The Post, between 2003 and 2008, 976 fragments from 274 personnel were cremated, incinerated and dumped in the landfill. An additional 1,762 remains, which could not be DNA tested because of damage from explosions, were gathered from the battlefield and dumped in a similar manner, the Air Force told the newspaper.
The widow of an Army sergeant killed in Iraq told the newspaper she was furious when she was told how some of her husband's remains were dumped in the landfill.
"They have known that they were doing something disgusting, and they were doing everything they could to keep it from us," Gari-Lynn Smith told the newspaper. She had been pressing the military for information on the subject for four years — ever since she got a report on her husband's autopsy and learned that some of the remains had not been put in the casket for his funeral, according to The Post.
Changes in disposal policies came about after an in-depth review at Dover was ordered in 2008 by then-Defense Secretary Robert Gates.
Read more content from msnbc.com and NBC News:Local Congressman Combats Transgender Bathroom Issue Video Video
OUACHITA PARISH, La.-- - It's a question that Congressman Ralph Abraham is asking, What is the difference between a person's gender and their sex?
President Obama recently issued a directive saying any public school must allow students to use bathrooms and locker rooms that correspond to their gender identity, or lose federal funding.
Obama says not complying would be in violation of Title IX.
But, Abraham introduced a legislation that would clear up any confusion with Title IX, which refer's to a person's biological sex.
"We can amend Title IX to have to say that the word "sex" does not mean gender identity, which you know, they are two completely different words," says Abraham.
Abraham says, this is a state and local issue...one for the people decide.
"It shouldn't even be a federal issue, and certainly not an issue the president needs to get involved with," says Abraham.
At Forsythe park, we caught up with several parents and residents who gave us their thoughts on the transgender bathroom issue.
"It's really not a good idea. Whatever your sexuality preference is, I believe, you know, that's fine. But as far as bathrooms, a guy could dress up as a woman and be a pedophile and go into a girl bathroom or a woman can dress up as a guy and molest your kids, you don't know what could happen," says resident, Tiffany Wilson.
"I think if, little boys should go to little boy bathrooms, little girls should go to little girl bathrooms, and if we don't stop it now, we are going to have a lot of teen pregnancies," says resident, Janee Robinson.
But not everyone disagreed...
"It would be probably best for people to accept other people's opinions and not fight it over simple, minor things that cannot be controlled," says resident, William Faller.
Abraham says, the next step is getting co-sponsors for the bill and then getting the bill to the house floor for a vote.Australia's shadow Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus wrote a letter to Australian police requesting an immediate investigation whether a job offer made to the Human Rights Chief by the Abbott government constituted signs of corrupt conduct.
MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Australia's shadow Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus requested Tuesday that the Australian Federal Police (AFP) investigate whether a job offer made to the Human Rights Chief by the Abbott government constituted signs of corrupt conduct.
In mid-February, Fairfax Media reported that Human Rights Commission president Gillian Triggs received an offer to resign two weeks ahead of the publication of the Commission's critical report on the state of children in immigration detention. It was said that Attorney-General George Brandis also offered Triggs an unspecified new job.
It was not until this Tuesday when Triggs confirmed the rumors during a Senate hearing. Soon after, Dreyfus wrote a letter to Australian police requesting an immediate investigation.
"The attorney general's offer to an independent statutory officer of an inducement to resign her position as president, with the object of affecting the leadership of the Australian Human Rights Commission to avoid political damage to the Abbott government may constitute corrupt and unlawful conduct," Dreyfus wrote in a letter as quoted by The Guardian.
© AP Photo / Juan Carlos Llorca Over 300 Children Commit Self-Harm in Australian Immigrant Centers - Study
In a media release on his official website, Dreyfus accused the Abbott government of launching "a disgraceful political attack" on Triggs.
"This is shameful behaviour from a Government which cannot tolerate criticism… Instead of engaging with the substance of her criticism, Senator Brandis and his colleagues have instead resorted to personal smears against Professor Triggs," Dreyfus wrote.
Gillian Triggs was appointed as head of the Australian Human Rights Commission in July 2012 for a five-year term and can only be removed for bankruptcy or serious misconduct.
The Commission's inquiry into children in immigration detention, titled The Forgotten Children, was tabled mid-February. The report revealed that keeping children in prolonged detention has negative impacts on their mental health and development.
Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott rejected the Commission's recommendation for a broader public investigation into the matter.DeRay Mckesson speaks to CNN (screen grab)
Social justice activist DeRay Mckesson praised Twitter on Monday after the social network suspended a conservative blogger who threatened his life.
According to Re/code, Charles “Chuck” Johnson tweeted over the weekend that he was accepting donations for “taking out” Mckesson, who called the remark a “serious threat.” Thanks to a new policy against trolls, Johnson’s account was quickly suspended.
In a statement to Re/code, Johnson accused Twitter of “censorship.”
“I was speaking metaphorically about exposing DeRay in much the same way Slate was speaking metaphorically when they talked about ‘taking out’ a Supreme Court justice,” he wrote.
But in an interview with CNN on Monday, Mckesson said that Johnson should have known better.
“For someone who considers themselves a journalist, I firmly believe that he understands the power of his words,” Mckesson explained. “And his words are his words. ‘Take out’ functions in a certain way. And if I got on any media outlet and said something to the effect of ‘take out the police,’ nobody would think that I was talking about an exposé.”
“I was proud that Twitter took the action to move so quickly, and remember that racism doesn’t exist only in the extremes,” he continued. “It’s not just slavery and the n-word. It functions in these subtle ways too. He, again, knew very clearly what he was doing by using this language.”
Mckesson speculated that Johnson made the death threat as a way to remain in denial about the way police treat people of color in the U.S.
“Hate is organized in America, and hate has always been organized in America,” Mckesson pointed out. “Me and many other protesters have simply been telling the truth, and the truth is that the police are killing us. The police have killed about 400 people this year, and that people of color have been particular victims of police violence.”
“It seems to be a truth that he is denying, along with the people that follow him,” the activist added. “The only thing I can think of is that hate is organized, and it has never wanted people of color to come together around state violence.”
Watch the video below from CNN, broadcast May 25, 2015.Rigid head enclosure with breathing gas supply worn for underwater diving
Diving helmet Copper and brass three bolt Soviet diving helmet. Other names Copper hat
Standard diving helmet
Free flow helmet
Lightweight demand helmet
Reclaim helmet Uses Provision of breathing gas, communications, underwater vision and head protection to underwater divers
[1] US Navy Diver using Kirby Morgan 37 diving helmet
A Diving helmet is a rigid head enclosure with a breathing gas supply used in underwater diving. They are worn mainly by professional divers engaged in surface-supplied diving, though some models can be used with scuba equipment. The upper part of the helmet, known colloquially as the hat or bonnet, may be secured to the diver or diving suit by a lower part, known as a neck dam or corselet, depending on the construction.
The helmet seals the whole of the diver's head from the water, allows the diver to see clearly underwater, provides the diver with breathing gas, protects the diver's head when doing heavy or dangerous work, and usually provides voice communications with the surface (and possibly other divers). If a helmeted diver becomes unconscious but is still breathing, the helmet will remain in place and continue to deliver breathing gas until the diver can be rescued. In contrast, the scuba regulator typically used by recreational divers must be held in the mouth, otherwise it can fall out of an unconscious diver's mouth and result in drowning[2] (this does not apply to a full face mask which also continues to serve air if the diver is unconscious).
Before the invention of the demand regulator, all diving helmets used a free-flow design. Gas was delivered at a constant rate, regardless of the diver's breathing, and flowed out through an exhaust valve. Most modern helmets incorporate a demand valve so the helmet only delivers breathing gas when the diver inhales. Free-flow helmets use much larger quantities of gas than demand helmets, which can cause logistical difficulties and is very expensive when special breathing gases (such as heliox) are used. They also produce a constant noise inside the helmet, which can cause communication difficulties. Free-flow helmets are still preferred for hazardous materials diving, because their positive-pressure nature can prevent the ingress of hazardous material in case the integrity of the suit or helmet is compromised. They also remain relatively common in shallow-water air diving, where gas consumption is of little concern, and in nuclear diving because they must be disposed of after some period of use due to irradiation; free-flow helmets are significantly less expensive[citation needed] to purchase and maintain than demand types.
Most modern helmet designs are sealed at the neck using a neoprene "neck dam" which is independent of the suit, allowing the diver his choice of suits depending on the dive conditions. When a neck dam is installed into a drysuit, however, the entire body is isolated from the surrounding liquid, giving an additional degree of warmth and protection. When divers must work in hazardous environments such as sewage or dangerous chemicals, a helmet (usually of the free-flow type or using a series exhaust valve system) is sealed to a special drysuit (commonly made of a fabric with a smooth vulcanised rubber outer surface) to completely isolate and protect the diver. This equipment is the modern equivalent of the historic Mark V "Standard Diving Dress".
History [ edit ]
Deane brothers [ edit ]
1842 sketch of the Deane brothers' diving helmet, the first surface-supplied diving dress equipment in the world.
The first successful diving helmets were produced by the brothers Charles and John Deane in the 1820s.[3] Inspired by a fire accident he witnessed in a stable in England,[4] he designed and patented a "Smoke Helmet" to be used by firemen in smoke-filled areas in 1823. The apparatus comprised a copper helmet with an attached flexible collar and garment. A long leather hose attached to the rear of the helmet was to be used to supply air - the original concept being that it would be pumped using a double bellows. A short pipe allowed breathed air to escape. The garment was made of leather or airtight cloth, secured by straps.
The brothers lacked money to build the equipment themselves, so they sold the patent to their employer, Edward Barnard. In 1827, the first smoke helmets were built, by German-born British engineer Augustus Siebe. In 1828 the brothers decided to find another application for their device and converted it into a diving helmet. They marketed the helmet with a loosely attached "diving suit" so that a diver could perform salvage work, but only in a fully vertical position (otherwise water entered the suit).[3]
In 1829 the Deane brothers sailed from Whitstable for trials of their new underwater apparatus, establishing the diving industry in the town. In 1834 Charles used his diving helmet and suit in a successful attempt on the wreck of Royal George at Spithead, during which he recovered 28 of the ship's cannon. In 1836, John Deane recovered from the discovered Mary Rose shipwreck timbers, guns, longbows, and other items.
By 1836 the Deane brothers had produced the world's first diving manual, Method of Using Deane's Patent Diving Apparatus, which explained in detail the workings of the apparatus and pump, and safety precautions.
The Siebe helmet [ edit ]
In the 1830s the Deane brothers asked Siebe to apply his skill to improve their underwater helmet design.[5] Expanding on improvements already made by another engineer, George Edwards, Siebe produced his own design; a helmet fitted to a full length watertight canvas diving suit. The real success of the equipment was a valve in the helmet. The closed diving suit, connected to an air pump on the surface, became the first effective standard diving dress, and the prototype of hard-hat rigs still in use today.
Siebe introduced various modifications on his diving dress design to accommodate the requirements of the salvage team on the wreck of HMS Royal George, including making the helmet be detachable from the corset; his improved design gave rise to the typical standard diving dress which revolutionised underwater civil engineering, underwater salvage, commercial diving and naval diving.[5]
Lightweight helmets [ edit ]
Commercial diver and inventor Joe Savoie is credited with inventing the neck dam in the 1960s, which made possible a new era of lightweight helmets, including the Kirby Morgan Superlite series (an adaption of Morgan's existing "Band Mask" into a full helmet.) Savoie chose not to patent his invention because of his desire to improve diver safety.[citation needed]
Types [ edit ]
Standard diving helmet (Copper hat) [ edit ]
Historically, deep sea diving helmets ranged from the no bolt to two bolt to four bolt helmets; helmets with six, eight, or 12 bolts; and Two-Three, Twelve-Four, and Twelve-Six bolt helmets. Bolts being the method of securing the helmet to the diving suit. The helmet could also be secured to the breastplate (corselet) by bolts as in the case of US twelve-four helmets (12 bolts to the suit, four bolts seal helmet to corselet). The no-bolt helmet used a spring-loaded clamp to secure the helmet to corselet over the suit. Swedish helmets were distinctive for using a neck ring instead of a corselet, a pioneer of modern diving equipment but hugely cumbersome and uncomfortable for the diver. This equipment is commonly referred to as Standard diving dress and "heavy gear."[citation needed]
The US Navy Mk V helmet was still in production to order. In 2016 DESCO Corporation purchased the assets of Morse Diving International and began producing Morse helmets under the A. J. Morse and Son brand. The US Navy Mark V Helmet is available in either make with the minor manufacturing differences intact. While the Mark V is a US Navy design and all helmets should have been identical models from Morse, Schrader, DESCO, and Miller Dunn all had differences. Brails from a Miller Dunn are difficult to fit on another maker's helmet. Early Miller Dunn Mark V helmets had gussets on the interior radius of the air and communication elbows. Schrader Mark V helmets used yellow brass castings instead of red brass like other makers. Schrader also canted their spitcock body. The standard Mk V weighs approximately 55 lb (25 kg) complete.[6]
A small number of copper Heliox helmets were made for the US Navy by the Second World War. These helmets were Mk Vs modified by the addition of a bulky brass mixing chamber at the rear, and are easily distinguished from the standard model. The Mk V Helium weighs about 93 lb (42 kg) complete (bonnet, scrubber canister and corselet)[7]
Four companies produced Mark V diving helmets for the US Navy: Morse Diving Equipment Company of Boston, Massachusetts, A Schrader's Son of Brooklyn, New York, Miller-Dunn Diving Co. of Miami, Florida and Diving Equipment and Salvage Co. (later Diving Equipment Supply Co.) of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.[citation needed]
Lightweight demand helmets [ edit ]
Surface supplied lightweight open circuit demand helmet
Open circuit helmets [ edit ]
Notable modern commercial helmets include the Kirby Morgan Superlite-17 from 1975 and developments from that model. These helmets are of the demand type, built on a fiberglass shell with chrome-plated brass fittings, and are considered the standard in modern commercial diving for most operations.[8]
Kirby Morgan dominates the new helmet market, but there have been other notable manufacturers including Savoie, Miller, Gorski and Swindell. Many of these are still in use; a new helmet represents an investment of several thousand dollars, and most divers purchase their own or rent one from their employer.[citation needed]
Oceaneering bought out the Ratcliffe helmet, often known by its nickname "Rat Hat". It can function in either free-flow or demand mode.[citation needed]
Inside view of a Kirby Morgan 37 showing the oral-nasal mask, the microphone and a loudspeaker of the communications system
Reclaim helmets [ edit ]
Reclaim helmets use a surface supply system to provide breathing gas to the diver in the same way as in the open circuit helmets, but also have a return system to reclaim and recycle the exhaled gas to save the expensive helium diluent, which would be discharged to the surrounding water and lost in an open circuit system. The reclaimed gas is returned to the surface through a hose in the umbilical which is provided for this purpose, passed through a scrubber to remove carbon dioxide, and can then be repressurised and blended with oxygen to the required mix before storage for later use.[citation needed]
In order to allow the exhaust gas to be discharged from the helmet safely, it must pass through an exhaust regulator, which works on a similar principle to the demand valve for supply gas, but is activated by the pressure difference between the interior of the helmet and the ambient pressure.[citation needed]
Free-flow helmets [ edit ]
The DESCO "air hat" is a metal free-flow helmet, designed in 1968 and still in production. Although it has been updated several times, the basic design has remained constant and all upgrades can be retrofitted to older helmets. Its robust and simple design (it can be completely disassembled in the field with only a screwdriver and wrench) makes it popular for shallow-water operations and hazardous materials diving. The DESCO is secured to the diver by means of a "jock strap" which runs between the legs, and its buoyancy can be fine-tuned by adjusting intake and exhaust valves.[citation needed]
Light-weight transparent dome type helmets have also been used. For example, the Sea Trek surface supplied system, developed in 1998 by Sub Sea Systems, is used for recreational diving.[9] Also the Lama, developed by Yves Le Masson in the 1970s, has been used in television to let viewers see the face and hear the voice of the presenter speaking underwater.[10]
Front view of an AH3 free flow diving helmet
Side view of an AH3 free flow diving helmet
Modern [ edit ]
An alternative to the diving helmet that allows communication with the surface is the full face diving mask. These cover the diver's face and are held onto his head by adjustable straps.[citation needed]
"Diving helmet" may also refer to a rigid safety helmet like a workman's helmet that covers the top and back of the head, but is not sealed. These may be worn with a full-face mask to provide impact protection.[citation needed]
During the First World War the British Army used a few diving helmets out of water as emergency protection from mustard gas.[citation needed]
See also [ edit ]A 13-year-old boy has been busted driving a car in Colorado with 25 pounds of meth inside.
The boy was behind the wheel of a Dodge Avenger when he was pulled over during a traffic stop on Interstate 70 in Fruita, just outside of Grand Junction, on Tuesday.
A Mesa County Sheriff's Office deputy said two adult passengers - German Michel-Arreola, 22, and Irene Michel-Arreola, 19 - were also in the car with the boy at the time.
The 13-year-old driver and his two passengers were caught with 23 packages of methamphetamine weighing 25 pounds in Colorado on Tuesday
During a search of the car, authorities found 23 packages containing a crystalline substance consistent with methamphetamine.
The boy and his two passengers were all arrested and charged with various felony drug charges including manufacturing, possession and distribution of the drug.
The 13-year-old also faces additional charges of failing to drive in a designated lane and driving without a valid driver's license.
Two adult passengers - German Michel-Arreola, 22, (left) and Irene Michel-Arreola, 19 (right) - were also in the car with the boy at the time
The boy is being held at the Grand Mesa Youth Services Center in Grand Junction.
His adult passengers are both being held in the Mesa County Detention Facility.
Authorities say the trio are all from Los Angeles.According to the former head of the Vatican’s highest court, Cardinal Raymond Burke (pictured), Muslims and Christians do not worship the same God, since Allah is a “governor,” whereas Christianity was “founded on love.”
The modern belief that Islam and Christianity are fundamentally the same “is very much influenced by a relativism of a religious order,” the Cardinal said at a recent press conference.
“I hear people saying to me, well, we’re all worshipping the same God. We all believe in love. But I say stop a minute, and let’s examine carefully what Islam is, and what our Christian faith teaches us.”
“I don’t believe it’s true that we’re all worshipping the same God, because the God of Islam is a governor,” Burke said. “Sharia is their law, and that law, which comes from Allah, must dominate every man eventually.”
The Cardinal said that unlike Christianity, sharia is “not a law that’s founded on love. To say that we all believe in love is simply not correct.”
Not only do Christianity and Islam differ in the nature of their laws, Burke proposed, but also in their approach to proselytism and winning over converts.
In the end, he said, we have to understand that “what they believe most deeply, that to which they ascribe in their hearts, demands that they govern the world.”
The Cardinal’s words echoed recent remarks by a senior Catholic prelate in Hungary, who warned that the enormous waves of migrants rolling into Europe are due in no small part to a Muslim “will to conquer.”
“Jihad is a principle for Muslims that means they must expand,” said Archbishop Gyula Marfi in an August interview. “The earth must become dar al-Islam, that is, Islamic territory, by introducing Sharia—Islamic law.”
Both prelates’ words, in fact, find confirmation in recent assertions by the Islamic State itself in the latest issue of its propaganda magazine, Dabiq.
“Indeed, waging jihad – spreading the rule of Allah by the sword – is an obligation found in the Quran, the word of our Lord,” the text reads.
The Islamic State was specifically reacting to Pope Francis’ claims that the war being waged by Islamic terrorists is not religious in nature, assuring the pontiff that their sole motivation is religious and sanctioned by Allah in the Qur’an.
“This is a divinely-warranted war between the Muslim nation and the nations of disbelief,” the authors state in an article titled “By the Sword.”
ISIS attacked Francis for his claim that |
licott City flood]
The air mass had destabilized, humidity was approaching historically high levels, and air currents were beginning to converge across this region — in a manner that would literally squeeze moisture out of the atmosphere.
But the best any meteorologist could do was portray the threat region in broad strokes. The reason: Summertime flash floods almost always issue forth from highly localized convective storms, dropping vast amounts of water on small locations. Flash flood warning essentially becomes a “nowcasting” exercise: Once those storms have formed, you try to stay ahead of where they will track and how long they will persist. There is almost always never any lead time.
The meteorology behind Saturday night’s flood
The highly localized, convective nature of Saturday’s flood is underscored in the following image, which depicts radar estimated rainfall in and around Ellicott City.
Doppler estimated rainfall, Howard County, July 30. (RadarScope)
Compare this five-inch estimate of rainfall, with the analysis from the National Weather Service’s Greg Carbin, which showed up to 8.2 inches of had fallen in just three hours, from 6 to 9 p.m. As is often the case, the radar will indicate significantly less rain than gauges, due to many factors. These include distance from the radar, width of the radar beam, the time it takes to scan a storm repeatedly, and the theoretical framework describing how scattered microwave energy translates into actual drops on the ground.
[Video and photos: Horrific flooding in ‘ruined’ Ellicott City, Md.]
The convective system that dumped on Ellicott City left behind a swath of heavy rain extending from Parr’s Ridge (Damascus) in upper Montgomery County to the western suburbs of Baltimore (shown below).
Doppler estimated rainfall for flash flood event July 30. (Jordan Tessler)
To get rainfall so extreme, there must be abundant moisture. Indeed this was the case, as the next figure shows. This is a map depicting total precipitable water, which vertically integrates the total mass of water vapor from top of the troposphere to the surface — expressing the result as an equivalent depth of rainwater. Total precipitable water values were in the 2 to 2.2-inch-range across central Maryland, thanks to southerly flow pumping low-level, humid air off the Atlantic.
Weather map depicting conditions favorable for flash flooding July 30. (National Weather Service)
Total precipitable water tells only part of the story. Values this large raise the prospect of flash flooding, but much more water vapor can be made available to a convective storm when the airflow converges.
When air streams converge, humid air is fed into a storm complex from a large, surrounding area. This explains why the rain totals can exceed total precipitable water values by a factor of two to three, or more.
The figure below is an analysis at 5 p.m. that shows how air streams (heavy red, dashed arrows) at the 5,000-foot level were converging over Maryland. The air flow converged thanks to an area of low pressure over western Pennsylvania and high pressure off Long Island.
Weather map analysis for flash flood event July 30. (National Weather Service, adapted by Jeff Halverson)
But there’s more to this figure that’s important.
First, note the thin red lines, which show contours of convective available potential energy (CAPE) — a measure of the buoyant energy feeding convective updrafts. The greater this energy, the more water vapor is lofted into the clouds and processed as rain. A tongue of significant CAPE (1500 J/kg) was feeding northward into central Maryland, in the region of convergent airflow — sustaining vigorous thunderstorms.
Flooding in historic Ellicott City, Md., causes road closures and building damage July 30. (Howard County)
Second, I have annotated the position of a warm front on this diagram (red dashed line, oriented along the Mason-Dixon Line). This frontal zone was pushing north across the region during the day. With slightly cooler air to the north of the boundary, the convergent air flow was also rising along this sloped thermal boundary, from south to north. This helped cool the air to saturation. The combination of converging and up-gliding air focused very intense ascent over central Maryland.
Third, you’ll note the words “back-building convection” within the flash flood threat region (green, scalloped lines). This refers to the tendency for larger convective clusters to remain stationary (or nearly so) for hours. This happens when individual convective cells form repeatedly over the same locations. Winds carry off the older cells while new cells pop up to replace them. The larger complex of cells stays put, leading to steadily accumulating rain.
My review of the radar loop from the event revealed the backbuilding process over Ellicott City, for part of the time — as a giant convective cluster congealed and moved very, very slowly toward the east.
Radar animation of the training rains over EC yesterday pic.twitter.com/xMkkJf5JNE — TerpWeather (@TerpWeather) July 31, 2016
Earlier in the evening, before the main back-building complex took shape, Ellicott City was over-swept by three separate convective cells, moving rapidly from the south. The repeated passage of discrete storm cells is called training. Each of these cells dumped a quick a half-inch to one inch of rain, before the main, back-building cluster congealed.
Prospects for better prediction?
Of all the hydrometeorological hazards in the United States, flash floods are the No. 1 killer. When compared to tornadoes, derechos and hailstorms, it does seem somewhat ironic: Humble rain, often gentle, is life-sustaining, nourishing and thus benign 99 percent of the time. But what we take for granted sometimes quickly turns deadly.
To understand flash flooding, you need to examine the behavior of the smallest convective storm cells: Are they training? Are they developing into a larger, nearly-stationary complex? Computer models, even the highest resolution simulations, cannot yet resolve these details. Until they do, unfortunately, most flash flood warnings will only be issued once the heavy rain is already underway.Computers on the internet are uniquely identified by an IP address. For decades the world has used Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4), which allows for about 4 billion unique addresses. As more of the world has come online, and we carry internet-capable devices in our pockets, we have run out of IPv4 addresses. Layers and layers of workarounds have been built to mitigate the problem. The current protocol—Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6)—fixes various problems with IPv4; it has a significantly expanded address space that allows for the creation of many more unique IP addresses. Unfortunately, IPv6 has suffered from lack of adoption. This is finally changing.
As of April 10, 2017, Google reported IPv6 adoption at 14%, with the United States at just over 30%. ISPs and private networks within enterprises are moving to IPv6-only or dual-stack networks (those that support both IPv6 and IPv4 connections). Cellular carriers are switching to IPv6-only networks, meaning devices have no IPv4 connectivity, but rely on a NAT64/DNS64 gateway to connect to legacy IPv4 internet networks.
Given these trends, we recently took the initiative to add IPv6 support for the Dropbox desktop application. Version 24 of the Dropbox client, released April 17, 2017, supports IPv6-only and dual-stack networks.
Resolving addresses and establishing connections are key to IPv6 support
Adding IPv6 support involves making changes to address resolution and connection establishment. This has to be done in a cross-platform manner and support alternative mechanisms like proxies. Transferring files over the internet is one of Dropbox’s core tasks and users expect that to happen seamlessly and quickly. These changes needed to happen without affecting the user experience. Here is how we implemented IPv6 support while ensuring the client stayed functional for all existing users who are still on IPv4.
Address resolution
Under IPv4, functions like gethostbyname() could be used for address lookup. In addition, functions like inet_aton() and inet_ntoa() could be used to convert between various IP address representations. None of these work with IPv6 addresses.
Using getaddrinfo() for IP address lookup
The function getaddrinfo() has long been the recommended cross-platform way to look up IP addresses for a given host. It accepts a hostname and returns a list of addresses, both IPv6 and IPv4, ordered by the host’s preferred address family. Callers are then expected to iterate through these until a connection succeeds.
Parameters that determine which address families are returned are accepted by getaddrinfo(). In the Berkeley sockets API, a family specifies the socket type. AF_INET (IPv4) and AF_INET6 (IPv6) are two valid socket types. There is an additional constant, AF_UNSPEC, that indicates getaddrinfo() should return all the families that it can. Under the hood, getaddrinfo() will attempt both an A and an AAAA query to the DNS server.
Unfortunately getaddrinfo() has a couple of downsides. It is a blocking function and it does not support caller specified timeouts. Once getaddrinfo() has been called, there is not much the calling thread can do until it returns. The default timeouts implemented by operating systems are within the 30-90 second range. In a naive implementation, we may end up waiting several minutes for the AF_UNSPEC getaddrinfo(), then spend another few seconds falling back to resolving with AF_INET. This adds up to a lot of delay.
To mitigate this, we use a thread pool (specifically Python’s concurrent.futures module) to perform the resolution. We concurrently start both AF_UNSPEC and AF_INET resolutions. Since we want to favor IPv6 connections, we wait a few seconds for AF_UNSPEC to succeed, and otherwise, we select the one that finishes first. Operating systems aggressively cache DNS lookups, so the lookup time and CPU penalty is paid very rarely.
Based on our metrics, about 80% of connection attempts resolve successfully on the AF_UNSPEC call and we don’t need to bother with the result of the AF_INET call. But when the AF_UNSPEC call takes longer than a few seconds, we noticed that both the AF_UNSPEC and AF_INET calls will fail in >86% of cases. This usually indicates the user is on a bad network, or their computer suspended/shut down right when we were attempting to connect. In fact, the odds that only one of the calls will succeed is very low, representing about 0.3% of all connection attempts.
The dual lookups introduce some complexity to our code, but there are no well designed, cross-platform DNS resolution alternatives. Third-party solutions like c-ares exist, but we did not want to introduce overhead for such a simple task.
One interesting implementation detail we discovered is that Python’s non-blocking sockets can encounter delays similar to blocking sockets if the connect() method is passed a DNS hostname, instead of an IP address. This is because it uses getaddrinfo() under the hood. Be sure to perform lookup first if you intend to use non-blocking sockets.
>>> import socket >>> import time >>> def connect_nonblocking(host):... """This function creates a non-blocking socket and attempts to connect to 'host'.... connect() on a non-blocking socket throws an exception with EINPROGRESS."""... sock = socket.socket()... sock.setblocking(False)... start = time.time()... try:... sock.connect((host, 80))... except socket.error:... print "non-blocking socket threw exception after %f seconds." % (time.time() - start)... >>> # We clear the system DNS cache. >>> # Then we use the Network Link Conditioner to intentionally introduce a 3 second delay in DNS lookup. >>> connect_nonblocking('dropbox.com') non-blocking socket threw exception after 3.009090 seconds. >>> # At this point, the cache is used so the response is instantaneous. >>> connect_nonblocking('dropbox.com') non-blocking socket threw exception after 0.008408 seconds.
Establishing connections
Once we have a list of IP addresses, which may be a mix of IPv6 and IPv4, we can attempt to connect to each of them in order and stop when a connection is successfully established, correct? Unfortunately things are not so easy.
On an IPv4-only or IPv6-only network, if none of the addresses work, the user’s network has a problem. However, on a dual-stack network, it is possible for IPv4 to be functioning, and IPv6 to be down. Why is that?
Functional IPv4 network and broken IPv6 network on a dual-stack network.
Among other reasons, IPv6 networks generally operate a NAT64/DNS64 gateway to allow IPv6 hosts to connect to the IPv4 internet. It is possible for this gateway to be down or slow. What would happen if getaddrinfo() had returned a list of 2 IPv6 addresses followed by 2 IPv4 addresses?
['2001:DB8::1', '2001:DB8::2', '198.51.100.1', '198.51.100.2']
We would have first spent several seconds (we use a 10 second timeout per attempt) trying to connect to 2001:DB8::1, and another 10s connecting to 2001:DB8::2, before finally connecting to 198.51.100.1.
That does not sound appealing. There is a clever and simple-to-implement strategy—codified as Happy Eyeballs: Success with Dual-stack hosts—to deal with this situation. We pick the first IPv6 address ( 2001:DB8::1 ) and the first IPv4 address ( 198.51.100.1 ) from the results. Since we want to favor IPv6, we start the connection to IPv6. If that connection takes too long (the RFC recommends 300ms), we then start the IPv4 connection. Then we pick the winner of the two. In this case, since we have a functioning IPv4 network, we would pick 198.51.100.1. If this sounds similar to our approach for address resolution, it’s because Happy Eyeballs definitely served as inspiration for that solution.
If we were unable to connect to either address, we would try the rest of the addresses— ['2001:DB8::2', '198.51.100.2'] —in order.
Since Dropbox servers don’t advertise native AAAA records and dual-stack users may connect via IPv4, we can’t say how many Dropbox users actually connect via an IPv6 network; we are working to resolve this. In terms of resolving addresses to both IPv4 and IPv6 addresses, fewer than 0.5% of hosts were able to resolve Dropbox servers to a IPv6 address during connection attempts.
Proxy support
Some Dropbox users connect via proxies and we wanted to support IPv6 wherever it was possible. Dropbox supports SOCKS4, SOCKS5 and HTTP(S) proxies. SOCKS4 and SOCKS5 use a binary protocol to request a connection from the proxy. SOCKS4, and the extension SOCKS4a, do not support IPv6 and will remain unusable on IPv6 networks. For SOCKS5, we added support for x03 ATYP to allow IPv6 addresses. HTTP(S) proxies require no negotiation, so they do not require any client-side changes. The client simply sends the request URL and the proxy uses a connection that that it supports.
Finally, in order to connect to the proxy when both the client and proxy are on an IPv6-only network, we can re-use the logic for establishing connections.
Moving fast without breaking things
To make these critical changes with minimal hiccups, we spent several weeks with features enabled only for in-office and beta builds. This ability to deploy to the office every day allowed us to quickly detect and fix issues. We made extensive use of Google’s publicly available DNS64 servers during development. Combined with the Network Link Conditioner on MacOS, developers could quickly verify code changes.
The safety net provided by out-of-process updaters ensured that if we ended up with a bug that prevented users from connecting to Dropbox, we could fix the bug, release a build, and update users without requiring manual intervention and without users even noticing. When one of the beta builds ended up performing local DNS resolution even for proxies, we were able to roll out a new build quickly and the affected users had functionality restored within days.
Adding IPv6 support was an interesting technical challenge due to the variety of implementations required, and the need to be backwards compatible. There is wealth of information on the internet about migrating to IPv6. We hope this article adds to it and helps others transition to the modern protocol.A terrorist on Sunday evening fatally wounded 38-year-old Dafna Meir outside her Otniel home south of Hebron, making her the 28th Israeli murder victim by terrorist violence since the current terror wave began in September.
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The police investigation revealed that the Meir's children had been present just inside the home. Security forces began searching the area for the knife-wielding assailant, who fled shortly after the 5:30pm attack, reportedly in the direction of a Palestinian town. Police said they did not know the terrorist's identity, but that he may have worked as a laborer in the area.
Dafna Meir and her husband, Natan
Meir leaves behind six children between the ages of four and 17. Right-wing activist Yehuda Glick, a friend and neighbor of the family, said they told him that the terrorist had wanted to hurt the children, but that tiny Dafna protected them with all her might as she lay dying.
Security forces at the scene of the Otniel attack
Har Hevron Regional Council chief Yochai Damari said that one of the Meir's daughters witnessed the murder and saw the killer flee. He added that two other children were inside the house and saw their mother moments after she was mortally wounded. According to Damari, Meir's eldest daughter told him the terrorist ran away because he couldn't remove the knife from her mother's body.
Residents were instructed to stay in their homes and lock their doors and windows for several hours.
"It was a difficult sight," said Noam Bar, a senior Magen David Adom (MDA) paramedic who was at the scene. "We saw a women, about 40 years old, unconscious, not breathing and without a pulse. She had stab wounds in her upper body, we performed prolonged resuscitation attempts, but were forced in the end to call a time of death."
In mid-November 2015, Rabbi Yaakov Litman and his son Netanel were murdered in a terrorist shooting attack near Otniel, with several other family members in the car with them being lightly wounded.Watch This Home Built Rally Car Frighten Matt Farah
It looks like a good job, heck it looks exactly like a rally car.
We’ve all heard the stories around the cruise night lot. So-and-so built their car from the ground up, usually that meant they purchased a kit and used it as a crutch as they attempted to shoehorn improbable specs into impossible designs. The end result 8 times out of 10 usually result in some leaky, noisy, embarrassing mess that looks like the result of a Pontiac Fiero and a DeTomaso Pantera having an unfortunate run-in with Victor Frankenstein. Then this morning the good folks at Regular Car Reviews turned me onto a special feature by Matt Farah of TheSmokingTire. The presentation was nothing short of mouth-watering.
Alex Kelsey of New Zealand has fabricated a car that could very well out pace a WRC-spec machine, completely from scratch. And when I say from scratch I mean, like Michelangelo style, like Minecraft style, given an empty space and then after years of painstaking work and attention to detail, that space was one day filled with the MadCreations2. It’s truly an inspirational work of automotive art, something that we would love to see on this side of the pond one day (and a few thousand miles north-east of California, we see you Matt.) We in Canada would love to see how this thing tackles snow and ice, or for that matter how it handles weaving around Toronto potholes. Congratulations to Alex on his masterpiece, and we hope to see many more from him in the future, if you’re ever looking for a rim or tire hookup in Canada give us a call! Now enjoy the video from TheSmokingTire.
You must be logged in with to post a commentFinal Fantasy fans have been patiently awaiting news of a Western release for the PSP's Final Fantasy Type-0 since the game came out in Japan in 2011. Well, it's coming out in North America and Europe, but as an HD remaster for the Xbox One and PlayStation 4.
"The voice of our Western fans was instrumental in the development of Final Fantasy Type-0, and we're very excited to release this title soon," said Hajime Tabata, director of Final Fantasy Type-0 via official announcement. "The new PlayStation 4 system and Xbox One gaming and entertainment platform have really helped to re-envision this dynamic and turbulent world of Orience."
Also confirmed for a Western release is Final Fantasy Agito, the free-to-play mobile game our own Richard Eisenbeis was raving about just this morning. No word on the timing of either release, though I'd imagine the iOS and Android game will hit before the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 one does."The epidemic is gathering strength. Unfortunately the measures that have been taken have clearly not been enough," Pokrovsky said.
Russia registered its millionth HIV-positive patient — a 26-year-old woman in the south of the country — on Wednesday, said Pokrovsky. But he added the real number of HIV-positive Russians could be as high as 1.5 million, or 1 percent of the population, based on his and other expert estimates.
Almost 20 percent of the country's drug users and nearly 10 percent of the country's gay people were HIV-positive, he said. Between 55 and 60 percent of cases are linked to drug use and around 40 percent to heterosexual sex. Gay sex accounted for only about 1.5 percent.
Vadim Pokrovsky, the head of the federal AIDS center, told Reuters that the prevalence of the disease was on the verge of becoming common throughout the population, instead of concentrated primarily within a certain group.
Russia's AIDS epidemic is at a dangerous tipping point after the number of people registered HIV-positive passed the 1 million mark, the country's top AIDS specialist said on Thursday, warning the rate of infection had reached record levels.
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Russia's AIDS epidemic is at a dangerous tipping point after the number of people registered HIV-positive passed the 1 million mark, the country's top AIDS specialist said on Thursday, warning the rate of infection had reached record levels.
Vadim Pokrovsky, the head of the federal AIDS center, told Reuters that the prevalence of the disease was on the verge of becoming common throughout the population, instead of concentrated primarily within a certain group.
Almost 20 percent of the country's drug users and nearly 10 percent of the country's gay people were HIV-positive, he said. Between 55 and 60 percent of cases are linked to drug use and around 40 percent to heterosexual sex. Gay sex accounted for only about 1.5 percent.
Russia registered its millionth HIV-positive patient — a 26-year-old woman in the south of the country — on Wednesday, said Pokrovsky. But he added the real number of HIV-positive Russians could be as high as 1.5 million, or 1 percent of the population, based on his and other expert estimates.
"The epidemic is gathering strength. Unfortunately the measures that have been taken have clearly not been enough," Pokrovsky said.
Related: Drug Addicts Are Dying in Crimea Because They Can't Get Therapy
He warned that Russia was "on the threshold" of moving from a concentrated epidemic, where HIV is highly prevalent in one subset of the population, to a generalized epidemic, where HIV rates among the general population are sufficient for sexual networking to drive new infections.
"We're in a transitional phase," he said. "In separate regions we can say there is already a generalized HIV epidemic."
The Russian epidemic has been driven by very harsh drug laws and a lack of harm reduction and needle exchange programs, as well as repressive homosexuality laws, according to UNAIDS and the World Health Organization.
A report released by UNAIDS in 2014 called out Russia for its "appalling record" on HIV and drug policy. "The Russian Federation… continues to steadfastly deny the evidence on the effectiveness of harm reduction, and the rates of HIV infection among people who inject drugs in the country are among the highest in the world," it said.
A federal law banning "gay propaganda" has also hindered access to HIV prevention services among the LGBT community, according to activists.
Related: The Deep South Is Being Hit Hard by HIV/AIDS
Pokrovsky said 204,000 people had died of HIV in Russia since the first case was recorded in 1987. He expected the number of new cases in 2015 to be at least 93,000, up from just under 90,000 in 2014.
That, he said, would be the largest number of new cases since Russia began keeping data almost 30 years ago.
The escalation comes as Russia struggles financially, beset by low oil prices, Western sanctions and a falling ruble.
Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev called last October for a series of urgent measures to respond to the growing epidemic. The government plans to spend 40 billion rubles ($475.20 million) on fighting HIV/AIDs in 2016. Pokrovsky said 100 billion rubles was needed.
Government data shows 24,000 HIV-positive people died in 2014, the last full year for which data is available. Of those, around 12,000 died as a direct result of AIDS. Pokrovsky said the real number who died from AIDS was likely to be higher.
He said he expected data for 2015 to show a 5-10 percent increase in the number of deaths.
Related: Want to Combat AIDS? Decriminalize Sex Work, Researchers SayWith only weeks before GOP primary voters first cast their ballots, the level of alarm among establishment Republicans about the enduring dominance of Donald Trump and Ted Cruz is reaching new heights.
In private conversations with several former aides, Mitt Romney, who in March will keynote the National Republican Congressional Committee’s annual fundraising dinner, has expressed rising frustration about Trump’s prolonged lead in polls and has argued that the real-estate mogul could inflict lasting damage on the party’s brand.
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In Washington and elsewhere, meanwhile, Republicans are on the hunt for a political entity that can be used to stop Trump. In recent weeks, Alex Castellanos, a veteran TV ad man who was a top adviser to George W. Bush and Romney, has been meeting with top GOP operatives and donors to gauge interest in launching an anti-Trump vehicle that would pummel the Manhattan businessman on the television airwaves.
Those who’ve met with Castellanos say he’s offered detailed presentations on how such an offensive would play out. Castellanos has said that an anti-Trump ad campaign, which would be designed to cast him as a flawed strongman, would cost well into the millions. It was unclear, the sources said, whether Castellanos, who did not respond to a request for comment, would ultimately go through with the effort.
One growing worry about Trump or Cruz, top party officials, donors, and operatives across the country say, is that nominating either man would imperil lawmakers in down-ballot races, especially those residing in moderate states and districts.
“At some point, we have to deal with the fact that there are at least two candidates who could utterly destroy the Republican bench for a generation if they became the nominee,” said Josh Holmes, a former chief of staff to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. “We’d be hard-pressed to elect a Republican dogcatcher north of the Mason-Dixon or west of the Mississippi.”
“Trump and Cruz are worrisome to most Republican candidates for governor, senator and Congress,” said Curt Anderson, a longtime GOP strategist and former Republican National Committee political director. “Some will say they are not worried, but they are.”
Romney has been calling around to former advisers to sound them out about the race, and to kvetch about Trump’s surprising durability. But in the immediate term, at least, he has expressed unwillingness to lend his hand to a stop-Trump effort — or to endorse a candidate more palatable to a GOP establishment paralyzed by his rise and worried that nominating him or Cruz would scupper an opportunity to control both the White House and Congress in 2017.
The concern is particularly acute in the Senate, where Republicans are fighting to preserve a relatively slim four-seat majority, defending more than half a dozen seats in hard-to-win swing states. Among them: Ohio, a presidential battleground state where Republican Sen. Rob Portman faces a perilous path to reelection.
When Trump traveled to the state in November, he met with Matt Borges, Ohio’s Republican Party chairman — who warned the front-runner that “divisive rhetoric won’t help us carry Ohio.”
“It’s time for people who have never won squat here to listen to the people who have been doing it for decades,” Borges said in an interview. “I’m just looking out for how we win in November.”
In Wisconsin, some party officials fret that a Trump or Cruz nomination could sink Republican Sen. Ron Johnson, who faces a tough race against his predecessor, Russ Feingold.
“Certainly, it would be bad for Ron Johnson if Trump is the nominee,” said Wisconsin Rep. Reid Ribble who, like Johnson, was swept into Congress in the Republican wave of 2010. “I think Trump is probably really bad down-ballot.”
Some top party strategists have spent months considering how the outcome of the primary will impact congressional races. Since last spring, the National Republican Senatorial Committee has been poring over research and polling data in hopes of better understanding how each of the Republican candidates running for president would affect GOP hopefuls running for Senate. The committee has held internal meetings to discuss the pros and cons of each presidential contender and how they would affect each key Senate race.
The House, where Republicans have a historic 30-seat majority, is more secure for the party. But there, too, the GOP has reason to worry: The party must defend nearly three dozen endangered seats — many of them in liberal-to-moderate states like California, New York and Florida.
Should Trump or Cruz win the nomination, party operatives say, some longtime officeholders in more conservative districts such as New Jersey Rep. Scott Garrett or Florida Rep. John Mica, who typically skate to general election wins, could find themselves in tougher-than-usual contests.
Cruz’s campaign pushes back on the idea that the Texas senator would imperil those running in House and Senate races. A Cruz nomination, they argue, would motivate conservatives to turn out to vote in a way that an establishment candidate couldn’t.
“Down-ballot Republicans need Ted Cruz at the top of the ticket because he is the only candidate in the race who can excite the base to show up in November,” said Rick Tyler, a Cruz spokesman. “If we chose another moderate, we will simply lose seats we would otherwise win.”
Trump’s campaign didn’t respond to a request for comment.
Some, though, are already counseling Republican candidates to begin to think about how to distance themselves from a Trump or Cruz in the event either wins the nomination.
“Candidates will need to develop their own brand,” said Pennsylvania Rep. Charlie Dent, a Republican who has represented a swing district in Lehigh Valley since 2004. “A candidate will need to run his or her own campaign and distance themselves from the top of the ticket.”
Among the tricky questions candidates will be forced to consider: whether it’s worth endorsing either potential nominee.
Illinois Rep. Bob Dold, a Republican who represents a liberal-leaning, suburban Chicago district, said he had ruled out endorsing Trump. He declined to say whether he’d back Cruz.
While Dold said he was monitoring the primary, he argued that voters would be willing to look beyond the party’s presidential nominee when determining his fate in November.
“Illinois 10th District,” he said, “has a long history of ticket splitting.”Wednesday, May 17th, 2017
FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- According to police-- no one called 911 after multiple gunshots were fired around 3:00 Wednesday morning in Central Fresno.After they received the gunshot detection through their shot spotter system, Fresno Police Chief Jerry Dyer said officers got to the scene in four minutes. Officers found the victim lying in the street with multiple gunshot wounds to her upper body.The coroner identified the victim as Imer Alvarado.Dyer said, "What appears to have occurred is some type of disturbance that started in the alley way and that disturbance between two individuals ultimately carried out onto the street."That alley way is behind the house Mercy Moreno lives in-- she said gunshots are not unusual to hear in this neighborhood off of Belmont and 4th street. She said after hearing the gunshots she looked out her door, but didn't see anything."My daughter said 'did you hear that? The shots?' I go. 'yeah,' she said, 'did you hear that someone saying ow ow help me?'"After police got to the scene, the victim was transported to the hospital where they said she died about 30 minutes later."We do not know what the motive is behind this particular crime, we don't know if there is a hate crime involved since this person does appear to be a transgender," said Dyer.Chief Dyer also said police have had previous contacts with this victim over the years and said she was deaf, but does not know if that played a factor in this shooting.Police said they cannot give information on a description of the suspect right now but can say they are looking for one male. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Fresno Police Department. nullThanks to a rare medical condition, a Washington state woman found out that pregnancy was not enough to prove motherhood; DNA testing indicated that she was, in fact, not the mother of her own children – so who was? During the course of a desperate battle to retain custody of her three children, it was discovered that her twin was the real biological parent. The twist? She, 26-year-old Lydia Fairchild, was her own twin.
By the time Fairchild was 23 years old, she had given birth to two children and was pregnant with a third. Her relationship with the father had been rocky. They separated – not for the first time – and she found herself, at 26, a struggling, single mother; out of work and unable to support her kids. When she applied for government assistance, however, her world was shattered by an incredible revelation – one that led to criminal accusations and the impending prospect of losing her children to the state.
In order to qualify for financial assistance in supporting her young family, Fairchild was required to undergo DNA testing to prove that she was the mother of children for whom she was claiming. Jamie Townsend, the father of all three children, was also required to submit to testing. Having twice been through pregnancy and childbirth and now in the middle of a third pregnancy, this test, Fairchild assumed, was merely a formality. It turned out not to be, however; In December, 2002, Fairchild was contacted by the Washington state prosecutor’s office and told to come in to discuss the test results. To her horror, the young mother was informed that she would be the subject of an investigation into possible welfare fraud as the DNA tests had revealed no genetic link between her and the children she claimed were hers.
Townsend’s biological link to the children had been confirmed, but the test came up with no evidence that Fairchild shared any DNA with the three children. She found herself being interrogated by Social Services; who was she? Who was the real mother of the children? Jamie Townsend was also questioned and accused of fathering the children with another woman. “I knew that I carried them, and I knew that I delivered them. There was no doubt in my mind,” Fairchild later recounted. Fairchild’s obstetrician, Dr Leonard Dreisbach, was equally stunned by the accusation against the mother. “I’ve been doing this long enough to recognize when someone is giving birth right in front of you.” he said.
The desperate mother soon found herself facing a summons and impeding legal battle to prove that she was the mother of the children to whom she had given birth and even to the one she now carried.
In another part of the country, another woman was facing a similarly bizarre situation; 52-year-old Karen Keegan, from Boston, Massachusetts, had discovered that DNA testing – carried out to find a genetic match in the search for a potential kidney donor – indicated no genetic link between her and two of her own three sons. After confirming a match between Keegan and her youngest son, her doctors sought further advice and were informed that Keegan might have a very rare genetic condition know as chimerism. Derived from the name of a strange hybrid creature, the Chimera of Greek legend, this condition had been documented just 30 times throughout the world. Those rare individuals, dubbed “Chimeras”, had started out as twins; in the early stage of pregnancy, one of the twins had merged with – been absorbed by, one could almost say – the other twin.
The cells of the consumed twin, however, did not disappear and remained alive in one concentrated area of their sibling’s body. In essence, a human chimera is one person made up of two separate sets f genetic material; they are, in fact, their own twins.
Baffled doctors conducted a number of tests on Karen Keegan but drew a blank; unable to find any genetic material in her body that matched that of her sons. Eventually, Keegan mentioned to her doctors that she once had a thyroid nodule removed. Determined to solve this medical mystery, the doctors tracked down material from the removed nodule to a medical lab in Boston. DNA extracted from the nodule matched that of her children.
Chimerism, however, was completely unknown to anyone dealing with Lydia Fairchild. Now in an advanced state of pregnancy, Fairchild found herself in court and about to lose custody of her children. The presiding judge ordered that blood samples be taken from her third child the moment Fairchild gave birth. Despite a court-appointed witness to the birth, tests on the blood samples, once again, showed no genetic link between the baby and its mother.
Fate, however, was on Lydia’s side when one of the prosecutors in her case stumbled upon an article in the New England Journal of Medicine. That article had been written by Karen Keegan’s doctors and chronicled the incredible discovery they had made. Further exploration of the mystery of Fairchild’s DNA was ordered and a genetic link between her mother and her own children was |
-site. “We were city people. I was used to Mrs. Butterworth’s. Real maple syrup was too sweet, too overpowering. Now I love it and have come to really appreciate it.” 16350 Hart Rd., Montville Township 44064, 440/968-3550***Maybe you’ve never given much thought to real maple syrup. This month, 48 Ohio operations, ranging from small sugarhouses to large commercial businesses will welcome visitors during the Maple Madness Driving Tour, March 8, 9, 15 and 16. (Check the list of locations and hours at ohiomaple.org.) You can also learn about maple sugaring or just enjoy the finished product at one of these festivals and special events.The 38th Annual Maple Syrup Festival includes sugaring demonstrations and a self-guided tour of the sugar camp and sugarhouse. There’ll be maple products for sale, live music and horse-drawn wagon rides. March 1, 2, 8 and 9, noon–4 p.m. 4050 Bromfield Rd., Lucas 44843, 419/892-2784, malabarfarm.org Since 1951, more than 24,000 gallons of maple syrup have been poured over more than 1.6 million pancakes during Burton’s annual March Sunday Pancake Breakfasts. March 2, 9, 16, 23 and 30. Various locations (serving hours vary by location). 440/834-4204, pancaketown-usa.com Hueston Woods’ Maple Sugar Festival features a pancake breakfast from 8 a.m.–1 p.m. and tours of the sugarbush from noon–4 p.m. (fee required). This event explores various maple sugaring methods, reaching back to Native Americans. Breakfast held in lodge. Tour departs from Pioneer Farm nearby. March 1, 2, 8 and 9. 5201 Lodge Rd., College Corner 45003, 513/523-6347, huestonwoodslodge.com Held at Old Man’s Cave, Maple Sugaring in the Hills includes demonstrations outlining the history and production of maple syrup, sugarbush tours, candy making and free samples. The event is preceded by a pancake breakfast sold in the dining lodge (breakfast starts at 8 a.m. and lasts until everyone is served). March 8–9, noon–4 p.m. 20160 State Rte. 664 S., Logan 43138, 740/385-6841, ohiostateparks.org Sponsored by the Northwest Ohio Maple Syrup Producers, this annual maple syrup festival features a sugarhouse, horse-drawn wagon and tractor rides, maple products and more. Pancake breakfasts will be available for purchase starting at 7:30 a.m. March 22, 8 a.m.– noon. 619 E. Main St., Montpelier 43543, 419/636-9395See a historic sugarhouse built in the 1900s and enjoy a Bob Evans pancake breakfast. Admission is required. March 15, 16, 22 and 23, 10 a.m.– 4 p.m. 2686 Oak Hill Rd., Bath Twp. 44210, 216/721-5277, halefarm.orgCredit: Damon Sayles/Bleacher Report
STEPHENVILLE, Texas — The sounds of college football on Saturdays pierce Jarrett Stidham's ears effortlessly. A self-proclaimed football junkie, Stidham can't get enough of the rumblings of plays being called, fans cheering and booing and, perhaps most melodious to him, touchdowns being scored.
It's all euphoric to him. Nostalgic. Invigorating.
And almost haunting. Almost.
For four months, Stidham—once thought to be the franchise quarterback for one of the nation's most prolific offenses—has been watching college football like the majority of fans: by way of a TV set. He made the decision to transfer from Baylor in July following a devastating sexual assault scandal that ultimately led to the firing of head coach Art Briles.
Since then, Stidham has remained in Waco taking online classes at nearby McLennan Community College. He chose not to burn a year of eligibility by playing FCS or junior college ball.
There are days where he feels his return to college football seems like an eternity.
"I'm good…but I'm bored. Oh my God, bored," said Stidham, who makes regular visits to his home in Stephenville, Texas, to keep himself busy. "I knew I'd be bored, but I didn't know I'd be this bored."
The transition of being a Power Five quarterback to simply being a student balancing a college course load of 16 hours—all online—has been an adjustment unlike any other for Stidham, an Elite 11 quarterback in the summer of 2014 and a 5-star prospect and the nation's No. 3 quarterback in the 2015 class, according to Scout.
But in Stidham's apartment, there's good news. A decision is coming soon, which means his time to return to college football is near.
"I'm so ready to get back," he said. "You just don't know how ready I am to play again."
Life after Baylor
Stidham threw for 1,265 yards and 12 touchdowns for the Bears before suffering a broken ankle last November against Oklahoma State. Prior to the injury, he completed nearly 69 percent of his passes (75-of-109) and showed the future was bright for Baylor's high-octane offense.
Then, May 26 happened.
Following an investigative report by Pepper Hamilton, LLP, which reflected "a fundamental failure by Baylor to implement Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 and the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013," Briles was "suspended with intent to terminate" and was later fired.
The investigation found instances of Baylor athletics leaders responding inappropriately to reported sexual assault incidents involving multiple Baylor football players. Briles, Baylor's head coach since Nov. 28, 2007, and someone popular within the locker room walls, was let go.
The firing still puts Stidham's stomach in knots. But it's also something he's been dealing with successfully. Briles' firing is a topic Stidham doesn't speak about publicly, but the call he received that morning was one he identified as "a nightmare."
"I woke up that morning, and I looked at my phone. I had probably seven or eight text messages and missed calls from KB," said Stidham, referring to offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Kendal Briles. "I was like, 'What in the world is going on?' I mean, I was completely caught off guard.
"When I got off the phone with KB, I was numb. If you ask any dude who's played for the man, you'll get the same answer about the kind of guy he is every single time. To see that happen, it was sickening."
Stidham said his decision to leave was a way to get a fresh start. There isn't a guarantee that interim coach Jim Grobe or any of his staff members will be at Baylor next season, and although Stidham stays in touch with many associated with Baylor, he's looking for stability.
Stidham said he stays in touch with Briles regularly, as both are looking for new opportunities to start over. The conversations often aren't about football, but when the sport comes up, Stidham said Briles stresses one particular point.
"What we talk about is not getting ready, but staying ready," he said.
Tony Gutierrez/Associated Press
Lee Bristow, a former Baylor tight end and nickelback now finishing up his master's degree in sports management, met Stidham through football. They became close last fall and were roommates by the beginning of the ensuing summer.
As Stidham's roommate, Bristow has seen what football—or lack thereof—has done.
"He talks about it a lot…probably too much, but I get it," Bristow said. "I try to take his focus away from it and just lift his spirits any way I can. All of his thoughts are on football, though."
One look at Stidham shows he's physically ready to return. He's now a shade under 6'4" and weighs 212 pounds. He's been working out four days a week at D1 Sports Training, a facility in Waco, Texas, where he participates in weight training and drills to improve speed, agility and quickness.
Leo Burks, a strength coach at the facility, has been working with Stidham since the end of July. Burks remembers Stidham in high school; while Stidham was leading Stephenville, Burks was finishing his studies at Tarleton State University in the city and also managed a local Wingstop that Stidham frequented.
"When I saw him [at D1 Sports], I was like, 'I know this dude. He looks so familiar,'" Burks said. "He was a little bigger than he was in high school and had facial hair. Then it finally hit me. It's crazy how everything works out."
Burks said Stidham's attention to detail is what makes him stand out most during training sessions. It's easy to see the leadership skills he possessed as a leader at Baylor. Playing as a backup to Seth Russell, Stidham appeared in 10 games and managed to get three starts when Russell suffered a season-ending injury.
Staying busy, staying ready
Orlin Wagner/Associated Press
It's been nearly a year since Stidham has thrown an in-game pass, but he still possesses velocity and accuracy on his throws. When he isn't throwing, he's showing the speed that frustrated defenders.
How is he keeping his skills sharp? He's found a way not only to get live reps, but also to make those around him better.
Stidham asked coaches at Midway High School in Waco to handle scout-team duties. He met with Midway head coach Jeff Hulme, and the idea became reality.
"I don't think [Hulme] wasn't expecting me to ask that," Stidham said. "He thought I would ask to use the weight room or their indoor [facility]. I thought it would be beneficial for both of us.
"I thought it would help them out, because they're not going to go up against someone on Friday night who has played Division I football. It's kind of a win-win situation, and he was on board."
So Stidham, easily the best quarterback the Midway defense had seen this year, worked with the team three days a week, lining up with a junior varsity offensive line competing against varsity defenders. He called audibles, barked checks and, most importantly, connected with receivers.
"If I didn't have that," he said, "the only time I'd be seeing 11 men on the field is on Madden."
Midway's season ended Friday, but Stidham made an impact on Midway's players, including Jack Hicks, a 2018 free safety on the team. Hicks, the younger brother of SMU quarterback Ben Hicks, remembers Stidham randomly showing up at practice.
Hicks didn't know Stidham would have the kind of impact he did.
"At first, when we saw him, everybody was like, 'Hey, that's Jarrett Stidham. What's he doing watching a bunch of high schoolers?'" Hicks said. "It was kind of surprising and shocking at first, but what he's done in our practices, it's ultimately helping us.
"You just don't see a varsity quarterback out there doing what he does."
And while Stidham's presence helps the defense, it's also big for Tanner Mordecai, a 2018 quarterback with offers from Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, Houston and others. Mordecai received advice from a quarterback who's already been in his shoes when it comes to game preparation, offseason work and recruiting.
Mordecai is a product of Air 14 Quarterback Academy, which also produced Oklahoma's Kyler Murray—a fellow Elite 11 alum alongside Stidham. Mordecai said he's getting as much of Stidham's tutelage as possible while he's still around.
"He rarely throws a ball that isn't a perfect spiral. And he rarely misses," Mordecai said of Stidham. "We probably have the best scout team in the nation for high school football. It's definitely a plus for our defense, for sure."
To Bristow, Stidham's scout-team work isn't shocking. He's watched his roommate struggle without football, and he knows how consumed he is with the sport. The workouts have become an avenue to channel Stidham's frustrations since leaving Baylor.
"There's not a second that goes by where he's not watching football, let alone thinking about it," Bristow said of Stidham. "It's eating him up not being out there, but he knows he's in a situation where his time is coming."
A decision is near
Credit: Damon Sayles/Bleacher Report
A likable guy, Stidham has never let the spotlight of being a Football Bowl Subdivision quarterback change him. Stephenville head coach Greg Winder, who was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach when Stidham was in high school, described Stidham as the consummate teammate and person overall.
"I've known him since he was in the seventh grade," Winder said. "He's a student of the game and a student in the classroom. There's nothing negative to say about him."
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Those qualities, along with his skills on the field, make him highly coveted as he prepares to play college football again. He's still uncertain where he'll end up, but he has made it a priority to keep his recruiting process relatively private.
Stidham didn't name schools specifically, but he mentioned that he's heard from "schools in the SEC, Pac-12 and ACC." Schools such as Auburn, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, LSU, USC and Oregon have been thrown around on social media as potential landing spots. He reportedly made a return visit to Auburn in early September after first being present watching a practice in August, according to Matthew Stevens of the Montgomery Advertiser.
Don't expect Stidham, however, to treat this recruiting process like the one from his high school days, when he entertained more than 20 offers.
"I haven't really talked to very many people. I've had my eye set on a few [schools], and that's pretty much has been it," he said. "It's been pretty low-key, which has been nice. I haven't tweeted out much about anything, and I've dealt with very few reporters. I'm not trying to really set it off like that."
Winder added: "There's no doubt that someone will be lucky to have him. They're going to find out real quick about his knowledge of the game."
Stidham said he's still weighing pros and cons for potential destinations, but he's hoping to make a final decision soon, potentially by the end of the month or early December. The decision, he said, most likely will be announced via Twitter.
His decision will set the tone for a school looking for a franchise quarterback. It also will end a chapter Stidham would like to forget as a competitor.
Burks called Stidham "a CEO…and every team needs a good CEO."
"Someone's going to get a guy who will hold himself accountable, hold others accountable and demand hard work from the other guys," he said of Stidham. "He's had a lot of discipline instilled in him, and he'll take that and apply it wherever he goes."
To which Stidham replied: "I just need it to get here already."
Damon Sayles is a National Recruiting Analyst for Bleacher Report. All quotes were obtained firsthand. All player profiles are courtesy of Scout. Follow Damon via Twitter: @DamonSaylesLame-duck sessions should be for emergency legislation and transition only
It’s the most dangerous time of an election year on Capitol Hill. It’s neither rabbit season nor duck season. It’s lame duck season, which means that crazy things may (and probably will) transpire between now and the first session of the new Congress in January.
With a huge spending bill to pass before a government shutdown on December 9th, we will see as much fluff squeezed into it as possible. That’s the problem with lame duck legislation. Many of the people voting on it have no accountability to the voters. On their way out the door, they can do what’s best for them, their cronies, or even their future lobby bosses.
The lame duck session also gives the major parties an out so they don’t have to address controversial items before an election. The punted impeachment of IRS Commissioner John Koskinen, while not directly attached to the lame duck session, is an example of something that would have happened if this weren’t an election year.
All business should be taken care of before the election. Voters will have a chance of holding Congress accountable with their votes. Important decisions won’t be made by people who won’t even be around in a couple of months. Doing so will help to reduce instances of real or perceived corruption such as the infamous reindeer farmer who swung the vote for a trillion dollar “cromnibus” in 2014.
Should Congress do anything during lame duck sessions? Of course. They should be prepared to handle emergencies. This doesn’t require a pre-established session; unlike the Great Depression and WWII, we should be able to pull Congress together quickly in case of emergency. What they should be doing during lame duck sessions is preparation. Transition of a new Congress is relatively smooth today, but it can be improved. Moreover, the time can be used by politicians who will be part of the next Congress to work towards future legislation that’s voted on during the first session of the next Congress. This will allow Congress to work more efficiently by reducing the learning curve and preparation time.
All of this can be done through Constitutional Amendment, though such a drastic measure hasn’t been necessary since the ratification of the 20th Amendment. Instead, internal rules can be put into place and agreed upon by both chambers and both parties. The rules could be changed in the future, of course, so it wouldn’t be as powerful as an Amendment, but it’s better than nothing. Perhaps if we ever hold a Convention of States, we could include such an Amendment, though it’s unlikely something so small would even hit the radar.
There are bigger issues to address, but we can’t continue to let the smaller issues slide as a result. Lame duck sessions can be easily resolved. We simply need enough people to stand up and say they don’t want the most corrupt seasons of every election year to continue to harm the nation.The economy and jobs have always been the priority election issues for most Canadians. Today, with the possibility that the economy could be in a technical recession (two quarters of negative growth), that’s especially true. Canadians have every right to be concerned. The economy has been seriously underperforming for the past seven years and there’s little to suggest this will change over the next five.
Finance Minister Joe Oliver: the Canadian economy may already be in a technical recession. ( DARRYL DYCK / THE CANADIAN PRESS )
Business fixed investment, as a share of GDP, is virtually unchanged since 2008. The unemployment rate remains stuck around 7 per cent, and both the labour force participation rate and the employment rate are below 2008 levels. These trends are dragging down the growth potential of the Canadian economy, which is estimated at around 2 per cent a year, down from 3 per cent. The policy challenge, and the debate we should be having, is how to halt and even reverse this decline in our growth potential. Addressing this issue now is fundamental to determining the well-being of future generations. It’s a shame, then, that so far in this campaign all parties seem to be assuming the inevitability of an economic recovery.
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Both the Liberals and NDP have made promises that would cost billions of dollars, but have not proposed ways to generate enough revenue to cover them. And yet the reality is a recovery hasn’t been happening and, with the IMF warning that the global economy is at risk of economic stagnation, it doesn’t look like one is on its way. For years, the IMF, OECD and the World Bank have been reducing their forecasts of global economic growth. Clearly we can’t continue to blame our economic circumstances on a “fragile” global economy and do nothing. Nor can we simply hope for a recovery of oil prices. Nor yet can we rely on new free trade agreements, no matter how important they may be in the long run. We need the sort of “built-in-Canada” long-term economic growth strategy that no party is talking about. Instead, our parties offer piecemeal, nickel-and-dime strategies: cutting small business taxes (not helpful); providing renovation tax credits in the future (definitely not helpful); extending accelerated depreciation on business investment (hasn’t helped so far); and new incentives for research and innovation (very expensive incentives already exist). The Conservatives’ growth strategy has always been clear — cut taxes, cut spending, balance the budget, cut the size of government, hope the U.S economy recovers, and pray for higher oil prices. The entire April budget is based on this failed strategy and on projections that are pure fantasy.
What is strange is that the Liberals and NDP are twisting themselves into knots to put together growth strategies that are supposed to be different from that of the Conservatives, while at the same time adopting the Tory orthodoxy that all deficits are bad, all debt is bad, and small government is good. A credible long-term growth strategy should focus on strengthening the economic efficiency of the economy. This would require renewed federal-provincial trust and co-operation, with strong federal leadership — something that has been painfully lacking for years.
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It would require, too, an acknowledgement that the tax system has become a serious impediment to economic growth and must be simplified. But it will take real political courage to remove inefficient and unjustifiable tax entitlements. If we can negotiate international free trade agreements, then why is it so difficult to create a real economic union in Canada, with free movement of goods and services among provinces? Our infrastructure at all levels of government (especially municipal) is collapsing and a national financing strategy is needed to begin rebuilding it. We need a national environmental and energy strategy that includes developing new energy-saving technologies. A growth strategy is, by definition, a public investment strategy in the future. In 2014, the IMF recommended to G20 leaders that governments with sustainable fiscal situations should take advantage of historically low interest rates to borrow and invest in “efficient” infrastructure. The federal government clearly has a strong sustainable fiscal structure. It should follow the IMF’s advice. Is any of this likely to happen? Probably not. Except for a lot of empty rhetoric from all three parties, this kind of growth strategy does not appear to be on the agenda for this election. It is young Canadians who will suffer the consequences. C. Scott Clark is a former federal deputy minister of finance. Peter DeVries is a former director of fiscal policy.So while I was sitting around, reminiscing about my days playing Dishonored and the Brigmore Witches, dreaming of the Grimm Troupe, before I realized: "...Great Wyrm and dark eyes, these two have an almost identical charm system." They both share a variety unique effects, with different amounts of slots for different charms, hazardous things relating to charms (Overcharming for Hollow Knight, corrupted bone charms for Dishonored), and charms are even both described as "singing." I decided to do a dumb crossover, with a charm from its opposite universe with different effects.
For HK:
Name: Void Songs (The Void in Dishonored is associated with whales, which have whale song; charms sing as well)
Notch cost: 4
Effect: Allows you to Dream Dive (mechanic cut from final game), jumping into living bugs (NCPs) minds, viewing their memories and jumping from place to place through minds.
Description: A strange charm from another world, branded with a partial pale insignia with a core that bleeds dark blue void. Allows the Dream Nail to slice through other bug's minds, allowing you to travel into the living's dreamscape and go between locations through minds.
Notes:
- Dream Diving from the Outsider's ability to bring people to the Void while they sleep
For Dishonored:
Name: Subsoul (subservience and emphasis on SOUL)
Slot cost: 3
Effect: Fills up mana when you damage enemies
Description: This otherworldly charm gives you shivers. This isn't bone...
It also makes you feel empty, and extracts mana from enemies when you strike them directly into your body.
Notes:
- mana gathering from enemies mirrors SOUL gathering
- Charm supposed to look upside-down, looking like the Hollow Knight
- Intricate markings based off of "Pale shields" you encounter in the Hollow Knight's chains and in the Black Egg hall
- White is SOUL
I hope you like it!The century-old right of people to demand an allotment from their council may be abolished by the Government under plans to scale back red tape, it emerged yesterday.
Eric Pickles, the Communities Secretary, is examining plans to free local authorities from a 103-year-old obligation to provide plots of public land for cultivation by gardeners. The proposals could see local authorities, many of them strapped for cash under government-imposed cuts, selling off allotment land for social housing or even for profit to major companies.
The move has triggered a wave of protest from allotment society members and gardeners, who have lobbied Mr Pickles to rethink the plans.
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The Independent on Sunday, backed by the nation's leading gardeners and chefs, today launches a campaign, Dig for Victory, to force ministers to safeguard the public right to allotments. For more than a century, the allotment has been stitched into the fabric of British life, celebrated in the Second World War Dig for Victory campaign, the self-sufficiency movement represented by the 1970s comedy The Good Life, and the current enthusiasm for growing your own.
To join the campaign mail burdens@communities.gov.uk, contactus@communities.gov.uk or write to Eric Pickles, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Eland House, Bressenden Place, London, SW1E 5DU
Because of the zeal to cut local government bureaucracy, section 23 of the 1908 Smallholdings and Allotments Act, which orders that councils must provide sufficient number of plots to local residents where there is demand, is on a target list of "burdensome" regulations. The move comes just weeks after Caroline Spelman, the Environment Secretary, proposed a sell-off of the nation's forests, which led to a humiliating U-turn after an outcry from green campaigners.
Demand for allotments across the country is so huge since the grow-your-own movement mushroomed in the past decade that many councils have been forced to close waiting lists. Some gardeners are waiting up to 10 years for a plot – highlighting the national enthusiasm for growing fruit and vegetables.
The proposals are all the more surprising given claims by ministers that the Government is one of the greenest ever. David Cameron has spoken of his love of growing veg at his Oxfordshire home. He has also urged us to embrace his vision for the Big Society – a sense of community already familiar to allotment plot-holders.
The National Society of Allotment and Leisure Gardeners and the grow-your-own community organisation Landshare, set up by the River Cottage chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, are spearheading opposition to the plans. Fearnley-Whittingstall said yesterday: "You can't overestimate the importance of allotments to urban communities. They're absolutely vital for social development, health and well-being. It's about more than just putting two veg on the family table; they're about community spirit. At a time when the country has plenty of other things to complain about, the Government goes after allotments at its peril."
Pippa Greenwood, a gardening expert and panellist on Radio 4's Gardeners' Question Time, said: "A climate of cutting back in the number of allotments doesn't bear thinking about. In many allotment sites there are people of all sizes and shapes, nationalities, ages, all in one area learning to get on together and enjoy one another's company. It is quite unbelievable that anybody can be so far removed from reality even to contemplate something that might reduce their number."
Ian White, 50, a computer programmer who has grown vegetables at One Tree Hill allotments in Honor Oak, south London for 12 years, said his plot was now part of everyday life for his family, including daughters Roberta, four, and Nico, two: "Just yesterday our family had a major seed planting day. It is very useful at other times of the year when there is not much outdoor activity, like on a winter's day, to get them to wrap up well and go to the allotment for half an hour. It gets them out in the fresh air."
The 1908 legislation applies to England and Wales. In Scotland there is no such obligation, although the demand for land is not as great. The law does not apply in London because competition for space is so high.
Inviting responses from the public, the Department for Communities and Local Government says: "To date we have identified 1,294 statutory duties that central government currently places on local authorities, the majority of which arise from primary legislation – and we are aware that at this stage it is not a complete list.
"We are inviting you to comment on the duties and to challenge government on those which you feel are burdensome or no longer needed."
The TV gardener Alan Titchmarsh said: "In an age of technology when more and more we're disconnected from the earth, it's so important to have a space to grow your own food, to know its history, know it's healthy; in that sense growing your own is the sharp end of environmentalism. It would be very sad if the Government did anything to take away people's ability to do that. I hope it doesn't happen."
Additional reporting by Charlie Cooper and Indigo Axford
Government response
A Department for Communities and Local Government spokesman said: "The Government is reviewing old and unnecessary duties imposed on councils in order to free them up from Whitehall red tape and as part of this we have published the list of duties, including on allotments. However, we will not remove statutory protections for allotments or vital frontline services."
Growing backlash
"It is quiet unbelievable that anybody can be so far removed from reality to even contemplate something that might reduce their number."
Pippa Greenwood, Radio 4 gardening expert
"I've been on the allotment waiting list in Wandsworth for three or four years. So any legislation making it harder to find that space is definitely a bad idea."
Tom Aikens, Chef and restaurateur
"It would be very sad if the Government did anything to take away people's ability to grown your own food."
Alan Titchmarsh, Television gardener
"Getting rid of allotments makes no sense in this economic climate. It doesn't seem very well thought through. To me, it's as bad as losing a library."
Antony Worrall Thompson, Chef and restaurateur
"At a time when the country has other things to complain about, the Government goes after allotments at its peril."
Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, River Cottage chef
"They are not an expensive cost to councils, as all councils normally have to provide is the land. It is very cost effective for councils."
Dave Morris, National Society of Allotment and Leisure Gardeners
"I'm hoping we can use our legislative process to counteract any possible changes. If I am re-elected on Thursday, I will be looking into putting something in place to protect allotment-holders in my area."
Leanne Wood, Member of the Welsh Assembly for South Wales Central (Plaid Cymru)
"They are the last common right to land we possess. For that to be snatched away would be the final rupturing of any sense of obligation to compensate those whose land has been removed."
George Monbiot, environmental campaigner
Case studies...
Derek Bolton, 68, retired environmentalist with a plot on Richmond Street Allotments, Stoke-on-Trent, for 25 years
My wife and I have three allotments between us. We have been doing it for 25 years. Ten years ago, we couldn't give away the plots, but now most allotments have waiting lists, some up to 14 months. If we lost our plot we would be devastated. It's my and my wife's life. All the investment, not just the money but the time – that is important to us.
It is about the community around the allotment site. From families to retired people, we all work together. The average age of plot-holders as dropped more than 20 years and is now 45. Thirty-seven per cent of our plots are managed by females; that is the biggest change and it brings back life into the allotments.
We are currently planning an open day on our site because we can trace the history of gardening on our site back 150 years. People can come and meet us. There are going to be some tasting sessions with jams and chutneys. We have also produced two allotment recipe books using produce from our site.
Tom Graves, 24, a student teacher with plot at Greenhouse Allotments in Leeds, an eco-village complex
I cannot see the sense in getting rid of allotments. On a local level it gives people an opportunity to meet and get to know one another. At the same time we are doing something that is good for the environment. People do not have to worry about going to the supermarket because they can grow their own food. Everyone who uses the allotments at Greenhouse Leeds is in their twenties. It isn't just a dying hobby; it is something that younger people will be interested in too. I can't think of any reason why their existence in this country should come under threat.
Alan Day, 68, retired accountant. Has worked a plot since 1974 with the Chesterton Allotment Society, Histon Road, Cambridge
When I first went to the allotments we had somewhere in the region of 40 acres, which was over 500 plots. But from the late 1970s there was a threat of housing being built in some of the allotments; many people just moved off the allotments. We had long negotiations with the council over usage of the land, and by the early 1990s we lost 23 acres. Now we are left with 14 acres, about 200 plots. These plots are occupied and we now have a waiting list. If the council tried to take our land away again we would be horrified. We would not sit back and accept it. We would put up a fight.Virtual reality is already making its presence felt in the movie business, but it's about to take root in a big way. The Sundance Film Festival has revealed that nine of the 13 New Frontier art installations at its 2015 event will use virtual reality, most of which are movies taking advantage of a wearable display to tell stories in new ways. Perspective; Chapter I: The Party (above) lets you see trauma of a social encounter from both perspectives, while Kaiju Fury puts you on the ground as giant monsters try to destroy a city. Other projects are more about interactive storytelling than pure immersion. Birdly reproduces the sensations of natural flight, while Project Syria recreates scenes from the war-ravaged country so that you can explore them on your own terms.With the subway and commuter rail system in crisis, Cuomo has yet to name a new chairman to lead the MTA. | AP Photo As problems persist, fixing subways not on Albany's final agenda
ALBANY — Service disruptions on New York City’s subways have escalated from a frequent annoyance to what advocates have deemed a crisis |
tweaking the AI by battling in unranked scrimmages and live-streamed tournaments until the finals. Many teams—like Li's—try to get an edge through hacks handed down from clever coders of yesteryear.
"In the week before the finals we figured out that each team communicated in very specific ways," he said. "We could use this to fingerprint their bots." Inspired by an infamous Battlecode hack, Li's AI could listen in on enemy comms and identify which opponent it was facing, then alter its own strategy to take advantage of the enemy's weakness. If the algorithm identified Morgan as the opponent it should immediately start spawning bots and charge.
But in the first two games of the three game final match, the hack never happened. Morgan dominated the first game. Li's team barely won the second and not by a change in tactic. The hack had thus far failed. As the third game began, Li looked unsure standing on stage, commentating the match with his teammates. "We're really hoping that our code triggers this time" he said. "This is untested code and we're gambling everything on it."
Li wasn't the first or last to attempt to hack the system. The hack that inspired his own was engineered three years earlier when Greg Little exploited an oversight in the specs that let his AI intercept enemy comms, disrupt signaling networks, and overload the other army with senseless messages that made some of them stop moving.
Last year, the most impressive hack saw an AI turn its own army into a zombie horde that stormed the other team. The tactic earned a raucous applause (skip to 1:18:18).
Rather than hack, Battlecode 2016 winners Greg McGlynn and Luchang Jin built a robust algorithm that devastated competitors. As a three-time champion, McGlynn knows how to win.
"In my opinion unique strategy is not what gives you the edge in Battlecode," he told me in an email. "Rather, it's thinking about what your robots should reasonably be doing in every possible situation they might encounter, and then implementing all of those cases."
In many ways McGlynn exemplifies the Battlecode champion both for his priorities and career path. After Battlecode he took a position at an automated trading firm, Hudson River Trading. "My job is basically the professional version of Battlecode," he said.
"A lot of high-frequency traders sponsor Battlecode," Li pointed out. "They feel like it embodies the spirit of high-frequency trading in that you're trying to beat a lot of other AI in an esoteric 'game.' And, of course, to make the most money."
Companies like Facebook, Apple, and Oracle also sponsor the event, gaining access to resume books of top young programmers, both at MIT and abroad. This year's top sponsor, Amplitude Analytics, was founded by Battlecode vets.
"In terms of the actual content, [Battlecode] is nothing like building a website or a product," said Spenser Skates, Amplitude CEO and 2009-2010 Battlecode champion. "But the fact that you have to focus on the most important parts of an open-ended problem and figure out how to do it from there, that's what's so unique to Battlecode, and it's just like you find in the real world."
Like McGlynn, Skates also started off at a trading firm before launching Amplitude. He was featured in this year's Forbes 30 under 30.
Li likewise launched a successful company with a couple Battlecode friends, though he's since teamed up with a different group of Battlecoders to run an indie games studio called Sizig Studios. He says he uses his Battlecode experience constantly, not so much the coding but the spirit of the competition.
Things didn't look good as Li's final game began in 2012. His army stood static. Morgan's began to advance. The code must've failed again, he thought. But, as if riled by an unseen leader, Li's robots suddenly rushed forward.
"If we win this initial engagement we might be ahead enough to…" Li said trailing off. The armies collided. Li's began to pick off Morgan's units like flies and took the lead until the bots all froze again as quickly as they'd charged. "This is a pretty anticlimactic final," Li admitted. But his AI had a sufficient lead to clinch first place when time ran out and the software hiccup made the victory that much more satisfying, both exposing and vindicating that last minute hack.
Of the 1,000-plus teams that registered for this year's Battlecode, just sixteen made it to today's finals. The battles will be livestreamed on Twitch starting at 7pm EST.If the average person is asked to assess their own driving skills, most will give themselves an above average rating. By definition, half of all drivers are below average, but most people lack the self-awareness to realize this due to a cognitive bias known as illusory superiority.
Every year since 2008, the American Automobile Association (AAA) has conducted a survey in which they determine drivers' attitudes and behaviors in regard to traffic safety. They have confirmed what most of us already suspected: You're a terrible, hypocritical driver.
The report summarizes its findings bluntly:
[T]he current traffic safety culture... might be characterized most appropriately as a culture of indifference, in which drivers effectively demonstrate a “Do as I say, not as I do” attitude. For example, substantial numbers of drivers say that it is completely unacceptable to drive 15 mph over the speed limit on freeways, yet admit having done that in the past month.
In keeping with the illusion of superiority, 83% of drivers rate themselves as somewhat more or much more careful than other drivers; roughly 16% saw themselves as average; and merely 0.7% rated themselves as somewhat less careful. (Though we know these people exist, nobody rated themselves as much less careful!)
When asked more specific questions, however, these self-confident drivers admitted to engaging in various kinds of dangerous behaviors at least once in the 30 days prior to the survey. For instance, almost half admitted to driving more than 15 mph over the speed limit on a freeway; nearly one-third texted or sent an e-mail; 17% drove without a seatbelt; more than one-quarter were so tired they could barely keep their eyes open; and 36% blew through a red light. In the past year, more than 1 in 8 admitted to driving when they might have been legally intoxicated, and 5% admitted to smoking pot before driving.
Perhaps it should not come as a surprise that, at least once in their lives, about 19% of drivers have been involved in a crash that put somebody in the hospital. We should be grateful it isn't much higher. Self-driving cars can't come soon enough.
Source: American Automobile Association. "2016 Traffic Safety Culture Index." Published: Feb 2017.Kentucky can call upon eight healthy McDonald's All-Americans, plus Willie Cauley-Stein on a roster deep enough with talent to move Coach John Calipari to talk of tanks rolling over a hill. But it seems there's yet one more "player," until Friday unknown to the Big Blue Nation, at UK's disposal.
UK basketball, meet "Karlito."
As Karl-Anthony Towns explained Friday, "Karlito" is an imaginary person who sits on his shoulder and serves as a sounding board.
"I don't know if it's self-talk (or) inner dialogue," Towns said. "I don't know. But I know one thing. I (will) be talking to myself. I don't know why. I'll be having some good conversations with myself.
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"If I could really put that in a book, it'd be a best seller."
A reference to Karlito at Friday's day-before-the-game news conference led Calipari to quip, "So you interviewed Karl today or did you interview 'Karlito?'"
Before the mind drifted to "Tony," the little boy's imaginary friend in the movie The Shining, Calipari explained the role "Karlito" plays.
"He's just a good kid, he doesn't want to talk back to you," the UK coach said of Towns. "So he turns his head to the side and talks to that little man on his shoulder.
"And after he started doing it, I said, 'Who are you talking to?!'"
An assistant coach (Calipari could not remember which) answered, "He's talking to 'Karlito.'"
Calipari seemed to attribute "Karlito" to a youthful over-reaction to the ups and downs of college basketball, especially for a freshman adjusting to a new level of play.
"They're 18, 19," he said. "They play an awful game, and they're photo-bombing. They're young kids. They don't know better. That's fine."
At Tennessee on Tuesday, Towns picked up two fouls inside the first minute and never got untracked. He scored three points (his low against a Southeastern Conference team).
Towns made "Karlito" seem like an alter ego and target of Calipari's wrath.
"That's what Cal always gets on me about," he said. "So if you hear him say Karlito, he's not talking to me. He's talking to my shoulder."
The thought of Towns and "Karlito" double-teaming an opposing big man in the low post came to mind. Or Towns and "Karlito" playing a two-man game. Perhaps, Towns and "Karlito" can each post double-doubles when Kentucky plays visiting Auburn on Saturday night in Rupp Arena.
Tyler Ulis said other UK players are aware of and puzzled by Karlito (loosely translated as Little Karl, in Spanish).
"He does this thing like where he looks down like he's talking to somebody, and you never know who he's talking to," Ulis said. "When he does something good, he looks down and it's like he's talking to himself. Coach Cal calls it 'Karlito.'"
When asked if he could confirm that "Karlito" is a little guy on Towns' shoulder, Ulis responded with a qualified, "We're thinking."
"Karlito" came as a surprise to the UK player's father, also named Karl Towns.
"This is news to me," he said Friday. "I was laughing so hard. It's definitely funny."
The elder Towns sounded eager to speak with his son.
"I'm waiting for Karl to call, so I can say, 'Karl, tell me who is this 'Karlito' guy?' Because I don't know."
Towns' father had one other question he said he wanted to ask:
"Karl, do you have a brother we don't know about?"
In a telephone conversation filled with two-way laughter, the elder Towns said he had one more reason to intensely watch Kentucky games.
"Now, I have to watch the game to see if I can see it," he said.Labour's Leader in the European Parliament, Glenis Willmott MEP, warned the prime minister not to touch workers' rights in his EU renegotiations, in a speech to the 2015 Labour Party Conference today:
"Conference, it’s hard to believe it’s less than five months since the general election.
"I can’t remember an experience in all my years in politics that left me more devastated, than when the results rolled in on that dreadful night.
"I was devastated for all our activists and Labour party staff who worked so hard, knocking on doors, through wind, rain and shine.
"I was devastated for my good friend Ed Miliband, who I was proud to have worked with as leader of our party.
"And I was devastated for those people up and down the country who now face five years of an uncaring and vindictive Tory government.
"If they needed a Labour victory at the beginning of May they certainly need a strong Labour party today.
"We all have a responsibility, a responsibility to hold this government to account, and to fight for the young people of Britain who face an uncertain employment future.
"A responsibility to represent those families forced to rely on hand-outs from food-banks, whilst welfare for the poorest, continues to be cut and stigmatised.
"And a responsibility to protect working rights under threat from a government eager to strip back our hard won gains of the past decades.
"Conference, there’s another reason why we must all pull together under our new leader Jeremy Corbyn. This country is now facing the biggest political decision of a generation.
"And let me be clear. The biggest threat currently facing our country is the possibility of a vote to leave the EU. The decisions we make now will determine whether or not our children face a future of solidarity, fairness and prosperity or one of deep uncertainty and cold isolation.
"I've no doubt that this party must play a part in convincing the British people that we must remain in the European Union. And that risking a future on the fringes... would be a backward step from which Britain may never recover.
"I've heard some within our movement say the left should now campaign for Britain to quit the EU! That we should be fighting the EU elite, really?
"Conference there is an elite that threatens the wellbeing of British working people.
"But it lies much closer to home. The elite is alive and well, and living in Downing Street.
"Just, imagine the scene a day after the referendum if Britain votes to leave.
"Try and look past, the image of Nigel Farage’s smug face across every news bulletin up and down the country. Pint in one hand, waving the vees with the other!
"Yes, he will have been crowned the undisputed winner of the referendum. But the biggest winners will be all those Tories, who for years have been determined to turn this country into a neo-liberal, tax-free, wonderland. Just look at how this government has launched an all-out assault on trade unions over the past few weeks.
"Think what it would be like if we didn’t have the protections that the EU provides.
"Imagine what they could get away with. Imagine what a trade deal between the UK and the US would look like if it were negotiated by David Cameron alone?
"There would be none of the protections on public services and the environment that Labour MEPs are currently fighting hard to secure.
"Yes, Europe needs to change but that change can only come from within.
"No one can tell me that Britain will be a more progressive society if we leave.
"Would being outside the EU give us more rights at work? More freedom? More equality?
"Of course it wouldn’t!
"We are an internationalist party. We should be at the centre of European politics building a progressive Union. One that continues to set global standards, promotes human rights and values solidarity.
"Solidarity with the poorest including those Refugees forced to flee their homes to escape bloodshed and violence.
"And there is something else I want the Prime Minister to hear. I am warning you Mr Cameron, do not use, this re-negotiation to indulge the political fantasies of your Eurosceptic backbenchers. You are negotiating a deal for the entire country.
"For the nurse coming off the back of another gruelling 12 hour shift, for the unpaid intern working all hours and barely covering travel expenses, for the new mum struggling to juggle the demands, of caring for a family but knowing she can no longer afford time off work.
"These are the people you are negotiating for. Not Bill Cash, not the CBI.
"So, stop playing games. Stop the posturing.
"The message from this hall is clear, keep your hands off workers' rights!
"Conference, our voice in this referendum must be clear, disciplined and positive.
"Let’s not allow the likes of UKIP to dominate the debate by spreading fear.
"They only seek to blame and divide. It’s the only way they know.
"Business will make its case as to why we should remain and it is a case worth hearing.
"Around three and a half million jobs.
"British families £3,000 better off a year.
"£350 billion a year invested in Britain by European companies.
"Arguments that are crucial for working people, but we also need emotion in our argument if we're to win hearts as well as minds.
"We belong in Europe not purely out of economic convenience but because we hold and share the same beliefs.
"A belief in equality. It's the EU that guarantees our working rights, and the EU that continues to bring equality legislation to this country.
"A belief in a fairer and sustainable economy. It’s the EU that delivered a cap on bankers' bonuses and is leading the fight against climate change.
"And a belief in solidarity. The huge financial investment the EU made, and continues to make, in this country.
"Many of our great towns and cities were on their knees after years of Tory neglect and EU funding proved to be a vital lifeline.
"This referendum will be about two contrasting visions of our future.
"Those who want out, want a Britain without a Britain without employment rights, without equality, without public services.
"This battle isn't about treaties, opt-outs or institutions.
"It’s a battle for Britain's future as an outward looking, progressive country.
"Conference, it's up to us the Labour Party.
"A party of fairness, equality and solidarity. Let's make sure for the working people of Britain this is a battle we win."A $1 million winning Powerball ticket purchased in Dallas hasn’t been cashed in yet and expires at the end of the day Thursday.
Lottery officials said the ticket was sold for the Dec. 10, 2016 drawing and purchased at Dollar & Dollars in the 3400 block of Webb Chapel Ext. in northwest Dallas.
The ticket matched five of the six numbers drawn. The winning numbers were: 12-21-32-44-66, Powerball 15.
"We encourage Powerball players to take another look at their ticket, check the numbers again and if your numbers match, sign the back of the ticket and contact us," said Gary Grief, executive director of the Texas Lottery in a statement.
Winning ticket holders have 180 days to claim their prize. That time frame for this ticket ends on June 8. The only way that can be extended is for certain military personnel deemed eligible by lottery officials.
If no one claims the $1 million, it will go back to the State of Texas for use in programs funded by lottery sales.Two recently-published reports have analysed the option of replacing full membership of the EU with a trading arrangement modelled on Norway’s and have arrived at different conclusions.
Firstly, James Knightley of ING has written a paper called “Ready for Brexit?” A recent article in The Independent summarises the main conclusions, which are quite negtiave.
The report is not intended, so it appears, for general distribution. One of our members, Dave Phipps, has managed to obtain a copy and we are thankful; for him for his detailed analysis. Dave claims that the research is very poor. The article in The Independent points out how much red tape Switzerland has to suffer in its trade with the EU. Dave highlights a different area – the inaccuracies regarding taking the Norwegian option.
For instance, Page 5 of Knightley’s report says:
A second option is joining the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) along with Norway, Switzerland, Iceland and Liechtenstein, and sign up to the European Economic Area (EEA), which would allow the UK to participate in the single market with zero tariffs. At the same time it would free itself from obligations related to the Common Agriculture Policy and the Common Fisheries Policy.
However, the UK would still have to make a financial contribution to the EU and adopt all EU legislation relating to the single market without having a say on these laws. Being a member of the EEA would also mean that workers from other EU member states would continue to be able to live and work in the UK. Consequently, we doubt that the UK would sign up to the EEA either.
to which Dave replies:-
Had Knightley done his homework, had he the faintest idea on that which he pontificates, he would know that Norway sits on over 200 committees within the EFTA/EEA; that under the terms stipulated in the EEA agreements the European Union is mandated to consult with EFTA/EEA members; that Norway has a seat of its own on United Nation’s bodies that set standards, said standards which are then handed down to governments and trade blocs (of which the EU is one) for implementation: that as of 2013 there were over 400 matters of EU law that Norway had not implemented; and that as a last resort Norway, as a member of the EEA has the final resort of a veto over the implementation of EU law.
What is missed is that if one discounts the above facts about membership of committees, coupled with the fact that EFTA members are mandated to be consulted; the fact remains that by sitting on the bodies which set standards, EFTA members do have a voice – and it beggars belief that this ‘meme’ about Norway is allowed to prevail; it beggars belief that those who present what are, in the event, misleading ‘research papers’ are allowed to continue without being questioned; and it beggars belief that the media continue to reproduce such examples of being economical with the actualité with themselves guilty of not doing their own research prior to printing it.
Dave refutes Knightley’s claims that it “makes little sense from an economic standpoint, and not much more politically.” Without having seen the report, one can but speculate, but the rejection of the EEA alternative may well be based on the conclusions of David Cameron’s favourite think tank, Open Europe. In the report “Trading Places”, Open Europe takes a similar line about the EEA:-
However, while guaranteeing access to the single market in services and goods, outside the customs union, access for goods would be subject to complex rules of origin and Britain would still be subject to EU regulations on employment and financial services but with no formal ability to shape them.
The popular myth about “The Norway Option” which both Knightley and Open Europe are helping to promote, is best summed up in the phrase “Government by Fax” As a new report, The Norwegian Way written by Jonathan Lindsell from the Civitas think tank reminds us, this phrase was popularised by Jens Stoltenberg, Norway’s Prime Minister from 2005 to 2013, although he actually called it “fax diplomacy.” What is not often mentioned is that Stoltenberg’s Labour party is still keen to join the EU. You can understand why there is no need for a separate Raving Loony party in Norway when one of the main political parties supports such a daft policy – and moreover, mis-represents the true picture of Norway’s favourable position.
Lindsell’s report runs to over 100 pages and, while it follows the usual Civitas line of neutrality on the withdrawal issue, it presents a far more balanced and positive view of Norway’s relationship with the EU than Knightley. “The Norwegian model should not be written off”, he concludes.
The advantages of Norway’s relationship with the EU compared with full-blown membership will be well-known to many regular readers of this website. Lindsell sets them out in some detail and shows that such assertions as that made by David Cameron that “Norway has no influence in setting trade rules” is simply false.
Just to reiterate a few points in Norway’s favour:- :
• Norway has a strong track record of influencing EU legislation and is involved in EEA-relevant legislation from the early drafting stages to the final outcome.
• As a member of the EEA, Norway is better able to fight its case for exemptions to EU legislation that apply to it than the UK does as a member of the EU.
• Norway is theoretically allowed to suspend the free movement of labour in emergencies. (It has not so far done so, but Liechtenstein, another EEA member, has imposed restrictions on free movement)
• Many flagship Norwegian seafood products have preferential or tariff-free access to EU markets, even though Norway is not subject to the Common Fisheries Policy
• Norway pays a lot less into the EU budget than the UK
• Outside the EU, Norway has negotiated Free Trade agreements with countries which the EU has not succeeded in so doing – China, for example.
• Norway sends its own representatives to organisations like the WTO, whereas we have to be represented by EU officials.
Lindsell says that “Norway has a half-in, half-out relationship that gives it free trade with Europe but keeps it out of the EU‘s political institutions.” This is perhaps a bit simplistic. It is only “in” inasmuch as for trade purposes, membership of the EEA suits its interests. Norway is free at any time, if the voters so desire, to replace EEA membership with something looser. However, it does not help that some Norwegian politicians are keen for some strange reason to emphasise the closeness of their country to the EU. For instance, Rune Bjåstad, Minister Counsellor for Culture and Communication at the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Paris, said “Economically, Norway is already part of the EU Internal Market…..In fact, we are strongly integrated in the European Union, even if we are not members.”
Of course, Norway’s relationship with the EU is not an ideal model for the UK in the long-term. The point about Norway’s relationship is that it is a readily available off-the-peg alternative which, contract to the opinions of Knightley and Open Europe, is a great improvement on EU membership. It is ridiculous for David Cameron to dismiss the Norwegian model so glibly. It is a far better immediate option than any sort of renegotiation he might manage to agree and one which, if explained to the electorate, would greatly enhance the chance of an “out” vote in any future referendum. Given that within the EU, we face increased marginalisation as the Eurozone integrates (unless it implodes), it is a very logical alternative to consider.
There is some debate as to whether, as Lindsell maintains, the EEA was only designed as a stopgap – “a ‘halfway house’ for states expected to join the EU imminently”, but it has worked well for Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein and would work well for the UK, ensuring our trading links wold continue seamlessly and no jobs would be lost (apart from those of UK officials working in the EU institutions) However, for many supporters of withdrawal, it would definitely be only a stepping stone. Those whose opposition to EU is driven by a desire drastically to restrict immigration would definitely be seeking for a looser relationship eventually and we in CIB would not regard our work as being complete until the relationship between the EU and the UK is no more than a free trade relationship on similar lines to those between the EU and, for instance, Mexico and South Korea. However, Mexico and South Korea will never have to go through the process of unscrambling themselves from 40 years of ruinous EU legislation. As we are not signed up to Schengen and are surrounded by the open seas rather than EU member states, we have no need for such an elaborate relationship with the EU as the Swiss have negotiated. Nonetheless, a bespoke relationship, even a simple Free Trade agreement will take time, so the Norwegian Way looks to be the best option to tide us over in the period immediately following withdrawal.
One particular issue concerning free trade agreements and, indeed, the EEA, is that the “single market” has never been completed in services and that no free trade agreement between the EU and any other country has included services. Given the importance of the financial services sector to the UK, it is vital to understand how withdrawal would affect the City of London, where most such businesses are located. These concluding comments by Professor Tim Congdon, who worked in the City for many years, show that the nature of many of these businesses is such that withdrawal would not affect many of them greatly – and indeed, would actually be a benefit. Tim writes:-
Financial services are of two main kinds:- retail (where the bank/financial institution) deals with the general public and wholesale (where the banks/financial institutions. are dealing between themselves).
Retail (e.g., ISA, unit trusts) etc. is ineradicably national, because so much is determined by tax (pension tax arrangements vary enormously in the EU) and tax systems are national in the EU. The notion of ‘a single market’ in retail financial services and of a ‘passport’ to that single market is just a confusion, and the Europhiles deserve to be trounced if they mention it. (If Barclays wants to attack the French market. it needs to set up a French subsidiary. Being outside the EU would not stop Barclays doing that. American, Japanese, Swiss etc. financial organizations own and operate businesses in the EU.)
Wholesale? Well, this is a cross-border global business which depends, critically, on the absence of exchange controls, and is (I am afraid) heavily motivated by attempts to avoid national systems of tax and regulation. The concept of ‘offshore business’ is crucial here – offshore really means not attached to any national jurisdiction, although contracts usually specify the laws under which disputes are to be settled, with English law, New York state/Delaware state laws being much favoured, so I am told. EU membership would have no bearing on the location of most wholesale business now in London. In fact, EU regulation is pushing a lot of this business elsewhere, e.g., Singapore.
So fisherman and financiers alike ought to benefit from day 1 of withdrawal if we were to take the Norwegian way.
For more information about Norway’s relationship with the EU and its suitability as a template for the UK, we recommend Peter Troy’s The Norway Option DVDAccording to NBC's "Ask Liz" column, MLB says an average of 65 balls are used per game. There are 30 teams playing each other in 162 games each. So there are (15 x 162 = 2,430) games per season, (you have to divide the total number of teams by two, since each game has two teams in it). That equals: (2,430 x 65) baseballs used per season, which totals 157,950 baseballs used during games per regular season.
Update, Dec. 2011:
On p 192 of the paperback edition of his book, "The Baseball: Stunts, Scandals, and Secrets Beneath the Stitches," Zack Hample estimates the answer to this question. Editing out his addition of spring training and post-season games, his answer to the original question would be:
196,800 baseballs.
This is 25% higher than my estimate above, and is based on the number of baseballs each team rubs down with Lena Blackburne Rubbing Mud. Note that it represents the number of balls prepared for use, not used in actual games. I'm guessing that prepping 25% more than needed would be overkill, but assuming his number is right, if we split the difference the number would be about 177,375 baseballs per season.
Finally, he says that MLB uses a TOTAL (including batting practice, etc.) of about 1.26 million baseballs per year. At his estimate of $6.79 per ball, that's $8.56 million per year for baseballs (Rawlings says "Thank you").CANNABIS use doesn’t just change your brain, it can also affect how you walk, an Australian study has claimed.
Research from the University of South Australia, published in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence, found those who smoke cannabis tend to move their shoulders less and elbows more as they walk.
The pilot study also found pot users swing their knees more quickly when walking than non-users.
MEDICAL MARIJUANA: BIG SUPPORT FROM SOUTH AUSTRALIAN VOTERS
“The main take away message is that use of cannabis can result in subtle changes in the way that you move,” Verity Pearson-Dennett, the study’s corresponding author, told PsyPost.
“The changes in walking were small enough that a neurologist specialising in movement disorders was not able to detect changes in all of the cannabis users.
“However, many of the participants in the cannabis group were moderate-to-light cannabis users, therefore heavier cannabis users may have greater impairments.”
media_camera Cannabis use can change how you walk, Australian researchers have found. Picture: AFP/Alfredo Estrella
The researchers compared 22 cannabis users to 22 non-drug using Australians. The cannabis users had consumed the drug more than five times and had no history of illicit stimulant or opioid use.
Illicit drugs work by changing the levels of neurotransmitters in the “pleasure centre”’ of the brain, which are also important in movement, the researchers said, adding that more analysis was needed.
THE GOOD OIL: INSIDE SOUTH AUSTRALIA’S FIRST MEDICINAL MARIJUANA FACILITY
“This was a small pilot study, therefore a number of questions need to be addressed,” Miss Pearson-Dennett said.
“For example, does a greater amount of cannabis use mean a greater level of impairment? Does the strain or THC/CBD content of the cannabis used change the level of impairment observed? In addition, the physiological mechanisms that underpin changes in movement are not well understood.”
JOINT OPERATION SMASHES MASSIVE CANNABIS SMUGGLING RING BASED IN ADELAIDE USING AUSTRALIA POSTThis post is part 3 of a 3-part series about tuning Elasticsearch Indexing. Part 1 can be found here and Part 2 can be found here.
This tutorial series focuses specifically on tuning elasticsearch to achieve maximum indexing throughput and reduce monitoring and management load.
Elasticsearch provides sharding and replication as the recommended way for scaling and increasing availability of an index. A little over allocation is good but a bazillion shards is bad. It is difficult to define what constitutes too many shards, as it depends on their size and how they are being used. A hundred shards that are seldom used may be fine, while two shards experiencing very heavy usage could be too many. Monitor your nodes to ensure that they have enough spare capacity to deal with exceptional conditions.
For this post, we will be using hosted Elasticsearch on Qbox.io. You can sign up or launch your cluster here, or click "Get Started" in the header navigation. If you need help setting up, refer to "Provisioning a Qbox Elasticsearch Cluster."
Scaling out should be done in phases. Build in enough capacity to get to the next phase. Once you get to the next phase, you have time to think about the changes you need to make to reach the phase after that. One can also gain a lot from optimizing the way in which you transfer indexing requests to Elasticsearch like - Do you have to send a separate request for each document? Or can you buffer documents in order to use the bulk API for indexing multiple documents with a single request?
We previously looked at indexing performance metrics and settings like refresh, flushing, segment merging and auto throttling. This tutorial will list a collection of ideas to increase indexing throughput of Elasticsearch with reference to sharding and replication, requests, clients and storage.
Scale Out The Elasticsearch Cluster
Elasticsearch is built to scale. It will run very happily on your machine or in a cluster containing hundreds of nodes, and the experience is almost identical. Growing from a small cluster to a large cluster is almost entirely automatic and painless. Growing from a large cluster to a very large cluster requires a bit more planning and design, but it is still relatively painless.
Tutorial: Auto-Scaling Kubernetes on DigitalOcean with Supergiant
The default settings in Elasticsearch will take you a long way, but to get the most bang for your buck, you need to think about how data flows through your system. It can be time-based data (such as log events or social network streams, where relevance is driven by recency) or user-based data (where a large document collection can be subdivided by user or customer).
The create index API allows to instantiate an index. Elasticsearch provides support for multiple indices, including executing operations across several indices. Each index created can have specific settings associated with it. The number of shards of an index needs to be set on index creation and cannot be changed later. In case you do not know exactly how much data to expect, you may consider over allocating a few shards (but not too many, they are not free!) to have some spare capacity available. The number of replicas, however, can be change later.
curl -XPUT 'localhost:9200/my_index -d '{ "settings" : { "index" : { "number_of_shards" : 3, "number_of_replicas" : 2 } } }'
Index aliases may also provide a way (with limitations) of scaling out an index at a later point in time. The index aliases API allow to alias an index with a name, with all APIs automatically converting the alias name to the actual index name. An alias can also be mapped to more than one index, and when specifying it, the alias will automatically expand to the aliases indices. An alias can also be associated with a filter that will automatically be applied when searching, and routing values. An alias cannot have the same name as an index.
Here is a sample of associating the alias alias1 with index test1:
curl -XPOST 'localhost:9200/_aliases' -d '{ "actions" : [ { "add" : { "index" : "test1", "alias" : "alias1" } } ] }'
And here is removing that same alias:
curl -XPOST 'localhost:9200/_aliases' -d '{ "actions" : [ { "remove" : { "index" : "test1", "alias" : "alias1" } } ] }'
Renaming an alias is a simple remove then add operation within the same API. This operation is atomic, no need to worry about a short period of time where the alias does not point to an index:
curl -XPOST 'localhost:9200/_aliases' -d '{ "actions" : [ { "remove" : { "index" : "test1", "alias" : "alias1" } }, { "add" : { "index" : "test2", "alias" : "alias1" } } ] }'
Replication
Replication is important for two primary reasons:
It provides high availability in case a shard or node fails. For this reason, it is important to note that a replica shard is never allocated on the same node as the original/primary shard that it was copied from.
It allows you to scale out your search volume/throughput since searches can be executed on all replicas in parallel.
Replication is an important feature for being able to cope with failure, but the more replicas you have the longer indexing will take. Thus, for raw indexing throughput it would be best to have no replicas at all. Luckily, in contrast to the number of shards, you may change the number of replicas of an index at any time, which gives us some additional options.
In certain situations, such as populating a new index initially, |
interesting, revealing a mixture of large fauna including rhinoceros, zebra, bovids (Oryx, hartebeest, gazelles, aurochs, and buffalo), carnivores and ostrich. According to Tunisian co-director of the project Nabiha Aouadi, ‘the faunal assemblage represents a sub-Saharan and savannah biotope very different from the one that exists there today’. The team believes that once the landscape was wet and green, which would have made it an ideal habitat for animals and human settlements.
The researchers found evidence of substantial hunting activity in the form of scattered stone projectile points and animal bones with breakages consistent with marrow fracture. According to Professor Nick Barton, the stone tools are ‘classic examples of a (Middle Stone Age) hunting technology with many small stemmed points (Aterian points) for tipping throwing spears.’ One further intriguing discovery is that some of the stone tools are made from a raw material known as Silcrete, which was sourced at a distance of 150 km from the site.
Using sophisticated new dating techniques, Head of Luminescence Dating Laboratory at Oxford University, Dr Jean-Luc Schwenninger, has dated shoreline deposits to between 72,000 to 98,000 years ago, showing when the saline mudflats were once a lake. The Chotts region today is characterised by numerous very large exposures of saline mudflat sediments and small salt lakes. The former extensive lake system was fed by several small rivers emanating from the Atlas Mountains and two much larger river systems that have their sources in the Tassili n-Ajjer and Hoggar Mountains of the central Sahara.
Project co-leader Professor Nick Barton, from the School of Archaeology at the University of Oxford, said: ‘…this is the first well-dated Aterian site in the northern Sahara. It shows that Homo sapiens had populated this area by at least 72,000 years ago, using the lakes as a staging posts in their dispersal across Africa”
The project is sponsored by the Institut Nationale du Patrimoine and supported by the Ministère de la Culture in partnership with the Chambre de Développement du Tourisme Oasien et Saharien. Funding for the work has been provided by grants from Oxford University, Kings College London, National Geographic and the Society for Libyan Studies.
For more information, contact the University of Oxford News Office on 01865 280534 ore email: news.office@admin.ox.ac.ukA lot of folks are fascinated by the mammoth set WWE has been building in Orlando’s Camping World Stadium for WrestleMania 33 this Sunday, April 2. A new article in the host city’s newspaper, the Orlando Sentinel, talks to the man responsible for it all and reveals some amazing statistics about the biggest undertaking in sports entertainment.
WWE’s Senior Vice-President of Event Technical Operations, Duncan Leslie, wouldn’t tell the Sentinel if that really is a functional roller coaster on the stage, but he did break down some numbers:
Between 400 to 500 people contribute to this, whether it’s [information technology] guys, loaders, crane operators, riggers, lighting folks and everything in between. There will be [more than] 100 semi-trucks bringing in gear all week long.
In addition to their core crew, the company hires 200 - 300 stage hands locally. And remember, that team is not only setting up stadium, but also Amway Center for two very different events - Friday’s Hall of Fame Ceremony and Saturday’s NXT TakeOver.
There will be more than 1,000 lighting fixtures in the set at the former Citrus Bowl (production designer Jason Robinson also says the team has planned for sunset and incorporated the natural light into their presentation) and WWE will use more LED video than ever before at ‘Mania 33.
Here’s a new fan video to give you a little taste of what “The Ultimate Thrill Ride” will look like after dark on Sunday:
Camping World Stadium view from Lake Lorna Doone. The set is absolutely incredible. And yes, it's massive. #WrestleMania pic.twitter.com/6E0VVXnjiL — Josh Cage (@JLCage) March 31, 2017
As excited as we may be to see what WWE’ put together, Leslie says his team is excited to show it to us:
I want the fans to say, “Wow.” We all put our heart and soul into this. We really do it to make sure that our fans walk away feeling that they truly experienced something.
Is it Sunday yet?Death Grips Exmilitary
Until now, wiz kid drummer Zach Hill was best known for his brief stint in surf pop band Wavves, a band of such breezy stoner gentility it’s hard to believe it exists on the same planet as Death Grips, his new aggro-rap project.
The group, fronted by MC Ride with backing vocals provided by someone called Mexican Girl (Death Grips is one of those outfits that likes to be mysterious for no good reason), released a mixtape, “Exmilitary,” in April. Except “released” may be the wrong word: “Exmilitary” was lobbed into blogland like a hand grenade.
It’s a fascinating, pugnacious mess — a gnarly, knotted fusion of black metal, punk, hip-hop, random beats, sound effects, scratching noises and howls. It’s what it feels like to be yelled at for 40 minutes while simultaneously being beaten over the head. It’s a pre-Occupy Wall Street mix of Odd Future-type calculated anarchy and old-school Rage Against the Machine-style righteous indignation. It’s loud and terrible and fascinating, and sometimes great.
“Exmilitary” starts off with an extended Charles Manson rant and doesn’t let up. It’s exuberantly, extravagantly mad — at the government, at consumers, at listeners. It’s at heart a rap album with a heavy-metal brain, which is why its political metaphors are couched with plentiful references to violent deaths, witches’ cauldrons and serpents.
There are indications that when Death Grips figures out how to focus its bountiful energies, it’ll be a force to be reckoned with. The amazing “Klink,” an anti-police brutality manifesto wrapped in a Black Flag sample, is a tribute to its betters and a statement of purpose, all at the same time.
Death Grips' mixtape “Exmilitary.” (Courtesy of Third Worlds)
— Allison Stewart
Recommended tracks
“Klink,” “Guillotine”Once upon a time, there lived a ten-year-old. He was fat and hungry. One day, as he plodded through the house, he saw a piece of cake on the kitchen counter. He reached, grabbed, and was about to introduce it to the inside of his face, when an old man burst into the kitchen and yelled, “Stop!” The ten-year-old fat boy stopped. “You shouldn’t eat that,” the old man said, “for if you do your legs will fall off, your hair will turn gray, and you’ll become a mean, bitter little boy, cursed to spread misery wherever you go.”
The boy ignored the man and ate the cake. The man groaned and left.
A few days later the boy’s legs fell off, his hair turned gray, and he grew — rather understandably — very miserable. The old man visited him again. “Drink this,” he said, handing him a glass, “and your legs will grow back, your hair ungray, and your misery cease.” The boy looked into the glass. “No,” he said, “I will not. You do not know what is best for me, old man.”
In 1965, contraception was legalized in the United States. In 1968, to the dismay of the world, the Church reaffirmed its teaching against the use of contraception. She said, in Humane Vitae, that:
Responsible men can become more deeply convinced of the truth of the doctrine laid down by the Church on this issue if they reflect on the consequences of methods and plans for artificial birth control. Let them first consider how easily this course of action could open wide the way for marital infidelity and a general lowering of moral standards. Not much experience is needed to be fully aware of human weakness and to understand that human beings—and especially the young, who are so exposed to temptation—need incentives to keep the moral law, and it is an evil thing to make it easy for them to break that law. Another effect that gives cause for alarm is that a man who grows accustomed to the use of contraceptive methods may forget the reverence due to a woman, and, disregarding her physical and emotional equilibrium, reduce her to being a mere instrument for the satisfaction of his own desires, no longer considering her as his partner whom he should surround with care and affection.
The world ignored the Church, mocked Her, and put their women on contraceptives. Today, we have the highest divorce rate we’ve ever had, more broken families than social programs to take care of their kids, and it is estimated that 30 to 60% of all married individuals (in the United States) will engage in infidelity at some point during their marriage. Women are more devalued than ever, as evidenced by the steady rise of pornography use — what with 72 million visitors to pornographic websites every month, 90% of kids 8-16 having viewed hardcore pornography on the Internet — and the general corporation of the woman’s body for the purpose of selling, well, just about everything. Despite having been liberated from their wombs and thus able to work like men, mate like men, and live like men, women are more miserable than ever. Big surprise.
Given that the Roman Catholic Church straight prophesied what would happen if society accepted the widespread use of contraception, and has been absolutely vindicated by history, surely it is not outside of the boundaries of reason to listen to her now? To consider the cure she offers, namely: Stop Using Contraception and Love Each Other Fully? So consider my challenge. I challenge you to take the time to listen to this entire talk by Janet Smith: Contraception: Why Not?. We scorned the Church for her predictions, we owe it to Her to listen now that those predictions have been realized; now that we bear them every day.
It would be one thing if we were content. If we were content, I’d understand the continued rejection of the Church’s teaching on contraception. We could be happy heathens then, reveling in our culture, joyfully rejecting the Boring Old Buzz-kill Church. But we are miserable. Our relationships suck. Our marriages suck. I mean, for goodness’ sake, if we’re teaching middle-schoolers our perverted and desperate attempts to bring back the excitement of sex, we’re clearly unaware of it having any awesomeness.
By the way, it is such a joy to to be against the culture in this matter. As Chesterton said: “A dead thing can go with the stream, but only a living thing can go against it.”
Till next time.Expectant mothers who eat nuts or nut products like peanut butter daily during pregnancy increase their children's risk of developing asthma by more than 50 percent over women who rarely or never consume nut products during pregnancy, according to new research from the Netherlands.
"We were pretty surprised to see the adverse associations between daily versus rare nut product consumption during pregnancy and symptoms of asthma in children, because we haven't seen this in similar previous studies," said the study's lead author, Saskia M. Willers, M.Sc.
The study appeared in the second issue for July of the American Thoracic Society's American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
While noting that it is "too early to make recommendations of avoidance," Ms. Willers also points out that "it's important for pregnant women to eat healthily, and what is true for many foods is that too much is never good."
Maternal consumption of allergenic foods during pregnancy may increase the risk that the fetuses they carry would become sensitized to certain allergens. Research on the topic, however, has been contradictory and inconclusive
Nearly 4,000 expectant mothers from the Prevention and Incidence of Asthma and Mite Allergy study conducted by the Dutch government completed a dietary questionnaire that asked how often they consumed vegetables, fresh fruit, fish, eggs, milk, milk products, nuts and nut products during the last month. Their children's diets were also assessed at two years of age, and their asthma and allergy symptoms were assessed yearly until eight years of age. By the end of the eight years, the researchers had complete data for 2,832 children and their mothers.
"The only consistent association between the maternal intake of the investigated food groups during pregnancy and childhood asthma symptoms until eight years of age that we found was with nut products," said Ms. Willers. "Daily versus rare consumption of nut products - which we assumed was largely peanut butter - was consistently and positively associated with childhood asthma symptoms, including wheeze, dyspnea, doctor diagnosed asthma and asthma-associated steroid use."
The association remained even after controlling for the child's diet.
Additionally, the authors noted, there was a small effect of daily maternal fruit consumption during pregnancy on reducing the risk of wheeze in children, but other factors such as health-consciousness and consumption of prenatal vitamins may have been contributing factors in ways that were undetectable in this study's design.
"These findings emphasize the critical important of additional investigations into the environmental exposures for both mother and child that underlie the pathogenesis of asthma," says John E. Heffner, M.D., past president of the American Thoracic Society. "It is important, however, to emphasize that such associations do not confirm a causative linkage."
While a strict low-allergen diet is not recommended for most expectant mothers because it risks both maternal and fetal malnutrition, Ms. Willers notes that peanuts may be the exception to that general recommendation. "Peanut is a potent allergen, and peanut allergy is associated with anaphylactic shock and is less likely to be outgrown than other allergies."
"Future studies need to unravel if effects of maternal diet during pregnancy can be attributed to specific nutrients, specific foods or that consumption of certain foods is part of a dietary pattern indicative of a healthier lifestyle in general," concluded Ms. Willers.
This news brief is based on an article published in the American Thoracic Society's peer-reviewed journal, the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
American Thoracic SocietyMexico's Cave of Crystals stunned geologists when it was first discovered in 2000. The underground chamber contains some of the largest natural crystals ever found - some of the selenite structures have grown to more than 10m long. Professor Iain Stewart got a rare glimpse of the subterranean spectacle while filming for the new BBC series How the Earth Made Us. Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. Advertisement We kept on being told how difficult it was going to be to film in the Naica Cave, but nothing really prepares you for the extremes of that cavern. It's about 50C in there, but it's the virtually 100% humidity added on top that makes it a potential killer. That combination means that when you breathe air into your body, the surface of your lungs is actually the coolest surface the air encounters. That means the fluid starts to condense inside your lungs - and that's really not good news. When the cave was first discovered it was just an accident. Miners working in the Naica silver mine broke through the walls of the cavern and were astounded to discover these enormous crystals - the biggest anywhere on Earth. To enter the cave, special gear needs to be worn But when the first people went in to explore, they were almost overcome by the conditions - and there's some pretty hairy video footage of them coming out of the cave on the verge of losing consciousness. So we knew the dangers were real. When you first look at the kit your first thought is: "Is that it?" There's a special cooling suit - which is basically like a suit of chain mail but filled with ice cubes. Then there's a breathing system which feeds cool, dry air into your mask. It's OK to take the mask off for a short while, but do without it for more than about 10 minutes, and it's likely that you're going to start keeling over. I was lucky of course. All I had to do was stand there and talk, but the cameraman and all the others helping set out the lights were having to work in these conditions, wearing these cumbersome suits, and they really struggled. We had a doctor outside the cave to monitor our vital signs, and we were coming out of the cavern with our heart rates up at 180. The biggest danger was falling over; rescuing someone inside would have been very tricky. The cave is at risk of being closed
Despite all the dangers, my overwhelming memory is the sheer beauty of the place. Whenever people around me were faffing around with equipment, I'd just stop and look around at the crystals. It's such a glorious place, it's like being in a modern art exhibit. I kept reminding myself: "You're in the Naica Cave", because there's only a handful of geologists that have ever been in there, and so I was aware of how incredibly privileged I was. Yet remarkably, for the people who own and run the Naica mine, the crystal cave is a side-show, a distraction. They don't make any money out of it and sooner or later, when the economics of the mine change, it will close. We can be sure that there will be discoveries even more spectacular than Naica
Professor Iain Stewart The pumps will be taken out, the mine and the cave will flood, and the crystals will once more be out of our reach. But perhaps we should console ourselves with the thought that there are certainly lots more crystal caves waiting to be discovered. For starters, the geology of the area around the cave suggests that there could be more crystal caves in the area around Naica. But more broadly, the Earth's crust must be riddled with wonders like this. We know more about the outer edges of the Solar System than we do about the first kilometre of the Earth's crust. As we learn more about the crust, we can be sure that there will be discoveries even more spectacular than Naica. I just hope I'm around to see them. How the Earth Made Us: The epic story of how geology, geography and climate have influenced mankind is on Tuesday 19th January on BBC Two at 2100 GMT
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StumbleUpon What are these? E-mail this to a friend Printable versionImage caption Those in favour of the move say savings on IT and HR would be made
West Dunbartonshire Council is to pull out of a project designed to get councils in the west of Scotland to share their services.
The local authority decided against joining a proposed agency to share back-office functions such as IT and human resources.
Supporters had claimed service sharing could eventually save £30m a year.
However, council leader Ronnie McColl said there were better ways to improve value for money for local residents
He said: "I would like to acknowledge the detailed work undertaken across the Clyde Valley Partnership on the four proposed shared services workstreams.
"However as councillors our first priority is always to do what is right for West Dunbartonshire, and regrettably these proposals were not in the best interests of this council or the local area.
"We believe there is far more potential in seeking local, bespoke partnership solutions for service delivery that can protect the quality of service, while providing better value for money for the tax payers of West Dunbartonshire."
West Dunbartonshire is the second of eight Clyde Valley Councils to opt out of the shared services project
The proposal stems from the Clyde Valley Review - an initiative by eight councils in the former Strathclyde Region to work more closely together and share costs to try to protect frontline services.
Which councils? North Lanarkshire
Renfrewshire
East Renfrewshire
Glasgow
Inverclyde
East Dunbartonshire
The proposed back office agency was the first solid set of plans to be announced.
Even before the announcement, another of the eight councils - South Lanarkshire - had decided this particular scheme was not for them.
The other six Clyde Valley councils are set to decide if they want to take part in the back office scheme over the next few weeks.
However, West Dunbartonshire Council's decision has implications for them. Having fewer councils involved will impact on the potential overall savings for them.
Until now, the council had been at the forefront of moves towards closer co-operation between the Clyde Valley authorities.
Some at Glasgow City Council - the biggest authority involved in the proposals - are known to be concerned that if some of the other councils do not make a big enough commitment to sharing services, it would end up losing money every year and would not recoup its investment in helping to set up the joint agency.
Across Scotland, moves towards shared services are taking two forms.
Some councils have been looking at merging parts of their operations - for instance Stirling and Clackmananshire councils now have a joint education and social work department.
Other councils have been looking at closer working with other public agencies such as the NHS within their area.The Conservatives have set a renewed “target” to cut net migration to the tens of thousands by 2020, Theresa May, the Home Secretary, has confirmed.
Her comments to the Commons’ all-party home affairs select committee marked a significant change in tone after the original target, set in 2010, was downgraded to an “ambition” in the run-up to the General Election.
Mrs May told MPs that the Government had maintained “the same target” and suggested it would be easier to meet because they were no longer in coalition with the Liberal Democrats.
The earlier promise to cut met migration – the difference between those immigrating and those emigrating – was blown off course in the final two years of the Coalition by a surge in arrivals from the European Union.
“We have the target of the tens of thousands,” Mrs May said.
“It’s the same target. The aim is to meet it by the end of the five year Parliament.
“It is certainly the case that there are certain measures that we will be able to put into the Immigration Bill we are bringing forward that we would have wished to introduce prior to the election that we weren’t able to because we were in coalition government.”
Figures published in May showed net migration climbed to 318,000 last year, the equivalent of a city the size of Coventry and only slightly short of the peak seen under Labour in 2005.
David Cameron, the Prime Minister, has blamed his former Liberal Democrat colleagues for hindering a crackdown.Michigan governor Rick Snyder [official website] on Thursday signed into law a bill [materials] that allows private adoption agencies to deny placements they object to for religious reasons, including placements with same-sex couples. Snyder said the law reflects existing practices [press release] by the state and that his objective is to get as many children adopted as possible. Michigan Catholic Conference [advocacy website] CEO Paul Long advocated for the bill [press release], saying it would “promote a diverse range of child placement providers.” ACLU of Michigan [advocacy website] deputy director Rana Elmir condemned the bill [press release], saying “Agencies have a legal obligation to ensure the best interests of the child are considered during placement. There is nothing about this shameful legislation that helps vulnerable kids find homes,” and promising to appeal the law.
Same-sex marriage [JURIST backgrounder] and adoption remain controversial issues around the world. In May the Supreme Court of the US Virgin Islands ruled [JURIST report] that second-parent adoptions by same-sex couples are permitted under Virgin Islands law. In April the Florida Senate voted to repeal [JURIST report] the state’s ban on same-sex adoption. In March the Alabama Court of Civil Appeals ruled that the state must recognize the out-of-state adoption of a biological mother’s same-sex partner. Also In March, the Slovenian Parliament [official website] passed legislation [JURIST report] granting same-sex marriage and adoption rights amid public opposition from conservative and religious groups. In February the Constitutional Court of Colombia [official website, in Spanish] upheld [JURIST report] a restriction that same-sex couples cannot adopt children that have no biological relation to either parent.Harry Reid And The Las Vegas Asian Chamber of Commerce
Harry Reid is a bigoted Beltway corruptocrat with an interminable case of diarrhea of the mouth. The feeble-minded coot stuck his foot in that mess of a mouth again last week at the Las Vegas Asian Chamber of Commerce. But as mortifying as the Senate Majority Leader is, there's an even worse spectacle: Asian-American liberals who keep giving top Democrats and their partisan operatives blanket passes.
Reid clumsily offered his assessment of the success and intelligence of business leaders of Asian descent at the gathering. "I don't think you're smarter than anybody else, but you've convinced a lot of us you are," he babbled. You put those uppity Asians in their places, Hater Harry!
During a question-and-answer session, Reid followed up his jibe with a crude "joke" about Chinese surnames that would make Archie Bunker cringe: "One problem that I've had today is keeping my Wongs straight."
Good thing the pale-faced codger didn't let a "ching-chong" slip out, too. You know it was ringing around between his ears. Mocking Asian monikers is a hanging offense if you're a Republican pol or conservative talk-show host. But it's just a meaningless gaffe by "diversity's" best friend when you're Democratic Senate Majority Leader.
That's why Reid's hosts obliged with subdued tittering. National news anchors selectively averted their gazes. The Asian American Journalists Association, so quick to issue sanctimonious guidelines for avoiding ethnic stereotypes, maintained radio silence. And the usual left-wing speech police who read racism into every word uttered by conservatives from "angry" to "Chicago" to "Constitution" to "Obamacare" saw and said nothing.
One bizarre group, Asian Pacific American Advocates, was only offended because they resent public attention paid to successful Asian Americans. They vented that Reid "falsely assumes that our communities continue to perpetuate the model minority stereotype, when we have been actively working to highlight the vast socioeconomic disparities within our communities." These confused people have spent way too much time in Social Justice 101 classes.
Back in Washington, D.C., the usually garrulous Democratic chairwoman of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), Rep. Judy Chu, responded by... not responding at all. CAPAC Executive Director Krystal Ka'ai [Send her mail] did not return my email seeking reaction to the race-mocking Senate Majority Leader, who has now apologized for his "extremely poor taste."
Chu and her ethnic grievance caucus—which pledges to "denounce racial and religious discrimination affecting Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders"—did find time over the past year to:
Here's another glaring omission by the Democrats' whitewashers: Neither CAPAC's press release archive nor its Twitter account has published a word about the ugly liberal racists in Kentucky who've repeatedly attacked former GOP Labor Secretary Elaine Chao.
Last year, left-wing super-PAC Progress Kentucky tweeted multiple China-bashing messages insinuating that Chao, the Taiwanese-American wife of GOP Sen. Mitch McConnell, was part of some conspiratorial plot to move jobs to Asia. The Progress Kentucky xenophobes denied engaging in race-baiting. But the dog whistle—dog trumpet—had been sounded, and the liberal racist hits keep on coming.
Earlier this month, Kathy Groob, a "progressive" supporter of McConnell's Democratic opponent, Alison Grimes, repeatedly insulted Chao on social media as his "Chinese wife." She's "not from KY, she is Asian," fumed Groob. You won't be surprised to learn that Groob had complained copiously about "sexism" and "racism" by the tea party.
When will doormat minorities grow spines and stop protecting the progressives of pallor who denigrate them? Collectivism is a hard, cowardly habit to break.A United Nations investigation has concluded that Taliban and self-proclaimed fighters from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) group jointly killed dozens of people in Afghanistan in an early August attack that may have amounted to a "war crime".
UNAMA, the body's mission in Afghanistan, said late on Sunday that it had "verified allegations" of at least 36 deaths in the predominantly Shia village of Mirzawalang, which lies in the Sayad district of northern Sar-e Pul province.
"These killings, corroborated by multiple credible sources, constitute violations of international humanitarian law and may amount to war crimes," UNAMA said in its report.
It added that more than half of the killings took place on August 5 when civilians tried to flee the village after fighters had captured the area following a battle with a government-backed militia.
READ MORE: Afghan forces recapture site of village'massacre'
Afghan officials claimed that Taliban and ISIL fighters killed more than 50 villagers, including by beheadings, in a rare joint operation between the two armed groups.
The UN investigation said that as many as 27 civilians were killed, including one woman, four teenage boys and 13 men over the age of 60.
At least seven pro-government militia fighters, one local policeman, and an Afghan army soldier were also among the dead, UNAMA's report added.
The organisation was unable to confirm the claims of beheadings.
'They beheaded my brother'
Witnesses have described the horror of events to Al Jazeera, detailing how fighters went from house to house shooting villagers.
"Me, my brother Ghulam and my sister-in-law left our home to escape the horror that was happening in the village," Sakhi, a resident of Mirzawalang, told Al Jazeera on August 15. "When we reached the highway, the militants blocking it asked us to get out of the car and started hitting us."
"They beheaded my brother and the others in the car, who were with us trying to escape.
"I grabbed my sister-in-law's hand and ran as fast as I could. They started firing, but we managed to escape," Sakhi said, describing how he also witnessed women and children being beheaded.
"I can't cope with the horror and pain... we've been through hell."
Another witness, Haji Mahdavi, said fighters shot civilians indiscriminately "like monsters".
READ MORE: Father of robotics team member killed in Herat attack
"There were no questions asked, whether young or old, man or woman, no one was spared. Bullets were firing from all directions. It was a sight of the most gruesome and monstrous act ever," Mahdavi told Al Jazeera on Monday.
UN investigators noted that a commander implicated in the raid had claimed allegiance to ISIL, but concluded they were "not aware of any information supporting his links" to the wider ISIL network.
From clashing to joint attacks
Taliban and ISIL fighters have regularly clashed in Afghanistan over the past two years, but allegiances are occasionally fluid, and security sources say they have teamed up in the past to attack Afghan forces in certain areas.
"It was collective punishment," Sami Yousafzai, an Afghan journalist who has covered the war and Taliban since their emergence, told Al Jazeera. "Both Taliban and the ISIL fighters had one goal, and that was to cause maximum damage to the government forces and buildings in the area, which could be one reason why they conducted a joint attack."
"The important point here is that fighters who now say they are under ISIL were actually Taliban fighters before and have now parted ways and claimed allegiance to ISIL. These fighters personally know each other and have some understanding in between them.
"However, we should all keep in mind that there are fewer than 1,000 ISIL fighters in the country."
The Taliban had earlier confirmed capturing Mirzawalang but said it did so alone. It has also denied allegations it had killed civilians.
Last week, ISIL claimed responsibility for killing 54 Shia Muslims in Sar-e Pul in a statement released by its propaganda outlet, Amaq.
Over the past year, ISIL has carried out a number of deadly attacks on civilians, particularly against the Shia community in Afghanistan.
Earlier in August, ISIL claimed responsibility for a suicide attack which killed more than 33 worshippers at a Shia mosque in the western city of Herat.
With additional reporting by Shereena Qazi: @ShereenaQaziAccording to the Baltic Household Outlook, prepared by SEB and introduced to the public today, 80 percent of Estonians are satisfied with the adoption of the euro, and this year positivity even exceeds the EU average.
The Baltic Household Outlook focused on the public's expectations for the euro pre- and post-adoption and the adoption's effect on the Baltic states.
The analysis showed that Estonian households are much more optimistic in regard to the currency than their Latvian and Lithuanian peers. Eighty percent of the polled Estonian citizens said that the adoption of the euro was a good decision. Although Latvia adopted the euro only at the beginning of the current year and Lithuania will make the switch on January 1, 2015.
The 80-percent rating makes Estonia the most optimistic among the 28 countries in the EU. Currently 18 member states use the currency and Lithuania will be number 19.
Latvians have now warmed up to it as well. Compared to the 39 percent of people who supported the proposed adoption of the euro in 2012, and the 43 percent a year later, its actual introduction has raised the support to the common currency to 68 percent.
SEB also studied the perceived and actual increase in prices related to the introduction of the euro. Video of the press conference can be viewed here.Lacking inspiration for changing up your summer makeup routine? Here are some of my favorite products for beautifully enhancing features and looks for warm weather days!
Waterproof & Seal
It is absolutely necessary to have a couple waterproof makeup items in your summer beauty arsenal, as you never know when it might just come in handy! Make Up For Ever Aqua Seal is a fantastic product to use, if you are worried about your eyeshadow/liner or brows disappearing… it completely locks them in place!
Pink
Pink is effortlessly feminine, and no summer makeup bag is complete without a pretty pink lipstick and blush (so beautiful in the evenings when layered over a soft bronzer)!
Coral
I absolutely adore the fun, bright effect of coral. It looks absolutely fantastic on golden & deep skin tones, and likewise, looks natural and healthy on fair skin tones. And absolutely no makeup girl should go without having at least one Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Pur Couture Vernis À Lèvres Glossy Stain – most amazing lip product… ever!
Gold
Gold has incredible brightening properties, and can make even the tiredest of faces, and dullest of complexions look refreshed and awake, which is why I absolutely adore at least a little hint of gold in my summer looks. Guerlain L’or Radiance Concentrate With Pure Gold Make-up Base is an absolutely incredible primer – the brightening is subtle, but noticeable, and is an ideal first step to a beautiful complexion. Additionally, pop a little gold eyeshadow along your lower lash line, or in the center of your lids for a gorgeous wide-eyed look!
Bronze & Champagne
Champagne and bronze are hands-down my colors of choice for not only summer makeup, but makeup year-round. I love the gorgeous sun-kissed, lit-from-within sort of glow that the right bronzer and illuminator can provide. To me, the ultimate summer look is all about a flawless, sun kissed complexion; something that looks good on every skin tone! Any one of these products will add amazing warmth and glow to your face.
Sultry
What is summer without a little extra va-va-voom during the long, warm nights? Here are some of my favorite eye palettes & products for adding serious drama and allure to any eye color, not to mention incredibly flattering against any skin tone!
Do you own any of these products, or would you like to see a tutorial on how to incorporate them? Leave me a comment below – I love to read your feedback! ♥
Stay beautiful!
XOXOYour Comics Fight Lame Like Disco: Hiroaki Samura and the Realness
Hiroaki Samura’s epic(in the sense of it was coming out when I was in high school) Blade of the Immortal series came to an end this year. And while in summation you’d have to judge it overly long, unfocused, and in some parts almost mindrendingly wasteful of it’s time on the page–you’d also say it did all of this with a style and grace that few if any other books matched. Samura made long and unfocused look better than it had any right to. And you stuck through the parts you hated because you knew when Samura wanted to give it to you, he could damn well give it to you unlike any other spot in comics. He could do things on the page with composition, movement, rhythm, and figure that are simply without comparison.
One of the things that most fascinates me with Blade of the Immortal is his character’s movement. Particularly the character of Makie whenever she has a duel. Makie is the real star of the Blade of the Immortal series. Her story and attitude is the most fascinating and interesting in the entire series–and her duels are drawn with the most creativity and expression of any of the fights in the series–which is saying a lot. Samura imbues her movements with a genuine genius–it is enough that he tells us in the story that she is this otherworldy demon of the sword–but he actually shows it.
Makie’s fights are music. They are a dance. She comes at you in angles. She comes at you in a rush. A rush which is also a stillness. A loudness which is also a softness.
To try and capture some of this rhythm I’ve color coded one of Makie’s fights. The yellow panels are the soft panels. These are the drops in the action where when pulled off right, create a sensation of floating for the reader. The blue panels are the loud panels. And then the red panels are the emcee panels–which are basically like on a mixtape when the DJ cuts in to tell you how: 1. the thing you just heard is impossible in it’s dopeness and 2. Like seriously did you hear that shit?
The emcee panel is a common trope in most manga adventure fights. It is how they really ramp up the drama of the fight, and how they give the fight a narrative perspective within the fight. It allows the reader to know that what they’ve just seen is oh so dope, and completely impossible–so impossible that even |
police for a reason, they are trained, let them do their job.
If you really want to help society, vote, pay your taxes, and volunteer to help your community, and if you must dress up, do like Lenny Robinson, who dresses up like Batman and visits area children s hospitals.
Image credit via Banana1015BY: Follow @choffmann10
Mike Jerrick, a Philadelphia-based television anchor, has been suspended after he used a curse word on air Monday to describe Kellyanne Conway, counselor to President Donald Trump.
"Good Day Philadelphia," a morning show that Jerrick co-hosts, was holding a panel discussion about Trump's inauguration and the crowd size comparison that occurred after White House spokesman Sean Spicer adamantly argued that it was the largest audience to ever witness an inauguration.
During the morning show, a clip was played of Conway appearing Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press," where she said that Spicer was using "alternative facts" to describe the size of Trump's inauguration crowd.
"Alternative facts, is that going to be a new one in fake news?" Jerrick asked after the clip was played. Another guest on the panel defended Conway, saying that she is good at communicating Trump's message to the media.
"She's good at bullshit!" Jerrick interjected. The panel erupted in laughter as Jerrick quickly realized that he had just sworn on live television and apologized right after his statement.
For his outburst, Jerrick will be suspended for a period of time, according to the Daily Mail.
The anchor who began working at the station as far back as 1999 will be off-air for a week as a punishment for his offensive language, rather than his outspoken views. A spokesperson from Fox Television Stations released a statement regarding Jerrick's behavior: "This is not in line with Fox television station guidelines and the matter has been addressed."
Jerrick has worked on and off for the local Philadelphia Fox affiliate since joining the network in 1999.I have tried using essential oils as recognised in Zoopharmacognosy, which I practise.
This approach is called zoopharmacognosy, a term coined by Cornell University biochemistry professor Elroy Rodriguez, Ph.
Zoopharmacognosy and epigenetic behavior of mountain wildlife towards Berberis species.
Zoopharmacognosy studies note that humans are "content dependent" in relation to the natural world (Sullivan & Hagen 2002:398).
Recent studies on the zoopharmacognosy, pharmacology and neurotox-icology of sesquiterpene lactones.
How widespread are these apparent examples of zoopharmacognosy and self-medication?
Then pick up this book on a new field in biology called zoopharmacognosy.
Key words: Ceratotherium simum, Commiphora marlothii, scent marking, sign-posting, tree rubbing, white rhinos, zoopharmacognosy
An eclectic band of biochemists, zoologists and other specialists who conduct such research have even created a field of study that they call zoopharmacognosy.
Zoopharmacognosy describes the use of medicinal plants by animals.
Zoopharmacognosy is the practice of animals self medicating in the wild.Grand Rapids Drive
Los Angeles Defenders G Manny Harris attempts a shot against the Grand Rapids Drive at the DeltaPlex Arena. Harris was a standout at the University of Michigan and was Mr. Basketball in the state of Michigan, Grand Rapids, Mich., Wednesday, November 26, 2014. (Joel Bissell | MLive.com)
(Joel Bissell | MLive.com)
GRAND RAPIDS, MI – Manny Harris finds himself in a bit of a career bind. The former University of Michigan standout is second in the NBA Development League in scoring at 29 points a game, but if he wants a career in the NBA, scouting reports say he needs to be more of a role player. That puts the 6-foot-5 guard in a tough spot. “It puts me in a tough position because I could distribute it more, but then I kind of find myself on a team where they need me to score,” Harris said before his team faced the Grand Rapids Drive. “I just try and do everything to win.” In the first six games with the D-Fenders, Harris has posted three 30-plus point games, including 43 against Rio Grande Valley. That was also the team’s lone win. “I think we have a good team, we just got to get a couple wins under our belts where we click and then I think we’ll be alright.” Harris, 24, played three seasons at Michigan where he was a first-team All-Big Ten Conference selection as a freshman. He left after his junior season and went undrafted. Since 2010, he has seen spot duty in the NBA with the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Los Angeles Lakers, but has spent most of his time playing professional in the Urkaine, Turkey and in the D League with Canton and Los Angeles D-Fenders. He holds single-game scoring records with Canton (46) and the D-Fenders (56). “Whatever it takes for us to win,” he said. “Of course, like everyone, I’m trying to get up (to the NBA) and working hard at it and trying to stay positive.” Harris was also a standout at Redford High School in Detroit, where he won the state's Mr. Basketball award as a senior. He had some family members in the crowd at the DeltaPlex. Harris expected to have a few family members from the Detroit area at the game, especially since they don’t get as many opportunities to see him play. “It’s always nice to be back in Michigan,” he said. “I can get the feel for it right away.”
Pete Wallner covers sports for MLive/Grand Rapids Press. Email him at pwallner@mlive.com or follow him on Twitter, Facebook or Google+.IDEAS Wertheimer is a former education editor of the Boston Globe and the author of Faith Ed: Teaching About Religion In An Age of Intolerance. Globe
Last weekend during a basketball playoff game, roughly 50 to 75 fans of a Catholic high school in Boston chanted: “You Killed Jesus” at the opposing side, a suburban school with many Jewish students. That chant, which grew out of taunts between fans of both Catholic Memorial School, a private all-boys school, and the public Newton North High School, drew national news coverage, condemnation and exclamations of horror and shock from many quarters.
Sadly, though, I was not shocked to hear that teens had used religion to toss barbs. Some people, based on comments on Facebook and newspaper and television stories, link the teens’ behavior to a natural outgrowth of seeing Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and/or his supporters publicly spout racist, anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim rhetoric. I don’t. I think the teens’ behavior stems from something more systemic in our society.
Long before Trump hit the scene, children were hurting each other with anti-Muslim, anti-Semitic, anti-Sikh, and anti-Hindu statements or references. Christian children, such as Jehovah’s Witnesses, haven’t been immune from being picked on because they don’t fit into the so-called norm of the majority in the U.S. Neither have atheists and agnostics.
Catholic Memorial responded quickly by holding student assemblies and pledging to make changes to its curriculum to include education to prevent anti-Semitism. And it banned its student body from attending Monday’s championship game. Newton schools, which has recently dealt with anti-Semitic incidents at a middle school and Newton North, also is dealing with intolerance in its own community and planned to speak with its students about chants they directed at Catholic Memorial for being an all-boys school. Some viewed Newton North’s chants as homophobic. Exchanges between both sides were unacceptable and show why it’s so essential to teach kids to respect any difference.
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The schools’ responses were admirable. But America has a huge problem, especially when it comes to understanding and respecting different faiths.
It’s great to react when there’s a crisis, but better yet, we need to start educating our children in schools at an early age about world religions. When I heard of the basketball chant, I could not help but think of the South Pacific song, “You’ve Got to Be Carefully Taught.” The song refers to the idea that children aren’t born hating those who are different. Someone has to teach them before they are age 6, 7, or 8 to hate whom their relatives hated, the song says. These students made it to adolescence thinking it was somehow OK to spew anti-Semitic vitriol at a basketball game, that it was OK to recite something the Catholic church itself had denounced in 1965.
Whatever education the Catholic Memorial teens receive in the game’s aftermath may make a difference, but it will not erase the harm already done. Jewish families at the game heard the taunts. Hearing “You Killed Jesus,” reminds many Jews of how that same kind of accusation led to pogroms in eastern Europe and has fueled violence toward Jews throughout history.
In public schools, since the late 1990s and early 2000s, most state standards have required teaching about the world’s religions as a part of history or geography in middle and high school. That’s too late. Some private and public schools, such as the roughly 1,200 using the Core Knowledge curriculum founded by researcher E.D. Hirsch Jr., teach about world religions to children as early as first grade. But most schools shy away from such lessons because teachers lack training about religion or educators fear backlash from parents.
But schools, using Core Knowledge’s approach as a model, can incorporate simple lessons about religion with very young children. In the first grade Core Knowledge curriculum, children receive lessons on Judaism, Christianity and Islam. They learn to identify different houses of worship like a church, mosque or synagogue. They cut out and color symbols for each faith, such as a Star of David for Judaism and a cross for Christianity. They learn, too, that Jesus is a Jew, a fact that sometimes helps prevent anti-Semitism. It’s teaching, not preaching.
Even kindergartners can and should learn about different religions. Teachers can wrap information in as part of story time, relying on a growing number of books attempting to show the diversity of our world. A new book, It’s Ramadan, Curious George, comes out May 3 and shows how Curious George is learning about the Muslim holy month of fasting, prayer and charity from a friend. It’s OK to utter the names of Jesus, Moses and Mohammed in front of school children, for education’s sake.
The cost of not teaching children earlier about different faiths has too big a price. As they grow, children carry on ignorance and bias they hear elsewhere. They don’t just shout it out at basketball games. As I heard while interviewing youths around the country for my book, Faith Ed., they ask a fourth-grade Muslim boy if he has a bomb in his locker. They take off the head covering of a 5-year-old Sikh boy. Or, as happened in third-grade, a peer uses a ruler and tries to measure a Jewish girl’s nose.
Contact us at editors@time.com.A little over one year on from Project Eternity’s successful Kickstarter campaign, IncGamers catches up with lead programmer Adam Brennecke to see how work is progressing on the Infinity Engine-inspired RPG. Quest construction, creative challenges and the noble aim to not treat players like babies are all addressed in this Q&A session.
Disclaimer: I am a backer (at the $20.00 USD level) of Project Eternity. Just putting that out there in case it changes anybody’s opinion of this interview.
IncGamers: Hi Adam,??thanks for taking a little time away from Eternity to answer some of our questions about it?! For those who don’t know, tell us who you are.
Adam Brennecke: Sure?!? I’m the lead programmer and executive producer on Project Eternity at Obsidian Entertainment.
IG: It?’?s been just over a year since??Project Eternity secured its Kickstarter funding,??which seems kind of crazy to me because it feels much more recent?.?Are you roughly where you thought you?’?d be at in the development process at this point??
AB: We are further along in development than I thought we were going to be??at this stage.??We have a great team,??and we’ve been cranking for over a year now.??Everyone is being productive??and making??a lot??of content.??The passion and dedication to the project is outstanding.
?
And I’m really happy that the game is fully playable with all??11??classes.??In terms of balance and playability this is huge,??because Tim [Cain] and Josh [Sawyer] have more time to iterate and polish all of the spells and abilities in the game.??There’s still a lot to do,??and we are still pushing ourselves to keep going and to keep momentum heading into next year.
IG: Since you guys are so regular with updates and active in the Obsidian forums,??it?’?s a little tricky for me to be certain what information has already been shared about the game.??So to try to stay ahead of the curve,??I?’?m just going to ask what aspects of??Eternity you?’?ve been working on this very day? (?other than answering these questions?)?
AB: It’s a bit tricky for us too?;?we are trying very hard to not spoil too much content,??but we??always want to show everyone all the good things we’ve been working on.??Currently??we are??focused on The Endless Paths of Od Nua,??the??15??level mega-dungeon.??Let me tell you that??15??levels is an enormous amount of content.??The dungeon is huge.??The team is having fun designing the dungeon??layouts and we are putting special care to make each??level interesting and have??a??unique??feel.?
IG: The most recent update seemed to indicate that the game will be called??Pillars of Eternity when it launches,??although that doesn?’?t seem to have been confirmed yet.??Are you able to confirm it??
AB: I can confirm that we have an official name for Project Eternity.?
IG: That same update also hinted at a major update to come for Thanksgiving.??Can you provide any clues or hints as to what that may entail??
AB: The? “?Big Update?”?will contain access to our backer portal along with a new Project Eternity website.??For people that pledged money you can log in to our system and manage your pledge,??fill out surveys,??and set up your forum backer badge.??We have other exciting??and wacky??things planned for the update,??so keep an eye out for it in the next few weeks.
IG: The outpouring of support? (?and cash?!)?for??Eternity shows that people were crying out for a new,??Infinity Engine-style RPG.??What do you think those??90s RPG titles had that more contemporary RPGs are no longer providing??
AB: I think there are a few differences for me that distinguish an IE game from a modern RPG.??One is the party based tactical combat??-??you don’t see too many games with full party control with??6??party members??today.??Secondly,??IE games left room for the player to contribute to the??experience??-??some which??was necessitated by??technology,??the rest aesthetically.??As an example,??from how quests work,??to the amount of dialogue we have,??to the lore and item descriptions??there’s a lot of reading??in Project Eternity.??This has allowed us to both add more content and also allow players a level of active immersion sometimes lost with modern VO and animation,??which often fills in the blanks for the players.??I enjoy having to use my imagination.?
?Last,??while we want to make the game fun for everyone,??we aren’t going to treat the player like a??baby,??which for some reason has become the standard in recent years.??Our quests require you to think,??the??combat will be challenging,??the choices might be difficult,??and you won’t be hammered over the head with??quest markers.Kurtrell Williams (Photo: Memphis Police)
The 21-year-old man charged with robbing and killing 56-year-old Susan Grissom in Harbor Town last week was arraigned Monday by video monitor in Shelby County General Sessions Court.
Kurtrell Williams remained held without bond on charges of first-degree murder, first-degree murder in perpetration of a robbery, first-degree murder in perpetration of burglary, especially aggravated robbery, and especially aggravated burglary.
Williams told the judge that he has no lawyer.
He is due back in court on Nov. 20.
CLOSE Memphis police sought this man in the fatal shooting of Susan Grissom at her Harbor Town home Tuesday. Kurtrell Williams was subsequently arrested. Memphis police
Police responded to a call Tuesday at 6:47 p.m. at a home in the 900 block of Island Drive and found Grissom dead on her kitchen floor with multiple gunshot wounds.
"The home was burglarized and the victim was also robbed," MPD posted on Facebook. "Officers were able to obtain video that showed the suspect attempting to use the victim’s stolen card."
More: 21-year-old man charged with first-degree murder in killing and robbery of Harbor Town woman
Police said they identified Williams after putting out a news release Friday with a video and photo of the suspect and CrimeStoppers received tips. Officers located him in the 3800 block of Brighton where they took him into custody after he locked the door on investigators and started barricading it with furniture, police said.
Williams has prior contact with the justice system with charges of aggravated assault, burglary of a building, burglary of a motor vehicle, theft and vandalism.
Read or Share this story: http://memne.ws/2ib4KTvGoing negative on 'Mediscare' has overshadowed Labor's 100 positive policies. He found, perhaps unsurprisingly, that most political advertising was ineffective. However, when it came to negative advertisements, people had a particularly rancorous response. "Whilst attack adverts certainly bring up the emotions, they don't convince people to change their vote," Dr Hughes said. "If anything, negative advertising made people angry with the political process. "Afterwards, I asked people what could they remember about the ad and, surprise, surprise, all people could remember about the negative ads was that they hated them. They really hated them. They didn't remember the ads themselves, they just remember hating that type of advertising."
Tony Windsor was the target of a political attack advertisement this week. Credit:James Brickwood Both major parties have doubled down on the scare campaigns as the election campaign finally draws to a close. But while Labor strategists insisted "going negative" on "Mediscare" was "working brilliantly, Dr Hughes believed "negging" had significant flaws. "Negative advertising works on the theory that it makes you fight or flight. For fear to work really well, it's about the credibility of the message and credibility of the source is everything. What I found was indeed this did not work because we don't trust politicians anyway so we don't pay any attention to them." A recent University of Canberra Institute for Governance and Public Analysis survey showed adversarial politics was causing more voters to break away from the major parties, an effect Dr Hughes said was particularly pronounced in his findings.
"People have been quite clear on how they're thinking as a consumer, that they've had enough of this form of advertising," he said. "They want positive messages, so the minor parties and independents seem positive, even though their policies might not be. That's why the minor parties seem like a breath of fresh air." The good news? There is a far cheaper way to win over voters that actually works. "The one thing I do hear people talk about a lot when it comes to election time is how often they say 'I haven't seen person X around forever'," Dr Hughes said. Loading
"People are looking for engagement, direct contact in this day and age. An ad, in a way, is detaching yourself from them. It's like saying, I don't care what you think, this is what I think. "Walking through shopping centres, being seen, being visible is just as powerful as any fantastic ad you create for yourself."Tony Stark will be happy to know that the world premiere of "Iron Man 3" will take place not too far from his own high-tech home/workshop in Malibu.
The first installment of Marvel's Phase Two of superhero films is officially upon us as "Iron Man 3" will be making its global debut on Wednesday, April 24 at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood, California. But you'll be able to watch it live as it happened right here on Yahoo! Movies at movies.yahoo.com/iron-man-3-live.
Attendees will include several stars from the film, including Robert Downey Jr. (Tony Stark/Iron Man), Gwyneth Paltrow (Pepper Potts), Don Cheadle (James Rhodes/War Machine), Sir Ben Kingsley (The Mandarin), Guy Pearce (Aldrich Killian), Rebecca Hall (Maya Hansen), Paul Bettany (voice of Jarvis), Jon Favreau (Happy Hogan), Ty Simpkins (Harley), James Badge Dale (Eric Savin), William Sadler (Sal Kennedy), Dale Dickey (Mrs. Davis) and Stephanie Szostak (Ellen Brandt). Also present will be director/co-writer Shane Black, co-writer Drew Pearce, Marvel mega-producer Kevin Feige (producer) and executive producers Louis D'Esposito, Charles Newirth, Victoria Alonso, Stephen Broussard, Alan Fine and, of course, Stan Lee (who will also no doubt be making some sort of on-screen cameo in the film as well).
The cast and crew will be getting the ultra-red carpet treatment as they're set to be transported to the El Capitan Theatre via Audi's A8L TDI and Q7 TDI vehicles. Audi is a co-title sponsor of the "Iron Man 3" premiere and is featured throughout the "Iron Man" trilogy, with the high-performance R8 serving as Tony Stark's ride of choice in the third installment.
The "Iron Man 3" gang will be joined at the premiere by several Marvel Films alums such as Anthony Hopkins, Chris Evans, Samuel L. Jackson, Tom Hiddleston, Jeremy Renner, Mark Ruffalo, Clark Gregg, Cobie Smulders, Jaimie Alexander, Dominic Cooper, Neal McDonough, Sebastian Stan, Kat Dennings and Hayley Atwell.
Some actors who are new to the Marvel Universe will also be in attendance, including Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje and Zachary Levi (from "Thor: The Dark World"), plus Anthony Mackie and Emily VanCamp (from "Captain America: The Winter Soldier"). Other featured guests include Josh Bowman, Ty Burrell, Zendaya Coleman, Joe Cornish, Peter Facinelli, Roshon Fegan, Miguel Ferrer, Jennifer Grey, Frank Grillo, Max Hernandez, Olivia Holt, Leo Howard, Taran Killam, Laura Marano, Maia Mitchell, Raini Rodriguez, Debby Ryan, Bella Thorne, Bradley Whitford, Calum Worthy and Nick Zano.
You'll be able to catch the exciting "Iron Man 3" pre-show right here as Yahoo! Movies will be streaming the red carpet event, which commences on Wednesday, April 24 at 8:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. PT.
"Iron Man 3" will kick off the summer movie season when it hits theaters on May 3.
Watch Robert Downey Jr. in a film clip from 'Iron Man 3':Marketing Insights
September 4, 2016 By Cheryl Joy
With over 5,04,00,000 search results on Google that take about 0.53 seconds to load up, there’s more than a ‘little’ information out there about Content Marketing.
Content Marketing is not easy. Well, that’s not true. Good content marketing is not easy.
But if you put your shiniest and smartest thinking hats on, you’d realise that it isn’t that tough. Instead of looking at content marketing as an unmovable mountain in the distance, we decided to break it down into a bunch of little things. What’s even better? We realised that EpicBeat could achieve a lot of those little things.
Here are 16 ways to bolster your content marketing strategy with EpicBeat. Get your notepads ready.
Find out what to write about
There are many topics that are popular across channels on a daily basis. But all trending topics might not make sense for your industry. Using EpicBeat is a great way of finding topics that are relevant to your industry.
Using the right search query gets you the most shared content within your industry. Browse through topics, dig into articles that catch your attention and fine tune your search by using the many available filters.
Choose a format that works for your industry
It all begins with the right search query. Once you’ve sorted that out, everything is incremental from that point on. If you’re uncertain about what format to choose for your topic, EpicBeat’s content insights tab is a great place to quell those doubts and finalise on a format.
An additional level of perfection comes from identifying a top content type. This adds direction to the kind of content you should build on your blog or website.
Find top performing content for a theme
One of the first things I do once I’ve decided on a topic is to browse through existing content on it. I used to rely on Google to do this earlier, but over time I’ve realized that a lot of pretty great content gets buried in something as vast as Google. There’s just so much out there! Often, articles with amazing advice never make it beyond the third or fourth page of search results. EpicBeat to the rescue.
Using the many sort and filter options can bring you top performing content most suited to your specific need. You find valuable information that’s indexed a lot better than a generic Google search. It’s kind of like going to a library to get information versus hunting for it in a bunch of places.
Devise your curation strategy
The amount of quality content you need to create to stay relevant in the eyes of your audience is crazy. It can get pretty hectic, especially if you’re running a small business and have limited resources at your disposal. Curation is a great strategy to maintain consistency and quality on your blog. Most content experts believe in the 80-20 rule. I believe that the ratio of curated or created content depends on many factors that are unique to you. What remains is the need to build a logical and useful curation strategy.
Once you’ve found a list of top shared or top performing content for your industry using EpicBeat, pick few content pieces that appeal to you. Find a good way to tie them together and curate them on your site along with your own take on the topic. You’ve just created great, useful content without spending too much time!
Build your social sharing calendar
6000 tweets get posted on Twitter each second. Getting noticed amidst all that noise is not an easy feat. But sharing relevant content on social media is an integral part of your content strategy.
How does EpicBeat help? Consider EpicBeat to be your daily digest of great content for a topic. Our recently launched ‘Saved Search’ feature comes as an added advantage here.
Alerts take it a step further. Once you’ve set up a perfect search query that captures the kind of content you like to share on social, set up an alert for it. This ensures that you get all that great content delivered piping hot, right to your inbox.
Figure out when to post
The content insights tab in EpicBeat is a treasure trove in itself. We’ve often had customers confess that it’s their favorite part about the tool. What makes it remarkable is that it captures a set of insights that you would otherwise have to deduce manually. Popular time to post is a feature that shows you what days suit which content format the best.
Track content performance
Curiosity is a great thing to have in content marketing. Unless you know how your content is performing, and maybe even how your competitor’s content is doing?, you can’t define the direction for your future content strategy.A quick way of doing this is by searching for your domain on EpicBeat. It gives you a glimpse of how your content has performed over the selected time-frame.
We recently launched a tracking tool- EpicTrack that makes this whole process a LOT easier. What’s better is that it even gives you some great analytics to simplify the process. Find out more about EpicTrack, here.
Fine tune your channel specific strategy
“Should I post on all social networks or should I focus on a select few?”
This is a question we’re all a bit too familiar with. The answer however, depends on a number of variables such as available resources, target audience, what you set out to achieve etc. But using EpicBeat can give some direction to your decision. Searching for your topic on EpicBeat shows you which social channels are getting maximum engagement for that topic.
Facebook and Pinterest were the top destinations among the social channels when I searched for content related to “Fitness”. However, a search for “IoT” showed that LinkedIn was the clear winner. Formulating a channel specific strategy requires some level of drilling into the data, but this itself is a great place to start!
Figure out your content tone
Long live, long-form. Neil Patel and a volley of content experts have been heralding the return of long-form content. Did it ever even leave?
Knowing the tone and structure your content should have is another guiding factor for content creation. Text Analysis tucked under EpicBeat’s Content Insights tab is a great place to go to for guidance on what sentiment, tone or word counts work best for a topic. What you’d find there is a neat comparison of number of content pieces created under each category stacked against the engagement received. Don’t just go with the flow, go with what’s actually working.
Identify top websites to go to for inspiration
Who is reigning as the undisputed king of content for your industry? More importantly, what can you learn from them? EpicBeat divides top website performers by content hubs and other domains. That’s only fair because some domains are content destinations in themselves and this distinction helps in drawing a fair line between the two.
This works out well for us because it neatly categorizes both kinds of sites and brings you the top performers from both sections.
Find out what works for your target geography
A range of filters lie in patient anticipation for you to go discover them. A super cool one that’s not so easy to come by but immensely relevant? The option to sort content by country/ countries!
Go forth, find your target audience, choose your relevant countries and be inspired.
Identify authors to reach out to
You can find top authors by browsing through the results of your content search. But if you’re trying to identify a set of authors to reach out to, random browsing just isn’t good enough. What EpicBeat does is that it categorizes top authors for the selected topic and places them in a rich list that shows you the average engagement received by their posts and allows you to access all their content pieces with one quick click.
Build your network
A great online presence starts with a strong community of advocates. Getting you closer to this goal is EpicBeat’s Community feature that serves as a guide on how to build your network, with an additional focus on Twitter. The tabs make it pretty easy to understand- sections like ideal number of followers, what kind of influencer personas to focus on and a whole lot more. What are personas you ask? Your answer is coming right up.
Identify influencers to collaborate with
We’re slowly gliding into influencer marketing territory. No content strategy is complete without an understanding of the influencers in the space. These are the rule makers, the ones with the Midas touch of virality. When they speak, you better listen. The advantage with EpicBeat is that influencers are categorized by channel so you can focus on the influencers that are calling the shots on the channels that matter to you.
Understand influencer behaviour
Tracking influencer activity on social becomes a whole lot easier once you’ve made a list of the influencers you want to target. EpicBeat gives you an additional level of analysis for Twitter by showing you influencer activity on the channel. Twitter influencers are further categorized into personas based on their behaviour on the site. Aspects like how often they tweet, their interaction levels, what they tweet about etc. are captured to categorize them into specific personas.
You can read more about influencer personas here.
Devise a channel specific influencer strategy
EpicBeat’s influencer download feature is great place to start if you’re building out a larger influencer marketing strategy across channels. Pick the channels that you’re interested in and download entire lists of influencers.
Your Twitter influencer downloads even contain their twitter handles, making it easy for you to organize all the information in one place. We’re soon adding this feature for other channels as well so stay tuned for that update!
There’s a lot more you can do with EpicBeat. But if you’re looking for a head start, this is it. We’ll be bringing you many more in-depth case studies on how EpicBeat can rock your marketing strategy, so watch this space for more. Head over to EpicBeat and get started, right away.This is a revision of a previous post I did. In this version there are fewer steps that need to be performed in the policy. The key here is Item Level targeting, it allows you to apply policies to specific targets in your Active Directory. In this case the target would be a specific computer.
Open up your group policy managment console. Via the run command if you’re on the server, gpmc.msc. I run my policy manager from a Win 7 desktop on the domain, for this you need to install and setup the Remote Server Administration Tools, and run them with Domain Admin credentials. Once you have this open navigate down through your forest and domain to the right organizational unit (ou) where your new admin policy will sit. Generally you want to apply this in the computer OU, as the policy will be affecting desktops on your domain.
Right click on the OU and select “Create a GPO in this domain, and Link it here…“. Give the new Group Policy Object a new name and click OK. Now right click the new GPO and select “Edit…“, this will bring up the GPO editor.
Since this policy applies to a specific computer we will select the Computer Configuration, Preferences, Control Panel Settings, and Local Users and Groups. On the right pane of this option right click and select New, Local Group. In the properties of this for Action: select Update. Group name: will be Administrators (built-in), this is the local Administrators group on all PCs. Rename to: renames the Administrators group on the target PC. Description: is just a description you might want to put in here “Administrators for computer X”. Next click Add under the Members: pane. This will bring up the Local Group Member prompt. In the Name: field type in %DomainName%\userid, where the userid is a specific logon ID and in my case tuser or my domain Test User account. %DomainName% is a variable and in this case it is the domain that the GPO resides in. If you want to see all the available variables hit F3 in the Name: field.
Click OK on the Local Group Member prompt.
Now click the Common tab in the New Local Group Properties window. Here is where we target which computer that this policy will be applied to. On the Common tab check off Item-level targeting and click the Targeting… button.
In the target editor on the top left select New Item and Computer Name. the NetBIOS computer name is should appear. In the pane below click the “…” button, here is where you select the computer this policy will apply to. Type in a computer name and click Check Names, it should underline the computer name if found correctly.
Click OK, OK, and OK. Congratulations you have successfully assigned a user to the local administrator group on a single computer on the domain.
You can also rename this to reflect more closely what the Action does. Highlight it and press F2, then rename.
Go ahead, close the Group Policy Management Editor, you’re done.
NOTE: If you want to add a single user on the network as an Administrator on all the network computers your best bet for Item Level targeting is to create a Security Group and make all Domain computers members of this group. One you’ve done that use Item Level targeting and target this said group.Samsung Galaxy Note III release details stack up
It’s once again time to get heavy into the world of conjecture for the Samsung Galaxy Note series, this time for the third iteration of the handheld machine that started the series in the first place. What we’re seeing this week is a heavy-handed drop of a release date – September 4th – as well as a rolling-up of specification rumors from the past several weeks. This device may well be the largest (non-tablet) Note in the family yet, and it’ll likely appear right before IFA 2013.
While sources speaking with China Mobile News have suggested the accelerated production on the Samsung Galaxy Note III, a person “close to the matter” speaking with Android Geeks has pinpointed the event in question to September 4th. As in past years the machine has been dropped inside the Berlin-based technology convention IFA, this push for a pre-event reveal would follow instead the Samsung-only event trend of devices like the Samsung Galaxy S 4.
This release will likely be paired with a larger display than in the past, reaching up towards 6-inches instead of the measely 5.5-inch panel working with the Galaxy Note II. While the current-gen machine has an HD Super AMOLED display at 1280 x 720, it’s been suggested that the Galaxy Note III might work with IPS LCD instead, and the size 5.9-inches has popped up more than once.
Inside we’ll likely see specifications rather similar to that of the Samsung Galaxy S 4, as in past iterations. Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean will almost certainly be onboard with Samsung’s TouchWiz UI over the top, complete with a set of hover-friendly abilities like the Galaxy Note 8.0.
The |
process thousands of transactions per second.
“I would like to see widespread adoption, but not too fast,” said Peterson. “I’m under the mindset that bitcoin isn’t for everyone… I guess, we’ll see.”Please enable Javascript to watch this video
A woman ran into a convenience store covered in blood late Monday night after she was pulled off her bike and stabbed multiple times in Simi Valley.
The attack occurred about 11 p.m. as the victim was riding her bike through an alley in the 1300 block of Erringer Road, the Simi Valley Police Department stated in a news release.
The victim was pulled off her bicycle by another woman who began stabbing her on the back of her neck, upper body and arms, according to the Police Department.
The victim ran into a nearby 7-Eleven covered in so much blood that a store clerk told KTLA he initially thought she had spilled a drink.
Authorities were called to the scene and the victim was taken to a nearby hospital with injuries that were not considered to be life threatening, the Police Department stated.
Police were unable to locate the attacker, but were continuing to collect evidence, the news release stated.
The store clerk said he has handed over surveillance video to the police.
The attacker was described as a woman in her mid 30s.
Anyone with information was asked to call the Police Department at 805-583-6950.Members of the South American trade block Mercosur signed a free trade agreement with the Palestinian Authority at a presidential summit yesterday in Montevideo.
It is the first trade deal between the Palestinian territories and a bloc of nations outside the Arab world, reports MercoPress.
The Mercosur nations — Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay — have all recognized the Palestinian state over the last year.
The Palestinian Authority previously only traded with Argentina, according to the Latin American Integration Association. The new deal gives it access to the world’s fourth-largest economic bloc.
But the agreement could turn out to be mostly symbolic because Israel strictly controls the flow of goods in and out of Gaza and the West Bank, reports Americas Quarterly. For now, Israel has said it will respect the free trade agreement.
Mercosur also has a free trade agreement with Israel in effect.
Follow Stephanie on Twitter: @stephaniegarlowPrepare to be (mildly) spoiled.
Prey, or at least it’s planned 2017 reboot, is one of the most talked about upcoming video game title and rightfully so given the original version’s positive reception among critics and fans. The upcoming reboot, which was originally slated as a sequel, has undergone met with a few speedbumps being tossed around by publishers and developers before landing on the lap of Bethesda and Arkane Studios, who first collaborated with the Dishonored video game series.
The upcoming Prey reboot is said to incorporate some of the gameplay mechanics from Dishonored, only with less stealth, and one of its mainly recognised gameplay features include the ability to being able to change into ordinary objects such as a coffee mug to overcome certain levels.
Bethesda’s 35-minute gameplay preview shows us the first moments of Prey’s gameplay, starting from the pseudo-tutorial, a couple of fumbling around and picking up stuff, fighting mimics, the game’s alien protagonists, navigating your way around a ruptured laboratory, and of course, flushing toilets. While the video doesn’t actually explore much of the in-game universe despite being half an hour long, it does give us a good view as to what we can expect from Bethesda and Arkane’s upcoming title.
Prey will be released for the PS4, Xbox One and PC this coming May 5, 2017.Posted on by Bonald
Social scientists Diego Gambetta and Steffen Hertog have written a book trying to explain the intriguing fact that engineering graduates are strongly overrepresented among Islamic terrorists. In fact, they find it’s not just Islamists; “neo-Nazi”, “white supremacist”, and “neo-Stalinist” movements are also disproportionately filled with engineers. Readers familiar with the standard Frankfurt school slanders of conservatives won’t be surprised by the conclusions in the linked article. Engineering schools and terrorist movements both attract people who are uncomfortable with moral ambiguity, who don’t appreciate other peoples’ perspectives, who uncritically accept the social status quo and existing hierarchies. I really do wonder if social scientists sit back and read their own bullshit, or if cultural Marxism just goes on autopilot. The idea that the trigger-sensitive, microaggression witch-hunters in the humanities and social sciences have some exquisite appreciation for moral ambiguity is pretty funny in itself, but suggesting that Islamist recruits suffer from an uncritical acceptance of the status quo is just preposterous.
In fact, many of the comments in that article make little sense for the ostensible topic of the cause of terrorism, but make much more sense in terms of the actions they seem designed to motivate. Again, if Islamism and terrorism are the issues, why complain that engineers aren’t taught to question authority? What sense does it make to criticize an “ideology of depoliticization”? Wouldn’t such an ideology be great for someone who might otherwise be attracted to Islamism or some other “extremist” movement? Similarly, why worry about a drop in “public mindedness” and “social consciousness” of students during their engineering years? Muslim terrorists are extremely public/socially minded. Why worry about diluted general education requirements? What does that have to do with anything?
Here’s a clue.
Gambetta and Hertog chose proxy measures for these traits among Western European, male college graduates polled by the European Social Survey. The need for closure and embrace of hierarchy, for example, were correlated with survey questions that elicited opinions on social norms, immigrants, income inequality, and the likeliness of a terrorist attack. Disgust was indexed to how likely respondents were to disagree that “gays are free to live as they wish.” Economics graduates often topped the list, the authors found, but engineering students most consistently scored higher across all of the measures. By way of contrast, Gambetta and Hertog also explored which traits and disciplines applied to the opposite end of the political spectrum. Disgust seldom cropped up among those on the political left. And groups like the Baader-Meinhof Gang, in 1970s Germany, and Italy’s Red Brigades included few engineers but attracted plenty of social-science and humanities majors.
(Let me rephrase that bit about disgust measures: social conservatives are better at math. Note also the assumption that no one could have reasons to think sodomy should not be tolerated.) Now I’m starting to see the pattern: what’s worrying about engineering students is their intellectual and political diversity. Because these programs don’t exclusively attract white-hating Leftists (unlike, say, anthropology), and because there is little political indoctrination in engineering programs or in the math and science classes they must take from other departments, ideological uniformity is never achieved. And, in fact, this does explain everything. The Red Brigades gets the humanities and social science majors because it affirms the basic worldview of the global Leftist order into which these students are indoctrinated. It is just more zealous in following accepted beliefs. Engineers, by contrast, are not indoctrinated into Islamism or white supremacy, but because they’re not strongly indoctrinated by their program at all, there’s a lot more scatter in their beliefs, so they end up being overrepresented in all these heretical movements.
There’s also this surprising admission:
Perhaps, then, the reason engineers turn up so frequently among jihadists is not because of their nationality or religion but because of how they think. Would it be going too far to say that? The body of research on the psychology of terrorism remains too thin to draw many broad conclusions, says Jeffrey I. Victoroff, a clinical associate professor of neurology and psychiatry at the University of Southern California’s Keck School of Medicine, who studies terrorism. The need for closure, he says, is an example of systematic thinking, or a preference for conducting analysis without the distraction of emotions. In some cases, systematic thinking is accompanied by traits like self-aggrandizement and low levels of empathy. But that cluster of characteristics isn’t necessarily dangerous, he says. Maybe one person in five has them, he guesses. These people might seek rule-bound jobs, like engineering or computer science. They probably wouldn’t blow themselves up.
Do we see a hint that the problem with engineers is not just intellectual diversity but a tendency for abstract, systematic thinking? Old-school Marxism used to attract these types (as did Catholicism, Calvinism, Islam, and a number of other systematic worldviews), but they don’t thrive as well under Leftist orthodoxy, where staying out of trouble depends less on correctly reasoning from official Leftist beliefs and more on avoiding unwritten social taboos and anticipating when conspicuous displays of compassion or outrage are to be expected, skills which require empathy more than logic.
Of course, Dr. Victoroff is correct and reasonable to point out that a habit of systematic thinking isn’t necessarily dangerous. The whole article is filled with reassuring statements like this. But if systematic thinking isn’t a problem, why are we talking about it at all? The impression we are supposed to take away, although often not explicitly stated, is always clear enough. There are still majors where people can graduate without demonstrating the correct opinions and internalizing elite social taboos, and this is bad because it leads to things like al-Qaeda.
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Filed under: Uncategorized |Sheriff David A. Clarke just lost out on yet another Trump administration job—and he has the president’s chief of staff to thank.
Officials in the West Wing tell The Daily Beast that Clarke had been in consideration for a White House post over the past seven weeks. But on Tuesday, the controversial former Milwaukee County lawman signed on with an outside group instead. He will serve as a spokesman and “senior adviser” for the pro-Trump super PAC America First Action.
Four sources working in and close to the Trump White House said his failure to land a gig in the West Wing or at the Department of Homeland Security, where Clarke unsuccessfully sought a job earlier this year, was in large part the result of opposition from White House chief of staff John Kelly. Kelly led DHS until late July.
Though Clarke had been discussed for a possible White House communications or outreach role, Kelly’s position as chief of staff made the arrangement a “non-starter,” as one senior White House official put it. Earlier this year, while serving as DHS Secretary, Kelly had informed Clarke that an appointment to that department would not happen in part due to scandal surrounding the treatment of inmates in Clarke’s jail, and the ensuing negative media attention. According to two sources familiar with the discussions, this led to Clarke formally “rescinding” his intention to join the Trump administration in mid-June.
Clarke’s continued absence from the Trump administration is a further indication of Kelly’s attempts to limit the impact of fringe elements in the upper echelons of President Trump’s staff. At DHS, Kelly had personally shot down an idea, supported by some officials in the Trump White House, to have immigration ultra-hardliner Kris Kobach as deputy secretary of homeland security. As chief of staff, Kelly had ousted the former comms director Anthony Scaramucci, and curtailed access for close Trump advisers such as Omarosa Manigault.
Clarke was a lightning rod of controversy during his tenure atop the Milwaukee sheriff’s department, where he oversaw abhorrent conditions in the county’s jail that have led to lawsuits against the former sheriff.
As Clarke sought a White House job last month, he was sued by the family of a man who died of dehydration in his jail after being deprived of water for seven days—allegedly with Clarke’s full knowledge and approval. He is also facing a lawsuit from a woman whose unborn baby died while she was in Clarke’s custody allegedly due to negligent medical practices. She was eight months and three weeks pregnant at the time.
Clarke, a Fox News fixture, is also prone to making extreme comments such as his assertion that Black Lives Matter will one day team up with ISIS to destroy the United States.
Those controversies did not dissuade President Trump from endorsing Clarke and his work. In late August, the president promoted Clarke’s new book on his Twitter feed.
Trump routinely praises Clarke in private conversation as a “good man” and very “tough,” according to one Trump confidant, and had personally discussed potential job opportunities with Clarke himself. The former sheriff is also close to others in Trump’s inner circle, including his son, Donald Trump Jr., and the president’s former chief strategist Steve Bannon.
Clarke, who has repeatedly endorsed mob vigilante justice, is part of a group of law enforcement officers that dub themselves the “constitutional sheriffs movement.” That group also includes former Maricopa County, Arizona, sheriff Joe Arpaio, whom Trump pardoned last week after he was convicted of criminal contempt for knowingly violating a judicial order.
Clarke and his political adviser did not respond to requests for comment on this story. Officials spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not cleared to discuss Clarke and internal deliberations.
As late as last week, there were still murmurs that Clarke might land an official post in Trump’s administration. But Kelly’s opposition alone was too much to overcome, and Clarke was relegated to an outside group that has also brought on former Trump aides that failed to land a job in the White House or a federal agency.
America First and its “dark money” non-profit arm also employ former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski and spokeswoman Katrina Pierson. The campaign’s former digital director, Brad Parscale, acts as its chief consultant through his firm, Parscale Strategies.
America First Action has reported just one donation so far this year, according to Federal Election Commission records: a $200,000 contribution from Ronald Weiser, the chairman of the Michigan Republican Party and former vice-chairman of Trump’s 2016 joint fundraising committee.
In August, the super PAC made its first major expenditure on a federal election, putting up to $200,000 behind a get-out-the-vote campaign boosting Alabama Republican Sen. Luther Strange’s reelection effort, which Trump himself has tepidly supported.
For years, Clarke has been a darling of right-wing hardliners and the conservative speaking circuit, and his national profile has only risen along with the ascendancy of Trumpism. In February, Clarke spoke at and charmed the crowds at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference. One of the events that The Daily Beast attended at the conference was a Friday-night party thrown by a super PAC attempting to draft the sheriff to mount a Republican run for Senate in 2018 against Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI). The party was emceed by Duane "Dog" Chapman of Dog the Bounty Hunter reality-TV fame.
A political group seeking to draft Clarke into that Senate race has raised nearly $2 million, according to Federal Election Commission records. But Clarke says he has no plans to challenge Baldwin, and has disavowed the group. “It’s a scam PAC, really,” he told a Milwaukee news station in July.
His disinclination to doing so was on full display at the well-attended, cash-bar CPAC party hosted by the aforementioned draft-Clarke PAC. As the event got underway, The Daily Beast saw multiple organizers scrambling to figure out why Clarke was late to arrive. Eventually, the sheriff showed up and muttered a few words before leaving.
The Daily Beast was later told by two people who had run into him earlier that evening that shortly before his brief speech, Clarke had been spotted down at the hotel bar, in full Sheriff gear, holding court with two tall, attractive women.Hi Kickstarters
IF YOU HAVE MISSED OUR CAMPAIGN PLEASE GO TO WWW.TROVE.CC AND REGISTER TO BE INFORMED AS SOON AS OUR ONLINE SHOP GOES LIVE.
We are excited to introduce you to TROVE. The ultimate Slim & Reversible Wallet and card case.
- 3RD STRETCH GOAL HAS BEEN UNLOCKED! -
TROVE is a completely new format for carrying your everyday cards, cash, tools...photos of your best friend, bottle opener, club card, train tickets, stickers, poems, phone numbers, business cards, flower pressings, ID, trade card, ideas scribbled on paper scraps...basically anything the size of a credit card.
We've thoroughly tested each design in all conditions and given every new iteration a run for it's money. Only now are we ready and happy to put it into production. However, to make TROVE a reality we need your support and backing to help raise the funds needed to purchase the materials to begin production.
It's been over a year in the making and we know you're going to love TROVE.
All rewards include FREE INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING and will be fulfilled before the end of October so you can be sure to have your TROVE in time for the holiday season.
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FEATURES
So, you like TROVE but want to know a little more detail, below are a list of the key features. See our Update #10 to see what TROVE can transform into.
SLIM
You can use your TROVE on its own with a single card or pack it out with 10 cards along with cash and receipts.
YOU CAN FLIP
TROVE is reversible, by flipping it inside-out you can carry cards and cash in the way that suits you best. Either way you get 3 separate compartments.
COLOUR COMBINATIONS
We manufacture every TROVE in the UK at our factory that specialises in small leather goods. This means we can produce an infinite range of colours and designs. So if we beat our target then stay tuned for more special editions and colourways. UPDATE: see further down for more colours.
ORGANISE YOUR WAY
We love slim wallets, but organising your cards, receipts and cash can be a nuisance. TROVE has three slots, so it's super-simple to stay organised however you use it.
Simply carry your Cards and Cash... to carrying your headphones.
MULTIPLE TROVES
Carrying everything you own in one big cumbersome wallet isn't neat or practical.
As TROVE is available in a wide range of colours and designs you can have a TROVE for every occasion, the daily commute, the gym, holidays or just to keep the essentials for a night on the town.
TAP AND GO
TROVE is designed with travel and exploration in mind and works with all RFID and NFC cards. So whether your travelling the underground or paying for a coffee you won't need to remove your card again.
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COLLECTIONS & EDITIONS
Each TROVE we create is inspired by Exploration in the pursuit of Treasure, from Precious Stones to Deep Space. Made in small batches we combine the finest materials with expert craftsmanship.
CORE COLLECTION
Each TROVE in the Core Collection will carry the Core Collection woven label and will be delivered in the standard TROVE packaging. Backers will be able to select colour choices in a survey at the end of the campaign.
If we manage to exceed our funding goal we may add a couple more TROVE designs to the collection. EDIT: We have exceeded our goal so please see below!
STRETCH GOALS
With the support of our backers we have reached and then exceeded our funding goal! As stated above we have decided to add a few more colours to the collection as stretch goals.
1st Stretch Goal Target: £15,000 - we will add the Galaxy TROVE to the Core Collection.
Galaxy TROVE: UNLOCKED
2nd Stretch Goal Target: £17,500 - we will add the Moon TROVE to the Core Collection options.
Moon TROVE: UNLOCKED
3rd Stretch Goal Target: £20,000 - we will add the Noir TROVE to the Core Collection options.
Noir TROVE: UNLOCKED
FACTORY EDITION
To celebrate the official launch of TROVE we have created a our First limited edition which celebrates everyone involved in bringing the TROVE to reality. The factory edition is limited to 500 pieces and includes it's own bespoke label and packaging design. We will be endeavouring to make all Factory Edition TROVEs as a priority for our backers of levels 3,5 and 8.
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OUR STORY
THE FACTORY
We are one of the last remaining small leather goods manufacturers in the UK making belts and small leather goods for some amazing brands, however we have no product that we can truly call our own. Our factory is owned and run by the staff who work on the floor everyday with hundreds of years of combined knowledge and experience.
Every TROVE is made by hand at our factory by highly skilled craftspeople. Following a 24 step process we transform the finest Italian full grain vegetable tanned leather hides and elastic into each of your TROVEs.
All this effort results in a product we are proud of and we know you'll love and use everyday.
As we are using 100% vegetable tanned leather, Please be aware that colours hues may vary slightly from those shown in the photographs.
DESIGN
Making our own product has been a big step for everyone involved as we know the complexity involved in taking a great idea into full production. For this reason we've held our cards close to our chest and spent over a year refining the design and details to ensure that when we are ready to launch the product it is the best it can be.
THE LABEL
Each TROVE has a woven label stitched inside, this is our final seal of approval. Each Collection and Edition gets it's own unique label and artwork.
PACKAGING
The final step in producing a TROVE is the packaging. We are currently refining the design and as soon as we hit our target we will begin production. Like TROVE the packaging is beautifully simple, combining high grade FSC card produced in the UK with the skill of one the leading printers in England. Keep your eyes on the updates to see more details on the designs over the coming weeks.
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REWARDS
Please see the different reward levels below for the different pledge amounts. We will send a survey via Kickstarter to all our backers at the end of the campaign to ask for your colour preferences.
LEVEL 1: £1 or more - Thank You
Pledge £1+ to join our journey and we'll add your name to our website credits as a backer.
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LEVEL 2: £25 - 1x TROVE
LEVEL 4: £50 - 2x TROVE
LEVEL 6: £75 - 3x TROVE
LEVEL 7: £100 - 4x TROVE
Pick any TROVE from the Core Collection. We will ship you your TROVE in October, in plenty of time before the Holiday Season. UPDATE: ALL STRETCH GOALS UNLOCKED!
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LEVEL 3: £30 - 1x Factory Edition TROVE
Get your hands on our Factory Edition. This TROVE is a celebration of everyone at the factory who has worked so hard to get this into production. Signed by all the makers it marks the beginning of our Journey, the Factory Edition will be the first to be produced in the factory!
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LEVEL 5: £60 - 2x Factory Edition TROVEs
If you love the Factory Edition this is your chance to grab two. Gift the second to a friend, use one during the day and one at night or keep it pristine for the future.
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LEVEL 8: £200 - Full TROVE Collection
Get one of every TROVE from our Core Collection including ALL unlocked stretch goal TROVEs PLUS a Special Edition TROVE.
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Level 9: £1000 - Bespoke TROVE
Pièce de résistance - design your own TROVE, selecting everything from the stitch and emboss colour to the colour ways. Alongside this we shall produce a small run of 25 TROVEs that you can gift to friends and family. We will also design and produce a bespoke label and embossing design so you can be sure that your TROVE will always be unique.
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© Copyright 2014 & TROVE is a trademark of Mowbray Leather Goods Ltd. All rights reserved.Chivas USA midfielder Thomas McNamara will undergo surgery to repair a torn right ACL and medial meniscus tear, the club announced Friday, leaving one of the league’s brightest rookie prospects on the shelf for an undisclosed amount of time.
McNamara, 23, suffered the injury during Chivas USA’s 1-1 draw at the Portland Timbers last Saturday (above). The surgery will take place at a date yet to be determined and additional information on the prognosis will be provided at a later time, according to the club, but most ACL recoveries last between 6-12 months depending on the player.
Drafted in the second round of the MLS SuperDraft in January after a standout career at Clemson, McNamara started each of Chivas USA’s first six games of the season and scored a goal in the team’s season-opening win over the Chicago Fire.Screenshots from the Lyft app. / images: Lyft
As you've no doubt heard, the big blob of legislation that wrapped up the new state budget included a provision opening the way for ride hailing companies such as Uber and Lyft to start operating across New York State.
The services will be allowed to start operating 90 days after the governor signs the budget legislation. So, it's probably going to be sometime this July. And then whether the services are offered in a specific market will be in the hands of the individual companies.
The legislation sets out rules for a handful of issues that had been holding up the approval, including insurance requirements and local regulation. Here are a few bits and other stuff...
A few bits about the rules
The provision allowing ride hailing services -- "transportation network companies," as the state refers to them -- to operate in places within the state that are not New York City (where the services already operate) is embedded deep within a much larger piece of budget legislation (Part AAA if you'd like read through it yourself). A few bits:
Receipts and whatnot
+ The companies are required display a picture of the driver and provide info on the make, model, color, and license plate number of the vehicle in the app when a person has ordered a ride.
+ Companies are required to provide an electronic receipt in a "reasonable period of time" that lists origin and destination, total time and distance, itemization of total fare paid, state any applicable fee or surcharge, as well as the name and operating license number of driver.
+ There will be a 4 percent state tax on fares.
+ The legislation says companies shall have a policy prohibiting solicitation or acceptance of cash payments for fares for prearranged trips and that drivers shall not solicit cash payments.
+ Companies are prohibited from discriminating against customers on range of characteristics, including destination, race, and disability.
Drivers
+ Companies are required to do criminal background checks on drivers.
+ Participating drivers are not allowed to accept street hails.
Insurance
+ The amount of required insurance had been a topic of debate within the legislature, and it shook out this way: When the drivers have the app on, but aren't responding to a ride request or carrying a passenger, there's a requirement for at least $75,000 in coverage for death or injury for one person, and at least $150k for more than one person. When drivers are responding to a request or have people in the car, the requirement is at least $1.25 million.
Local control
+ The legislation includes a provision allowing counties -- as well as municipalities with more than 100,000 people -- to opt-out of allowing ride hailing within their borders. That shouldn't be an issue here in the Capital Region -- many local leaders have consistently said they welcome the services. (Also: The Capital Region doesn't have any cities or towns with more than 100,000 people, though there's maybe some chance Albany might make it over the mark in the next Census.)
images: Uber
A few other things
Expectations after all those years
The push to open the way for these sorts of companies to operate here has been years in the making. (It was more than three years that local restaurant owners Matt Baumgartner and Vic Christopher started publicly advocating for the services.) And there's been a lot of hype over that time about how the services will be able to shake up the local taxi scene here.
There's plenty to shake up. The current state of taxi service is, by all accounts, not good. Introducing new competition is a good thing. But it'll be interesting to watch the degree of change, and how much these services do -- or don't -- expand the supply of rides for hire. Companies such as Uber and Lyft -- if they decide to operate here (and there's no reason to think they won't) -- will no doubt draw more people and vehicles into the pool by appealing to people who, say, might do it as a job on the side. Are there enough of those people to significantly change the situation, though?
Is the concept better than the business?
The ability to request a ride from your mobile and then handle the whole transaction virtually is a great idea, especially from the user's perspective. But this sort of business is still relatively young and there are still some real questions about how things are going to work in the longterm. Uber has been burning through tons of cash as it tries to expand market share, subsidizing rides. All the while drivers have started to complain in many markets that they're not being paid enough, and there are serious questions about the employment status of drivers and the employment practices of the companies.
One view has been that Uber and other companies are essentially trying to hold out until self-driving cars are viable, and that will allow them to eventually cut costs -- by cutting out the drivers. But that's not a sure thing, and if it comes to pass, it blunts the employment benefits touted by these companies.
This shouldn't the end of the taxi and transportation discussion
It might be tempting to say, "Hey, we have ride hailing apps now, problem solved." But the push to expand -- and improve -- local transportation options needs to continue. That means CDTA needs to keep moving on its efforts to finally regionalize rules for local taxi service. It means local taxi services need to up their game. And, of course, the region needs to keep rolling along on bus service, bus rapid transit, bike share, and car sharing.
A big reason to keep pushing on all these fronts is to make sure there are good, affordable transportation options for all sorts of people in this area. But it's also about diversifying the portfolio so that if one part fails, there are other services ready to help fill the gap.
Earlier
+ New York State could be closer to allowing Uber and Lyft to operate here. Maybe. Sort of. (2016)
+ A few more thoughts about the push for Uber, Lyft, and similar services upstate (2015)
+ A Lyft for Albany? (2015)
+ "The cab driver was eating an entire plate of take-out food while driving. I'm not kidding." (2015)
+ An attempt to hail Uber for the Albany area (2014)BALTIMORE—It was only his first appearance at Camden Yards, but Aaron Sanchez in his one inning made an indelible first impression on the O’s faithful and on manager Buck Showalter. The hard-throwing 22-year-old right-hander, in the seventh inning of the Jays’ 6-1 loss, hit Jonathan Schoop, then came up and in two batters later to right fielder Steve Pearce, leaving him sprawled in the dirt with nothing to show but a foul ball, drawing a warning from plate umpire Paul Schrieber. Sanchez escaped a bases-loaded jam on an easy groundball to the mound by Nelson Cruz. The Jays’ fine young arms have been front and centre in the series, with Sanchez, Marcus Stroman, Drew Hutchison, Kendall Graveman and Daniel Norris all having an opportunity. Stroman was suspended six games for his apparent wildness, while Sanchez was booed from the field for his. One man that should know, hall of fame pitcher Jim Palmer, likes what he sees in Sanchez.
Baltimore Orioles' Steve Pearce rounds second base after hitting the first of his two home runs on the night in the Orioles' 6-1 win on Wednesday. ( Patrick Semansky / The Associated Press )
As Sanchez grew up in California and developed into a top pitching prospect, he drew comparisons to the O’s legend. Sanchez’s father was a big fan of Palmer and the O’s, so after Sanchez had met him in the dugout on Monday and talked to his pitching hero at length before the game, the first call he made later that night to tell him about his brush with greatness was his father. “He’s been one of my idols since I was little,” Sanchez admitted. “The more I came through baseball, I’ve had comparisons between me and him and it was an honour to sit down and have a conversation and finally meet him for the first time. “It wasn’t anything particularly about baseball. It’s more about, ‘Hey, how’s it going. I heard about you. Just keep doing what you’re doing.’ ”
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Palmer, currently a TV broadcaster on the Orioles’ network, has only seen Sanchez throw in person twice, but came away impressed. He enjoys talking to the kids that pass through Camden Yards. “But what an arm,” Palmer said. “He has a great arm and the thing about making a decision here, like we have with (Kevin) Gausman, is he going to be in the bullpen or not?” The Jays have a clubhouse full of pitchers with starting potential. Palmer knows what that’s like. In 1966 at age 19 he joined Dave McNally, 23, and Wally Bunker, 21, as three young starters that went on to win the World Series over the heavily favoured Dodgers. Palmer believes that the experience of being in the major leagues in September will only help the young callups. “Well you get to pitch, whether it’s Graveman or Norris, whatever,” Palmer said. “But you need to pitch a little bit more than that. I just think they have enough arms where maybe next year, because, you know, with (Mark) Buehrle and (R.A.) Dickey back, that’s 200 innings from each of those guys... There’s two guys. Then (Drew) Hutchison and you’ve got Stroman.” Sanchez, of course, is also in the discussion to be a part of the 2015 rotation. That leaves several others at Triple-A Buffalo as inventory. Sanchez feels that potential for growing together inside the clubhouse that others see on the field.
“Absolutely, I mean just look at the guys we have in there,” Sanchez said. “I know we’ve got a lot of veteran guys that are taking us under their wing and showing us how to go about business the right way and hopefully when their careers are done and it’s us in the rotation we can become the ‘66 O’s, that kind of team. That’s what we’re shooting to do while we’re here and only time will tell.” The Blue Jays’ incumbent starting pitcher that may feel most threatened by the presence of all the good, emerging young arms is Wednesday’s starter, J.A. Happ. The 31-year-old has a club option for 2015 that pays him $6.7 million. It will be a tough decision for GM Alex Anthopoulos.
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Happ (9-11) made two mistakes in six-plus innings, a couple of home run balls to right fielder Steve Pearce, and that was enough for the AL East champion Orioles who rode his four RBIs to victory and a three-game sweep. In Happ’s 11 losses, the Jays have scored just 17 runs. Meanwhile, after taking a foul tip off the facemask, — a blow that deposited him onto the seat of the pants and that he admitted briefly knocked him out — catcher Dioner Navarro was given the night off on Wednesday. “I was just a little fuzzy last night,” he said. “I just think the accumulation of foul tips in the head, it can never be a good thing. I felt that one last night and they decided to give me a day off today. We passed the concussion test, which is a huge plus for us. I’m just laying down low and trying to be ready for tomorrow.” The question then becomes how many tomorrows will it be before the games mean nothing and will Navarro keep heading out there until the mathematical possibility exhausts itself. “We’re still right there man,” Navarro said. “Five games back, anything can happen.”
Read more about:A video screen grab shows a parachute training exercise in which three Humvees detached from their parachutes after being dropped from a passing C-130 and plummeted to the ground in Hohenfels, Germany.
Content warning: Video contains adult language.
GRAFENWOEHR, Germany — A training mission gone awry resulted in the loss of three Army Humvees during a heavy equipment drop mission last week in Hohenfels.
A video circulating on social media shows the vehicles falling out of the back of passing C-130s during a routine training exercise for the U.S. Army’s 173rd Airborne Brigade on April 11. Connected to parachutes, most of the Humvees simply float gently to the ground. But during a second C-130 pass, one of the Humvees disconnects from its chute and is sent hurtling to the ground.
A minute later, a second one breaks free from its chute. Then, a third.
A spokesman for the 173rd said that no one was injured as a result of the mishap and that the cause of the incident is under review. The brigade is wrapping up operations on Saber Junction 16, an exercise that saw hundreds of successful air drops over the course of the past few weeks.
“Everything is planned for safety purposes; everything is done according to Army regulations and policies to ensure the safety of personnel and |
one by Jon Lewis:
Your name included on a mural in the WAYO studio by Thievin Stephen!
A complete set of Cat Clay's mugshot ornaments!
A "thank you" jingle written for you and played regularly throughout 2016!
Framed portraits of Rochester music legends, including:
Cab Calloway by Brittany Williams!
Son House by Carla Bartow!
Chuck Mangione by Mikey Heller
David Bowie's Rochester mugshot by Arthur Bond!In July 2017 the United States agreed to provide Poland with the most capable version of the Patriot anti-missile missile. This follows Poland agreeing to buy a less capable version of Patriot in 2015. At that time the U.S. would not provide Poland with the most effective anti-missile missiles for Patriot in order to appease Russia. Poland is to receive eight batteries of the American Patriot anti-aircraft missile system with the first battery arriving in 2019 and the last one by 2023 and these will be able to use the latest anti-missile capabilities.
Each Patriot battery is manned by about a hundred troops who operate and maintain a radar/fire control system and four launchers. A battery can fire two types of Patriot missile. The more expensive (about $4 million each) PAC 3 missile is smaller than the anti-aircraft version (PAC 2). Thus a Patriot launcher can hold sixteen PAC 3 missiles, versus four PAC 2s. A PAC 2 missile weighs about a ton, a PAC 3 weighs about a third of that. The PAC 3 has a shorter range (about 20 kilometers) versus 160 kilometers for the PAC 2 anti-aircraft version used against low flying UAVs. The latest version of PAC-3 has a range of 35 kilometers. Using its anti-aircraft missiles one Patriot battery can cover more than 200 kilometers of land and coastal borders. Patriot can also take down cruise missiles as well, giving Poland some protection against just about everything the Russians have to throw at them.
The selection process has been going on for nearly a decade, with systems from France, Israel and the United States being the leading contenders. It is believed that Patriot won because it has the most impressive combat record and when the U.S. recently sent Patriot batteries to help defend Poland the visit included letting Polish officers and troops watch the operation of the Patriot up close.by BAR executive editor Glen Ford
The “humanitarian” U.S. military occupation of Africa has been very successful, thus far. “The Chibok abductions have served the same U.S. foreign policy purposes as Joseph Kony sightings in central Africa.” Imagine: the superpower that financed the genocide of six million in Congo, claims to be a defender of teenage girls and human rights on the continent. If you believe that, then you are probably a member of the Congressional Black Caucus.
Kidnapped Girls Become Tools of U.S. Imperial Policy in Africa
by BAR executive editor Glen Ford
“The Boko Haram, like other jihadists, had become more dangerous in a post-Gaddafi Africa – thus justifying a larger military presence for the Americans.”
A chorus of outraged public opinion demands that the “international community” and the Nigerian military “Do something!” about the abduction by Boko Haram of 280 teenage girls. It is difficult to fault the average U.S. consumer of packaged “news” products for knowing next to nothing about what the Nigerian army has actually been “doing” to suppress the Muslim fundamentalist rebels since, as senior columnist Margaret Kimberley pointed out in these pages, last week, the three U.S. broadcast networks carried “not a single television news story about Boko Haram” in all of 2013. (Nor did the misinformation corporations provide a nanosecond of coverage of the bloodshed in the Central African Republic, where thousands died and a million were made homeless by communal fighting over the past year.) But, that doesn’t mean the Nigerian army hasn’t been bombing, strafing, and indiscriminately slaughtering thousands of, mainly, young men in the country’s mostly Muslim north.
The newly aware U.S. public may or may not be screaming for blood, but rivers of blood have already flowed in the region. Those Americans who read – which, presumably, includes First Lady Michelle Obama, who took her husband’s place on radio last weekend to pledge U.S. help in the hunt for the girls – would have learned in the New York Times of the army’s savage offensive near the Niger border, last May and June. In the town of Bosso, the Nigerian army killed hundreds of young men in traditional Muslim garb “Without Asking Who They Are,” according to the NYT headline. “They don’t ask any questions,” said a witness who later fled for his life, like thousands of others. “When they see young men in traditional robes, they shoot them on the spot,” said a student. “They catch many of the others and take them away, and we don’t hear from them again.”
“When they see young men in traditional robes, they shoot them on the spot.”
The Times’ Adam Nossiter interviewed many refugees from the army’s “all-out land and air campaign to crush the Boko Haram insurgency.” He reported:
“All spoke of a climate of terror that had pushed them, in the thousands, to flee for miles through the harsh and baking semidesert, sometimes on foot, to Niger. A few blamed Boko Haram — a shadowy, rarely glimpsed presence for most residents — for the violence. But the overwhelming majority blamed the military, saying they had fled their country because of it.”
In just one village, 200 people were killed by the military.
In March of this year, fighters who were assumed to be from Boko Haram attacked a barracks and jail in the northern city of Maiduguri. Hundreds of prisoners fled, but 200 youths were rounded up and made to lie on the ground. A witness told the Times: “The soldiers made some calls and a few minutes later they started shooting the people on the ground. I counted 198 people killed at that checkpoint.”
All told, according to Amnesty International, more than 600 people were extrajudicially murdered, “most of them unarmed, escaped detainees, around Maiduguri.” An additional 950 prisoners were killed in the first half of 2013 in detention facilities run by Nigeria’s military Joint Task Force, many at the same barracks in Maiduguri. Amnesty International quotes a senior officer in the Nigerian Army, speaking anonymously: “Hundreds have been killed in detention either by shooting them or by suffocation,” he said. “There are times when people are brought out on a daily basis and killed. About five people, on average, are killed nearly on a daily basis.”
Chibok, where the teenage girls were abducted, is 80 miles from Maiduguri, capital of Borno State.
In 2009, when the Boko Haram had not yet been transformed into a fully armed opposition, the military summarily executed their handcuffed leader and killed at least 1,000 accused members in the states of Borno, Yobe, Kano and Bauchi, many of them apparently simply youths from suspect neighborhoods. A gruesome video shows the military at work. “In the video, a number of unarmed men are seen being made to lie down in the road outside a building before they are shot,” Al Jazeera reports in text accompanying the video. “As one man is brought out to face death, one of the officers can be heard urging his colleague to ‘shoot him in the chest not the head – I want his hat.’”
“950 prisoners were killed in the first half of 2013 in detention facilities run by Nigeria’s military.”
These are only snapshots of the army’s response to Boko Haram – atrocities that are part of the context of Boko Haram’s ghastly behavior. The military has refused the group’s offer to exchange the kidnapped girls for imprisoned Boko Haram members. (We should not assume that everyone detained as Boko Haram is actually a member – only that all detainees face imminent and arbitrary execution.)
None of the above is meant to tell Boko Haram’s “side” in this grisly story (fundamentalist religious jihadists find no favor at BAR), but to emphasize the Nigerian military’s culpability in the group’s mad trajectory – the same military that many newly-minted “Save Our Girls” activists demand take more decisive action in Borno.
The bush to which the Boko Haram retreated with their captives was already a free-fire zone, where anything that moves is subject to obliteration by government aircraft. Nigerian air forces have now been joined by U.S. surveillance planes operating out of the new U.S. drone base in neighboring Niger, further entrenching AFRICOM/CIA in the continental landscape. Last week it was announced that, for the first time, AFRICOM troops will train a Nigerian ranger battalion in counterinsurgency warfare.
The Chibok abductions have served the same U.S. foreign policy purposes as Joseph Kony sightings in central Africa, which were conjured-up to justify the permanent stationing of U.S Special Forces in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, Rwanda, the Central African Republic and South Sudan, in 2011, on humanitarian interventionist grounds. (This past March, the U.S. sent 150 more Special Ops troops to the region, claiming to have again spotted Kony, who is said to be deathly ill, holed up with a small band of followers somewhere in the Central African Republic.) The United States (and France and Britain, plus the rest of NATO, if need be) must maintain a deepening and permanent presence in Africa to defend the continent from…Africans.
When the crowd yells that America “Do something!” somewhere in Africa, the U.S. military is likely to already be there.
“AFRICOM troops will train a Nigerian ranger battalion in counterinsurgency warfare.”
Barack Obama certainly needs no encouragement to intervention; his presidency is roughly coterminous with AFRICOM’s founding and explosive expansion. Obama broadened the war against Somalia that was launched by George Bush in partnership with the genocidal Ethiopian regime, in 2006 (an invasion that led directly to what the United Nations called “the worst humanitarian crisis is Africa”). He built on Bill Clinton and George Bush’s legacies in the Congo, where U.S. client states Uganda and Rwanda caused the slaughter of 6 million people since 1996 – the greatest genocide of the post War World II era. He welcomed South Sudan as the world’s newest nation – the culmination of a decades-long project of the U.S., Britain and Israel to dismember Africa’s largest country, but which has now fallen into a bloody chaos, as does everything the U.S. touches, these days.
Most relevant to the plight of Chibok’s young women, Obama led “from behind” NATO’s regime change in Libya, removing the anti-jihadist bulwark Muamar Gaddafi (“We came, we saw, he died,” said Hillary Clinton) and destabilizing the whole Sahelian tier of the continent, all the way down to northern Nigeria. As BAR editor and columnist Ajamu Baraka writes in the current issue, “Boko Haram benefited from the destabilization of various countries across the Sahel following the Libya conflict.” The once-“shadowy” group now sported new weapons and vehicles and was clearly better trained and disciplined. In short, the Boko Haram, like other jihadists, had become more dangerous in a post-Gaddafi Africa – thus justifying a larger military presence for the same Americans and (mainly French) Europeans who had brought these convulsions to the region.
If Obama has his way, it will be a very long war – the better to grow AFRICOM – with some very unsavory allies (from both the Nigerian and American perspectives).
Whatever Obama does to deepen the U.S. presence in Nigeria and the rest of the continent, he can count on the Congressional Black Caucus, including its most “progressive” member, Barbara Lee (D-CA), the only member of the U.S. Congress to vote against the invasion of Afghanistan, in 2001. Lee, along with Reps. Marcia Fudge (D-Ohio), Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) and fellow Californian Karen Bass, who is the ranking member on the House Subcommittee on African, gave cart blanch to Obama to “Do something!” in Nigeria. “And so our first command and demand is to use all resources to bring the terrorist thugs to justice,” they said.
A year and a half ago, when then UN Ambassador Susan Rice’s prospects for promotion to top U.S. diplomat were being torpedoed by the Benghazi controversy, a dozen Black congresspersons scurried to her defense. "We will not allow a brilliant public servant's record to be mugged to cut off her consideration to be secretary of state," said Washington, DC Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton.
As persons who are presumed to read, Black Caucus members were certainly aware of the messy diplomatic scandal around Rice’s role in suppressing United Nation’s reports on U.S. allies’ Rwanda and Uganda’s genocidal acts against the Congolese people. Of all the high profile politicians from both the corporate parties, Rice – the rabid interventionist – is most intimately implicated in the Congo holocaust, dating back to the policy’s formulation under Clinton. Apparently, that’s not the part of Rice’s record that counts to Delegate Norton and the rest of the Black Caucus. Genocide against Africans does not move them one bit.
So, why are we to believe that they are really so concerned about the girls of Chibok?Barack Obama, that prematurely gray elder statesman, is laboring mightily to remain neutral during Hillary Clinton’s battle with Bernie Sanders in Iowa, the state that cemented his political legend and secured his path to the presidency.
But in a candid 40-minute interview for POLITICO’s Off Message podcast as the first flakes of the blizzard fell outside the Oval Office, he couldn’t hide his obvious affection for Clinton or his implicit feeling that she, not Sanders, best understands the unpalatably pragmatic demands of a presidency he likens to the world’s most challenging walk-and-chew-gum exercise.
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“[The] one thing everybody understands is that this job right here, you don’t have the luxury of just focusing on one thing,” a relaxed and reflective Obama told me in his most expansive discussion of the 2016 race to date.
Iowa isn’t just a state on the map for Obama. It’s the birthplace of his hope-and-change phenomenon, “the most satisfying political period in my career,” he says — “what politics should be” — and a bittersweet reminder of how far from the garden he’s gotten after seven bruising years in the White House.
(Subscribe to POLITICO’s Off Message podcast with Glenn Thrush.)
The caucuses have a fierce-urgency-of-now quality as Obama reckons with the end of his presidency — the kickoff of a process of choosing a Democratic successor he hopes can secure his as-yet unsecured legacy, to keep Donald Trump or Ted Cruz or somebody else from undoing much of what he has done. And he was convinced Clinton was that candidate, prior to the emergence of Sanders, friends and associates have told me over the past 18 months.
“Bernie came in with the luxury of being a complete long shot and just letting loose,” he said. “I think Hillary came in with the both privilege — and burden — of being perceived as the front-runner. … You’re always looking at the bright, shiny object that people haven’t seen before — that’s a disadvantage to her.”
Even as he spoke wistfully of his 80-plus cold-pizza and crowded-van days in Iowa eight years ago, Obama seemed to embrace Clinton’s 2008 closing Iowa argument as much as his own, adopting her contention that inspiration without experience won’t cut it. He repeatedly praised Clinton without reservation while offering more tempered praise to the surging Sanders, whom he sees as a principled outsider seeking to change “terms of the debate that were set by Ronald Reagan 30 years ago.”
To some extent, he’s returning Clinton’s favor: The former secretary of state has lavished praise on Obama on the debate stage and in appearances throughout Iowa, where he remains immensely popular among the hardcore progressives who turn out for the labor-intensive caucuses. Her refrain on the trail these days in Waterloo, Ames, Davenport: “I don't think he gets the credit he deserves.”
Obama didn’t utter an unkind word about Sanders, who has been respectfully critical of his administration’s reluctance to prosecute Wall Street executives and his decision to abandon a single-payer health care system as politically impractical. But he was kinder to Clinton. When I asked Obama whether he thought Sanders needed to expand his horizons, if the Vermont senator was too much a one-issue candidate too narrowly focused on income inequality, the president didn’t dispute the assertion.
Gesturing toward the Resolute Desk, with its spread-winged eagle seal, first brought into the Oval Office by John F. Kennedy, Obama said of Sanders: “Well, I don’t want to play political consultant, because obviously what he’s doing is working. I will say that the longer you go in the process, the more you’re going to have to pass a series of hurdles that the voters are going to put in front of you.”
Then he added: “As you’ll recall, I was sitting at my desk there just a little over a week ago … writing my State of the Union speech, and somebody walks in and says, ‘A couple of our sailors wandered into Iranian waters’” — and here he stopped to chuckle in disbelief — “that's maybe a dramatic example, but not an unusual example of the job.”
And he gently suggested that his own ’08 message might be a pretty good mantle for his would-be successors to don. “My bet is that the candidate who can project hope still is the candidate who the American people, over the long term, will gravitate towards,” he said.
The past three weeks have been like a wicked ’08 flashback for a Clinton campaign that was intent on learning from its mistakes in Iowa. Sanders, preaching a simple message of fighting economic inequality and Wall Street, has been gaining steadily on Clinton — whose stump speech sounds like one of her husband’s more discursive and overstuffed State of the Union laundry lists. The high school and college kids are flocking to Sanders, while Clinton is counting — sound familiar? — on women over the age of 50 as the core of her caucus support. As Sanders gains on her, she’s gone negative, and the media has revived the familiar “Hillary attacks” theme, even if the Vermont senator is giving as good as he gets.
When I asked Obama if Clinton is facing “unfair scrutiny” this time around, his answer was a clipped “yes” — and he even admitted a tinge of regret that his own campaign had been so hard on her eight years ago.
But when I asked him if Sanders reminded him of himself in 2008, he quickly shot me down: “I don’t think that's true.”
***
I spoke to a half-dozen current and former top Obama advisers in preparation for the podcast, and to a person, they described the boss as in a nostalgic, pensive frame of mind as he approaches his final year in office.
He still keeps in touch with many architects of the 2008 Iowa strategy — 2008 campaign manager David Plouffe oversaw a blockbuster state operation that doubled the typical number of caucus-goers from about 120,000 to an unheard-of 240,000. The bonds are deep — he reached out to some of the old crew last month to tell them he was thinking about them on the eighth anniversary of his historic victory — and he need only watch the daily briefing for another Iowa reminder: White House press secretary Josh Earnest played the same role, in Obama’s Des Moines headquarters, during the caucuses.
He was clearly thinking of sweet Iowa when addressing the sour faces in the well of the House for the last time during last month’s State of the Union address. “I know some of you are antsy to get back to Iowa. I've been there. I'll be shaking hands afterwards if you want some tips,” he said to the collective 2016 field, flashing a toothy grin.
“He’s in a really good place,” said David Axelrod, his top message strategist in 2008 and 2012. “He is taking stock.”
For a president facing an ugly, asymmetrical world and not especially prone to sentimentality, Iowa has a field-of-dreams quality, a thought oasis he’s been visiting after seven-plus years of compromise and combat, especially as the caucuses approach.
“That [Iowa] spirit was true. And the fact that we were a part of that I continue to be really proud of,” he told me.
But he also saw it as a proving ground that prepped him for the national stage. During his first big rally in the state, in February 2007, he committed a truly awful gaffe, telling a crowd in Ames that “3,000 lives” of American service members had been “wasted” in Iraq.
“I wasn’t necessarily ready for Broadway,” he conceded. “[M]y answers were too long, I was too wonkish, wasn’t crisp in my presentation. And that was true for a while. … Everything in retrospect always looks great... [But] I remember [the] endless van rides through cornfields, hungry, tired, going to my sixth event, and making phone calls to either raise money or to talk to some caucus-goer who didn’t really want to talk to me but my team said I had to call.”
Like the high school girl who hung up on him after declaring, “I’m in a yearbook meeting,” he recalled.
But the Obama-Clinton race in Iowa wasn’t simply a matter of hard work and spreading his optimistic vision of the future; it was a bitter political fight. Obama hammered away at the notion that the New York senator was on the wrong side of generational change, and his team successfully convinced reporters that every Clinton campaign swipe was an underhanded personal attack — something he’s less than proud of in retrospect.
“The truth is, in 2007 and 2008, sometimes my supporters and my staff, I think, got too huffy about what were legitimate questions she was raising,” he admitted. “And there were times where I think the media probably was a little unfair to her and tilted a little my way in calling her out.”
In fact, he said, Clinton “had a tougher job throughout that primary than I did.”
“She had to do everything that I had to do, except, like Ginger Rogers, backwards in heels,” he said. “She had to wake up earlier than I did because she had to get her hair done. She had to, you know, handle all the expectations that were placed on her.”
“Had things gone a little bit different in some states or if the sequence of primaries and caucuses been a little different,” Obama added, “she could have easily won.”
But he also offered a surprisingly blunt assessment of Clinton’s weaknesses.
She is better in “small groups” than big ones, he remarked, and he agreed that her first campaign appearances showed her to be “rusty” — comparing them to his God-awful first debate of the 2012 campaign. “[S]he’s extraordinarily experienced — and, you know, wicked smart and knows every policy inside and out — [and] sometimes [that] could make her more cautious, and her campaign more prose than poetry,” he told me.
This, from a president who has been governing in prose, especially during his second term. In fact, Obama’s experiences in office have brought him around to Clinton’s hardheaded view of the presidency, first forged during her eight years as first lady. “I think that what Hillary presents is a recognition that translating values into governance and delivering the goods is ultimately the job of politics, making a real-life difference to people in their day-to-day lives,” he said, echoing the very critique Clinton makes of Sanders.
Obama gives less ground when it comes to his own performance as president — repeating the message, from last month’s State of the Union address, that he’s “very proud of what we've gotten done over these last seven years” and that his “singular regret … is the fact that our body politic has become more polarized,” a situation he attributes to the actions of others — hyperpartisanship on the GOP side, gerrymandering, the media, super PACs.
But he will admit to mistakes in projecting his own message — and neglecting many of the communications tools that served him so effectively during the 2008 campaign — particularly using stagecraft and adapting rapidly to changes in social media. “[Y]ou know what, some of the presidency is performance and I’ve been criticized — probably, in some cases, fairly — for not effectively promoting my ideas,” he said.
“I've gained a greater appreciation for the need to tailor a communications strategy to a new era in which people are not just watching three network news shows,” he added. “I wish that I had adapted the White House communications operations and my own ways of presenting things to reach more people more effectively, sooner.”
***
Obama is of two minds about 2016, people close to him say: He’s intensely interested in ensuring that a Democrat wins and is keeping close tabs on the race — to keep the barbarians from the gates. But like many liberals his age, he’s averting his eyes from a Donald Trump free-for-all he finds depressing and distracting.
“You think about it: When I ran against John McCain, John McCain and I had real differences, sharp differences, but John McCain didn’t deny climate science,” he said. “John McCain didn’t call for banning Muslims from the United States. … [The] Republican vision has moved not just to the right, but has moved to a place that is unrecognizable.”
When I ask him if he’s been watching the Republican debates, must-see-TV for most politicians, he shakes his head and tugs restlessly on a cuffed shirtsleeve. “I don't. But, look, I, as you know, didn’t like participating in many of these debates,” he says with a laugh. “And so if I didn’t enjoy watching my own, I certainly am not going to watch the Republican debates.”
It’s an open secret inside the White House that Obama was relieved to see Vice President Joe Biden pass on a 2016 presidential run— though he did nothing to prod his friend in either direction. Obama has remained above the fray in the Clinton-Sanders duel, but people close to him say he believes his onetime opponent is better equipped to defeat the Republicans.
“He’s not panicked by Sanders,” said one former top aide, “but he’s clearly thumbing the scale for Hillary.”
Many of Clinton’s senior staff are Obama White House alums — and some of her top campaign brass, including Obama’s former communications director, Jennifer Palmieri, and ex-counselor John Podesta, have met with the president in recent months; Obama’s longtime pollster, Joel Benenson, is Clinton’s top political strategist, and the campaign’s policy director Jake Sullivan, another administration veteran, remains close to his counterparts in the West Wing, according to multiple sources in both camps.
Obama told me he has spoken to both Clinton and Sanders about 2016, albeit in general terms. “We’ve had a conversation broadly about the importance of a Democrat winning [with Clinton], and I've had conversation with Bernie, about issues that he’s interested in or concerned about,” he said. “I have not been trying to kibitz and stick my nose into every aspect of their strategy.”
And while he’s not exactly waiting for the phone to ring, he said he’s not too busy to offer pro tips on a topic he knows better than just about anybody — Iowa.
“Look, if anybody asks me for my opinion on something, I'm happy to offer it,” he said.Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Jack Black is back as the fast-talking, dumpling-loving panda, Master Po, in Kung Fu 3
It may be Oscars season, but the animated children's film Kung Fu Panda 3 is arguably the most important film in Hollywood this week - even without the prospect of winning any statuettes.
The film is the first major US-China co-production for an animated movie and it was tailored specifically to appeal to the growing Chinese market - and not just because it's about a dumpling-loving, Kung Fu-fighting panda who lives in China. But also because Hollywood executives are developing a sharp sense for how to appeal to audiences in the world's fastest growing movie market.
The extra effort has paid off. The panda movie took $41m (£28m) at the US box office and $58.3m in China - which was the highest opening weekend ever for an animated movie there.
The record-breaking simultaneous opening in the US and China has set a new standard in how the world's two biggest film markets do business together.
DreamWorks Animation and Oriental DreamWorks essentially made two movies - one in English, and one in Mandarin.
Instead of the usual dubbing into a foreign language, the company painstakingly reanimated the Mandarin version so the animated panda and his pals matched the words they were speaking in both languages.
And it's also the first movie to open in both Mandarin and English in the United States and China.
Big in China
In the US, a handful of cinemas will play the Mandarin version, including three in Los Angeles near large Chinese American populations.
Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Kung Fu Panda 3 is the first film to open in both Mandarin and English in the US and China
Image copyright Getty Images Image caption And the film has been a box office hit in both countries
DreamWorks hopes the simultaneous, dual language release will mean some families go to see it twice. And the movie features all-star casts in both languages, including the voices of Jack Black and Angelina Jolie in the US and Jackie Chan and Bai Baihe in China.
The model is likely to be emulated by Hollywood's other studio bosses and producers who are increasingly trying to target the rapidly growing Chinese market.
"Everyone is trying to get into this market. Just some are doing better than others," says Stephen Hamel, who has several US-China co-productions set up with his producing partner Keanu Reeves.
Tailoring
By the end of this decade, China could surpass the United States to become the biggest movie market in the world.
And come 2030, China's film market could be twice as big as the US-market, according to Paul Dergarabedian, a Los Angeles-based box office analyst with Rentrak.
"To say China is a big deal is the understatement of the decade - in terms of the movie market," he says.
Image copyright Getty Images Image caption DreamWorks hopes that the third film in the franchise will top the success of the record-breaking sequel in 2011
Image copyright Getty Images Image caption The movie has the voices of Jack Black and Angelina Jolie in the US, and Jackie Chan and Bai Baihe in China
"The fact that movie marketing campaigns are tailored to that marketplace makes a lot of strategic sense. It's about the money at the end of the day, how to get the movie made, how to get the money.
"If the studios aren't in co-production with China they are at least considering China in their marketing plan."
'Killing it'
A landmark US-China film agreement in 2012 opened the Chinese market to a big number of Hollywood-made films - 34 instead of 20 - and allowed US distributors to take a greater share of box office revenues - 25% instead of 11-15%.
Yet Hollywood movies are restricted to when they can be shown in China, and there are also blackout periods during peak movie-going times, in order to promote Chinese films.
"But Hollywood ain't complaining. They're killing it at the box office there," says Jonathan Landreth, editor of China Film Insider.
Fast & Furious, Avengers and Star Wars have all been recent blockbuster hits in China.
Local qualifier
Kung Fu Panda 3 is unique in that it qualifies as a local production and thus evades China's blackout on Hollywood movies - which means it will be showing during the busy upcoming Lunar New Year holidays.
That true co-production status is what more Hollywood studios are hoping to attain, Landreth says.
Image copyright Getty Images Image caption "If you like a good story, and accessible characters - that's the audience for Kung Fu Panda," says director Jennifer Yuh
However, cute, fuzzy pandas have a universal appeal. Not all US movies targeted to China fare so well. Man of Tai Chi, produced by Stephen Hamel and directed by Keanu Reeves, tanked at the US and China box office when it opened in 2013.
Mr Hamel believes they had distribution problems but says the experience was far from a disaster.
"It was a great experience and introduced us to a lot of people and those relationships are now blooming," he says, adding that they have two co-productions in the works in China now including Unmanned, a thriller set in Hong Kong during a future world war.
There is more excitement and optimism in the Chinese film industry than in Los Angeles now, says Mr Hamel, and argues that film is the ultimate tool to bring different cultures together.
"They are dreamers still. It's like Hollywood in the 40s - so I am excited about being there and doing this and finding ways of bridging Hollywood and China," he says.87% of enterprises believe Big Data analytics will redefine the competitive landscape of their industries within the next three years. 89% believe that companies that do not adopt a Big Data analytics strategy in the next year risk losing market share and momentum.
These and other key findings are from an Accenture and General Electric study published this month on how the combination of Big Data analytics and the Internet of Things (IoT) are redefining the competitive landscape of entire industries. Accenture and GE define the Industrial Internet as the use of sensor, software, machine-to-machine learning and other technologies to gather and analyze data from physical objects or other large data streams, and then use those analyses to manage operations and in some cases to offer new, valued-added services.
Big Data Analytics Now Seen As Essential For Competitive Growth
The Industrial Internet is projected to be worth $500B in worldwide spending by 2020, taking into account hardware, software and services sales according to Wikibon and previously published research from General Electric. This finding and others can be found on the home page of the Accenture and GE study here: How the Industrial Internet is Changing the Competitive Landscape of Industries.
The study also shows that many enterprises are investing the majority of their time in analysis (36%) and just 13% are using Big Data analytics to predict outcomes, and only 16% using their analytics applications to optimize processes and strategies. Moving beyond analysis to predictive analytics and optimization is the upside potential the majority of the C-level respondents see as essential to staying competitive in their industries in the future.
A summary of results and the methodology used are downloadable in PDF form (free, no opt in) from this link: Industrial Internet Insights Report For 2015.
Key take-aways from the study include the following:
73% of companies are already investing more than 20% of their overall technology budget on Big Data analytics, and just over two in ten are investing more than 30%. 76% of executives expect spending levels to increase. The following graphic illustrates these results:
Big Data analytics has quickly become the highest priority for aviation (61%), wind (45%) and manufacturing (42%) companies. The following graphic provides insights into the relative level of importance of Big Data analytics relative to other priorities in the enterprises interviewed in the study:
74% of enterprises say that their main competitors are already using Big Data analytics to successfully differentiate their competitive strengths with clients, the media, and investors. 93% of enterprises are seeing new competitors in their market using Big Data analytics as a key differentiation strategy. The single greatest risk enterprises see from not implementing a Big Data strategy is that competitors will gain market share at their expense. Please see the following graphic for a comparison of the risks of not implementing Big Data strategy.
65% of enterprises are focused on monitoring assets to identify operating issues for more proactive maintenance. 58% report having capabilities such as connecting equipment to collect operating data and analyzing the data to produce insights. The following graphic provides an overview of Big Data monitoring survey results:
Increasing profitability (60%), gaining a competitive advantage (57%) and improving environmental safety and emissions compliance (55%) are the three highest industry priorities according to the survey. The following table provides an analysis of the top business priorities by industry for the next three years with the shaded areas indicating the highest-ranked priorities by industry:Pressure groups have questioned the accuracy of the figures, believing the real death rate is much higher than 218 a day.
BEIJING // An accident at a chemical plant in eastern China that killed more than a dozen workers was nothing out of the ordinary in a country infamous for its lack of workplace safety.
Four died immediately in the blast at a melamine factory in Shandong province last month, while 10 more were pronounced dead at hospital.
Dozens died after an explosion at a mine in south-western China a few weeks ago, while a search through the news archives revealed countless other deadly accidents over the past month or so.
China's workplace death rate is many times higher than those of other developed countries.
In the United Kingdom, for example, there were 171 worker fatalities between April 2010 and March 2011.
When population size is taken into account, China's workplace death rate is more than 21 times higher than the UK's.
Last year, 79,552 people died in work-related accidents in China, an average of 218 people a day, official figures show.
Many believe the real death rate to be much higher. Omana George, the programme coordinator with the Hong Kong pressure group Asia Monitor Resource Centre, described it as "the tip of the iceberg".
"The figures reflected officially are not the real figures," she said.
China has grown dramatically during the past three decades, but hundreds of thousands of people have died in the process.
Nationally, the authorities have indicated that they want improvements, saying that between now and 2015 death rates should drop 10 per cent a year.
Li Yizhong, previously the head of the State Administration of Workplace Safety, once criticised owners of coal mines for exchanging "life and blood for coal and high profits" and described one mine as "licensed by devils from hell".
Yet among local authorities tasked with enforcing rules there is "almost complete disregard of safety standards", according to Geoffrey Crothall from China Labour Bulletin, another Hong Kong campaign organisation.
"They have no interest or no desire to enforce the relevant rules and regulations," he said.
Part of the reason for this apparent apathy is local officials do not want to push industry into other parts of China.
They simply do not want to scare them off, said Mr Crothall. Also, he said authorities lacked the staff to carry out inspections.
Officially sanctioned unions are seen as toothless, while independent unions have been banned by a Communist Party suspicious of other sources of power.
Among those who have seen the consequences of poor workplace safety is |
been four years since I last spoke with my mother. I may never speak to her again.
There is no easy way to say, "I'm estranged from my mother." It's even harder to say, "I've cut my mother out of my life," clarifying that you are the one who has severed the bond. Say it to anyone, friend or stranger, and a certain light you hadn't even noticed fades from their eyes, every time. Smiles falter or grow forced. Mothers give so much to their children that a justification for estrangement must be staggering: some monstrous abuse that outweighs all the love and self-sacrifice inherent in parenting. Only someone selfish, heartless could cut off a mother who loved them -- right?
***
When I was in high school, I slept most nights on the living room floor. I wanted to sleep in my bed, of course, but my mother had rules for us, rules we could not disobey without consequences. One rule was that she controlled who was allowed to enter which rooms, and when. For example, over time, the right to go upstairs -- to enter our bedrooms for any reason, or to use the upstairs bathroom to bathe -- became rarer and rarer. (Years earlier, my father had first been banished to the first floor, and then to the basement, before leaving our house altogether.) The spaces in which we were allowed to move slowly shrank.
As we entered our teens, home life got worse for my sister and me. Concerned, anonymous people began to place calls to social services. Each call meant disruption to our household, punctuated by unpredictable visits from a social worker named Sam, a tall, quietly friendly man with an unusually deep dimple in his chin. Into that dimple I poured all of my hatred and fear.
I don't recall my mother ever saying that Sam, or those who had asked him to come, were wrong to worry about our welfare. Instead, her outbursts of gibbering rage focused on how hard she had it, how she worked like a n*gger every day, how the deck was stacked against her, and how we'd better not say anything to Sam that criticized her in the slightest. As flawed as she was, she said, she was our best shot for a happy life. "They'll take you away and put you with some f*cking foster family who'll leave you to rot," she'd howl. One of her favored punishments was having us stand perfectly still in the middle of the kitchen floor for hours as she went about her day, bellowing at us like a wounded beast when her outrage bubbled over at having to load the washing machine or perform some other household chore. For me, she threw in an extra threat: "And no foster family is going to pay for you to go to college, so you can kiss that goodbye."
She must have known that college was already cemented in my mind as my escape route, the best way out for a bright girl who threw herself into her schoolwork because she was literally not allowed outside the house for any other reason. When she had her anger under control, my mother devoted her deepest affection to my intellect. She flattered me by telling me how much smarter I was than my sister, my father; how unusual my gifts were; how I needed careful nurturing, only the best opportunities, which of course she was uniquely qualified to identify. It was her and me against the world, as she depicted it; it was either college and my mother, or neither.
So I got pretty good at lying, and at going numb during unpredictable outbursts, and at telling myself it wasn't so bad. She wanted the best for me -- how could that be abuse? Ignore the incoherent howling, the overturned furniture and hurled dishes, the nights spent on the floor, denied permission to leave that room. It was nothing I couldn't handle. I soon became my mother's greatest defender, seeing Sam and his ilk as genuine threats to my future. She molded me into that role; she needed a defender, because she didn't really have anyone else.
***
"She's your mother; you'll want to reconnect someday." The words are so universal I can't even point to a specific person who said them; it is all the world that tells me. Typically, I'm told I'll change my mind in one of two scenarios: if I have children, or when she is dying. Maybe they are right. Maybe I will deeply regret cutting those ties, when I myself bring new life into this world and realize... what? That I never want to do to my child what my mother did to me? That I never want a child of mine to suffer, and doubt herself, and learn to lie and helplessly obey the way I did? That the very moment I thought my mother might pose any threat to my child, she would be back out of my life again?
The other scenario, that hallowed image of deathbed reconciliation... that one is difficult to dismiss. I might want to see my mother again, some hypothetical, far-distant day. But the few people I've trusted with details of my past -- details I may never put in writing, at least not writing for public consumption -- they don't say "She's your mother." They say, "Are you sure? Are you sure you'd want to see her, even if you knew it was your last chance?" They hear all that daughter-love, all that yearning to do the right thing by the person who carried me for nine months, and weigh it against what I have told them of her. And for every person I've told, the scales do not balance.
So I don't know. Maybe I will never see my mother again. A vast silent nothing opens in me when I think of it.
***
I didn't talk about my past for a long time, not only because it was too raw, but because there was always a haunting feeling that her rage and her infinite rules weren't good enough reason to justify estrangement. Maybe if I had physical scars, I'd feel vindicated. Maybe if she hadn't reminded us so often how much easier her life would be if we'd never been born, the words sinking deep into our unconscious as we swayed in place mutely on the kitchen floor -- maybe then I wouldn't wonder whether I was the problem after all. Maybe, most importantly, if she hadn't been so loving when she had a good day -- and good days weren't that rare. Surely an abusive parent was all bad, all the time, and she wasn't. I knew my mother loved me and wanted good things for me. How does a grown child reconcile this love, twisted as it may be, with the need to escape their harmful influence?
I don't tell most people the reasons why my mother is not in my life, or anyway I don't tell them everything. To me, the past is a space that now only I have access to, a place she no longer dictates for me. I alone hold the keys, and I grant access to very few. Who else is there to share it with? I know a few people also estranged from their mothers, and to have that shared experience is validating, but it's not as though we want to dive into the topic regularly. For a time I relieved my stress and sorrow on Mother's Day by hanging out with a friend whose mother had passed away suddenly. This was the closest I had to someone who could understand my complicated feelings about that holiday -- someone whose mother was dead.
The space the past occupies remains mostly empty, save for occasional exchanges between my sister and me, brief because even today that space is haunted for us, unpleasant to dwell in. Do you ever get nightmares about Mom? Yeah, I do. End of conversation. We don't describe the nightmares. We don't mention that they never stopped.
***
As I learned to define my own space apart from my mother, I found it had to be absolute. I used to get calls that paralyzed me with dread; I changed my number. I used to see her during the holidays; that ended after my grandfather passed, and she initiated a bitter inheritance war with my aunt, leading to their estrangement as well. I don't know what my mother does for holidays now. Maybe she spends them with the family of her boyfriend, a man who once snuck up behind me, kissed me on the space between my shoulder and neck, and gave me a strange look when I turned, startled. I don't know if she's with him anymore. I don't know much of anything about her.
In the wake of the gradual collapse of my mother's entire side of the family, I reached out to my aunt; now I stay with her every Christmas. I reached out to the scattered members of my father's side as well, who'd fallen out of the habit of celebrating holidays together, though not for acrimonious reasons. I talked about bringing lonely, far-flung members of that side together in Indiana for the holidays: now that post-Christmas meet-up has become an annual tradition with 15+ guests.
And still I worry: it's not enough family. It's not enough to make up for what I lost.
***
I graduate college this May. I am 30; I went back to school as an adult, to finish my bachelor's degree at last. My father's family will share the day with me; my friends are planning celebrations as well. The first time I tried college -- still her good, obedient girl -- I cracked from the stress and dropped out. I had moved all the way across the state, but still she sought to control my space. I remember my sister calling to warn me that my mother was driving across the state, on the spur of the moment, leaving the younger daughter she cared little for in order to hunt down the older one she was still determined to control. I escaped to a space ungoverned by her, a friend's dorm room, and slept there all weekend as she roamed campus looking for me.
I did not return to her space; I carved out a space of my own. I worked hard and saved money. I moved to New York. I got into a better school, on my own merits, despite her predictions. I stayed close to my family and I made good friends. I now know it wasn't true: I didn't need her to succeed in college, in life. I can hold my head up high and say, "I did it all without you." The words reverberate, though, as though spoken aloud in a great wide room, completely empty. Without you.Keto experiment — week 1: well I’m not short of questions…
The Keto Coder Blocked Unblock Follow Following Jun 6, 2017
This is the first weekly update of my six month experiment with the ketogenic diet, in a bid to obtain mental and physical health and to do away with fluctuating energy levels. Check out the current ketogenic plan I am undertaking, or catch my daily updates on Instagram and Twitter.
Daily life at team Snapppt is all very busy at the moment, so here’s a quick run through on the events and thoughts for the past week, the first of the 6-month experiment…
Cravings be gone! Everything I’ve read about the keto diet and its impact on hunger levels is true. I rarely went above a ’30% hungry’ level this week, which is pretty incredible considering how I’ve nearly always been in a state of looking forward to my next meal, sometimes as soon as 30 minutes after eating. Intermittent fasting was effortless and going from lunch till a late dinner was possible without feeling a need to raid the peanut butter jar upon getting home. It hits home strongly what I’ve come to believe: that a diet shouldn’t need to rely so heavily on willpower.
Everything I’ve read about the keto diet and its impact on hunger levels is true. I rarely went above a ’30% hungry’ level this week, which is pretty incredible considering how I’ve nearly always been in a state of looking forward to my next meal, sometimes as soon as 30 minutes after eating. Intermittent fasting was effortless and going from lunch till a late dinner was possible without feeling a need to raid the peanut butter jar upon getting home. It hits home strongly what I’ve come to believe: that a diet shouldn’t need to rely so heavily on willpower. The data harvest! As the public experiment came together, in the hours following my decision to commit to an extended period of the keto diet — I had nothing but my age, body weight and inaccurate bodyfat recorded. Since then? Detailed body stats through Boditrax, blood test results through Thriva, sleep quality and resting heart rate with Fitbit and a combination of apps and methods to track much more. I’m determined to learn all that I can, leaving no stone unturned in the process.
As the public experiment came together, in the hours following my decision to commit to an extended period of the keto diet — I had nothing but my age, body weight and inaccurate bodyfat recorded. Since then? Detailed body stats through Boditrax, blood test results through Thriva, sleep quality and resting heart rate with Fitbit and a combination of apps and methods to track much more. I’m determined to learn all that I can, leaving no stone unturned in the process. Embracing social media! Actively attempting to build a following has never come naturally to me — but with this experiment, I’m throwing caution to the wind. I want to be able to learn from as many as possible, and to eventually inspire as many as I can. So I’m wanting eyeballs on this experiment, and I’d appreciate readers passing this on to those who may be interested.
Actively attempting to build a following has never come naturally to me — but with this experiment, I’m throwing caution to the wind. I want to be able to learn from as many as possible, and to eventually inspire as many as I can. So I’m wanting eyeballs on this experiment, and I’d appreciate readers passing this on to those who may be interested. So many questions! I long felt I had a good grasp on what it takes to be healthy: eat low carb, exercise, reduce stress and you’re good to go, right? But as I now delve into the depths of topics such as thyroid health and cholesterol — one thing is painfully obvious: I haven’t even scratched the surface till now. Speaking of which…
TSH results from my Thriva ‘Advanced Thyroid’ blood test
Thyroid and Cholesterol issues! … wait, what? Throughout the week, I’ve continued to add to the starting data in my initial keto experiment plan article. With this, it includes all my Thriva blood test results — and it’s made this experiment all the more interesting. It turns out, I potentially have an under-active thyroid, and that my LDL cholesterol level is of concern. This has opened a whole new area of research for me, and thankfully there’s no shortage of great resources out there. The potential for hypothyroidism raises so many questions — but also has me even further committed to digging deep and discovering answers. I’ll be talking a lot more about thyroid health in upcoming blog posts. A key question I have at the moment is: would thyroid levels from a blood test be reflective of my diet and lifestyle over the past few days, weeks, months or more?
Energy
Above all, energy levels were the key incentive for embarking on this journey. After an initial bout of tiredness on the first day or two, the middle of the week turned out to be amazingly reassuring. I had unbound energy, which remained consistent all day, with a second wind in the evening which had me up till late into the night — working, blogging, reading, playing keyboard, socialising etc. Although I knew not to judge too soon.
My sleep was varied throughout the week. Almost immediately upon starting the experiment, I noticed I was waking up fully energised about an hour earlier than usual. By day 4, I found myself fully awake at 3am, struggling to go back to sleep — charged up and mind racing. By Thursday I barely managed 4 hours and the impact was noticeable. That said, a Friday night social event (with a keto feast of course!) had me not returning home till 2am. I was energised throughout.
Sleep stats for the past few days as logged by Fitbit Charge 2
Into the weekend, and the lack of sleep and high activity had taken its toll. Sunday in particular was very sluggish, despite sleeping for 7 hours - I felt groggy and tired — a feeling that wouldn’t quite shift. This carried on into the following Monday. It’s now Tuesday, day 9 and I feel a lot better and am set for a good day.
So why did I sleep so little? And how much of a factor was this in how I felt by the end of the week? From the casual research I’ve done so far, it would appear that intermittent fasting and being in ketosis can mean that you require less sleep — as you simply don’t need as much time for repair, given that you are in a fasted state, and thus recovering, for longer. With the busy week at work, the frantic rush to collect all the data I could for week one, and the few days of early starts and late nights — it’s likely to have quickly caught up with me. I usually make a point to start winding down an hour before bed. Yet the past week had me on the laptop right up until I hit the sack, which made falling asleep a lot more difficult — this is something I’m addressing for the upcoming week.
Finally, it being week one, and being a proud keto newbie — I’m a long way away from settling on the macro split that works for me, along with the many other aspects to the diet. Despite entering ketosis as soon as day 4 — it’s very likely that it’ll take a few more weeks to become fully keto-adapted, and the transition phase was expected to be unpredictable. As I comfortably settle into week 2, I’m expecting it to be a lot smoother.
Diet
This week I’ve been blown away at how darn tasty and easy it has been to follow the keto diet. As mentioned above, hunger not being an issue is potentially the strongest case for the keto way at the moment. Mostly through convenience, and a lack of time, each day has been pretty consistent this week. A typical days eating for me, starting at around 1pm has been: salmon and avocado for lunch (topped with sea salt!), followed by bacon, eggs, avocado, cheese and spinach for dinner. I’d follow this with a heavenly keto hot chocolate (made with butter, MCT, unsweetened cacao powder and almond milk — heavenly!).
It’s been an absolute joy, and in no way have I felt I’ve compromised. Instagram has been reassuring me of the huge variety of keto meals possible, and I’m looking forward to getting my chef game on and creating ketogenic wonders. There’s also a plenty of great YouTube channels, and I’ve also picked up this book. Exciting times!
I’ve aimed for about 1,800 calories daily — in a bid to be somewhat consistent with the way I’ve eaten in the weeks prior to the experiment. With keto, I’ve found it difficult at times to eat as much as this — finding that I would feel completely satisfied for the day having eaten only 1,300 calories. This would then be bumped with a keto hot chocolate. Here’s the macros and calorie counts for the week:
Daily Macros (on left) and Daily Calorie count (on right) for Week 1
…and a summary of the foods eaten in each macro (click to expand):
A summary of the foods eaten over Week 1
The shopping experience has been interesting — as I now pick up and study the packaging for foods I have never thought to purchase (hello double cream and pork belly slices — not eaten together mind). As I eat more salmon, avocado, steaks and such, the cost of the weekly shop has increased. Although, this is offset somewhat by the complete lack of desire for snacks during the day. Which works out well, as there’s very little in the way of keto-friendly snacks. Even my local Wholefoods has very little for those aiming for a low-carb snack, without the high-protein.
Keto feast the night before, and ketone / blood sugar levels the next morning
Friday night included a glorious feast which relatives had put on for us. I calculated the carbs for the day to have reached around 35g. To my surprise the next morning, I had the highest ketone reading I had seen all week — suggesting that my carb threshold may well be higher than the approx 20g limit I currently have set.
Fitness
This week I settled back into a routine where I am aiming for 2–3 workouts weekly — alternating between high-intensity training with a tabata session, and weights training with the 5x5x5 method. Stats for this week being:
Workouts from the past week since starting the experiment
Full body stats taken with the Boditax system can be seen in my starting article. With intermittent fasting, I was steadily losing weight over the previous few weeks — to the point where clothes that used to fit well, are now starting to hang off of me. It’s appearing with keto, this rate may be increasing. Based on my weekly body stats coming this Thursday, I may be increasing my calories for week 3. Here’s my current physical stats, very likely the smallest I’ve been in years. Note that these may not be 100% accurate, but useful as a relative measurement going forward:
Physical measurements taken with tape measure
The weeks prior to the experiment saw me opting for running and tabata, over weight training, so I’m expecting positive results in terms of gains, going forward. Most of my workouts have been in a fasted state — after up to 16 hours without eating, to no noticeable impact on my energy levels or performance.
Tweaks for week 2?
No changes to the plan just yet.
Resources of the week
Keto clarity by Jimmy Moore
Dom D’Agostino on the Ultimate health podcast
Closing thoughts
The past week will no doubt prove to be one of the significant weeks of my life. What started out as a new-found commitment in the journey towards all-day energy, has led to slowly but surely taking control of my health and the visibility I have on it. It has also seen the growing belief that this project may well result in not only achieving my personal goals, but also serving as a guide and motivation for anyone who has decided that ‘enough is enough’, and that they’ll stop at nothing to achieve well-being.
I’ve spoken to many of those who are close to me this week. My eyes have been opened further to the extent of the issue of fatigue. The idea that everyone is fighting their own battle is ringing true, and although I’m far from having the answers: I have every confidence that in almost every case, the symptoms can be hugely improved, if not resolved completely.
More on the way! Till then, be sure to catch me on Instagram and Twitter.Introduction
GeForce GTX 780 Ti Market Segment Analysis GeForce
GTX 680 GeForce
GTX 780 Radeon
R9 290 Radeon
R9 290X Radeon
HD 7990 GeForce
GTX Titan GeForce
GTX 780 Ti ASUS GTX 780
Ti DC II OC GeForce
GTX 690 Shader Units 1536 2304 2560 2816 2x 2048 2688 2880 2880 2x 1536 ROPs 32 48 64 64 2x 32 48 48 48 2x 32 Graphics Processor GK104 GK110 Hawaii Hawaii 2x Tahiti GK110 GK110 GK110 2x GK104 Transistors 3500M 7100M 6200M 6200M 2x 4310M 7100M 7100M 7100M 2x 3500M Memory Size 2048 MB 3072 MB 4096 MB 4096 MB 2x 3072 MB 6144 MB 3072 MB 3072 MB 2x 2048 MB Memory Bus Width 256 bit 384 bit 512 bit 512 bit 2x 384 bit 384 bit 384 bit 384 bit 2x 256 bit Core Clock 1006 MHz+ 863 MHz+ 947 MHz 1000 MHz 1000 MHz 837 MHz+ 876 MHz+ 954 MHz+ 915 MHz+ Memory Clock 1502 MHz 1502 MHz 1250 MHz 1250 MHz 1500 MHz 1502 MHz 1750 MHz 1750 MHz 1502 MHz Price $390 $500 $500 $600 $770 $1000 $700 $730 $1000
NVIDIA's latest addition to their lineup is the GeForce GTX 780 Ti. Built around a fully unlocked GK110 Kepler GPU, it comes with 2880 shaders, which boosts the card's performance beyond that of the GTX Titan. Unlike the GTX Titan, which has 6 GB, the GTX 780 Ti comes with 3 GB, but that difference won't have an effect on even the latest titles.The GeForce GTX 780 Ti is designed to be a gamer's card throughout. It has all the muscle any game could possibly need and has another thing going its way: better thermals. Despite the "GK110" featuring more transistors than "Hawaii" (7.08 billion vs. 6.20 billion) and, hence, a bigger die (561 mm² vs. 438 mm²), GK110-based products are inherently cooler because of higher "Kepler" micro-architecture performance-per-watt figures than AMD's "Graphics CoreNext," which translates into lower thermal density and, in turn, lower temperatures and less noise. Energy efficiency and fan noise are really the only tethers NVIDIA's high-end pricing is holding on to.ASUS not only revamped the GTX 780 Ti board design, but also placed the latest variant of their dual-fan DirectCU cooler on the card. The ASUS GTX 780 Ti DirectCU II is also overclocked to a base clock of 954 MHz out of the box, which is a good increase over stock, but not the highest we've seen on custom GTX 780 Ti cards.At $730, Asus's card is priced just a little bit higher than the reference design, which makes it an interesting option compared to a pure reference design card, while still being cheaper than more expensive custom variants.Putin's spokesman vows to push ahead with Moscow's efforts to clarify the true state of affairs in the region
MOSCOW, June 27. /TASS/. The Kremlin strongly disagrees with the statement made by French President Emmanuel Macron who called Russia an aggressor in the Donbass region and will push ahead with its efforts to clarify the true state of affairs, Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
"We do not agree with our French counterparts in terms of the wordings we heard from Mr. President yesterday. Of course, the Russian side will continue to patiently clarify the true state of affairs and its stance on the Ukrainian issue," he said.
According to the Kremlin spokesman, the French president’s speech "emphasizes the importance of the Normandy format, which is the only platform for discussing and continuing attempts to resolve this intra-Ukrainian crisis, and there is no alternative to it."
On Monday, Macron met with Ukrainian President Pyotr Poroshenko in Paris. After the meeting, the French leader commented on the Ukrainian crisis. In addition to that, he called the history of relations between Ukraine and France rather deep.
"The Kievan Rus was a period in history, one can hardly question that, there is nothing more to add here," Peskov said commenting on the issue.One of the things I’ve enjoyed most about living here in Virginia is that my religious past is not of any interest to my coworkers, with the exception of one guy, a Lebanese Christian engineer who has on occasion asked me about Mormonism. Apparently, he didn’t know anything about the LDS church, other than the big temple in Maryland, until the Romney campaign last year. I have tried very hard to be fair about the church when he’s asked, but it’s clear he thinks the church is a little odd.
This morning, he asked me if I had seen the New York Times article about doubting Mormons, and I said I had. He said that 3 or 4 families in his neighborhood are Mormon, and his wife gets together to do “woman things” with them (English is not his native language).
His wife asked her Mormon friends if they had seen the article, and they had. They apparently told his wife that they had been dealing with some of these issues in their marriages, with at least one spouse expressing serious doubts. They also said they had gone to their church leaders, but “no one wants to talk about these things.” These women all expressed frustration and disappointment with the church.
He ended up saying (as best as I can recollect), “John, they hide things, they keep things secret, and they threaten people to shut up. What kind of religion does these things? They can’t do this forever. People find out the truth always.”
As I said earlier, the church will survive the more visible doubt, but it’s fascinating to me that what we’ve seen among members for several years now is becoming well-known, even among people who don’t have any connection to the church.
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Like this: Like Loading... RelatedDespite massive government, medical and individual efforts to win the war on obesity, 71 percent of Americans are overweight. The average adult is 24 pounds heavier today than in 1960. Our growing girth adds some US$200 billion per year to our health care expenditure, amounting to a severe health crisis.
Drug research has not yielded a pill that helps people lose weight and keep it off. Traditional approaches such as diet and exercise can work short-term, but people almost inevitably regain the weight. Randomized controlled trials of weight loss surgery have shown some improvements in diabetes but not in mortality, cancer and cardiovascular disease.
If there is ever to be a “pill” – a solution to weight – it will be changing the brain, particularly the primitive areas of the brain, the “emotional brain” or mammalian and reptilian brain. These areas house circuits that control stress and our stress-fueled emotions, thoughts and behaviors. These circuits can be rewired in humans so by changing them, we have a chance to address the root cause of stress-related problems, including obesity. While some overweight and obesity are caused by genetic make-up, more and more research is indicating that stress plays a big role in weight gain. Many people under stress turn to food for comfort.
My colleagues and I set out to develop a neuroscience-based approach to weight management and dealing with the common excesses we all face, through emotional brain training. The idea was to use neuroscience-based tools to change the brain so that the whole range of common excesses would fade. The method has shown promising results.(Image by Unknown Owner) Details DMCA
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Investigative journalists online have been digging into the story of Mike Connell for two years. Connell's largely unknown role in elections and government technology infrastructure should be a top story of the year, yet major media have ignored it.
Last night, a small plane crashed and burned near Akron, Ohio, reportedly carrying only one person, Mike Connell.
Connell was close to Karl Rove, but Rove reportedly had threatened him of late. Connell's testimony re the Ohio 2004 election was being compelled in an Ohio court.
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Ohio election attorney Cliff Arnebeck sent a letter to US Attorney General Mukasey, July 24, 2008:
Dear Attorney General Mukasey: We have been confidentially informed by a source we believe to be credible that Karl Rove has threatened Michael Connell, a principal witness we have identified in our King Lincoln case in federal court in Columbus, Ohio, that if he does not agree to "take the fall" for election fraud in Ohio, his wife Heather will be prosecuted for supposed lobby law violations... - Advertisement -
Who was Mike Connell? Who was he connected to? What did he have to do with the Ohio 2004 presidential election results? What about the US attorney firings? Find out in the independent media.
Free Press.org Are Rove's missing e-mails the smoking guns of the stolen 2004 election? by Bob Fitrakis and Harvey Wasserman April 25, 2007 Free Press.org http://www.freepress.org/departments/display/19/2007/2562
The GOP's cyber election hit squad by Steven Rosenfeld and Bob Fitrakis April 22, 2007 Free Press.org http://www.freepress.org/departments/display/19/2007/2553 also http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/042407A.shtml
ePluribus Media, a collaborative citizen journalist site, first uncovered the complex Mike Connell story. Ken Blackwell Outsources Ohio Election Results to GOP Internet Operatives, Again by luaptifer Tue Nov 07, 2006 ePluribus Media http://scoop.epluribusmedia.org/story/2006/11/7/115314/922
Ohio's election website still sent real-time results to GOP mirror server by intranets Thu Nov 09, 2006 ePluribus Media http://scoop.epluribusmedia.org/story/2006/11/9/61233/1283
The GOP, GeorgeWBush.com and the Line that Jumped the Congressional Firewall Mar 27, 2007 http://scoop.epluribusmedia.org/story/2007/3/26/22612/9031 Who is Michael L. Connell? Part I: The Atwater School of Politics Mar 28, 2007 http://scoop.epluribusmedia.org/story/2007/3/28/143050/889 Who is Michael L. Connell? Part II: Behind the firewall Apr 02, 2007 http://scoop.epluribusmedia.org/story/2007/4/2/6328/14926
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Rove -ing emails: what else could go missing? by Todd Johnston and Luaptifer ePluribus Media Sun Apr 22, 2007 http://scoop.epluribusmedia.org/story/2007/4/22/33926/1773
BradBlog stories on Mike Connell 7/17/08: Ohio Attorney Files to Lift Stay on '04 Election Case, Cites Allegations, Evidence of Massive Fraud by a Number of GOP Operatives, http://www.bradblog.com/?p=6189 7/22/08: GOP Tech Guru Mike Connell 'High IQ Forrest Gump...At Scene of Every Single Crime' Say Ohio Attorneys, http://www.bradblog.com/?p=6206 7/24/08: Rove Threatened GOP IT Guru If He Does Not 'Take the Fall' for Election Fraud in Ohio, Says Attorney, http://www.bradblog.com/?p=6214 7/25/08: Cliff Arnebeck, OH Attorney, Interviewed Live on Peter B. Collins Show, http://www.bradblog.com/?p=6217 7/26/08: So Who Is Mike Connell? A Clip from 'Free For All' Gives You an Idea..., http://www.bradblog.com/?p=6220 9/29/08: STAY LIFTED IN '04 OHIO ELECTION FRAUD CASE, GOP 'TECH GURU' SUBPOENAED, http://www.bradblog.com/?p=6445 10/31/08: BREAKING: Federal Judge Compels GOP IT Guru Mike Connell To Give Deposition in Ohio '04 Election Case, http://www.bradblog.com/?p=6600 11/24/08: 'Document Hold' Served by OH Attorney to GA SoS in Advance of State's U.S. Senate Run-off Election, http://www.bradblog.com/?p=6696
12/19/08: Breaking: Mike Connell, GOP 'IT Guru', Killed in Solo Plane Crash.
Next Page 1 | 2ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan is “seriously concerned” by India’s recent test of anti-ballistic missiles which media reports say could intercept incoming nuclear weapons, a senior foreign ministry official said on Thursday, warning Pakistan would upgrade its defences.
Pakistani rangers (wearing black uniforms) and Indian Border Security Force (BSF) officers lower their national flags during a daily parade at the Pakistan-India joint check-post at Wagah border, near Lahore November 3, 2014. REUTERS/Mohsin Raza/Files
India’s defence and foreign ministries did not respond to requests for comment and the defence ministry has not stated whether any test was conducted. India has not announced these tests in the past.
The row over the missile test is likely to heighten long-running tension between India and Pakistan, nuclear-armed neighbours who have fought three wars since being split amid violence at the end of British colonial rule in 1947.
Both nations have been developing missiles of varying ranges since they conducted nuclear tests in May 1998.
According to media reports, on May 15 India tested a locally designed Anti-Ballistic Missile system which could in theory intercept a nuclear-carrying ballistic missile.
Islamabad views its nuclear arsenal as a deterrent against India’s much larger conventional military.
Sartaj Aziz, foreign affairs adviser to Pakistan’s prime minister, told the senate that India’s latest test, as well as recent tests of nuclear capable submarine-based ballistic missiles, was “leading to nuclearization” of the Indian Ocean.
“Pakistan has serious concerns over these developments and will take all necessary measures to augment its defence capabilities,” Aziz said.
Pakistan alleges India is building large nuclear-powered submarines capable of carrying nuclear-armed missiles.
Aziz said that India’s actions were upsetting the strategic balance in South Asia and affecting the maritime security of other Indian Ocean nations.
“We are not oblivious to our defence needs and will have to upgrade our defensive capabilities through suitable technologies without entering into an arms race,” Aziz said, according to a foreign ministry statement.
Indian officials have in the past also voiced concerns about Pakistan’s various missile tests.
U.S. President Barack Obama in October urged Pakistan to avoid developments in its nuclear weapons programme that could increase risks and instability.
Washington has been concerned about Pakistan’s development of new nuclear weapons systems, including small tactical nuclear weapons, and has been trying to persuade Pakistan to make a unilateral declaration of “restraint.”
But Pakistani officials have said Islamabad will not accept limits to its weapons programme and argue that smaller tactical nuclear weapons are needed to deter a sudden attack by India.Przewalski's horses are seen at the West Lake national nature reserve area near Xihu, in northwestern China's |
(his.326 average would be his best since 2004) and kept his dignity as his team fell apart all around him. Still near his peak after 17 years: This is what a Hall of Famer looks like, folks.
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Minnesota Twins
Danny Santana. This might have been the toughest pick in the league: The Twins have had a ton of average-to-slightly-below-average players. I went with Santana only because he's been the biggest surprise among the young players, and despite a recent slump looks to be a regular in the Twins lineup for quite some time. The Twins have a ton of talent coming in: Santana has established himself as a key component.
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Boston Red Sox
Burke Badenhop. Anyone who has had a consistent, halfway decent year for the Red Sox has been traded, so, because it will seem funny in a few years that there was a season that Burke Badenhop was the best player on the Red Sox, let's go with Burke Badenhop. He has had an excellent season, after all.
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Houston Astros
Jose Altuve. He set the Astros records for hits, he's a few hits away from the top 50 of all time, he leads the American League in steals and he's maybe the most fun player in the sport to watch. And he's roughly your sister's height. Jose Altuve is the best.
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Chicago White Sox
Jose Abreu. Everyone thought the power would be there, but his plate discipline improved as the season went on and he's going to end up leading the American League in slugging. At 27, he's now entering his prime, in one of the best parks in baseball to hit homers. This is going to be fun.
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Tampa Bay Rays
Alex Cobb. 2014 didn't work out the way it was supposed to for the Rays -- though they're still going to finish just under.500 -- but Cobb was the most reliable starter the team had all season. And at 26, he's practically the old man on that staff.
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Toronto Blue Jays
Jose Bautista. Tough to beat old reliable, who has now hit at least 27 homers for five consecutive seasons. (Despite never having hit more than 16 before his 53-homer breakthrough in 2010.) He's now third on the Jays' all-time homer list, somehow.
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New York Yankees
Masahiro Tanaka. Sorry, it's not Jeter. When you look at the Yankees roster, it's sort of amazing they've remained in contention for a playoff spot so late in the season. Tanaka is the only real superstar they have left: Get that guy healthy for a whole season, and you've got the sort of ace the Yankees actually haven't had in quite a few years.
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Cleveland Indians
Michael Brantley. Brantley was always a solid player, but even he couldn't have forseen what was coming: 20 homers, 23 steals, a.327 average and stellar outfield defense. FanGraphs thinks he's been the second-best player in baseball this year.
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Seattle Mariners
Robinson Cano. The numbers were down, but only a little, and mostly because of that ballpark. The Mariners paid Cano like a superstar, and he has played like a superstar. Paired with Kyle Seager, Seattle finally has something to build around, even if it looks like the team will come up just short this season.
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Oakland A's
Josh Donaldson. He has built off his breakthrough 2013 and has been outstanding again this year, particularly late, when he has helped carry the sputtering A's across the Wild Card finish line. Someday the rest of baseball will notice him.
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Kansas City Royals
Alex Gordon. The pitching staff -- specifically the bullpen -- is why the Royals are on the verge of the playoffs for the first time since 1985 (1985!). He has been as steady at the plate as always and his defense in left field is all-world. And his walkoff homer on August 26 remains the team's signature highlight … until that playoff berth is clinched, anyway.
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Detroit Tigers
Victor Martinez. Suffice it to say, no one saw Miguel Cabrera being the second-best hitter on his own team this year. Martinez put up career highs in just about every offensive category, and he leads MLB in OPS. The guy nearly caught Jose Altuve in batting average and hit more than 30 homers.
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Baltimore Orioles
Steve Pearce. You know, why not? With all that has gone wrong for the Orioles this year -- this team has been as hit as hard with injuries as anyone, and they still ran away with the division -- Pearce has been the unlikeliest, most giddily thrilling story of all. Before this year he'd never had more than 188 plate appearances in a season: He turned out to be the Orioles savior. In seven big-league seasons before this one, he had 17 homers. This year, in only 327 at-bats, he has 20.
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Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
Mike Trout. Obviously.
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*****
Email me at leitch@sportsonearth.com; follow me @williamfleitch; or just shout out your window real loud, I'll hear you. Point is, let's talk.All the resources available on CodyHouse are released under the MIT license.
We put together some fancy effects that take place while the user is surfing through the sections of a web page. Some of the effects are quite extreme, but they can prove very useful if your goal is to create an immersive user experience.
All animations have been created using Velocity.js.
Please note that these effects are not visible on small devices, where the user can simply scroll through the list of sections. We tested the effects on mobile and performance was poor, therefore we decided to limit them to bigger and more powerful devices.
Credits:
Velocity.js by Julian Shapiro
images from Unsplash.
How it works
To apply an animation or to enable/disable scroll hijacking, simply use the data-animation and data-hijacking data types applied to the <body>. Values supported by data-animation are none/scaleDown/rotate/gallery/catch/opacity/fixed/parallax. While data-hijacking can be either on or off.
<!-- hijacking: on/off - animation: none/scaleDown/rotate/gallery/catch/opacity/fixed/parallax --> <body data-hijacking="off" data-animation="none">
Creating the structure
The HTML structure is just a list of <section> elements, plus a navigation. We put just a title inside each section. With the Fixed or Parallax animation selected, we also set a background image. Feel free to add your own content inside each section > div element.
<section class="cd-section visible"> <div> <h2>Page Scroll Effects</h2> </div> </section> <section class="cd-section"> <div> <h2>Section 2</h2> </div> </section> <section class="cd-section"> <!--... --> </section> <nav> <ul class="cd-vertical-nav"> <li><a href="#0" class="cd-prev inactive">Next</a></li> <li><a href="#0" class="cd-next">Prev</a></li> </ul> </nav> <!--.cd-vertical-nav -->
Adding style
All transformations have been created in jQuery using Velocity.js, therefore there isn't much to explain about CSS. We simply set a height equal to 100vh for each <section> so that they cover the viewport entirely, plus we set background colors and images using :nth-of-type() selectors and data types.
.cd-section { height: 100vh; }.cd-section:first-of-type > div { background-color: #2b334f; }.cd-section:nth-of-type(2) > div { background-color: #2e5367; }.cd-section:nth-of-type(3) > div { background-color: #267481; }.cd-section:nth-of-type(4) > div { background-color: #fcb052; }.cd-section:nth-of-type(5) > div { background-color: #f06a59; } [data-animation="parallax"].cd-section > div { background-position: center center; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: cover; } [data-animation="parallax"].cd-section:first-of-type > div { background-image: url("../img/img-1.jpg"); } [data-animation="parallax"].cd-section:nth-of-type(2) > div { background-image: url("../img/img-2.jpg"); } [data-animation="parallax"].cd-section:nth-of-type(3) > div { background-image: url("../img/img-3.jpg"); } [data-animation="parallax"].cd-section:nth-of-type(4) > div { background-image: url("../img/img-4.jpg"); } [data-animation="parallax"].cd-section:nth-of-type(5) > div { background-image: url("../img/img-5.jpg"); }
Events handling
We have been using two different approaches according to whether data-hijacking is off or on.
When data-hijacking = off, each section is animated according to its position relative to the viewport. E.g., for the scaleDown animation, we change the opacity, scale, translateY and boxShadowBlur values of the section > div elements:
//actualBlock is the section we are animation var offset = $(window).scrollTop() - actualBlock.offset().top, windowHeight = $(window).height(); if( offset >= -windowHeight && offset <= 0 ) { // section entering the viewport translateY = (-offset)*100/windowHeight; scale = 1; opacity = 1; } else if( offset > 0 && offset <= windowHeight ) { //section leaving the viewport scale = (1 - ( offset * 0.3/windowHeight)); opacity = ( 1 - ( offset/windowHeight) ); translateY = 0; boxShadowBlur = 40*(offset/windowHeight); }
When data-hijacking = on, we define custom effects for each animation using Velocity UI Pack registration feature. For example, for the scale-down effect (scaleDown animation), we used:Russian citizen allegedly transferred stolen $2 mln to Church of Scientology - prosecutors
13:11 18/04/2016
SAINT-PETERSBURG, April 18 (RAPSI, Mikhail Telekhov) – A court in St. Petersburg on Monday began hearing the criminal case against a local resident who is charged with stealing over 130 million rubles (about $2 mln) from real estate investors and who allegedly transferred the money to “the Church of Scientology Moscow”, RAPSI learned in the prosecutor’s office.
According to investigators, Ekaterina Zaborskikh was a chairman of several consumer committees and housing cooperatives. Allegedly she was responsible for deceiving people into paying her money under the guise of selling apartments, houses and land plots around St. Petersburg and Leningrad Region while she had no ability to provide such real estate. Allegedly she stole over 130 million rubles from her clients in 2012-2014.
Zaborskikh allegedly used the money on her own volition by, among other things, transferring it to the religious organization called “The Church of Scientology Moscow”. According to investigators, she gave away money to the organization both in cash and through cashless transfer.Indians are in dire need of a vacation!
They are the fifth-most vacation-deprived people in the world, according to a survey by travel bookings platform Expedia. The online survey conducted in September polled 15,081 respondents across 30 countries.
The desperation to get just one extra day of leave is so high that, in exchange for it, Indians are willing to give up sex, alcohol, desserts, coffee, and… even the internet. For an entire week!
Indians had fewer holidays this year—20 compared to 21 in 2016—the survey noted. So, respondents feel they deserve 14.5 vacation days more than they have now.
But the reason they get fewer holidays lies within. Nearly half the Indians surveyed chose not to take vacations as they preferred saving up their leaves for future emergencies, among other reasons.
Work, work, work
Indians, more than people from any other country, avoid vacationing for the fear of being perceived negatively by employers and colleagues. They’re also concerned that important work decisions will be made in their absence, the survey found.
Around 57% of Indians decide the length of a trip on the basis of the workload they expect on their return. Also, around 67% of them cancelled or postponed vacation plans due to work, the survey showed.
But just because they sacrificed holidays to be present in office doesn’t stop them from thinking about vacations while at work. Around 60% of the respondents spent time dreaming about or planning vacations while in office.
The opportunity to take holidays has become an important factor when Indians are choosing their next job, the survey said. Up to 87% of them considered the number of vacation days as an important factor while taking up a new job. It’s another matter that those holidays don’t always get used up.11 Killer Features I use in Every Django Project
joseph misiti Blocked Unblock Follow Following Dec 23, 2014
With 2015 rapidly approaching, I took some time to think about what I would have done differently from a development perspective in 2014. In my previous article, 11 Things I wish I knew about Django Before Starting My Company, I started the list. Now it’s time to add to it!
Use Postgres As Your Primary Data Store
I know in the previous article I was advocating using MongoDB for your primary database, but after 1.5 years of using it, I would no longer suggest it for a number of reasons:
As of Django 1.7, there is still no built in support for MongoDB via the Django ORM. You need to utilize Mongoengine/PyMongo. Both of those projects are amazing, but because Django doesn’t support MongoDB, you cannot use Django admin — this really sucks and it is one of the reasons why I’ve stopped using MongoDB as a primary data store.
As of 12/18/2014, Postgres now supports the JSONB data type, which means you can store “documents” in Postgres and run similar queries (with indexing) to MongoDB, without taking a performance hit.
Most third party libraries are useless because they assume you are using the Django ORM. This makes utilizing the Django ecosystem almost impossible. The Django ecosystem is amazing and getting better every day — this is a real bummer.
If you are developing on OSX, don’t waste time building Postgres from source, use Postgres App — it will save you a lot of time.
2. Build a unit testing infrastructure that makes writing unit tests easy
There are a lot of articles, both positive and negative regarding test driven development(TDD) and Django. I’m not taking a side in that fight, but one thing I try to do in every project is setup a framework that makes writing unit tests easy and fun (yes fun). Every project I work on has a class which acts as a mixin for all TestCases. Each unit test (class) then inherits from this mixin and has instance based methods to create data for each test. Fake data is generated using the excellent django_faker project. Data is created in setUp() and removed in tearDown(). If you’re interested in learning more — please read my blog post on unit testing in Django.
3. Build RESTful interfaces with Django Tastypie
With the proliferation of client side MVCs such as Ember.js, Backbone.js, and Angular.js, having RESTful support in your web application is now pretty much required. Django has two excellent frameworks which can be used to build REST APIs: django-rest-framework and django-tastypie. Although I get the feeling that django-rest-framework is more popular, I’m still a huge fan of django-tastypie. It seems to be more straight forward, and it has been around a bit longer. With that said, if you are building a public API — absolutely use django-rest-framework, as it provides API documentation for free. If you need help getting started with django-tastypie, check out this tutorial I wrote on how to setup a Django project using it.
4. Use Django model field’s help_text attribute as a form of documentation
Django model fields accept a help_text attribute which is used in Django forms/admin for display purposes. I highly suggest using it even if you do not plan on utilizing Django forms or Django admin for one reason — It also serves as great form of documentation for your models. If you need to on board a new developer in the future, help_text will save you endless amount of hours bringing someone up to speed.
5. Do not use query parameters in customer facing URLs, use Django’s URL module to force constraints
This may be obvious to experienced web developers, but whenever possible I no longer use HTTP query parameters in urls — I pass them as url parameters instead. My reasoning is you can use Django’s url dispatcher to enforce parameter constraints.
As an example, the following URL:
https://www.example.com/user?id=20
can be re-written as
https://www.example.com/user/20/
You will have to write less type-checking code in your controllers because the Django URL module will throw an HTTP 404 for any non-integers passed in the “id” field. I realize you cannot always do this, but whenever I can do it, I prefer to use this design pattern.
6. Use Django’s ORM to enforce database constraints:
I know, I know — another dumb one — but honestly I have seen this time and time again. You can solve a lot of problems for yourself down the road if you use database constraints correctly
if a field can never be null, do not set null=True
use unique_together to enforce unique constraints and preventing dups
use the unique parameter when applicable
set max_length field appropriately
Basically, spend a considerable amount of time designing your database schema correctly, and use Django ORM to enforce this schema to the fullest extent possible! Make it impossible to save incorrect data!
7. Use django_model_utils + django_extensions in every project
Django-extensions is a third party library that provides a number of amazing piece of functionality: printing settings, shell_plus, dumping scripts, encryption, etc. I find myself using more and more of this functionality on a daily basis.
Django-model-utils contains a bunch of useful functionality not currently available in the Django ORM (or implemented differently): TimeStampField, MonitorField, Choices, etc
Before reinventing the wheel, make sure to throughly check out both of these projects.
8. Use Sentry For Both Front-End and Backend Errors Monitoring
Sentry is a piece of open source monitoring software written in Django. You can either pay for a subscription at getsentry.com or self host it. Sentry is an absolutely indispensable tool for diagnosing both front-end and back-end errors. You can track all sorts of useful information such has
how many times this error occurred in the past
browser information
time/location of occurrence
stack traces from 500s
404s/403s
front-end javascript undefines
Plans start at $24/month — and this is definitely money well spent.
9. Use the django-debug-toolbar for debugging and optimizing your site
Django-debug-toolbar is an amazing debugging tool. You can use it to track down performance problems in SQL queries, requests, templates, cache, etc. I am not a big advocate of premature optimization, but as soon as things still start to slow down, the django-debug-toolbar will help you identify the problems. For more information on how to install this project, please read the following blog post.
10. Use Django Custom User Model From Your First Commit
Django 1.5 introduced custom user models and I highly recommend you start with this rather than using Django’s build-in model. Adding fields to the user model is much more intuitive than the alternative method, which was to extend the model using another model with a OneToOne field. If you’ve been using Django for a while, you might find out the that 30 characters allocated for the email and username field on the built-in User model are not enough. If you start with a custom user model, resolving these issues and adding new fields is a migration away! Migrating a built-in user model to a custom user is still possible, but it’s not fun — take my word for it.
11. Considering using an alternative to django-admin
Django admin is great — but the design is pretty outdated. If you are building a site for a customer and they are paying for it, there are a number of alternative options that look a lot more professional and are very easy to install. Two of my favorites are django-grappelli and django-suit. For a larger list, click here:
I tend to blog about Django and Machine Learning from time to time, so if you are interested in this type of content — give me a follow on twitter @josephmisiti
Shameless Plug: If you need help with Django or Machine learning — I’m available for consulting: Math & PencilAn Ohio school district is warning parents about a drone that has been seen flying around school grounds. The Akron Public Schools district sent a letter to parents saying the drone had been seen during the evenings at least three or four times. Witnesses claim the drone has voice technology, enabling the user to speak to children on the playground, and said it has attempted to lure children away from the school, WKYC reports. "The drone was trying to interact with them, wanted to see if they would meet them at a dollar store, which is about three blocks away from where the school is," Daniel Rambler, Akron Public Schools director of student support services and security, said to WKYC. The district warned parents to have an adult accompany children to the playground and to talk with children about safety precautions.
An Ohio school district is warning parents about a drone that has been seen flying around school grounds.
The Akron Public Schools district sent a letter to parents saying the drone had been seen during the evenings at least three or four times.
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Witnesses claim the drone has voice technology, enabling the user to speak to children on the playground, and said it has attempted to lure children away from the school, WKYC reports.
"The drone was trying to interact with them, wanted to see if they would meet them at a dollar store, which is about three blocks away from where the school is," Daniel Rambler, Akron Public Schools director of student support services and security, said to WKYC.
The district warned parents to have an adult accompany children to the playground and to talk with children about safety precautions.
AlertMeIn Friday’s Pirelli teleconference Paul Hembery did his best to dismiss suggestions that the Barcelona Mercedes test was a “secret,” notwithstanding the fact that neither the other competitors nor the FIA were informed about it.
The story only emerged after a third party supplier, someone seemingly not bound by the conspiracy of silence woven by Pirelli and Mercedes, mentioned it to the governing body.
Pirelli may blame the media for emphasising it, but the level of secrecy involved is an issue that the FIA will be looking at as it examines the Ferrari and Mercedes tests, and considers whether the contracted tyre company has fulfilled its obligation to maintain sporting equity.
“Some people have described the test as secret,” said Hembery on Friday. “Well, I don’t think we would have won any James Bond prizes, because we booked the circuit in our name, two days after an F1 race.
“We turned up in our trucks, dressed as Pirelli people, with a brightly coloured Mercedes car, at a circuit like Barcelona where when you hear an F1 car fans turn up and take photos. We’d be very bad spies from that point of view.”
So how relaxed was Pirelli about fans “turning up,” either at the Mercedes test, or the Ferrari session that preceded it?
There’s no better man to ask than Pius Gasso, a former racing driver who lives virtually next door to the Barcelona track, and who takes a keen interest in what’s going on.
Apparently nicknamed the ‘all-seeing eye’ by friends on the Spanish motor racing scene, he knows the people who work at the circuit, he knows how to get in – and he knows how to get spy photos that 007 would be proud of.
It was Pius who grabbed a few shots of the Ferrari test, which emerged on the web, but attracted very little comment. Old F1 cars are often in action for filming and so on, and it didn’t seem to be of interest for the simple reason that no-one expected Pirelli to be running full-on F1 tyre tests, ‘secret’ or otherwise.
The Mercedes test was a different story. Despite his best efforts in the end Pius could get only a snatch of audio of an F1 car going round, along with some fuzzy snaps from a hillside some 2kms distance away.
Although he put a picture on Twitter, again there was no red flag, since nobody believed that pukka F1 tyre testing could be going on – with the exception perhaps of Ferrari…
So what was security like at the two sessions?
“At the Ferrari test I could take pictures from the gate on the corner of New Holland [the final corner],” Pius tells me. “But because of the security cameras four security men were quickly sent to me, and they told me it was a private test and I had to leave the area. They told me, ‘Please, Pirelli does not want photos, this is a GP2 test, and the truth is it’s nobody famous.’ I had the picture, so I left!
“At the Mercedes test the door was fully closed at New Holland, covered with a red canvas that made it impossible to see who it was. There were people from ISS, a company dedicated to the monitoring and control of the circuit, who did not let me stay over 10 minutes in the ‘street’ by the gate. I recorded the audio, and decided to climb a mountain to make those pictures.”
Hembery says that his company wants to protect “proprietary information for Pirelli,” even from the attention of teams.
And yet he also says that there was little to be gained from inviting observers from other teams to the Mercedes session – as it did with previous Renault/Lotus testing – because they wouldn’t know what tyres were being used.
In other words Pirelli believes that rival F1 engineers, invited to attend a test and watch from the pitlane, would learn nothing useful about the tyres.
Therefore one wonders quite what anybody standing outside the gate – or sitting in the grandstand – could have learned about Pirelli’s R&D by watching a Mercedes droning round.
So why the excessive security measures? Why stop members of the public from observing from outside the venue, never mind wandering around the spectator areas, enjoying the chance to see the car that was on pole a few days before?
One might conclude that this was little to do with Pirelli protecting its IP – and rather more with not letting the outside world know which car/driver combination was going round, or indeed what was going on in the garage between runs.
Crucially, what invited observers from other teams would be able to do at such a test of course is a) verify that everything was being run to the data protection standards promised with the Lotus testing (see earlier story), and b) confirm that Mercedes was not testing different parts and set-ups, and thus this was a genuine tyre test…• HMRC case thought to be focusing on payments made to agents • Deals for Demba Ba, Papiss Cissé and Sylvain Marveaux also looked at
The investigation into suspected £5m income tax fraud in football is focusing on payments relating to five players’ transfers to Newcastle United, including those of Moussa Sissoko, Papiss Cissé, Demba Ba and Sylvain Marveaux, according to sources close to the investigation. HM Revenue and Customs, which conducted an extensive raid on Newcastle’s and West Ham United’s offices on Wednesday morning, is understood to be chiefly investigating the payments made to agents, and whether £5m income tax and national insurance was fraudulently evaded.
Christian Atsu fires up Newcastle to keep title hopes alive Read more
The Newcastle managing director, Lee Charnley, who was arrested in a dawn raid at his house on Wednesday by six officers, and questioned during the day, is thought to have been told by HMRC officials that he is not personally under suspicion, and he was released without charge. Charnley was the Newcastle club secretary, not a director or in an executive position, when the deals were concluded. Ba signed for Newcastle from West Ham in June 2011, Marveaux from Rennes the following month; Cissé joined from Freiburg in January 2012, and Sissoko, for whom Newcastle were paid £30m by Tottenham Hotspur when he left St James’ Park last summer, was signed from the Ligue 1 club Toulouse in January 2013.
The French prosecuting authority, the Parquet National Financier, said on Wednesday that it had arrested four people in connection with a request for assistance from HMRC; so far only Marveaux’s name has been confirmed.
At both St James’ Park and West Ham’s London Stadium, around 50 HMRC officers spent hours taking extensive documentation and computers away, understood to contain all of both clubs’ transfer dealings and files on players going back years, not just relating to the five Newcastle deals under investigation. Other premises were also searched, including Newcastle’s Darsley Park training ground and Little Heath, a set of junior West Ham academy pitches.
No member of the West Ham staff was arrested on Wednesday, nor interviewed, club sources said, and it was not made clear whether any West Ham signings are specifically under investigation. Chelsea, to whom Ba was transferred in January 2013, confirmed that they were asked for information by HMRC on Wednesday, indicating that the request was part of the wider investigation and that no allegations were made against the club.
HMRC under pressure to produce results of its football tax fraud investigation | David Conn Read more
At both Newcastle and West Ham there has been some bemusement among staff at the wide-ranging and dramatic nature of the raids, the removal of computers and the amount of paperwork and electronic information taken away. Given Charnley’s position at the time of the deals and the fact that he was released without charge on the same day, there is also a feeling within St James’ Park that the 5.40am arrest at his family home was heavy-handed.
HMRC has a policy of not commenting on individual tax affairs and declined to respond to questions about its investigation. On Wednesday the tax authority said in a statement that 180 officers had been deployed and that “several men” had been arrested, in the UK and France.Token Summit — Not Just a ‘token’ Crypto Event
Anand Venkateswaran Blocked Unblock Follow Following Dec 8, 2017
A genuine melting pot of ideas and projects, which took the crypto conversation forward, both in breadth and in depth. Here’s a short overview of some of the major themes of the summit.
Timing is everything. Token Summit 2 couldn’t have asked for a more powerful context than this first week of December. Cryptokitties happened; Crypto valuation had just pushed the nitrous button; Olaf got on Bloomberg, made a prediction about Ethereum that blew the minds of the finance industry; All the while, a vast number of very interesting protocols and projects that had been evolving over the last 10 months had all begun to converge in San Francisco.
It’s like Nick Tomaino, co-host of the event, said — ‘…people more aligned by beliefs and interests than by physical location’. The summit represented 38 countries. However, across all countries and the dApps and projects they represented, some themes were universal. Here’s a short overview of the major themes of the Token Summit.
The #Decentralized Ecosystem
Loi Luu of the @KyberNetwork had flown in from Singapore to participate in one of the most anticipated panels of the day — Understanding Decentralized Exchanges. He put forward a highly relatable, promising proposition — trading directly from your blockchain wallet, without interfacing with any centralized entity. Looking forward to checking out his platform on the mainnet, which is due in two months. Luu also made an under the radar statement which made me wonder if I heard it right — something about a centralized exchange, on-chain. Revolutionary, any way you look at it.
More than one way to scale the kitty. Plasma, Trubit and Cosmos talk scale.
When discussing bottlenecks to adoption and scale, Will Warren of the @0xProject said there ought to be better tooling on either side of the exchange and, amid the excitement of decentralized exchanges, made a pertinent point to the users — you need to be comfortable with having custody of your funds. You asked for it. Can you handle it?
The soft-spoken Thomas Greco of @Omise_go asked that we look at the end user base as beyond crypto. Well beyond. Right this instant, he says, there is a whole world of users depending on digital fiat for everyday transactions. Scale assumes major importance in this context.
Enter #Plasma and some incredible discussions on scaling the blockchain.
Cats Eat Up Lion’s Share of Ethereum Bandwidth
The immense and frankly unsurprising popularity of Cryptokitties is further proof that scale is an immediate priority for the blockchain. Fittingly, scale was addressed not just in an exclusive panel, but also by several individual presenters.
The panel itself, an invigorating post-lunch session, was also a ringside view of three distinct, parallel approaches to the same problem. Joseph Poon described Plasma as blockchains within blockchains, Jason Teutsch of @TruebitProtocol said decoupling verification from mining is the answer to scalability, while Jae Kwan of @Cosmos recommends communication between multiple blockchains as the answer to scaling issues.
Greco had built up quite a bit of steam for the plasma approach, so Joseph basically bolstered the argument for blockchains within blockchains. Of course, he was also quick to admit that there was still some ways to go before that became a workable reality. Jason’s point on freeing up computational bandwidth was on target, and Jae’s excitement about achieving ‘instant finality’ was infectious. He colourfully described an aspect of multichain communication as ‘hard spoon’.
Joseph took a sharp dig at private consortium chains, said they know they’re BS and that they just don’t tell their clients. Went down well with the audience, that one.
A suffix to this discussion came from a project presentation by the Oracles POA Network. With a multi-window slide and a lot of emoticons, the team displayed a third, three-pronged approach to scaling — consensus + multichain communication (think Cosmos) + horizontal bridging of blockchains. According to Oracles, you can bridge seemingly incompatible blockchains and scale horizontally. Food for thought.
Watch out for…
Rapid fire pitch presentations were spread in three segments throughout the day. Kudos to the organizers for keeping the pressure on, which forced the presenters to focus on the most important and kickass aspects of their project.
If I were to do a quick roundup of what stood out, I’d say
@vigsun introduces @Lendroidproject — finally, trading for grown-ups. Pic: Rhys Lindmark twitter
Part 1: @storjproject (distributed cloud storage platform) presented a strong progress report, @numerai (unified hedge fund) beckoned data scientists, @etherisc (decentralized insurance) demoed profitability.
Part 2: @lendroidproject (decentralized lending, margin trading and short selling ERC20 tokens) reimagines trading in 3 minutes, @dether_io (byu ether for cash, spend in physical stores) envisions cash to crypto, @1protocolinc (virtual workers on Ethereum) is anti-staking, @oceanprotocol is ready to frack data safely and @ConsenSys offers accounting services for digital assets.
Part 3: @dydxderivatives (decentralized derivatives) does a smooth demo, @oraclesorg (decentralized hub for POA consensus) brings a compelling approach to scale, @bluenote_world (build decentralized trusted economies) sets off to save the planet with the blockchain, Soffito does crypto to cash via a card, @OrchidProtocol seeks to end internet surveillance.
Man of the moment. Pic: William Mougayar twitter
What struck the average attendee at the conference is the feeling that the conversations and fireside chats and presentations and panels were amplified well beyond the boundaries of the crypto space. Kudos to William Mougayar and his team for making this happen.
Next Up! — Part two, where we examine crypto regulation, marvel at blockchain utopias, and celebrate some celebrities who quite rightfully hogged the limelight. Yeah, @naval, you know who you are.'Puss in Boots' showcases work by India animators for DreamWorks
'Puss in Boots' marks the first time DreamWorks has relied on Indian animators to help produce a full-length feature film. The Bangalore, India, animation studio has become an increasingly important piece of DreamWorks' production pipeline.
The investment underscores how Hollywood is increasingly farming out animation and visual effects work to India, both to capitalize on the country's low labor costs and to tap into a large pool of English-speaking workers with sought-after computer skills. The pace of production also is accelerated because of the 24-hour cycle that can be maintained by pairing the Bangalore workers with their counterparts in Hollywood.
The film, starring Antonio Banderas and Salma Hayek, marks the first time that the Glendale studio has relied on a crew of Indian animators to help produce a full-length feature film. Until now, DreamWorks Animation had used the studio it operates in Bangalore to produce mainly TV specials and DVD bonus material. But after investing more than $10 million over the last three years, DreamWorks has turned the Bangalore studio into an increasingly important piece of its production pipeline.
A spinoff of the hit "Shrek" movies, "Puss in Boots" represents a milestone for DreamWorks Animation and for the fledgling animation industry in the world's second most populous nation.
When the cat bandit "Puss in Boots" strides onto the big screen this weekend, Vanitha Rangaraju and her colleagues in Bangalore, India, will take special pride in the feline's starring role |
There is no doubt that Yosef is a major figure in Israeli political and social history – he arrived in Israel at the age of four, in the mid-1920s, and the power of the political movement he built is responsible for the public praise he's garnering today. But Yosef's undisguised bigotry and religious political extremism could also prove awkward for politicians like Mr. Netanyahu, who just last week complained that Iranians aren't allowed to wear jeans or listen to Western music by the country's own religious extremists (never mind that neither of his assertions were true).
Netanyahu has been campaigning of late against any rapprochement between the US and Iran, warning that seeming Iranian willingness to negotiate over its nuclear program is a trap and that the Islamic Republic's leaders are fundamentally unstable and untrustworthy.
"They’re governed by Ayatollah Khamenei. He heads a cult. That cult is wild in its ambitions and its aggression,” Netanyahu told NBC last week. In his speech at the UN last month, he complained of the "fanaticism" of Iran's religiously based state.
Yet he and many Israeli leaders embrace and praise Yosef, the Baghdad-born cleric who served as Israel's chief Sephardi rabbi for a decade before focusing on direct political power. His religiously inspired views have given more political power to clerics in Israel, and his ultimate agenda frightened non-Jews.
For instance, in 2010 he said in a weekly Saturday night sermon that the sole purpose God put non-Jews on earth was to be servants to Jews.
"Goyim (gentiles, non-Jews) were born only to serve us. Without that, they have no place in the world – only to serve the People of Israel," he said, according to the Jerusalem Post. "Why are gentiles needed? They will work, they will plow, they will reap. We will sit like an effendi and eat. That is why gentiles were created." An "effendi" is a lord, or a master, in Arabic.
Yosef also favored the large number of ultra-Orthodox men who eschew modern education, focus only on Torah study, and are exempted from military service in Israel while largely subsisting on government handouts.
It was his comments about non-Jews that were the ugliest. In 2010 he said of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and the people he leads that "all these evil people should perish from this world. God should strike them with a plague, them and these Palestinians."
On Arabs in general, he said in 2001, "It is forbidden to be merciful to them. You must send missiles to them and annihilate them. They are evil and damnable." In 2009 he said of Muslims "their religion is as ugly as they are."
That sort of rhetoric, when heard from Arab or Iranian clerics directed towards Israelis or Jews in general is usually (and rightly) harshly condemned by Israeli leaders like Netanyahu as beyond the pale.
Yosef also had regressive views on the role of women and gays in society. In 2007, angry that many Ashkenazi rabbis supported allowing women to say a blessing over Shabbat candles after they'd been lit, he said: "Women should make (stew) and not deal with matters of the Torah." He said that any disagreement with him was the fault of "a few stupid women. A woman's knowledge is only in sewing."
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As for gays and lesbians, he said they were "completely evil."
To be sure, it's not just in Israel where Yosef was popular. Bill de Blasio, the democrat who's the current front-runner to be mayor of New York, had this to say about the departed rabbi today:Parramatta Eels prop Tim Mannah will extend his NRL career with the Club after signing a three year contract extension which will see him remain at Parramatta until the end of the 2019 season.
In announcing Mannah’s re-signing, Head Coach Brad Arthur said the Eels had retained a Club stalwart who had come through the ranks as a junior and established himself as a formidable forward.
“Tim’s contribution to the team and to the Club over the last eight years can never be undervalued,” Head Coach Brad Arthur said.
“His level of experience and commitment to Parramatta will continue to help, guide, and develop the next generation of players in our Club.”
A State of Origin representative for NSW and a leader both on and off the field, Mannah has accumulated 180 first grade games for the Eels having started his career with the Club in 2009.
Mannah has played his entire NRL career with Parramatta, and has won several awards for his achievements including the Ken Thornett Medal as the NRL Player’s Player in 2015.USA Today
There are many ways for athletes to pass time in the offseason, but very few choose to work a tough job for low pay. This is what makes Minnesota Twins minor league pitcher Alex Meyer unique.
According to David Woods of the Indianapolis Star, the 23-year-old starting pitcher has spent the past three offseasons working as a substitute teacher in the Greensburg school district outside of Indianapolis, including at his very own Greensburg High School.
After being drafted in the first round by the Washington Nationals in 2011, Meyer signed a contract for $2 million. Substitute teaching pays him $63 a day—quite a bargain for the school system.
However, the University of Kentucky alumnus wants a career to fall back on in case things do not go according to plan with baseball. He told Woods:
Being able to be a substitute teacher puts me in a real-life atmosphere and lets me know if this is something I really want to do or not. So far, it is. [...] Hopefully, I'm able to play baseball and have a nice, long career. But you never know what's going to happen with that. So you've always got to be able to have something on the ready.
The good news is that his baseball career appears to be on the right track at the moment. After being selected with the 23rd overall pick of the 2011 draft, he was traded to the Minnesota Twins for outfielder Denard Span. According to Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com, Twins general manager Terry Ryan was very excited about the deal:
It's difficult to get these types of guys once they're up near Triple-A or their rookie years in the big leagues. So we went and got a guy who pitched in the Carolina League this year. I don't know if you waited much longer, you'd have a shot at this guy. [...] He's got four pitches with velocity and size, and he throws it over. So I'll let him dictate where he's going to end up in which spot in the rotation and all that. But he's certainly has the capability of providing some quality innings.
Meyer is already proving his GM right with a strong 2013 season that saw him post a 2.99 ERA in 78.1 innings across 16 starts. He also had an impressive 11.5 strikeouts per nine innings.
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com rated the 6'9" right-hander as the No. 32 prospect in all of baseball following the 2013 season. He also predicts that he will make his major league debut at some point in 2014.
At his current pace, Meyer will not need to worry about a second career.
Still, it is impressive to see a player so young thinking so clearly about his future. Even some of the best baseball prospects fail to make it in the big leagues, and many of them are unprepared for the next stage of their lives.
However, Meyer appears to have found something he loves to do and benefits the community at the same time. It is clear that no matter what happens, the Indiana native will be just fine.
Follow Rob Goldberg on Twitter for the latest breaking news and analysis.The influence of ladasten and sydnocarb on dopamine and serotonin receptors and the biosynthesis and re-uptake of dopamine and serotonin has been studied. It is established that both drugs do not produce any direct effects on dopamine D1, D2, and D3 receptors in rat striatum as well as on serotonin 5-HT1A and 5-HT2A receptors in rat frontal cortex in vitro. Ladasten in a single dose of 50 mg/kg (i.p.) stimulated ex vivo dopamine biosynthesis and release in striatum, without any influence on serotonin formation neither in striatum nor in frontal cortex. On the contrary, sydnocarb (17.5 mg/kg, i.p.) decreased the level of serotonin synthesis both in striatum and frontal cortex, while not affecting the biosynthesis of dopamine. Both ladasten and sydnocarb inhibited the active transport of dopamine in rat striatal synaptosomes at IC50 = 3.56 microM and 28.66 nM, respectively, but failed to influence the serotonin re-uptake in rat frontal cortex.Massey Mine Boss Charged In Deadly Coal Mine Explosion
(Scroll down for several updates and the document prosecutors filed today.)
Federal prosecutors in Charleston, W.Va., have filed the most serious criminal charges yet in the April, 2010, coal mine explosion that left 29 mine workers dead.
The conspiracy charges reach into the management ranks of Massey Energy and signal an effort to seek evidence against higher-level executives.
A "criminal information" accuses Gary May, a former superintendent of Massey's Upper Big Branch coal mine, of conspiring "with others known and unknown" to "hamper, hinder, impede, and obstruct the lawful enforcement... of mine health and safety laws" at the mine.
As a superintendent, May was one of two top Massey managers at the mine and was responsible for day to day operations for portions of Upper Big Branch. He took on the superintendent's job five months before the explosion, which multiple investigations have blamed on numerous safety failures. The specific allegations against May include:
-- Warning miners underground with "code phrases" when federal regulators arrived for surprise safety inspections, leading to concealment of violations.
-- Falsifying "examination record books" at the mine, which identify safety problems, provide notice to federal inspectors and list needed fixes.
-- Deliberately altering the air flow underground when federal safety inspectors arrived "in order to conceal and cover up the quantity of air that normally reached that area of the mine."
-- Disabling a malfunctioning methane monitor on a mining machine "allowing the continuous mining machine to be operated for several hours without a functioning methane monitor."
Prosecutors do not directly link any of these allegations with the explosion two years ago, which was the worst mine disaster in the United States in 40 years. Instead, they suggest an alleged pattern of behavior that put production over safety and placed miners at risk.
"Mine safety and health laws were routinely violated" at Upper Big Branch, the charging document says, "in part because of a belief that following those laws would decrease coal production."
May is the most senior mining company official charged criminally in a mine disaster in at least 10 years. The conspiracy charges are part of a rare if not unprecedented strategy to seek charges against higher level managers and executives at Massey Energy.
Using a "criminal information" document for charges bypasses a federal grand jury and indicates the defendant has accepted a plea agreement and is ready to testify against others.
Documents released in earlier investigative reports about the tragedy show that the mine was micro-managed by senior Massey officials, including former CEO Don Blankenship. The internal company records and Blankenship's own deposition in another case describe the tracking of coal production minute by minute and foot by foot.
May is the third former Massey employee charged in an ongoing federal criminal probe.
Hughie Stover, a former security chief at the Upper Big Branch mine, was convicted in October of attempting to destroy evidence and lying to investigators about the practice of warning miners when federal regulators arrived for surprise inspections. Stover is scheduled for sentencing next week and prosecutors say they want a 25-year jail term, which is close to four times the term calculated in federal sentencing guidelines.
Last April, former mine foreman Thomas Harrah pleaded guilty to faking his official credentials and then lying about that to investigators.
The methane monitor incident involving May was first reported and documented by NPR. A number of witnesses told NPR that a few months before the explosion, May ordered an electrician to disable the device, which is used to detect explosive levels of the gas.
Methane occurs naturally in coal mines and the monitors shut down mining machines before they can spark an explosion. Operating a mining machine without a working monitor is illegal and puts miners at risk.
The April 5, 2010, explosion was sparked by a different mining machine in another part of the mine.
Prosecutors say May faces as much as five years in prison if convicted but they won't discuss any possible plea agreement or whom else their investigation targets.
Massey Energy was purchased by Alpha Natural Resources last year.
Update at 3:30 p.m. ET. The Important Distinction Between "Criminal Information" And An Indictment:
Later today on All Things Considered we'll have more. One important point: It's clear that prosecutors are looking beyond Gary May because they filed charges in what is called a criminal information and not an indictment. Former federal prosecutor David Uhlmann says a defendant "would wave indictment if he or she were going to cooperate with prosecutors and testify against other individuals. That almost always means officials who are higher up within the company."
U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin hints at a plea agreement and cooperation. "Without commenting specifically on this case," he says, "I can tell you that a defendant can only be charged by information if he agrees to waive his constitutional right to indictment. And information typically indicates that an agreement has been reached with the defendant and that he's cooperating with the government's investigation."
That's welcome news to Gary Quarles, whose son Gary Wayne died in the Upper Big Branch explosion. "I think it's past time for them to put people like this in jail," he says. "I hope [May] can talk and maybe get some more people that's involved in this... [and] put some of them in jail. That's what I want."
Update at 11:45 a.m. ET. More Analysis:
Ken Ward of The Charleston Gazette writes on his Coal Tattoo blog about the significant role May played at Massey Energy and says that "as best I can tell, the last time a coal-mining disaster criminal probe got anywhere near charges against a mine superintendent, it was after the deaths of eight workers at Southmountain Coal Co. in Virginia back in 1992."
Update at 9:45 a.m. ET. The Court Document:
We've posted a copy of the document filed in court today by the U.S. Attorney. You can see it here or in the box below. Just click on the headline "Charging Document" to pop up a larger version.
May, from Bloomingrose, W.Va., is 43-years-old. If convicted, he faces a possible jail sentence of five years.The Socceroos kept their World Cup dream alive with that come from behind win against Iraq last week, and now national team coach Holger Osieck has the perfect opportunity to experiment when his side takes on South Korea in a friendly in November.
Australia has one of the oldest squads in international football with a handful of players having reached the status of ten-year veterans.
Should veterans Archie Thompson and Tim Cahill, recent saviours of the national team, play friendlies? Credit:Getty Images
As the team has struggled more than expected in this qualifying phase — especially in a shock loss to Jordan — the German coach has come in for criticism for his alleged inflexibility and reluctance to rely on any others expect the old guard.
It's not an easy square to circle. Osieck has to rebuild the team, but also make sure he gets it to Brazil. It is human nature to rely on players who have done the job before, but he has left himself with little scope for change if things don’t work out, as they threatened not to before the Iraq victory.Welcome to the Post-Human Rights World
Less than two months in, President Donald Trump is already shaping up as a disaster for human rights. From his immigration ban to his support for torture, Trump has jettisoned what has long been, in theory if not always in practice, a bipartisan American commitment: the promotion of democratic values and human rights abroad.
Worse is probably set to come. Trump has lavished praise on autocrats and expressed disdain for international institutions. He described Egyptian strongman Abdel Fattah al-Sisi as a “fantastic guy” and brushed off reports of repression by the likes of Russia’s Vladimir Putin, Syria’s Bashar al-Assad, and Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan. As Trump put it in his bitter inauguration address, “It is the right of all nations to put their own interests first. We do not seek to impose our way of life on anyone.” Kenneth Roth, the executive director of Human Rights Watch, has written that Trump’s election has brought the world to “the verge of darkness” and threatens to “reverse the accomplishments of the modern human rights movement.”
But this threat is not new. In fact, the rise of Trump has only underlined the existential challenges already facing the global rights project. Over the past decade, the international order has seen a structural shift in the direction of assertive new powers, including Xi Jinping’s China and Putin’s Russia, that have openly challenged rights norms while at the same time crushing dissent in contested territories like Chechnya and Tibet. These rising powers have not only clamped down on dissent at home; they have also given cover to rights-abusing governments from Manila to Damascus. Dictators facing Western criticism can now turn to the likes of China for political backing and “no-strings” financial and diplomatic support.
This trend has been strengthened by the Western nationalist-populist revolt that has targeted human rights institutions and the global economic system in which they are embedded. With populism sweeping the world and new superpowers in the ascendant, post-Westphalian visions of a shared global order are giving way to an era of resurgent sovereignty. Unchecked globalization and liberal internationalism are giving way to a post-human rights world.
All this amounts to an existential challenge to the global human rights norms that have proliferated since the end of World War II. In that time, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted in 1948, has been supplemented by a raft of treaties and conventions guaranteeing civil and political rights, social and economic rights, and the rights of refugees, women, and children. The collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War served to further entrench human rights within the international system. Despite the world’s failure to prevent mass slaughter in places like Rwanda and Bosnia, the 1990s would see the emergence of a global human rights imperium: a cross-border, transnational realm anchored in global bodies like the U.N. and the European Union and supervised by international nongovernmental organizations and a new class of professional activists and international legal experts.
The professionalization of human rights was paralleled by the advance of international criminal justice. The decade saw the creation of ad hoc tribunals for Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia and the signing in 1998 of the Rome Statute that created the International Criminal Court — an achievement that then-U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan hailed as a “giant step forward in the march towards universal human rights and the rule of law.” On paper, citizens in most countries now enjoy around 400 distinct rights. As Michael Ignatieff wrote in 2007, human rights have become nothing short of “the dominant language of the public good around the globe.”
Crucially, this legal and normative expansion was underpinned by an unprecedented period of growth and economic integration in which national borders appeared to disappear and the world shrink under the influence of globalization and technological advance. Like the economic system in which it was embedded, the global human rights project attained a sheen of inevitability; it became, alongside democratic politics and free market capitalism, part of the triumphant neoliberal package that Francis Fukuyama identified in 1989 as “the end point of mankind’s ideological evolution.” In 2013, one of America’s foremost experts on international law, Peter J. Spiro, predicted that legal advances and economic globalization had brought on “sovereigntism’s twilight.” Fatou Bensouda, the current chief prosecutor of the ICC, has argued similarly that the creation of the court inaugurated a new era of post-Westphalian politics in which rulers would now be held accountable for serious abuses committed against their own people. (So far, no sitting government leader has.)
But in 2017, at a time of increasing instability, in which the promised fruits of globalization have failed for many to materialize, these old certainties have collapsed. In the current “age of anger,” as Pankaj Mishra has termed it, human rights have become both a direct target of surging right-wing populism and the collateral damage of its broader attack on globalization, international institutions, and “unaccountable” global elites.
The outlines of this new world can be seen from Europe and the Middle East to Central Asia and the Pacific. Governments routinely ignore their obligations under global human rights treaties with little fear of meaningful sanction. For six years, grave atrocities in Syria have gone unanswered, despite the legal innovations of the “responsibility to protect” doctrine. Meanwhile, many European governments are reluctant to honor their legal obligations to offer asylum to the hundreds of thousands of people fleeing its brutal civil war.
To be sure, not all of these developments are new; international rights treaties have always represented an aspirational baseline to which many nations have fallen short. But the human rights age was one in which the world, for all its shortfalls, seemed to be trending in the direction of more adherence, rather than less. It was a time in which human rights advocates and supportive leaders spoke confidently of standing on the “right side of history” and even the world’s autocrats were forced to pay lip service to the idea of rights.
If the human rights age was one in which the contours of history were clear, today it is no longer obvious that history has any such grand design. According to the latest Freedom in the World report, released in January by Freedom House, 2016 marked the 11th consecutive year of decline in global freedom. It was also a year in which 67 countries suffered net declines in political freedoms and civil liberties. Keystone international institutions are also under siege. In October, three African states — South Africa, Burundi, and Gambia — announced their withdrawal from the ICC, perhaps the crowning achievement of the human rights age. (Gambia has since reversed its decision, following the January resignation of autocratic President Yahya Jammeh.) Angry that the ICC unfairly targets African defendants, leaders on the continent are now mulling a collective withdrawal from the court.
African criticism reflects governments’ increasing confidence in rejecting human rights as “Western” values and painting any local organization advocating these principles as a pawn of external forces. China and India have both introduced restrictive new laws that constrain the work of foreign NGOs and local groups that receive foreign funding, including organizations advocating human rights. In Russia, a “foreign agent law” passed in 2012 has been used to tightly restrict the operation of human rights NGOs and paint any criticism of government policies as disloyal, foreign-sponsored, and “un-Russian.”
In the West, too, support for human rights is wavering. In his successful campaign in favor of “Brexit,” Nigel Farage, then-leader of the UK Independence Party, attacked the European Convention on Human Rights, claiming that it had compromised British security by preventing London from barring the return of British Islamic State fighters from the Middle East. During the U.S. election campaign, Donald Trump demonized minorities, advocated torture, expressed admiration for dictators — and still won the White House. Meanwhile, a recent report suggests that Western support for international legal institutions like the ICC is fickle, lasting only “as long as it targets other problems in other countries.”
In the post-human rights world, global rights norms and institutions will continue to exist but only in an increasingly ineffective form. This will be an era of renewed superpower competition, in what Robert Kaplan has described as a “more crowded, nervous, anxious world.” The post-human rights world will not be devoid of grassroots political struggles, however. On the contrary, these could well intensify as governments tighten the space for dissenting visions and opinions. Indeed, the wave of domestic opposition to Trump’s policies is an early sign that political activism may be entering a period of renewed power and relevance.
What, then, is to be done? As many human rights activists have already acknowledged, fresh approaches are required. In December, RightsStart, a new human rights consultancy hub, launched itself by suggesting five strategies that international rights NGOs can use to adapt to the “existential crisis” of the current moment. (Full disclosure: I have previously worked with one of its founders.) Among them was the need for these groups to “communicate more effectively” the importance of human rights and use international advocacy more often as a platform for local voices. Philip Alston, a human rights veteran and law professor at New York University, has argued that the human rights movement will also have to confront the fact that it has never offered a satisfactory solution to the key driver of the current populist surge: global economic inequality.
In a broader sense, the global human rights project will have to shed its pretensions of historical inevitability and get down to the business of making its case to ordinary people. With authoritarian politics on the rise, now is the time to re-engage in politics and to adopt more pragmatic and flexible tactics for the advancement of human betterment. Global legal advocacy will continue to be important, but efforts should predominantly be directed downward, to national courts and legislatures. It is here that right-wing populism has won its shattering victories. It is here, too, that the coming struggle against Trumpism and its avatars will ultimately be lost or won.
Photo credit: CHIP SOMODEVILLA/Getty ImagesThe Jungler is the most influential role on a team, applying pressure to the map via global presence. Hence, keeping track of the opposing Jungler will enable you to alleviate their pressure from your lanes. Through thoughtful ward placement, champion knowledge and deductive reasoning, you’ll be able to better anticipate your opponent’s behaviour.
Vision Coverage
Wards throughout the enemy jungle and river are the best way to track the opposing Jungler. If you’re looking to trace them as a Jungler yourself, the Tracking Knife machete upgrade is the best option.
(Click for full size)
Wards positioned at junctions between jungle camps, as pictured above, are ideal for spotting the enemy Junglers’ location and movements. Additionally, checking if jungle camps have been taken will reveal if the camp has been taken recently. This can serve as a ‘breadcrumb trail’ of a Jungler’s actions, helping you conceptualize your opponents’ stratagem.
A specific tactic that can be done early-game involves counting the opposing Jungler’s Creep Score (CS). With simple math, their clearing route can be discerned. For example, you may catch vision of the enemy Jungler at their Red Buff, and the scoreboard shows that they have 11 CS.
This indicates that they’ve gone for a full clear, i.e. Gromp, Blue Buff, Wolves, and Raptors (1 + 3 + 3 + 4 = 11). Simple sums like this can help you read and anticipate the enemy Jungler’s intentions, although they become invalid after the first few minutes of the game as their CS will grow larger and other factors (ward/minion kills) will invalidate this technique. Additionally, be sure to check your opponents’ Smite bonuses (Razor Sharp, Gift of Heavy Hands, etc.) and their remaining durations to evaluate when and where they have used Smite.
Champion Knowledge
A fundamental element of predicting the opposing Junglers’ behaviour is understanding their champions’ functionality. Certain champions are farm-oriented, while others are best at ganking. Knowing factors such as the speed of their jungle clears, or whether they have a passive or aggressive playstyle, are crucial to predicting an opponent’s farm routes and likelihood to gank.
There are a range of facets that compose a champions’ jungle playstyle. When evaluating a Jungler, questions to ask yourself include:
Are they farm or gank-oriented?
How fast are their clears?
Where are they likely to begin their clear?
How much sustain do they have?
Are they mana-dependent?
How strong are their ganks?
Do they have crowd-control?
Do they require their ultimate to gank?
For example, you could break down Amumu. Amumu is an AP Jungler with decent clear speeds who will likely clear Gromp first, followed by Blue Buff due to his mana dependency. He’s extremely frail on his first clears, and will run low on HP without health potions and/or basic items. He’s a utility-based tank Jungler who will be looking for gank opportunities after Level 3 with Bandage Toss (Q).
This may seem like a lot to process for some, but this information will come naturally with experience. Spectating and playing alongside/against a champion will further your knowledge of their playstyle, but actually playing the champion will improve your understanding best. First-hand experience will help you gauge their capabilities, power spikes and shortcomings.
Global Awareness
Checking on the state of lanes and the enemy laners’ actions can help you anticipate a Jungler’s ganks and behaviour.
From around 1:45-1:55, you should check how long the enemy top/bottom laners take to move down their lanes. This will indicate if they leashed, hence revealing which side the Jungler began their clear. If you didn’t catch a delay, you should also check the laners’ health and mana to reveal whether or not they leashed with an ability or tanked the camp. Brief checks like this will help you begin plotting out the opposing Junglers’ first clear route.
This is a dead giveaway!
Studying laner behaviour throughout the game can reveal if they’re intending to set up a gank. For example, if the enemy Leona suddenly opts to use Sweeping Lens on a river brush, they are likely preparing the Jungler to move in for a gank. Perhaps the enemy Ahri begins moving towards their blue buff at around 7:30, this suggests that the Jungler’s probably leashing it for them.
Maintaining map awareness and checking enemy motions such as these are clear giveaways of the enemy Jungler’s location. Notifying your teammates through pings and communication will enable your laners to adjust their playstyles accordingly.
Gank Potential
The likelihood that a Jungler will gank any given lane can be evaluated by assessing several factors, including the condition of both allied and enemy champions, the lane matchup and how pushed the lane is.
Consider a bottom-lane matchup of Lucian and Thresh vs. Kog’Maw and Soraka. Unless Lucian and Thresh are particularly vulnerable (heavily overextended, very low on HP/Mana etc.), it’s unlikely that a Jungler will attempt a gank against them since Soraka and Kog’Maw lack any Crowd-Control or decent gank facilitation. On the other hand, Lucian and Thresh are dominant laners with playmaking potential, and can accommodate ganks against their immobile lane opponents.
A Jungler will be looking to gank lanes where:
Opponents are vulnerable (immobile or lacking HP)
Minion waves are in an accommodating state (e.g. wave pushed in for a gank, pushed out to enemy tower for a dive, etc.)
Allied laners can lock-down opponents/set up for Jungler
Being able to discern which lanes are most susceptible to ganks will come with experience. Lane matchups will define how a Jungler can approach a lane, and in time you’ll identify synergies between different champions.
This article is just a starting point for reading opponents. Through clever interpretation of information, you can draw conclusions regarding the opposing Jungler in a variety of contexts. Be sure to utilize the thought processes discussed in this piece, and you’ll soon find yourself able to read the enemy like a book. Good luck on the Rift!
Are you into fantasy leagues? Then check out AlphaDraft and put together your allstar lineup!The consumption of tobacco is of even more recent historical origin than the consumption of, so the Hypothesis would predict that more intelligent individuals are more likely to smoke tobacco than less intelligent individuals.
The tobacco plant originated in South America and spread to the rest of the world. Native Americans began cultivating two species of the tobacco plant (Nicotiana rustica and Nicotiana tabacum) about 8,000 years ago. The consumption of tobacco was unknown outside of the Americas until Columbus brought it back to Europe at the end of the 15th century. The consumption of tobacco is therefore evolutionarily novel, and the Hypothesis would thus predict that more intelligent individuals may be more likely to consume tobacco than less intelligent individuals.
The Hypothesis is confirmed with data from the United States but not the United Kingdom. The analysis of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent in the United States shows that, net of age,, race, ethnicity, religion, marital status,,, earnings, political attitude,, general satisfaction with life,, frequency of socialization with, number of recent sex partners, childhood family income, mother’s education, and father’s education, more intelligent American children grow up to smoke more cigarettes more frequently than their less intelligent counterparts.
The following graph shows the association between childhood and the latent factor for tobacco consumption. The bivariate association is curvilinear, not linear. Nevertheless, “normal” (90 < IQ < 110), “bright” (110 < IQ < 125), and “very bright” (IQ > 125) Americans are more likely to smoke cigarettes than their “very dull” (IQ < 75) or “dull” (75 < IQ < 90) counterparts. The overall association between childhood intelligence and the consumption of tobacco is positive. The more intelligent they are in junior high and high school, the more tobacco they consume as young adults seven years later.
In contrast, however, the analysis of the National Study in the United Kingdom shows that, net of a large number of social and demographic variables, more intelligent British children grow up to smoke fewer cigarettes throughout their adult lives in their 20s, 30s, and 40s than less intelligent individuals. The following graph shows the association between childhood intelligence and the latent factor for tobacco consumption. There is a clear monotonic negative association between childhood intelligence and adult tobacco consumption. The more intelligent they are before the age of 16, the less tobacco they consume in their 20s, 30s, and 40s.
There have been other studies that confirm these divergent patterns of association between general intelligence and tobacco consumption in the two countries. These studies show that more intelligent individuals smoke more cigarettes than less intelligent individuals in the United States, but fewer cigarettes in the United Kingdom.
Why is this? Why would childhood general intelligence have opposite effects on adult cigarette consumption in the US and the UK? I speculate about possible reasons in my next post.Professor Rajeev Kumar's suspension order earlier earlier was quashed by then President Pranab Mukherjee.
Highlights In 2014, IIT Kharagpur decided to retire Professor Rajeev Kumar But the professor's retirement penalty was quashed by the president then He had joined JNU in 2015; was later allowed to join IIT Kharagpur
IIT Kharagpur has accepted the resignation of whistle-blower professor Rajeev Kumar, whose compulsory retirement order was quashed by President Pranab Mukherjee days before he demitted office.IIT Kharagpur had suspended Kumar for "misconduct" in May 2011, the same year the Supreme Court had lauded him as an "unsung hero" for his efforts to reform the IIT Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) which has since been re-christened as JEE Advanced.The institute set up a probe panel that found him guilty. Kumar was accused of "damaging the reputation of the institute" by levelling allegations on issues ranging from irregularities in the purchase of laptops to rampant copying by students during examinations.In 2014, the IIT decided to compulsorily retire him. Kumar, who alleged that the panel was biased, had moved the Delhi High Court and obtained a stay on the IIT's order. He had also appealed to the then president requesting that the order be quashed.While he had resigned in 2014, the institution had not accepted his resignation saying the matter was sub-judice."(Former) President and Visitor of IIT Kharagpur has set aside the penalty of compulsory retirement on professor Rajeev Kumar...The institute accepts his technical resignation in view of the HRD communication following the presidential order," an official memorandum said.Following the high court's stay order, Kumar had taken lien for two years and joined Jawaharlal Nehru University in 2015. However, he was relieved from JNU in June to allow him to re-join IIT Kharagpur.The professor has appealed to the JNU vice chancellor to reinstate him as his penalty has been quashed and resignation accepted.JNU Vice Chancellor M Jagdeesh Kumar, when contacted, did not comment on the issue.Days before he demitted office last month, Mukherjee had ordered setting aside of the penalty imposed on Kumar.The HRD ministry had last week an issued order to the IIT Kharagpur director to comply with the former president's order.An iOS 6 bug that added an extra instance of 3:00AM and 3:00PM to Australians' iDevices seems not to be something users in other nations need to worry about.
The bug in question, first spotted by an an alert Gizmodo Australia reader, saw iDevices running iOS6 decide that 3:00AM happened twice on October 7th.
That day is notable for being the one on which several Australian States switch to Daylight Saving time, springing forward an hour to lengthen evenings so locals can go to the beach after work.
The changeover means clocks jump forward from 1:59:59AM to 3:00:00AM. The hour between 2:00AM and 3:00AM disappears into a puff of seasonal inconvenience.
Apple's response to that jump was, however, a little odd as instead of removing 2:00AM from the Alarms function of the Clock app, it added a second 3:00AM. The same happened in the afternoon. The results are depicted below.
To test whether the bug is universal, The Reg spread its wings and asked our San Francisco office to set their iOS 6 devices to the dates on which Daylight Savings starts and ends in that fair city. Extra 3: |
. “It’s a step-by-step, day-by-day, month-by-month process. One of many things I learned in New England was, we’re always striving to get better, whether it’s scouting, whether it’s coaching, whether it’s in the weight room, nutrition, analytics. If we can get one step better every day, that’s putting this organization in the right direction.”
New Lions GM Bob Quinn, left, shakes hands with new team president Rod Wood after being introduced last Monday. They replace Martin Mayhew and Tom Lewand. (Photo: Duane Burleson/Associated Press)
‘Real smart kid’
Quinn grew up a Patriots fan in the Boston suburb of Norwood, about 8 eight miles north of Gillette Stadium, where the team plays its home games today.
He lived on a cul-de-sac across from Willett Pond, and neighbors remember the skinny kid running through the streets playing sports.
“He had a basketball hoop out on the side of his house that his father put up,” said Ed Leary, who still lives across from Quinn’s childhood home. “He was out there every day. He’d come home from school, the first thing he’d do was pick up the basketball and start shooting.”
Baseball actually was Quinn’s love growing up, and the favorite sport of Norwood, too.
Three Norwood High graduates played in the majors in the 1970s — Richie Hebner, Billy Travers and Skip Lockwood — and every kid who joined Norwood Legion Post 104 wanted to be just like them.
Pete Wall, Quinn’s high school and legion coach, said Quinn was a slick-fielding shortstop who was fair with the bat but usually delivered in clutch situations.
“He had a big hit against Needham,” Wall said. “It was a 3-3 tie game, top of the ninth, and Norwood’s pretty well known for baseball, and he had a big hit that game, drove in two runs. We won, 5-3.”
In basketball, Quinn was known as a standout defender, too, a wing man who usually drew the opposing team’s best player.
“He played varsity for me for three years in basketball, and I was also in charge of student government when he was there, and he was involved in that, too,” said Dave Powell, Quinn’s coach at Norwood. “The first thing that impresses you about him is that he’s really a real smart kid. He’s real cerebral. He’s one of these athletes who had good athletic ability, but he was really smart in terms of breaking things down. Even when he was in high school he was like that. He was almost like a step ahead of the other kids. Sometimes two or three steps ahead, to tell you the truth.”
Quinn worked behind the counter at the 7-Eleven not too far from his home, where Wall used to buy lottery tickets, and he spent his summers working in the town’s recreation department.
He refereed gym hockey games and kept an eye on the basketball court, but one thing he never did was play football.
Quinn’s father, Bob Sr., said he wouldn’t let his son play football for fear of injury and because he didn’t want him to ruin a promising baseball career.
In college, though, Quinn found himself working in the equipment room with the UConn football team, where he befriended then-Huskies coach Randy Edsall.
Edsall started at UConn in 1999 and turned to the young, personable equipment assistant for insight on his new team. Who were the leaders? What was the locker room like? How did players interact off the field?
“I’m the type of guy, I just kind of sit back and observe and watch people to see how they conduct themselves and interact with people, and I was just very impressed with how Bob went about his job and what he did,” Edsall said. “And then talking to him, there was just things that I knew that this guy had and he could be trusted. He was going to give you the information that you needed to make the team and the program better. And so that was the thing that always impressed me about him.”
Rising through the ranks
Lions president Rob Wood, owner Martha Firestone Ford and new and general manager Bob Quinn. (Photo: Kirthmon F. Dozier DFP)
Edsall and Pioli worked together at Syracuse in the late 1980s, and that connection helped Quinn make a smooth transition in New England.
Pioli was looking for young, entry-level scouts to mold for the Patriots’ personnel department, the only prerequisites being thick skin and a penchant for hard work. Quinn and his intern-mate Kyle O’Brien, the Lions’ new director of player personnel, fit the bill.
“One of the sayings that we used to have was, ‘No job’s too big, and no job’s too small,’ ” Pioli said. “And he lived that. And one of the other sayings was, ‘The more you can do, the more you can do.’ Essentially it was the more that you showed you could do — again, whatever the assignment was — if you showed that you could do it, you did it with energy and you did it as a team player, well, then the reward wasn’t money. The reward wasn’t gifts. The reward was more work. That’s part of our core philosophy. And he understood that it wasn’t his right to be in the NFL. It was a privilege, and he always treated it that way.”
Quinn got more and more work thrown onto his plate over the years and eventually some pretty impressive titles to go with it.
The Patriots made him a pro scout in 2002, and two years later, after he had proved his aptitude for the game, they promoted him to a regional college scout covering schools in the northeast.
In 2008, the Patriots elevated Quinn to a national scout, and a year later, after Pioli left for Kansas City, Quinn became the team’s assistant director of pro personnel. The kid with the thick Boston accent who started off as an intern trading harmless pranks with his office mates was now helping the Patriots plan their attack in free agency.
“He defines coming up through the ranks,” Licht said.
Licht, who did stints with Patriots from 1999-2002 and 2009-11, said Quinn’s last seven years in New England’s pro personnel department should help his transition to GM.
“The best education that he got was being in the office day to day, seeing how things, different circumstances and different situations pop up out of nowhere and how to basically put out fires,” Licht said. “And that’s the toughest job of a general manager, is you no longer can just go into your office, shut the door and watch tape... for eight hours, 10 hours, and evaluate 10 players in a day like you did when you were a director of pro personnel or a director of college scouting. You basically walk into your office, and you have an open and closed sign, and as soon as you get there it’s open, and it’s all day long.”
Caserio, the Patriots’ director of player personnel the last seven years, said Quinn was a quick study in the process of team building and will likely follow a similar blueprint in Detroit.
“It’s kind of a bittersweet thing, because when you have good people, you want to keep good people,” Caserio said. “But when they have an opportunity like this, they’ve earned the opportunity because of their performance and hard work, and it’s a credit to him and what he’s done over the course of the time he’s been in the league.”
New Lions and general manager Bob Quinn talks to reporters on Monday. (Photo: Kirthmon F. Dozier DFP)
Finding that next player
Matthew Slater got to know Quinn well over the last few years, at least better than most players know their personnel directors.
The two would bump into each other in the weight room two or three times a week after practice, and inevitably their conversations would turn to football.
“I would ask him about a special-teams player on a team from three years ago, and he would know all about him,” said Slater, the Patriots receiver and special-teams star. “It was great. He’s got a lot of knowledge.”
That comes with the territory, of course, for a director of pro scouting, the position Quinn assumed in 2012 after Licht left for the Arizona Cardinals. But even in an organization in which Belichick so clearly calls the shots and Caserio is his trusted No. 2, Quinn was given plenty of other responsibilities.
Edsall, who left UConn to coach Maryland in 2011, said Quinn paid regular visits to the school even after his college scouting days were done. In 2013, after watching tape of Maryland’s draft prospects, Quinn told Edsall he liked an undersized defensive tackle named Joe Vellano.
“He told me, ‘He’s a free agent, but he’s a guy that plays the way that the Patriots like to play,’ ” Edsall recalled. “And it was good to see, because he was exactly right.”
The Patriots signed Vellano as an undrafted free agent that spring, and he started eight games and had two sacks his rookie year.
Caserio said Quinn came to him with another idea to bolster the Patriots’ defensive line in the fall.
Quinn liked what he saw in New Orleans Saints defensive tackle Akiem Hicks, thought he might be expendable from the Saints’ point of view, and engaged New Orleans in trade talks that eventually brought Hicks to the Patriots.
“He had a thought on a player, what about, at the time, one of our players relative to one of their players,” Caserio said. “And one thing that I was able to do with him is, I had a lot of trust and confidence to just let him handle that. So he kind of talked to New Orleans, relayed the information, ‘Hey, they might be interested.’ So he kind of got the ball moving a little bit.”
Quinn said at his introductory news conference that one of his chief roles with the Patriots was “to find that next player, and I feel like we’re going to have to do that here with the Lions.”
Those who’ve worked with Quinn say they expect him to build extraordinary depth as Lions GM because of his diligence as an evaluator, his tireless work ethic and his willingness to listen to those around him.
More than that, they expect Quinn to excel in his new role.
Pioli praised Quinn’s passion and smarts, and said he’s fortunate to have a “built-in consigliere” in advisor Ernie Accorsi to help him navigate choppy waters.
Licht called Quinn “one of the brightest evaluators” he knows, someone who “definitely kicks the weeds looking for everything.”
And Caserio said he expects Quinn to build a “smart, tough, competitive team” full of solid people while taking a few calculated risks along the way.
Whether that’s enough to vault the Lions into a new stratosphere of success remains to be seen, and Quinn, in true Patriots fashion, wasn’t about to make proclamations to that end last week.
“I’m not making any timetables about how fast we’re going to win championships around here,” he said. “This is a day-by-day, month-by-month process that we’re going to do this thing the right way. We’re not going to build it for the quick. We’re going to build it for the long haul.”
Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett. Download our Lions Xtra app for free on Apple and Android!JAKARTA (Reuters) - Strong aftershocks continued to rock Indonesia on Thursday after a massive undersea quake sparked fears of a region-wide disaster similar to the 2004 Indian Ocean quake and tsunami which killed more than 200,000 people.
An aftershock of 5.6 magnitude, and at a shallow depth of 10 kms (six miles), struck on Thursday morning about 784 kms (487 miles) south-southwest of the Sumataran island port of Padang, the same area as Wednesday night’s 7.8 magnitude quake, said the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).
There were no reports of deaths or damage to buildings from the overnight undersea quake, which caused panic in Padang as people tried to reach higher ground when a tsunami warning was issued. No tsunami occurred.
With a series of aftershocks through the night and Thursday morning, Indonesian authorities called for calm.
The National Meteorological Agency said there were six aftershocks of decreasing strength during the night.
“We do not believe that there will be an earthquake of greater strength,” it said on its Twitter account. “And so residents are urged to keep calm and not be taken in by rumours.”
The TV One channel cited the National Disaster Mitigation Agency as saying that there no reports of any casualties and the situation in the Mentawai chain of islands off Sumatra was safe.
Fears ran high on Wednesday evening when it was reported that the tremor had measured 8.2 and authorities issued tsunami alerts. TV reports said patients at hospitals in Padang were evacuated and there were traffic jams as panicking residents tried to leave.
However, the USGS revised the magnitude down to 7.8 and within two hours of the quake striking the tsunami warnings were cancelled. USGS said the epicentre was 808 km (502 miles) southwest of Padang.
Indonesia, especially Aceh on the northwest tip of Sumatra, was badly hit by the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004.
Slideshow (5 Images)
A 9.15-magnitude quake opened a fault line deep beneath the ocean on Dec. 26, 2004, triggering a wave as high as 17.4 metres (57 feet) that crashed ashore in more than a dozen countries to wipe some communities off the map in seconds.
The disaster killed 126,741 people in Aceh alone, and a total of 226,000 people.
Indonesia straddles the so-called “Pacific Ring of Fire”, a highly seismically active zone, where different plates on the earth’s crust meet and create a large number of earthquakes and volcanoes.Looking for news you can trust?
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As the election lurches into its final days, Donald Trump’s electoral prospects are as voluble as the man himself, one minute receding into the same fog that once claimed Trump steaks and other failed enterprises; the next, buoyed by a surprise lurking in a disgraced former congressman’s, uh, “device,” and a Republican FBI chief’s strange decision.
Meanwhile, Donald-mania burns bright among at least one subset of the population far from the rollicking events in Washington, DC: farmers and ranchers.
Few places combine embattled white identity and economic stress quite like farm country.
According to a new poll by trade journal Agri-Pulse, conducted October 5 to October 18, Trump leads Democratic rival Hillary Clinton by the commanding margin of 55 percent to 18 percent among farmers with operations of at least 200 acres. Of the rest, 15 percent were undecided, 8 percent declined to answer, and a combined 3 percent supported third-party candidates Gary Johnson and Jill Stein.
While farmers make up a tiny part of the national electorate—there are about 662,000 farms that are more than 180 acres in size, according to the latest US census numbers—they actually could make a difference in the election in a key swing state: Ohio, where Trump enjoys the support of 68 percent of farmers, the poll found.
Why would a lifelong urbanite who splits his time between Manhattan and Palm Beach (shuttled to and fro on his private jet) enjoy such robust support in the heartland? The answer may lie in The Donald’s unmatched ability to deliver an angry, frothing rant. The Agri-Pulse poll finds that 86 percent of respondents reported being somewhat or very dissatisfied with the way things are going in the United States. (That’s even higher than the 70 percent rate found in Gallup’s latest poll of the overall US population.) On a question about the “overall state of agriculture today,” “dissatisfied” trumped “satisfied” by 60.4 percent to 37 percent, the poll found.
As Siena Chrisman recently put it on Civil Eats, “Rural America is mad.” She notes that Trump polls strongest in places where “white identity mixes with long-simmering economic dysfunctions,” quoting a New York Times analysis. And few places combine embattled white identity and economic stress quite like farm country. According to the US census, just around 150,000 of the nation’s 2.1 million farmers are Hispanic, black, Native American, or Asian.
As for the farm economy, this US Department of Agriculture chart tells a story of long-term stagnation, briefly interrupted by the government-engineered ethanol boom from 2006 to 2013. Look at the bottom line—”net farm income,” which measures what farmers take home after expenses.
In short, as I lay out here and here, the kind of large-scale commodity farmers polled by Agri-Pulse are squeezed between a small handful of buyers (Archers Daniels Midland, Cargill, Bunge) that are always looking to drive crop prices down, and an ever-smaller handful of input suppliers (Monsanto, Bayer, Dow, DuPont, Syngenta, all of which are currently involved in merger deals) always looking to jack up the price of seeds, fertilizers, and pesticides. It’s no wonder, as Iowa State University ag economist Chad Hart has shown, that the “long run profitability” of such farming is “zero.” Here’s an illustration of what Hart means—it involves corn, by far the biggest US crop. It shows how production costs inevitably rise to meet or surpass the prices farmers command in the market, keeping profits to a minimum.
In 2014 and 2015, USDA figures show, farmers actually lost money on every acre of corn they harvested, a situation that will likely hold this year as prices remain in the dirt. It’s true that government initiatives like subsidized crop insurance help buffer farmers from losses, but as Chrisman shows, such programs have shifted dramatically since their New Deal origins. They once existed to ensure a fair price for farmers; they’re now geared to help farmers scrape by while pumping out as much crop as possible.
As long as these conditions hold, it’s no surprise that the commodity farmers polled by Agri-Pulse are restive and looking for answers from a figure whose chief political skill is fulmination.Gerald Caplan is an Africa scholar, a former NDP national director and a regular panelist on CBC's Power & Politics.
Have you heard the one about what Stephen Harper faced when he awoke in Calgary yesterday morning? Naheed Nenshi is his mayor. Rachel Notley is his premier. And of course "Justin" is his Prime Minister. How can this be a bad day for Canada?
Any day that saw Paul Calandra lose his seat is a good day for Canadian democracy. Any day that saw Liberal candidate Dr. Jane Philpott defeat Paul Calandra is a very good day for Canadian democracy. Dr. Jane for Minister of International Cooperation?
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Any day that saw Julian Fantino, Joe Oliver and Chris Alexander all get defeated is a triumph for simple old-fashioned decency in government.
Any day that saw the citizens of Canada end the "rotten culture" of the Harper government, as the Globe editorially described it this past weekend, is a victory for those who are fed up with Harperland and won't take it any more.
Any day that sees a clean, hopeful, positive, sunny campaign – by the Liberals! – triumph in the face of the usual Conservative bully tactics is a day to celebrate.
So part of me is euphoric, ebullient, thrilled. My Canada is at least starting to come back.
But of course for New Democrats, the day was also a disaster. And the party's role for the next four years is by no means obvious.
First, these rolling political waves are promiscuous. They sweep up all in its wake. So some of Canada's best Members of Parliament, part of the minority that truly deserve to be called parliamentarians, have been swept away in the red tsunami.
The likes of Megan Leslie – surely a future NDP leader – Peter Stoffer, Paul Dewar, Peggy Nash and other defeated NDP MPs were an ornament to parliament, never ever descending to the gutter in which too many Conservative MPs seemed to be most comfortable. They were competent, thoughtful and knowledgeable and would have been an entirely constructive opposition to the new Liberal government. And every government, not least a new excited one, needs constructive opposition. Hey, maybe they can become Senators…
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NDP expectations could hardly have been more cruelly shattered. The party lost not only the government it had the right to dream of. Its very role in Canada's political process is now in doubt. There is no balance of power to hold. There is no coalition to join. There is, in fact, no one in Ottawa who needs to pay it the slightest attention.
The Trudeau government has its clear priorities, many of them embarrassingly more progressive than the NDP's platform. The NDP caucus can hardly oppose any of them, but nor can it expect the Government to pay attention to NDP overtures. Why should they? To fight the dreaded Harperman, the Liberals, and specifically their leader, received nothing but abuse during the campaign, often gratuitously personal and always strategically dubious. The Liberals will hardly be grateful for NDP advice about the right way to run Canada.
Now that it can't seriously pretend to be the government-in-waiting, the NDP must rethink its role in parliament and indeed in the country. For decades the NDP were policy pioneers, promoting social policies especially until the governing party was forced to accept them – old-age pensions, medicare, unemployment insurance, and much more. Where are the equivalent NDP policies of today? Where are the tough but realistic policies that would address Canada's scandalous inequality?
The NDP campaign tried to prove how trustworthily conservative it was. But voters supported the real conservative party. The NDP campaign chose to allow the Liberals to present the most progressive platform. So voters looking for progressive change chose the more liberal platform.
Of course it's also arguable that the NDP made the ultimate sacrifice: In the face of Harper cynically playing the anti-Muslim card, the NDP threw away votes on a matter of principle – supporting the right to wear a niqab – and indeed fully paid the penalty for doing so. It cost the party their Quebec base, and with it any reason why the large "Anyone But Harper" crowd across the country should think of supporting the NDP. The noise you heard in the last week of the campaign was of progressive ABH voters flocking in their tens of thousands to the Liberals.
And where does it leave the party now? That's the question that New Democrats must start debating, the sooner the better. The answer is by no means preordained. For me, keeping the new government honest remains a pretty good cause.
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Liberals notoriously like to campaign from the left and govern from the centre-right. They promised uneqivocally to change the electoral system before the next election can be held. Now that they have directly benefited from the first-past-the-post system, however, can they be trusted to keep their word? After all, they themselves got 54 per cent of the seats on Monday night but only 39 per cent of the vote. The NDP would have had considerably more seats in a proportional representation system. Keeping the Liberals to their commitment sounds like a good third-party priority.
As well, the last-minute Liberal scandal, featuring Trudeau campaign co-chair Dan Gagnier, reminded the world of the close ties between senior Liberals and the energy industry. As the government fleshes out its commitments to reduce global warming, it may well require New Democrats to point out this potentially very real conflict of interest.
Of course none of this is as thrilling as watching the first NDP federal cabinet get appointed. But there's nothing to watch. The NDP needs new progressive ideas to fight for and a new government to keep a close eye on. It's a crucial role that mustn't be disdained.
Editor's Note: A previous online version of this story stated the Liberals promised unequivocally to introduce proportional representation. In fact, the party committed to end the first-past-the-post system and to study the alternatives. This version has been corrected.24 Days of GHC Extensions: Record Wildcards
Occasionally, you come across a little trick or method for doing something that seems somewhat inconsequential - but rapidly becomes an indispensable item in your programming toolbox. For me, the RecordWildcards extension is a prime example of this scenario.
To start with, let’s recap records in Haskell. A record is usually known to be a data type with a single constructor, and the data type is populated with a collection of fields. Records crop up all the time in programming, often when we try to model the real world:
Of course, data alone isn’t much fun - we probably want to operate on this data too. In this case we’d like to interact with other web services, and we’ll use the common JSON format for communication. If we have a specific schema that we need to conform to, it may be easier to write this by hand:
Having to apply each record field getter to the w variable is a little tedious, and RecordWildCards can allow us to eliminate that bit of boilerplate:
Here we see the Worker{..} pattern match - this pattern matches on the Worker constructor, and introduces bindings for all of the fields in Worker. Each of these bindings will be named after the respective field in the record. We can see on the RHS that we are now constructing our JSON object just out of variables, rather than function applications.
If you were expecting a lot of ground breaking new features from RecordWildCards you might be disappointed - that’s about all it does! However, did you know that you can also use RecordWildCards when creating data? For example, we could also write a JSON deserialiser as:
Personally, I don’t use this feature as much as creating bindings - in this case I’d just use applicative syntax - but it can occasionally be handy.
RecordWildCards For Modules
I’ve presented a fairly “vanilla” overview of RecordWildCards - and I imagine this is probably how most people use them. However, when used with a record of functions, you can do some interesting tricks to emulate localised imports.
In my engine-io project, I have a data type called ServerAPI - here’s a snippet:
The intention here is that users provide a ServerAPI value when they initialise engine-io, and I then have an abstraction of a web framework to play with. People can instantiate ServerAPI for Snap or Yesod, and engine-io (should!) just work. In engine-io, by using RecordWildCards, the programming experience is natural, as the abstraction created by ServerAPI stays behind the scenes. For example:
This is very similar to using a type class - however, using type classes would be very tricky in this situation. Either engine-io would have to depend on both Snap and Yesod (though it needs neither), or I would have to use orphan instances. Neither are particularly desirable. Furthermore, who’s to say there is only one choice of ServerAPI for Snap? It’s entirely possible to provide a debugging version that logs what’s happening, or for people to switch out calls however they see fit. This is possible with newtype s in type classes, but pushes a lot of this work onto users.
Gabriel Gonzalez has a blog post on this very technique that goes into more details, which is well worth a read.
This post is part of 24 Days of GHC Extensions - for more posts like this, check out the calendar.
You can contact me via email at ollie@ocharles.org.uk or tweet to me @acid2. I share almost all of my work at GitHub. This post is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.I just gave a talk at “Semantics of proofs and certified mathematics”. I spoke about a new proof checker Chris Stone and I are working on. The interesting feature is that it has both kinds of equality, the “paths” and the “strict” ones. It is based on a homotopy type system proposed by Vladimir Voevodsky. The slides contain talk notes and explain why it is “Brazilian”.
Download slides: brazilian-type-checking.pdf
GitHub repository: https://github.com/andrejbauer/tt
Abstract: Proof assistants verify that inputs are correct up to judgmental equality. Proofs are easier and smaller if equalities without computational content are verified by an oracle, because proof terms for these equations can be omitted. In order to keep judgmental equality decidable, though, typical proof assistants use a limited definition implemented by a fixed equivalence algorithm. While other equalities can be expressed using propositional identity types and explicit equality proofs and coercions, in some situations these create prohibitive levels of overhead in the proof.
Voevodsky has proposed a type theory with two identity types, one propositional and one judgmental. This lets us hypothesize new judgmental equalities for use during type checking, but generally renders the equational theory undecidable without help from the user.
Rather than reimpose the full overhead of term-level coercions for judgmental equality, we propose algebraic effect handlers as a general mechanism to provide local extensions to the proof assistant’s algorithms. As a special case, we retain a simple form of handlers even in the final proof terms, small proof-specific hints that extend the trusted verifier in sound ways.Mercedes Drops Fool Cells
March 31st, 2017 by Steve Hanley
Shortly after saying it was joining with Toyota and BMW in a $10 billion campaign to develop fuel cell technology for automobiles, Mercedes has reversed course. Speaking to an automotive conference in Stuttgart on Monday, Mercedes CEO Dieter Zetsche announced that fuel cells will no longer be part of the company’s long-term focus. It’s hard to say what may have happened to change his mind in just 6 short weeks.
Zetsche clams the edge that fuel cell technology once had over battery electric cars a few years ago — longer range and shorter refueling times — is dwindling. Today, advances in battery technology have cut into hydrogen’s competitive lead, especially when price is taken into account. “Battery costs are declining rapidly whereas hydrogen production remains very costly,” Zetsche said. (Plus, electric cars can be charged out home or work, whereas hydrogen fuel cell cars need an entirely new fueling infrastructure built across the world, and a very costly and sensitive one at that.)
Mercedes still plans to begin production of a fuel cell–powered GLC SUV by the end of this year or in early 2018, but that car is intended primarily for fleet operators who are likely to have their own hydrogen refueling rigs available. Zetsche says the fuel cell remains an “interesting solution,” but will not be commercially viable until the price of hydrogen falls due to the widespread availability of cheap renewable energy.
Electric car pioneer Elon Musk has always had harsh words for fuel cells. He has variously referred to them as “fool cells” and on one notable occasion, “bullshit.” Speaking to the Automotive News World Congress two years ago, he had this to say:
“Hydrogen is an energy storage mechanism. It is not a source of energy. So you have to get that hydrogen from somewhere. If you get that hydrogen from water — so you’re splitting H20 — electrolysis is extremely inefficient as an energy process. If you took a solar panel and use the energy from that to just charge a battery pack directly — compared to trying to split water, take the hydrogen, dump the oxygen, compress the hydrogen to an extremely high pressure (or liquefy it), and then put it in a car and run a fuel cell — it is about half the efficiency, it’s terrible. Why would you do that? It makes no sense.”
Apparently, Dieter Zetsche now agrees with the redoubtable Mr. Musk. Mercedes announced this week that it is investing $10 billion to move up production of 10 new electric car models from 2025 to 2022.
Source: Smart2Zero.com (hat tip to Leif Hansen)“How can the site of the most famous skating rink in the world be considered sinister? You know the one that’s in all romantic comedies…the best first date activity ever!? And what about that huge Christmas tree that we see in ALL holiday movies? That’s not sinister, that’s magical!”.
If that’s what you’re thinking right now, you should probably press pause on your You’ve Got Mail Deluxe Edition DVD and read on. If you’re not surprised that a center called “Rockefeller” contains tons of occult and even Luciferian symbolism, as well as references to a New World Order, then you should also read on because I will reinforce what you’re already thinking, and everybody likes that.
This complex of 19 commercial buildings is situated between Fifth and Seventh avenues in New York City and is famous for its Art Deco style. It is one of the last building projects in the United States to have incorporated a program of public art. The submissions chosen all fit a particular philosophy and some artists have been asked to change their work so it fits the theme of the Rockefeller center which is: Luciferianism.
Luciferianism
The Devil—Lucifer—is a force for good (where I define ‘good’ simply as that which I value, not wanting to imply any universal validity or necessity to the orientation). ‘Lucifer’ means ‘light-bringer’ and this should begin to clue us in to his symbolic importance. The story is that God threw Lucifer out of Heaven because Lucifer had started to question God and was spreading dissension among the angels. We must remember that this story is told from the point of view of the Godists (if I may coin a term) and not from that of the Luciferians (I will use this term to distinguish us from the official Satanists with whom I have fundamental differences). The truth may just as easily be that Lucifer resigned from heaven.
-Max More
Modern Luciferianism takes its roots from Gnostic teachings as well as ancient Egyptian and Babylonian paganism. God of the material world is seen as a stubborn and sadistic figure who seeks to keep mankind into perpetual darkness while Lucifer is the savior of humanity by giving it the gift of knowledge. If we reinterpret the Adam and Eve story through Luciferian glasses, the serpent is actually the “undercover savior” who defied God and gave humans the opportunity to become gods themselves. He is credited to have unleashed man’s awesome potential.
“Luciferianism represents a radical revaluation of humanity’s ageless adversary: Satan. It is the ultimate inversion of good and evil. The formula for this inversion is reflected by the narrative paradigm of the Gnostic Hypostasis myth. As opposed to the original Biblical version, the Gnostic account represents a “revaluation of the Hebraic story of the first man’s temptation, the desire of mere men to ‘be as gods’ by partaking of the tree of the ‘knowledge of good and evil'”
-Raschke 26
Luciferians seek during their lifetime to reach a higher level of being by obtaining illumination (often represented by a torch). An illuminated person or (Illuminatus) has gained enough mystic knowledge and spiritual attainment to reach a god-like status. Ancient Mystery religion promise the
“opportunity to erase the curse of mortality by direct encounter with the patron deity, or in many instances by actually undergoing an apotheosis, a transfiguration of human into divine“.
-Raschke 26
Luciferians do not necessarily worship “the Devil” as a metaphysical entity. Lucifer symbolizes the cognitive powers of man, its potential to reach godliness by its own means. Luciferians believe that those attributes will eventually dethrone God and bring humans to their rightful place, as deities. This doctrine is fully embodied by humanism and its technological counterpart transhumanism. Clothed in an acceptable phrasing inside a Judeo-Christian context (“humanist” sounds less threatening and evil than “Luciferian”), these philosophies are now part of popular culture. Through technological advancements and scientific breakthrough, extremely wealthy figures like Ray Kurzweil are publicly seeking to reach technological immortality. Transhumanist intellectual Max More has stated in his essay:
God, being the well-documented sadist that he is, no doubt wanted to keep Lucifer around so that he could punish him and try to get him back under his (God’s) power. Probably what really happened was that Lucifer came to hate God’s kingdom, his sadism, his demand for slavish conformity and obedience, his psychotic rage at any display of independent thinking and behavior. Lucifer realized that he could never fully think for himself and could certainly not act on his independent thinking so long as he was under God’s control. Therefore he left Heaven, that terrible spiritual-State ruled by the cosmic sadist Jehovah, and was accompanied by some of the angels who had had enough courage to question God’s authority and his value-perspective. Lucifer is the embodiment of reason, of intelligence, of critical thought. He stands against the dogma of God and all other dogmas. He stands for the exploration of new ideas and new perspectives in the pursuit of truth.
-Max More
So, what does all of this have to do with the Rockefeller Center? The sculptures, the bas-reliefs, and the murals all refer to the same theme: the triumph of Man over God through the acquisition of knowledge.
Prometheus Fountain
This statue depicts Prometheus, a Titan of Greek mythology known for his great intelligence. He has however betrayed the god Zeus by stealing fire and giving it to mankind. He is, therefore, credited to have taught mankind the arts of civilization such as writing, mathematics, agriculture, medicine, and science. Zeus then punished Prometheus for his crime by having him bound to a rock while a great eagle ate his liver every day only to have it grow back to be eaten again the next day.
Prometheus [the name means Forethought] was a not a fool, but why else would he rebel against Zeus? He tried to trick Zeus (who knows all and sees all) with a false sacrifice. How foolish can you get? Prometheus also stole fire from Zeus and gave it to the primitive mortals on the earth. Zeus did not punish Prometheus alone, he punished the entire world for the effrontery of this rebel god.
-Stewart
The Judeo-Christian equivalent of this myth is Lucifer, who has brought the gift of consciousness to humanity, as the serpent in Adam and Eve.
Prometheus Lucifer Blessed with great intelligence Blessed with great intelligence Saw great potential in mankind Saw great potential in Adam and Eve Defied Zeus’ authority Defied God’s authority Called the “Fire Bringer” Called the “Light Bringer” Severly punished by Zeus (tied up and had liver eaten by eagle daily) Sever |
police must tolerate even more abusive speech than an average citizen. The court concluded that “in the face of verbal challenges to police action, officers and municipalities must respond with restraint,” and added that, “the First Amendment protects a significant amount of verbal criticism and challenge directed at police officers.”
Here at the Free Thought Project, we feel there are no such things as ‘bad words’ but, rather, certain words some people don’t like to hear.
The arbitrary nature of government enforcing laws that dictate what vocabulary a person can use is as ridiculous as it is tyrannical. Sadly, it remains a part of society.
Telling people what words they can and can’t say to ‘protect’ others is chilling. Freedom of speech does not come with terms and conditions as words alone, less the obvious yelling “fire” in a movie theater, cannot cause physical harm.
Have we learned nothing from history?by politics.co.uk staff
Ireland's regional development minister has suffered an arson attack at his home in Camlough.
Conor Murphy managed to evacuate his wife and children and his wife's elderly parents, who lived next door, when the attack occurred around 01:00 BST this morning.
Mr Murphy blamed dissident groups for the attack.
"We had to evacuate our own kids out of our house, down to neighbour's houses, in case the cars actually exploded while they were burning," he said.
"They were all fairly traumatised by the whole experience.
"There was some damage to both houses but the fire brigade managed to get the fires out before the houses caught fire."
He continued: "The reality is the people who sneaked into my yard last night and traumatised my kids, my parents-in-law, my wife haven't offered any explanation as to who they are or what they're about.
"It is incumbent on them to do so and let people decide whether they offer a better way forward.
"Until such times as these people come out from under cover of darkness we can't actually ascertain who they are or what their motives are."
Police are considering the incident as malicious, and have cordoned off the area and called for witnesses.BEIRUT (Reuters) - Clashes between Islamist rebel forces and Kurdish militias spread to a second Syrian province on Saturday, activists said, as factional tensions rose in the north of the country.
A Free Syrian Army fighter aims an anti-aircraft gun as he stands on the back of a truck in Deir al-Zor July 19, 2013. Picture taken July 19, 2013. REUTERS/Karam Jamal
The fighting is further evidence that the 2011 uprising against President Bashar al-Assad’s rule has splintered into turf wars that have little to do with ousting him and highlight the risk of regionalized conflicts that could have an impact on neighboring countries.
The new round of fighting broke out in Tel Abyad, a border town near Turkey in the rebel-held Raqqa province. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said clashes began after Kurdish militias in the area discovered fighters from an al Qaeda-linked rebel group trying to rig one of their bases with explosives.
The Kurds retaliated by kidnapping several fighters, including the leader of the Islamic State of Iraq and Sham, one of the most powerful Qaeda-affiliated forces fighting in Syria.
The country’s revolt has transformed from a peaceful protest movement into a civil war that has killed more than 100,000 people and become increasingly sectarian.
Syria’s marginalized Sunni Muslim majority has largely backed the rebellion against four decades of Assad family rule. Minorities such as Assad’s own Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shi’ite Islam, have largely supported the president.
Syria’s ethnic Kurdish minority, meanwhile, has been alternately battling both Assad’s forces and the rebels. Kurds argue they are backers of the revolt but rebels accuse them of making deals with the government in order to ensure their security and autonomy during the conflict.
Divided between Iran, Turkey, Iraq and Syria, the Kurdish people are often described as the largest ethnic group without a state of their own.
Activists also reported on Saturday a rare eruption of clashes between Assad’s forces and rebels in the coastal province of Tartous, an Alawite enclave and Assad stronghold with only a few pockets of revolt.
The fighting broke out near the Sunni town of Banias, the site of a massacre of dozens of people only a few months earlier when militias loyal to Assad stormed the area after a rebel attack on their fighters.
COUNTER-ATTACKS
An activist from the area said Assad’s forces launched a new assault after discovering more rebels operating in the area.
The Observatory reported a massing of security forces and militias loyal to Assad both near Banias and the Sunni village of Bayda, which was also the site of a massacre of dozens just days before the Banias killings.
Assad’s forces have been on the offensive the past two months after a string of victories. They are trying to cement control of a belt of territory between the capital Damascus and his Alawite stronghold on the Mediterranean coast.
Security sources have said Assad’s next move will be to push on to rebel-held territories near the border areas of northern and southern Syria, for which they are slowly trying to build up forces in the area.
Assad’s offensive has been dogged by rebel counter-attacks in the north, even as a string of government victories elsewhere in Syria has shifted the battlefield tide in his favor after more than two years of bloodshed.
Activists said opposition forces advanced on the northern town of Khan al-Assal on Saturday and appeared close to seizing one of the last towns in western part of Aleppo province still held by Assad’s forces.
Elsewhere in northern Syria, Assad’s forces launched a third day of heavy air strikes on the town of Saraqeb in Idlib province.
Some activists suggested the army may be trying to hammer areas near a critical road leading to Aleppo in order to distract the rebels and bring in supplies to its forces.
Rebels have been blockading government-held areas in Aleppo city, Syria’s largest urban centre. Aleppo has been mired in a bloody stalemate since rebels launched an offensive in the province last year.
Free Syrian Army fighters prepare a homemade missile in Deir al-Zor July 19, 2013. Picture taken July 19, 2013. REUTERS/Karam Jamal
Hardline Islamist rebels also appear to be leading the fight to seize Khan al-Assal. Western powers such as the United States are alarmed about the rising power of radical Islamist groups, particularly since Washington has pledged to offer military support to Assad’s opponents.
No military aid has been given yet due to political deadlock over the Islamist issue in the U.S. Congress.
“Perhaps the Islamists are trying to stay out of the spotlight. They’ve been regrouping and naming themselves with numbers, things like ‘the 9th Division’ and so on, but these are the same Islamist radical groups like the Islamic State of Iraq and Sham or the Islamic Front to Liberate Syria,” one opposition activist said, declining to be named.A profitable, growing, useful, legal, well-loved... failure
Since before graduating from university and up until taking my current job (which is its own story I'll tell some other time), I've initiated several things that could be called startups. That is, we incorporated companies, we had a small number of people that got paid wages, we collected Canada SR&ED tax credits. Every one of these startups turned a profit. More than one had outside financing. One of them we sold to IBM.
I'm telling you this not to show off, but as a setup for the rest of this story. What I want to explain is that I fail strangely. Or at least, it feels like I do. Maybe it's not so strange; maybe you should just go read Paul Graham's How Not to Die article, where he advises us that "Startups rarely die in mid keystroke. So keep typing!"
Because that's really the moral of this story; or maybe it isn't. Maybe this story is about how that advice hasn't actually worked for me, because inside each of those successes is a story of failure. It's interesting, because for any of the companies I've started, by leaving out some details I can honestly make them sound like resounding successes or resounding messes. If I include all the details, then, well they're just confusing. So you'll usually hear just one side or the other, depending what point I'm trying to make.
Today I'll tell you both sides though, for just one of those companies. I'm not going to name the company here but it's still alive, it's still making money, my co-founder is still working his butt off to keep it from falling over. Given the details I'm about to share, it's trivially easy to find the company name with a little Googling, and I encourage you to do so. I just don't want to name it here because I really don't want this article to be the first one that comes up when you Google it. (This diary has way more Google Juice than the company does... though the company has a much more profitable sales funnel.)
So anyway, here's what happened. We started the company back in 2008. We wanted to do something in the world of databases, because we figured databases were ripe for disruption, what with SQL being SO VERY SUCKY in so many ways. We wanted to create a new variant of SQL based on the analogy that (our new thing) is to SQL as C is to assembly language. That is, C is little more than a portable assembly language. So we need a portable version of SQL. (If you've used more than one SQL variant, you know the analogy is apt.) Oh, and maybe we'll throw in functions and variable assignment and loop control structures while we're there. Yeah, I know, crazy. But if you've written stored procedures in MS SQL, those are the things you know you need.
Why did we want the C of database query languages, instead of something modern, like the python of database query languages? We thought this was the clever part of the analogy: it's because people already tried the high-level query languages. They're called ORMs (object relational mappings), and sure enough, they're just like high-level languages were in 1975: slow, bloated, wasteful, unreliable, non-portable, and nobody can agree which one is best. C changed all that. Sure, there were non-portable features in C (there still are), but dammit, + was just always +, and for loops were for loops, and the world made one big step forward. People still use C today. High level languages are much better now, but they're almost all still built on top of C. How much better could the world be if we could do that for SQL?
Anyway, that seemed really hard, and we were just two guys who wanted to get a minimal product launched in, say, 4 months. So we decided to trim down the idea. What's the minimal idea that will get us in that direction, but with a product in 4 months? Well, first of all, to invent C you don't need multiple assembly language variants; you just need one to start with. Let's pick one. Why not the simplest one we can find? A bit of searching around revealed the obvious candidate: Microsoft Access. It's even dumber than MySQL.
Okay then, what will we build on top of Access? Well, we want to make a portable, slightly-higher-level query language. What will be its initial use case? Forgetting about other databases for now, what do Access developers need most?... Ah, to publish their data on the web, of course. Access totally sucks for web development. (Even now it does. They keep claiming to have finally added web support; Access 2002 had web support. But it's nearly useless every single time. Still is.)
So we would write code to let you easily query Access tables using web tools, like AJAX or json or whatever. Excellent, that justifies writing our query parser, but it doesn't have to be feature-complete on day 1. We can add more database engine plugins later. We can get a few customers, launch, and iterate. Perfect!
Just one little problem. You have to actually get that data to the web server. The reason Access sucks for web apps is Access databases are a single.mdb file on your desktop machine. Multi-user access means multiple clients accessing the.mdb file using a samba file share. (People do this with dozens of users at a time. It works.) But how do you get the data onto the web?
Well, the.mdb file format is undocumented. Reverse-engineering it will take forever. So we'll write a plugin for Access, that reads through your data, exports it to text, and uploads it to our server. That turned out to be a fair bit of work, of course, but whatever, I do love replicating data, and we figured the ability to replicate SQL databases could be a big deal, so it's certainly not a waste of time. (Trivia: Access has also supposedly had database replication features since, I think, Access 2000. Too bad it doesn't work ON THE INTERNET.)
Once we were well under way writing the replication system, we thought about it some more and realized that the minimal product for our 4-month launch target didn't have to include a query language at all; just replicating the databases was surely enough to please some user somewhere, as long as it would sync in two directions. Ta da, Internet-enabled Access replication! So we stopped after writing only the barest minimum query parser. (To this day you can still export your tables and search them using json queries; it's pretty cool, but we haven't done any more work on the query engine.)
We got the basic Access web replication engine working (which was a huge amount of work, don't get me wrong, and the code is singularly awesome, but I'm going to skip over it here). We gave it a convincing-sounding version number with the word BETA in it, put it up on a web site I designed with my super lame web design skills, and waited for the world to beat a path to our door.
Okay, you know how this goes, right? You can't just do that. Nobody will come.
Well, this time you're wrong. People came. We had stumbled into a huge unsolved problem and unaddressed market. There are lots, and lots, and lots, and lots of legacy Access databases in places you don't even want to think about. If you find our web site and go to Testimonials and scroll to the bottom, you'll see what I mean. The actual CIO of a huge pharmaceutical company called us out of the blue and asked us to solve their problem because they have thousands of Access databases they want to share across their tens of thousands of seats.
But I'm jumping ahead of myself. Not all those people called us on day 1. On day 1, our website sucked, because it was talking about Access Replication.
And what the bloody hell is replication? Most Access users with Access problems didn't have a clue. They certainly weren't searching for it.
That didn't stop some of them from finding us and calling anyway. See, we also had a couple of pages talking about our query engine, and they contained phrases like "Access on the Web." Turned out a lot of people were searching for that. They still are. Microsoft caught on with Access 2010 and marketed the heck out of that search phrase, so if you search for it now, you'll find them and not us. Which is funny, because Access 2010 is still basically useless for the web. But it shows what marketing dollars can do.
Now, I'm badmouthing Access 2010 a lot here, but here's how I know it's useless: because people keep on clicking, and searching, and I don't even know what keywords they search on anymore, and they find us. They use Access 2010. They're not dumb, they're real programmers, they know what features Access 2010 has. Even if they were dumb, God knows Microsoft has marketed them to death. And these people still want to pay us to put Access on the web.
Anyway, I've gotten ahead of myself again. The important part of the story is, we had a web site all about Access replication, and nobody had any clue what we were talking about, but they called and emailed and the message was clear: We want Access on the web. How much money can we pay you to provide it?
Um, well, look, the on-the-web part is kind of sucky and...
...and the customer is always right. So, back to the drawing board. One day, a customer called me and explained his very specific and immediate problem. He had just billed a customer many thousands of dollars over many months to build a custom Access application. Right at the end, the customer said they were happy. Now... he should just publish it on the web and they'll be done.
Oh. Crap. The guy was really in trouble. Serious trouble. They hadn't specified the requirement up front; he was an Access-only developer, so he couldn't rewrite it. Even if he knew how, it would be months more work. (People complain about Access, but it's still, in my opinion, the absolute fastest way in the universe to make powerful database-driven apps. Way faster than Ruby on Rails, and you don't even have to be able to code. I mean it. But... not on the web.)
So he had a serious problem, and let me tell you, our 5%-finished json query language was not going to solve it. Neither was "replication." But that day on the phone, we came up with an idea.
What if we could run Access on our servers and display it over VNC in a web browser? What if we ran Access under Wine on Linux so we could squeeze more instances onto a single box? What if changes to the database in these VNC sessions could be replicated back down to your desktop copy of Access using our plugin?
What if, indeed. Turns out there's a cool program called Flashlight-VNC that's an implementation of VNC in flash, which runs in virtually any web browser (this was before there was an iPad or Apple dropped Flash out of Safari). Turns out recent versions of Wine can actually run some versions of Access. Turns out... well, let's just say it worked. And that, my friends, is the product we have today, more or less. Sure, since then we've added performance optimizations, reliability improvements. We store the database contents in git and use a custom merge algorithm for resolving changes made while in disconnected mode. (It's neat; git can store the whole revision history in less space than the original.mdb.) But fundamentally, that's the product.
And people want it. No, I take that back; the product is a magnificent heap upon heaps of insane hackery. I mean, we are running Access in Wine in X11 on Linux in an isolated user account on our server slice that revision controls your Access database in git, and we're displaying it using VNC in your web browser in flash. People can't possibly want that. But they need it. Which is better.
That's the other neat thing. They need it, because nobody else has ever created something like this. I don't think anybody ever will. I mean, how many people know Linux, Flash, C++ (for the plugin), python (for the server), and Microsoft Access, of all things, and are willing to combine them all with a healthy knowledge of streaming network protocols and database replication? And even if you could find a whacko like that, would that person be willing to enter the market, starting from scratch, knowing someone else got there first?
Every month, we have more revenue. And our costs are tiny, so that means more profit.
Customers need this so badly that they're willing to pay a lot for it. Like $35/user/month/database, for the basic plan. In case you're counting, in a year, that's much more than a copy of Access. And just to be safe, because we want to avoid lawyers, we tell customers to make sure all their users already have an Access license on their desktop (in addition to the legally required ones we have for our servers). This isn't so bad; turns out big companies - the kind with lots of Access databases - pretty much all buy Microsoft Office Professional for everybody anyway, so they all have Access. So no, in case you were wondering, our business model is not about cheating on Access licensing. If anything, people are buying more licenses than they strictly need, and I don't feel like getting on Microsoft's bad side, and neither do they, so everybody wins.
No, it's not about cheating. It's just about providing something people want and are willing to pay for. What do they want? They want to not rewrite legacy apps. Please, please, let us just keep running the app we spent the last 10 years building, but let us run it outside our office, because we all have laptops now.
How much money will people pay to keep their app going? About as much as the cost of rewriting it in a web language. More, even, since it lowers their risk. You do the math. As a bonus, it's a small monthly expense, not a big capital expenditure.
And yes, every month, our profit is more than the last one.
...
But all that was the good news.
I've already given you a hint about the bad news. Remember when I asked what whacko, with all those skills, would want to do this? I now know one of the answers, and it's OH GOD NOT ME. Eventually I realized that there is no windfall big enough to rationalize spending 3-5 years of my life, working full time, writing compatibility layers for Microsoft Access. Where, in the ideal world, if we were successful, my days would involve on-site visits to huge bureaucratic companies of the sort that... well, let's be honest. The sort that would run mission critical Access databases.
Really, on a rational level, I know that's unfair. I know these are good people. I think Access developers are great, actually. I love the fact that they know a good thing when they see it. Access is the easiest, most rapid of rapid development environments I've ever seen. I think almost all database developers have terrible taste, because they can use Access and compare it to, say, MS SQL, and not see what makes Access great and MS SQL suck, even while they know perfectly well the development in MS SQL + C# or Java will take something like 10x as many man-hours. For some apps, it's worth it for the higher quality; for a random internal business process app, it's not, but people spend it anyway because they "heard Access isn't industrial strength."
So don't get me wrong. I like Access users. Access developers, in particular, are the anti-IT department, the rebels, the people who aren't willing to wait for the sysadmins to provision them a server, and they don't have to, because they can just share an Access file on the fileserver. IT departments hate them, which is how I know they're on to something. These are the kind of people I want to help. This is the sort of thing that's the reason I do the work that I do. No kidding.
But, Lord, no, don't make me actually code Access plugins. Don't make me work with Windows anymore. Just don't.
God. It's so lame when I write it down. Actually, it's been lame for months, every time I even think it. I can't believe I have that kind of lack of follow-through. I don't want to think that about myself. It's a travesty. A terrible embarrassment. Something that makes me question my self-worth. If I can't take something that's so obviously working, and milk it for all it's worth, then what kind of human am I, anyway? I think I suck at capitalism. Maybe that's it.
You know the truth? I don't know. I just don't know. I am a completely irrational human being, and I hate it, but deep inside me there's a voice that just says, "No. Get the hell out. If you continue doing this, you will die."
So I got the hell out. I "stopped typing," as Paul Graham might say. Nowadays I have a pretty great "real job" where I can spend all night hacking the Linux kernel, programming embedded systems, and working on highly parallel build systems. And even though the potential upside is much less, I like it. For now, at least. I'm happy.
And that's my failure. Every day, my co-founder keeps working away, keeping the systems running with as little effort as he can spare. He's got a day job now, for various reasons; among them, he's an extravert, he needs co-workers. I still own half the shares, but I told him to keep the operating profits; the least I could offer, literally, I guess. That huge pharma deal is still in the pipeline and needs another callback, but there's nobody willing to do it. We don't optimize the web site for Google anymore; we haven't updated the news page since 2010; even I can't find our site in Google using any generic keywords. But I guess I'm not looking hard enough, because new customers still find it, sign up, and subscribe. Virtually nobody ever cancels once they've started. There is no competition. Nothing to switch to. There never will be. Where would they go if they stopped?
I know I've let my co-founder down. If the company would just die - if it would only be so simple, and nobody would want the product, or the users got angry at us and quit, or it were impossible to run it at a profit and we finally ran out of cash - then stopping would be easy. But no. They love it instead. They need it. There's an opportunity cost in continuing, but there's a sentimental cost in shutting it down - to say nothing of the users who have no other options.
In short, I learned that I don't have what it takes. Someone probably does, now that the actual insane part has already been invented, but I don't know who.
What would you do?In Dedication to Grassroots Following is the dedication of the final Jets media guide, which details the failed efforts in the spring of 1995 to save the Jets:
On Wednesday, May 3, 1995, Winnipeg local investors known as the Manitoba Entertainment Complex Inc. (MEC) announced that they would not exercise their option to purchase the Winnipeg Jets and build a multi-purpose facility that would keep the club in Winnipeg. The end was certain. The future was bleak. The Jets, an integral part of Manitoba's way of life for over 23 years, were destined to be sold.
Due to the MEC's inability to come up with an economically viable solution to keep the team in Winnipeg, the Jets organization was left with no alternative but to accept reality and stage a proper farewell to the players, fans and the team's logo. The highlight of the event would be to say good-bye to Thomas Steen, the player who dedicated his entire career to the Jets and the city of Winnipeg. The Jets organized a ceremony that was held on May 6, 1995 at the Winnipeg Arena that paid tribute to Jets' players, staff, management, coaches, but most importantly the Jets' fans, who had proved over the years that they were, without question, the most loyal and dedicated in the entire NHL.
Over 16,000 fans turned up on Maroons Road to say goodbye to their heroes and spend a few last moments in the building that had provided them with so many bittersweet memories over the years. Children, teenagers, adults and grandparents witnessed a spectacular farewell that included an appearance by Hockey Night in Canada's Don Cherry. Cherry praised Jets fans, calling them the best in the world, and commended them for their tremendous support throughout the years. He complimented Thomas Steen on his remarkable career and encouraged fans not to give up hope and keep their dream alive that the team would remain in Winnipeg. The afternoon was extremely emotional. Cheers turned to boos as a banner with the Jets' logo commemorating 23 years of professional hockey in Winnipeg (1972-1995) was raised to the roof of the Winnipeg Arena. There were tears of joy and sorrow. The people were left stunned in disbelief. Could this really be it? Would this be the last time they assembled in this old barn for a Jets' event?
Thomas Steen's jersey retirement was the climax of the afternoon. The veteran of 14 NHL seasons had come to represent everything good the Jets organization had stood for: loyalty, commitment to excellence, hard work, dedication, and pride. Steen did everything you could ask for from a player and deserved the recognition and adulation that he received. Everyone cheered as his familiar #25 jersey was raised to the Arena rafters. Steen, accompanied by his family, teammates, and management stood in awe of the spectacle. When he signed his first pro contract in 1981, Steen expected to play three seasons in the NHL before returning to his native Sweden. He never would have imagined that he would play 14 years with the same organization that drafted him, and amass an incredible 264-553-817 in 950 NHL games. Steen's 14 years with the Jets were second only to Ray Bourque of the Boston Bruins in years of service to one NHL franchise. The moment his jersey was raised to the ceiling of the Winnipeg Arena, one of the worst days in Steen's life became one of his best. He was overcome with pride.
The veteran had been so upset with the prospect of the team leaving the city that he became ill the day before the ceremony. Later, after the ceremony was completed, he still had hope that the team would stay and that a new arena would be built. The ceremony seemed to ignite the people of Manitoba. There were feelings of anger, disappointment, and frustration that seemed to fuel the public. The Blue Ribbon campaign, which had been instrumental to the dream of keeping the Jets in Winnipeg, gained momentum. Fans started looking for ways to contribute to keep the team in the city. The people had always wanted the team to stay, but were never able to visibly show their support. The onus was always on the politicians and the business leaders. The people needed a cause, a movement, a campaign. Then on May 9, 1995, Operation Grassroots began.
In an effort to persuade government and local buyers to construct a new arena and keep the Jets alive, a movement began. The public was asked to step forward and put their collective money where their mouths were. The response was overwhelming. Spurred by local radio station CJOB (680 AM), fans were encouraged to contribute anything they had to the Grassroots campaign through a four-day on-air telethon to help "Save the Jets". A phenomenal outpouring of support followed. Calls came in from around Canada and the world. Jets' fans from England, Japan, Australia as well as the U.S. and Canada called in and contributed to the cause. Through the efforts of CJOB, approximately $5 million was raised from the general public.
The culmination of this movement was a rally held at the Forks (a central gathering place in the downtown of the city) on May 16, 1995. An amazing turnout of over 35,000 fans were in attendance to show their support for the club. Bands played, speeches were made, donations were collected and in the end, over $250,000 was raised towards the purchase of the team. Jets' GM John Paddock and players Keith Tkachuk, Teemu Selanne, Kris King and Randy Gilhen were present at the rally. After witnessing the incredible outpouring of emotion and support, Paddock said "You just can't imagine what it's like unless you're here." Selanne added, "This city deserves a hockey team. This is great. If this works out, it will be unbelievable how strong this city is going to be." The following night, a hockey social (a traditional Winnipeg fund-raising event) was planned at the Winnipeg Convention Centre. Over 2,500 Jets faithful flocked to the Convention Centre and paid $100 each to help save the Jets. Festivities included live bands, player appearances, and a silent auction which generated additional funds for the project.
In the end, over $13.5 million was raised in Operation Grassroots. What the people of Manitoba accomplished was something unique and truly remarkable. Never before in the history of the city, the province or the country had a community responded in this fashion.
On August 14, 1995, the group known as The Spirit of Manitoba (a group of private investors developed out of MEC) announced, however, that they were unable to raise sufficient capital to proceed with the purchase of the Jets. With no alternative options available, Jets' Owner and President Barry Shenkarow announced that he would being seeking a buyer for the team, and confirmed the worst nightmare of Jets' fans, that 1995-96 would be the final season for the Jets in Winnipeg.
As a way of showing our appreciation to the thousands of fans who demonstrated their support throughout Operation Grassroots, the Winnipeg Jets Hockey Club would like dedicate this final media guide to Jets' fans, the best in the National Hockey League.The following article is based on my trip to Rojava in March 2016 where I interviewed Delal Afrin, Head of the Women’s Economic Committee of Kongira Star [Kongreya Star] (a women’s umbrella organisation, previously known as Yekitiya Star) and Hediye Yusuf, Co-President of Cizire Canton (now co-president of the Democratic Federation in Rojava and North Syria established on 16 March 2016). We visited four co-operatives in the canton of Cizire. The newly established co-operative economy is buffeted by more external pressures than one is likely to find elsewhere: Rojava is in a war zone, fighting for its survival against Daesh (ISIS), and has only recently turned its attention to the economy. It is a fast changing situation as the frontline is constantly moving, the Turkish border and the Iraqi Kurdistan (KRG) border are mostly closed although intense political lobbying may allow certain goods to be imported. They do not have the resources to collate statistics and so much of the information feels hazy. For instance, I was unable to discover how much the co-operative sector contributed to the Rojava economy as a whole.
Women-only Co-operatives
The work of the Women’s Economic Committee is mainly to facilitate the establishment of and support the running of women-only cooperatives. It was set up in August 2015.
The co-operatives range in size from four women to medium sized co-ops of 60 or 100-150 people to large ones with a maximum of 200 people. There are six agricultural co-operatives which include wheat cultivation, the growing of vegetables and salad materials, one which produces milk and makes yoghurt, one which sells bread, two involved in animal husbandry i.e. goats and sheep, two shops, a small one run by four women and one selling second-hand clothes, a restaurant that also makes and supplies bread locally, one grocery shop with 75 shareholders, an oil refinery, an orchard and one mixed agriculture co-operative run jointly by Tev Dem and Kongira Star. In keeping with the revolution’s goal of environmental sustainability, a bio-plastic manufacturing unit of 90 people is also being set up, another mixed co-operative under the joint control of Kongira Star and Tev Dem. The Women’s Economic Committee are in the process of setting up a committee for a chicken co-operative to replace a failed co-operative. The Women’s Economic Committee had provided the land for a chicken co-operative but all the chickens died in the winter because of disease. The new co-operative will follow free-range principles (translated as ‘a more natural way’) and be started up in a place at some distance from the village where the first co-operative was based as they believe that their chickens picked up a disease from the village chickens.
All of the women who work in the co-operatives are also the owners/shareholders but in some co-operatives, they might hire men as workers. The co-operatives are run on a non-hierarchical basis. Even the preferred term for ‘management committee’ is ‘co-ordinating committee’ because it sounds less hierarchical. The workers/owners elect the co-ordination committee at their meetings. They collectively decide on the rules, choose the finance worker, how to use the money, whether to distribute it on an equal basis amongst all the shareholders or whether to reserve some of it for other purposes. For example, the milk co-operative in Derik, decided that they needed a car for the children’s nursery, so they set aside a share of the profits to buy a car.
Every co-operative makes its own decisions and works according to those decisions. The rules vary but a handbook of the kind of rules that co-ops should consider is published by the Committee. Decisions are taken by a majority vote. During elections, they vote by a show of hands or secret ballot. Their rules specify whether they need more than 50%, 60% or 90% to constitute a majority vote. When there are problems in the co-operative, the shareholders assemble and may vote in a new co-ordinating committee.
Rules also cover issues like the disciplinary procedure: for instance, if someone does not turn up for work for two or three days running, they will be sent a warning after which a decision may be taken that if she doesn’t turn up for work she will not be part of the co-operative any more. Although these rules are decided by the co-operative members, the Women’s Economic Committee provides training on how to set up and run a co-operative. Their training sessions cover issues like what is a co-operative? They gave an example of a co-operative of goats with 50 shareholders who came together and formed an assembly, they would be trained in the business of rearing goats, selling goats, and making cheese. If they wanted to sell their cheese, the Committee put them in touch with another co-operative that sells cheese. Sometimes the people who come together to form a co-operative would be familiar with the business that they wanted to set up and would not require training.
Delal Afrin said, ‘In a capitalist economy, the person with the expertise becomes the owner and extracts profit from employing other people. Our system is not capitalist – people work together on a basis of equality and share the resources equally on the basis of solidarity. Everybody acquires expertise so they are self-reliant. The only thing that we do is to give them the land.’
The process is sometimes initiated by the Women’s Economic Committee. They sometimes produce leaflets and publicise it in all the communes of Kongira star. I was shown a leaflet which translated as
‘The Women’s Economic Committee are going to start a co-operative for rearing goats. Any |
entities with which they were doing deals, like pension funds or banks or insurance companies, were legally bound to have a safe AAA rating on the security. So they would basically pitch the rating agencies to give their products the seal of approval. Furthermore, the major raters – Moody’s, Standard and Poor’s and Fitch – competed with one another for business, and downgrading securities didn’t lead to repeat customers. And, the rating agencies didn’t have the resources or the methodology to really investigate things like the housing bubble. So for a variety of reasons, the rating agencies listened to the banksters and buckled under the pressure.
Levin’s committee produced 18 pages of emails from the rating agencies that shows some of the most obvious evidence of culpability that you’ll ever get. Let me just quote from a few of them:
“Version 6.0 [a new version of the S&P ratings model] could’ve been released months ago and resources assigned elsewhere if we didn’t have to massage the subprime and Alt-A numbers to preserve market share… We have known for some time, based on pool level data and LEVELS 6.0 testing that – Subprime: B and BB levels need to be raised; Alt A: B, BB and BBB levels need to be raised (we have had a disproportionate number of downgrades).” -Email from S&P employee, 3/23/2005 “We have spent significant amount of resource on this deal and it will be difficult for us to
continue with this process if we do not bave an agreement on the fee issue.” “We are okay with the revised fee schedule for this transaction. We are agreeing to this under the
assumption that this will not be a precedent for any future deals and that you will work with us further on this transaction to try to get to some middle ground with respect to the ratings.” -Email exchange between Moody’s and Merrill Lynch, 6112107, Subject., “Re: Rating application for Belden Point COO.” “Lehman is proposing an alternative way of calculating haircuts which I think has some merit Independent models are provided by several banks …. I must recognize that we do not have the knowledge nor the time to develop our own models.”
–Email from Moody’s employee, 12/05/2006
You will get sick reading through these documents. They show that the rating agencies knew about the imminent collapse of the housing market through financial fraud and subprime loans as far back as 2004. And they did nothing about it, and were lured into a game of chicken with the other rating agencies, where they all made money by not blinking and downgrading the securities tied to the loans. The revenue of the rating agencies doubled in this time, from 2002-2007. They essentially were being bribed.
In testimony yesterday, the CEOs of the rating agencies plead ignorance:
WASHINGTON — The chairman and chief executive of Moody’s Corp. said Friday that he didn’t know that his company continued to give investment-grade ratings to complex financial instruments backed by shaky subprime mortgages even after it downgraded billions of dollars worth of such deals in the summer of 2007. While other Wall Street executives have expressed contrition when they appeared before Congress, McDaniel and former S&P President Kathleen Corbet were unapologetic on Friday. Throughout the day in earlier testimony and in e-mails released by Levin, however, former Moody’s and S&P officials told how they were pushed out or quit in frustration because managers badgered them to “massage” complex deals until they could land the business […] McDaniel and Corbet said they were unaware that their analysts felt pressured to sacrifice the quality of investment-grade ratings to maintain market share and earn the huge accompanying fees.
But if the head honchos didn’t know, their lieutenants did. Gripping testimony yesterday came from Eric Kolchinsky, a managing director at Moody’s who pushed to change the methodology on pending deals that included downgraded bonds. He was told no.
“My manager declined to do anything about the potential fraud, so I raised the issue to a more senior manager,” he testified. He said that the complaint resulted in a change to methodology. “I believe this action saved Moody’s from committing securities fraud. Because of the culture, I knew what I did would possibly jeopardize my role at Moody’s.” He was right. A month later, he was sent a nasty e-mail asking why his market share slipped from 98 percent to 94 percent in the third quarter. The e-mail came, he said, just days after Moody’s had downgraded more than $33 billion in bonds backed by subprime mortgage loans. Less than two months after challenging the integrity of the ratings, Kolchinsky was removed from his post and given a lower-paying job elsewhere in the company with far less responsibility. He eventually left.
This is basically securities fraud, and yet the SEC is statutorily barred from even conducting oversight on the rating agencies. The Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission had to issue a subpoena to Moody’s to get documents released.
The financial reform bill from Chris Dodd creates an Office of Rating Agencies inside the SEC, and gives the ability to sue them for negligence. Rating agencies would need to disclose their methodologies and incorporate third-party information. But it does not truly remove the fundamental conflict of interest, where rating agencies compete for the business of those who issue securities, creating the internal pressure to rate those securities positively. Until then, we will see the same fraud in the rating agencies, in the pursuit of profits, that we see throughout Wall Street.Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Music Week editor Tim Ingham: "Universal now owns the holy trinity of 20th century rock and roll"
EU and US regulators have approved the takeover of UK music firm EMI by Universal Music, but it must sell some of the firm's most valuable labels.
The European Commission said Universal would have to sell off assets including the Parlophone label, home to artists such as Pink Floyd and Kylie Minogue.
The US Federal Trade Commission later approved the deal in its turn without imposing any conditions.
The £1.2bn ($1.9bn) takeover of EMI was announced in November.
Although the European Commission said its ruling would allay competition fears, rival music labels have condemned the move.
EMI, with a history dating back to 1897, is home to artists including the Beatles and Pink Floyd. Universal is a unit of French media giant Vivendi.
Analysis In EMI's 1960s heyday, it was one of four music companies that dominated the British charts. The others were Decca, Philips and Pye. One by one, the others fell by the wayside, swallowed up by what is now Universal Music Group (UMG). Now, with all remaining obstacles to the deal cleared, EMI's recorded music division looks set to follow suit, putting the last big UK record company into French hands. However, the scale of the sell-off required by the European Commission is impressive. It includes the catalogue of one of those proud 1960s labels, Pye - now part of Sanctuary, which Universal bought in 2007 and must now hive off again. With other labels such as Mute also on the list, music by artists from the Kinks to Depeche Mode will now be changing hands.
The Commission's demand for assets sales also includes disposal of EMI's Chrysalis, Mute, and Classics labels, as well as Universal's Sanctuary and Co-op Music labels.
"The very significant commitments proposed by Universal will ensure that competition in the music industry is preserved and that European consumers continue to enjoy all its benefits," EU competition commissioner Joaquin Almunia said in a statement.
'Preserve choice'
He said a combined group would have a market share with the European Union of less than 40%, the threshold which typically prompts regulators worry about market dominance.
Mr Almunia said: "Competition in the music business is crucial to preserve choice, cultural diversity and innovation.
"In this investigation, we have paid close attention to digital innovation, which is changing the way that people listen to music."
Citigroup is selling EMI, having bought it when buyout firm Terra Firma defaulted on loans owed to the US investment bank. Regulators have already allowed a group led by Sony to buy EMI's music publishing arm for $2.2bn.
Universal welcomed the commission's decision, saying: "Today's approval brings to an end an extensive EU regulatory review and the acquisition will benefit the artistic community and music industry."
The company said that after the asset sales, its catalogue would include the Beatles, Beach Boys, Genesis, Katy Perry, Emeli Sande and Robbie Williams. The Beatles, part of Parlophone, was exempted from the sale.
A source close to Universal said the company had already received interest in the assets for sale from well-funded potential buyers.
'Universal's arrogance'
Smaller rival music labels reacted angrily to the commission's decision. Impala, which represents independent label across Europe, claimed that the commission's conclusions acknowledged that "Universal's power is a problem across the whole market".
Helen Smith, executive chair of Impala, said: "This decision has finally put a freeze on Universal's ability to expand further and sets a benchmark for constraining abusive behaviour across the whole market.
"Following the approval of the Sony/EMI merger, however, this decision nonetheless reinforces what is already a powerful duopoly. Contrary to the basic principles of competition in cultural markets, artists and consumers will ultimately pay the price."
Martin Mills, chairman of Beggars Group, said: "It's good to see that the Commission has seen this deal as such a threat to the market that it has demanded and received truly swingeing commitments to divestments.
"However, that should not conceal that fact that Universal's arrogance has paid off for them, that they have destroyed a significant competitor, and that even with these divestments their ability to dominate and control the market has reached even more unacceptable levels.
"Anyone trying to start a new digital service will be realising that very soon, and we will continue to look to the regulators to monitor ongoing behaviour."JERUSALEM - Israel's internal security agency says it has foiled an al Qaeda plan to attack the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv and hit other targets in the country.
Shin Bet said Wednesday it arrested three Palestinians it accuses of plotting to carry out bombings, shootings, kidnappings and other attacks.
It said the men, two from Jerusalem and one from the West Bank, were recruited by an operative based in the Gaza Strip who worked for al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri.
Shin Bet alleges the Palestinians planned on attacking a Jerusalem conference center with firearms and then kill rescue workers with a truck bomb.
It said al Qaeda also planned to send foreign militants to attack the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv on the same day using explosives supplied by the Palestinians.If you’ve been following along with the previous 10 Database Fundamentals blog posts, you have a SQL Server installed and a database with a table in it. You may have more if you’ve been practicing. Now would be the time to start adding data to the database, but first, I want to talk about the importance of T-SQL
Why T-SQL?
The way SQL Server accepts information is very different than most programs you’re used to using. Most programs focus on the graphical user interface as a mechanism for enabling data entry. While there is a GUI within SQL Server that you can use for data entry, and I will do a blog post on it, the primary means of manipulating data within SQL is the Transact Structured Query Language, or T-SQL.
T-SQL is a very rich and complex scripting language offering you a great degree of flexibility in how you use it. Because of this, you can really think of it almost like a programming language. For example, it’s very easy to glance down into the corner of your computer screen and see the date and time on display there. You could simply look down at the date and time every time you needed to enter this information and use the GUI provided by SQL Server to store that in your tables. But, that time doesn’t display seconds and it doesn’t display fractions of a second, and even if it did, you couldn’t really say that you entered a piece of data into the system at a particular fraction of a second because the time it would take to type that would make that information invalid.
Instead, you’re going to take advantage of the methods and structures offered to you by T-SQL so that you can build a script. In order to get the date and time, just as an example, the script would use the GETDATE() function so that you didn’t have to type these values into the system. GETDATE() will get the system date and time for you, and put it into the column that you told it to within your TSQL statement. You could even get more fancy (or more precise, depending on your point of view and the needs of your business) and use GETUTCDATE() to get the Universal Time Code value for the current data and time.
This is just one, rather small, example of why scripting your data access is much better than relying on the GUI. There are lots of others. For example, what if you needed to move several rows of information into the system and that information was already partly in another table in the database. You can combine data manipulation statements with data selection statements in order to move that information all at once. This is something that would take hours, maybe days, to do by hand, typing.
Also, while you do have a GUI for manipulating data within SQL Server, all that GUI is doing is generating the same T-SQL statements that you could have written on your own, except that it can’t take advantage of the functions or batch processing that is available to you through T-SQL.
For all these reasons, while I will show you how to manipulate information using the GUI provided by Microsoft, the majority of my time will be focused on the T-SQL methods for manipulating this data. I strongly encourage you to spend the time to learn T-SQL.
You can learn just about everything you’ll ever need from the SQL Server Technical Documentation, but for more, I suggest Itzik Ben Gan’s excellent book “T-SQL Fundamentals.”
Conclusion
Avoid the crutch of the GUI entirely and you’ll benefit from a great deal more functionality and ability to manipulate the data in your system. Several of the following blog posts in the series focus on various aspects of T-SQL from INSERT to SELECT to UPDATE and DELETE. We’ll get all the fundamentals covered.Post a PDF of the latest version in the header before the original version, so that people will comment on that and avoid doubling up on the same feedback.
Sorry I can’t make any more comments or tag any more people.
Grammar and readability edits
Please have the font in Arial or some other Sans Serif font.
Use CTRL+F to find the text that I’m quoting.
"when we say “2/3 of validators”, we are referring to the deposit-weighted fraction; that is, a set of validators whose sum deposit size equals to 2/3 of the total deposit size of the entire set of validators.” Maybe to avoid ambiguity have an acronym, e.g. validators with 2/3 of the total deposit size (VaTTTDS, pronounced vat dees).
The most notable property of Casper is that it is impossible for two conflicting checkpoints to be finalized without >1/3 of the validators violating one of the two Casper Commandments/slashing conditions."
…it is impossible for both of two conflicting checkpoints to be finalized unless >1/3 of the validators (by weight) violate one of…
think “four months’ worth of blocks”
should be four months worth of blocks. I don’t think you need the quotation marks. It doesn’t need “think”. Be decisive or say probably four months…
@chris-remus, “recursively justifying” should be defined as it is in the last bullet point of p. 2. However if this document uses usepackage{hyperref} then you can use \hypertarget{recursivelyjustify}{} in a line before the last bullet point of p. 2 (e.g. as below), then use \hyperlink{recursivelyjustify}{recursively justifying}.
188. \hypertarget{recursivelyjustify}{} 189. \item A checkpoint $c$ is called \emph{justified} if (1) it is the root, or (2) there exists a supermajority link $c^\prime \to c$ where $c^\prime$ is justified. \figref{fig:2c} shows a chain of four justified blocks. 314. Before, a checkpoint $c$ is called \emph{finalized} if it is justified and there is a supermajority link from $c$ to any of its direct children in the checkpoint tree. Finalization now has one additional condition---$c$ is finalized only if the votes for the supermajority link $c \rightarrow c^\prime$, as well as all of the supermajority links \hyperlink{recursivelyjustify}{recursively justifying} $c$, are included in the block chain before the child of $c^\prime$, i.e., before block number $\h(c^\prime) * 100$.
Yes I agree to have a different notation to \upnu for a validator set, a capital italic letter as used here.
Note this means that the forward validator set of dynasty d is the rear validator set of dynasty d + 1.
It’s probably better to spell this out for readability, i.e.:
\begin{align*} \mathcal{V}_{\operatorname{r}}(d+1) &\equiv \left\{ \upnu : \DS(\upnu) < d + 1 \leq \DE(\upnu) \right\} \\ \equiv \left\{ \upnu : \DS(\upnu) \leq d < \DE(\upnu) \right\} \equiv \mathcal{V}_{\operatorname{f}}(d) \end{align*}
There is repetition of two sentences:
We add the condition that c is finalized only if the votes for the supermajority link c -> c′, as well as the supermajority link justifying c, are included in c′’s block chain and before the child of c′—i.e., before block number h(c′) * 100. Isn’t the last phrase “and before the child of c′—i.e., before block number h(c′) * 100” repeating the previous condition, since including these votes in c′ implies that the votes will be included before the child of c′.
We assume all clients have local clocks are perfectly synchronized (any discrepancy can be treated asbeing part of the communication delay).
We assume that all clients have local clocks that are perfectly synchronized (any discrepancy can be treated as being part of the communication delay \delta).
@hwwang
Could you clarify the difference between ω ≥ 4δ and ω > 4δ?
Yes I also had to stop and reflect about that, so a clarification would be good. For the case where ω ≥ 4δ, my understanding is that the validator can withdraw the deposit at that point in time, but they will have no time to launch a successful attack after that as it will be ignored by clients, since ω > 4δ.
If anyone knows how to use strikethrough in these comments, please let me know how.
If a validator sees a slashing violation at time t (that’s the time they hear the later of the two votes),
Which two votes? In a validator’s vote, there is a vote for the source and target checkpoints as their hash and height. So I’m assuming this means that the time of the target checkpoint. Perhaps this should be clarified, e.g.:
If a validator sees a slashing violation at time t (that’s the time they hear the later of the two votes, i.e. the timestamp of the target checkpoint)
Suppose that a large set of slashing violations results in results in two conflicting finalized checkpoints
Suppose that a large set of slashing violations results in two conflicting finalized checkpoints
whose chains that have not yet included the evidence transaction
whose chains have not yet included the evidence transaction
slashing evidence was submitted into a given chain “on time” or submittedand another chain as having accepted it too late
submitted and
I’m not sure what “another chain as having accepted it too late” is meant to mean, however maybe it could be rewritten as “submitted into a chain and then having accepted it too late at the time of another chain”.
In figure 5:
After withdrawal, attack fabricates a conflicting chain
After withdrawal, the attacker(s) (the supermajority validators) fabricates a conflicting chain
because the communityvalidators
because the community validators
thus stopping the attack and removingslashing the attacker.
thus stopping the attack and removing/slashing the attacker supermajority.
PoS is because if the validators are split into two subsets
PoS is valid because…
(however, every validator will lose a large portion of their deposit on one of the two chains due to leaks. If this situation happens, then each validator should simply favor whatever finalized checkpoint it saw first.
(however, every validator will lose a large portion of their deposit on one of the two chains due to leaks. If this situation happens, then each validator should simply favor whatever finalized checkpoint it saw first.)
can detect obviously malfesant behavior
malfeasant
Casper is an PoS-based
Casper is a PoS-based
[6] Bitcoin: A peer-to-peer electronic cash systems
system
Change/add to the following bib refs like so (I can only post at most two links):
gist.github.com https://gist.github.com/jamesray1/727003f970cc995e4aeaec50e1bc6564 Casper Finality Cadget feedback % Context: https://ethresear.ch/t/latest-casper-basics-tear-it-apart/151/26, % https://ethresear.ch/uploads/default/original/1X/fdbebd67c8a9671efabf4e53d6267789cd91d96c.pdf % https://web.archive.org/save/https://ethresear.ch/uploads/default/original/1X/fdbebd67c8a9671efabf4e53d6267789cd91d96c.pdf PPCoin note = "\url{https://web.archive.org/save/https://decred.org/research/king2012.pdf}", Blackcoin note = "\url{https://web.archive.org/save/http://blackcoin.co/blackcoin-pos-protocol-v2-whitepaper.pdf}", This file has been truncated. show original
As for security and performance, no feedback has come to mind yet, other than:
I look forward to future developments and shall be happy to actively work on such developments.
I guess that further research for other possible attacks and seeking out a security consultant would be good.Sarah Palin, Michelle Duggar (Facebook/Screencapture)
Fox News pundit and former Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin exploded on Thursday at liberals who she said were “perverts” and “disgusting hypocrites” after Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar revealed to Fox News that they had failed to stop their son, Josh, from molesting young girls when he was 14 years old.
In a Facebook post the day after the Duggars spoke to Fox’s Megyn Kelly, Palin lashed out at actress Lena Dunham, who wrote in her book That Kind of Girl that she was 7 years old when she had touched her sister’s genitals.
“Radical liberals in media who have total control over public narratives are disgusting hypocrites, so says my daughter,” Palin wrote, linking to a pro-Duggar column penned by her daughter, Bristol. “I’m glad someone’s got the guts to call out these perverts… The intolerant left’s destructive personal intrusions and narrow-mindedness applied to their chosen targets are bad enough, but their double standards are beyond the pale.”
While Palin argued that she was not defended “the Duggar boy’s obvious wrongdoing over a decade ago,” she insisted that the “main victim in any story like this isn’t the perpetrator, it’s the innocent ones so harmfully affected.”
“I’m not an apologist for any sexual predator, but I’m sickened that the media gives their chosen ones a pass for any behavior as long as they share their leftwing politics,” Palin complained. “Case in point, they suggest Lena Dunham’s sexual assault on her sibling is cute, and she’s rewarded for it with fame and fortune. Meanwhile, they crucify another, along with an entire family.”
According to Palin, the “wrongdoing” that the media should be discussing was the leak of Josh Duggar’s records, and “the media’s hell-bent mission to go after the entire Duggar family.”
“Such obvious double standards applied to equally relevant stories underestimate the wisdom of the public, discredit the press, and spit on the graves of every American who fought and died for the press’s freedom,” she added.
For those who feel targeted by the media, Palin had some advice: “Rise above by never claiming ‘victim’, tell the truth, and keep the faith!”
“Welcome to my world; believe me – what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger!”It’s Friday, work is slow and I just want to reiterate some things.
She is not better than you are.
Yeah, you know who I’m talking about. That girl you’ve been crushing on for a while now. That girl who is the most unique, amazing, and special girl you’ve ever met. That girl who you think about before you go to sleep. That girl who you let talk to you for hours about all the other boys she’s seeing. That girl who tells you that you’re such a great catch and that you’ll find a girl soon (but not her of course). Yeah, that one. She is not better than you at all. She is a human being and her value of life on this earth is no better or worse than yours. So don’t treat her like she is God’s gift to the world. She isn’t. She’s a nice girl and that’s it. It may not seem like that to you right now, but it’s the truth. Stop complementing her all the time. If all she wants you for is to validate and feel better about herself, then she is using you. This is not a healthy friendship. Re-evaluate your relationship. If you treat her like she is better than you, she will not consider you a viable dating option. She wants to feel secure in her man. If you have little self-worth. If you don’t even respect yourself or like yourself. If you feel you don’t deserve her…How can you expect her to have feelings for you?
Leave your house
Do anything. I don’t care if you walk around the block 1000 times. Just leave your house and go somewhere. I don’t care where. Hell, just walk up and down the streets and ask random people for directions even if you know where the location is. That’s what I do when I go out to “warm up”. I just walk up to about 4 or 5 groups of people and ask them for directions to a bar. Doesn’t even have to be women. Just walk up to anybody. Don’t go outside thinking, “I have to meet a girl”. Don’t put expectations on yourself. Just be a social person. Befriend and number close men. Meet people. Not women. Show that you are an outgoing and social person even if you’re not.
Do not sit and wait for something to changeCES 2015: German car manufacturer Mercedes-Benz has unveiled its vision for the future of motoring with an autonomous pod-like vehicle designed to function as a communal living room on wheels (+ slideshow).
"Anyone who focuses solely on the technology has not yet grasped how autonomous driving will change our society," explained head of Mercedes-Benz Dieter Zetsche. "The car is growing beyond its role as a mere means of transport and will ultimately become a mobile living space."
Related story Driverless cars in cities still "20 to 30 years" away, says senior Audi engineer
Unveiled today at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, the concept design for the F 015 Luxury in Motion features a large interior space, finished in walnut, glass, leather and aluminium, along with four individual lounge chairs that swivel outwards to greet passengers on entry.
Once inside, the chairs swivel round so that the passengers are facing each other. Six screens – controlled with eye-tracking and gesture recognition – are integrated throughout the interior, offering connectivity and entertainment.
"Drivers are relieved of work and stress in situations in which driving is not enjoyable," said head of group research and Mecedes-Benz cars development Thomas Weber. "The time gained while in their car takes on a whole new quality."
Selecting a manual mode would prompt a steering wheel to emerge from the dashboard, while the driver and passenger seats turn automatically to face the direction of travel.
Large LED light modules on the front and back of the car show which mode it's operating in, with white lights indicating manual driving and a blue hue for when it's in autonomous mode.
Created with carbon fibre reinforced plastic, aluminium and steel, its exterior would weigh around 40 per cent less than today's production cars of a similar size.
Despite being lighter, the company said the structure would not be weakened due to the combination of strengthened materials and external beltlines positioned below its windows that would inflate in the case of a side-on collision.
As part of the research conducted for the F 015 Luxury in Motion, Mercedes-Benz also developed a forward-looking scenario called "City of the Future 2030+".
The future of urban infrastructure design – as envisioned by Mercedes-Benz – will consist of special "safety zones", much like today's low-emission zones in city centres, that are only open to autonomous vehicles.
Urban space could also be reclaimed as a result of autonomous vehicles parking themselves outside of a city's central areas.
"In the shared space of the future, humans and machines share the roads," said Mercedes-Benz in a statement. "The 'car-friendly city' is transformed increasingly into the 'people-friendly city' without any loss of individual freedom".
"The divide between residential, recreational and traffic areas therefore melts away."
Other autonomous vehicle designs recently featured on Dezeen include a concept by Global design consultancy IDEO in which workplaces would commute to workers and Tesla's self-parking car that could soon pick you up from anywhere by itself.Jordanian security services have closed the Amman headquarters of the Muslim Brotherhood, the country's main opposition force, a security source and lawyer for the movement said.
"Jordanian security searched the headquarters of the Muslim Brotherhood and evacuated it before sealing off the entrance with red wax," lawyer Abdelkader al-Khatib told AFP news agency on Wednesday.
"This is clearly a political decision in line with what is happening in the region," he said.
A security source told AFP the movement's headquarters was "closed on the order of the governor of the [Jordanian] capital as the Brotherhood did not obtain legal authorisation" for its activities.
READ MORE: UK releases report on Muslim Brotherhood
The Jordanian authorities view the Brotherhood as an illegal organisation because its licence was not renewed in accordance with a political parties law adopted in 2014.
The Jordanian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, which was formed in Egypt in 1928 and has affiliates across the region, has wide grassroots support in the kingdom.
Tolerated for decades in Jordan, the Brotherhood has had tense relations with the authorities since the Arab Spring uprisings that shook the region in 2011.
In Egypt it has been blacklisted as a "terrorist group".
'Politically motivated'
Speaking to Al Jazeera from Amman, Badi al-Rafaia, spokesperson for the Jordanian Muslim Brotherhood, called the government's decision "illegal", "an act of martial law", and "politically motivated".
Amman's governor, who is an official of the Jordanian interior ministry, "has no legal jurisdiction to close down the offices of his group", he said.
If they had "legal issues that questioned the existence of our organisation, they should have moved the matter through the courts and legal channels".
Hossam al-Abdallat, a Jordanian opposition leader and former chief of staff to current Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour, told Al Jazeera from Amman the government's decision was "unjustified" and "illegal".
"The government intends to repeat the Egyptian regime's crackdown on the Egyptian Brotherhood organisation, and if the government insists on doing that it will end up having catastrophic political, economic, and social consequences on the country," Abdallat said.
He added the Jordanian government sees the Muslim Brotherhood as a threat because it is the only real opposition group in the country. Throughout its 70-year history in Jordan, the Brotherhood has always been an ally of the regime and is peaceful, said Abdallat.
The intervention of the security services "has the sole purpose of influencing the upcoming elections and results", Khatib said.
Jordan is expected to hold legislative elections by early next year. The Brotherhood boycotted previous elections in 2013 and 2010.
The movement accuses the authorities of trying to exploit divisions within the organisation.
Last year the government authorised the formation of a breakaway group known as the Muslim Brotherhood Association.Iron Maiden frontman Bruce Dickinson can now help you fly instead of “Run to the Hills.” According to Wales Online, the singer has just announced that his firm, Cardiff Aviation, will be launching a brand new ACMI airline. That means that he’ll provide an aircraft, complete crew, maintenance and insurance to another airline or type of business for leasing purposes.
The singer is chairman of the Wales-based company Cardiff Aviation, which is already a successful full service aircraft maintenance company. He is in the process of getting the proper operating license to add an airline to his services and has announced that his new airline’s first plane will be a 737-400. The airline will operate under the VVB brand.
The singer said he is looking to fill a need in the aviation market, "If you are looking to establish an airline, we will do all of the procurement, technical execution and administration on your behalf. We can give you a one-stop 'airline in a box' — all you need to do is sell the tickets, and we'll do the rest."
He went on about his new venture, "In the last two years, we've grown relentlessly, thanks to our unique entrepreneurial style of MRO [maintenance, repair, overhaul] and training. We're now looking to bring that approach to the airline market with VVB. This is a huge opportunity to create new jobs and further increase our already impressive roster of services."
This is more good news for the singer, who was given the " all clear " by doctors last month after a battle with a cancerous tumor on the back of his tongue. Iron Maiden are taking a year off from touring to let the singer recuperate, but say they plan to release a new album at some point in 2015.
You Think You Know Iron Maiden?The following blog post, unless otherwise noted, was written by a member of Gamasutras community.
The thoughts and opinions expressed are those of the writer and not Gamasutra or its parent company.
The topic of institutionalized misogyny in game culture is finally getting the attention it deserves, and the situation is grim. Once again we embarrassed ourselves at the Electronic Entertainment Expo with a parade of booth babes and an Xbox One launch that featured a rape joke and not a single female protagonist among its launch titles. Try pointing this out to many industry executives and you’ll get a collective shrug. Try pointing it out in online gamer spaces and you get howls of outrage and a torrent of vile abuse from a small number of very angry men. The attacks get worse if the person who points it out happens to be a woman: death threats, threats of sexual violence, character assassination and cyberstalking are commonplace. Jennifer Hepler, a writer at BioWare, recently received explicit death threats... not to her but to her children, a new low.
The haters are simply infuriated at the suggestion that games might be improved by making them more appealing to women, and they’re warning us that they’ll do something about it. Apart from the abuse and threats, they say that they’ll stop buying games if the industry changes anything to make them more popular with women, and we’ll lose a lot of money. I decided to find out if we need to take this seriously, not just by arguing hypothetically, but by looking at some real numbers.
What Changes Are We Talking About?
So who is asking for a change, and what exactly are they asking for? I’m going to call them “progressive gamers,” for want of a better term; they’re both men and women. With respect to gender in games (the treatment of racial minorities or under-represented sexualities is a separate, but related issue), their requests are simple and few:
More opportunities to play female protagonists in AAA titles. More female characters—especially protagonists—who are not hypersexualized and whose clothing is appropriate for their activity. More female characters portrayed as strong and competent people rather than victims, trophies, or sex objects.
Now let’s take a look at what they’re not asking for.
They’re not proposing to turn Duke Nukem female. They’re not proposing to ban or censor Dead or Alive: Extreme Beach Volleyball. They’re not proposing to kill off Princess Peach. (Well, most of them aren’t. There might be a radical wing that is.) They’re not proposing that games should suddenly all be about traditional female role activities such as cooking and sewing. It shouldn’t even be necessary to say this, but there are a few dimwits around who seem to believe it.
In other words, progressive gamers are not trying to force designers to do anything. They’re asking for new games that they would find more enjoyable than the existing ones. It’s simple consumer activism, requesting products that better meet their wishes.
The players who oppose this, on the other hand—I’ll call them “reactionary gamers” because they want to keep things they way they are—are exclusively male. They say that they’ll boycott the game industry if it accedes to the requests of the progressive gamers. I’m both a progressive gamer and a game developer, so I have an interest in seeing more female-friendly games, but I also have an interest in making money, so I need to know if this threat amounts to anything.
Is There Really a Problem?
Before I get into that, though, we’d better see if there really is a problem in the first place. Some people claim that there are plenty of female protagonists already, so there’s no need to do anything about it. But is this true?
MobyGames is one of the largest databases of video games in the world. At the moment that I’m typing this, it contains records for 73,719 games. The data are entered by the community (with moderation from the site’s editors), and the site also includes the ability to add games to user-created |
Bloedel started selling off its pulp and paper assets. For a while, Harmac operated as a stand-alone mill.
"When MacMillan Bloedel hived Harmac off, it became just a one-horse company," said Smiley. "It was perfect timing from our perspective. Pulp prices peaked in 1995 at around $1,000 per tonne," he said. "It was like a brave new world. We had been sort of cast off by M and B, but all of a sudden we were rolling in dough."
Eventually the storied Oregon-based company Pope & Talbot bought Harmac for $78 million. Pope & Talbot had an impressive pedigree: 150 years operating in the shipping, lumber and pulp industries.
But the company overextended itself in Canada. They bought more mills in B.C. through the '90s, largely financed by debt. Then the softwood lumber dispute erupted in 2001, resulting in massive duties levied on Canadian lumber bound for the U.S.
In 2001 and 2002 Pope & Talbot posted net losses in excess of $20 million. The company began to crumble under the weight of its debt.
Investors fled. The stock price tumbled from $23 per share in the spring of 2000 to five dollars by the end of 2005. Then, in the fall of 2007 the company filed for bankruptcy in Canada and the U.S. and the stock, when it eventually sunk to less than 10 cents per share, was bumped off the New York Stock Exchange.
Still, even as Pope & Talbot receded into bankruptcy, no one expected the Harmac mill to close completely.
Asia Pulp and Paper, a massive Indonesian company, made a $105-million offer to buy the mill in April 2008. But the deal fell apart at the last minute.
"The receiver came in, PricewaterhouseCoopers, and basically put a lock on the gate. And that was it," said Smiley. "Everybody went home."
"Right up until the very end, people didn't really think it was going to happen. They didn't believe the mill was going to shut down because it had always been there," he said. "Somebody will come."
But nobody came.
Plan B takes shape
That's when an idea that had been hatched as a backup plan started gaining momentum.
What if the employees bought the mill?
Smiley said they thought they needed $30 million to buy it from the receiver and have enough capital to get it running again. They thought they could raise $7 million from the employees and borrow the rest.
"We were naive enough to think that we could buy it on our own," said Smiley. "Of course, come August of '08, Jimmy Pattison couldn't borrow money.
"Things were starting to tighten up pretty good. That's when we started looking for other partners."
Levi Sampson was a fresh-faced 27-year-old at the time, working as a marketing manager for a Victoria gym, when he and his family decided to approach the Harmac employee group about investing their money in the cause.
Sampson's family money comes from the Alberta oil patch -- his father is CEO of Niko Resources, a Calgary-based oil and gas company with assets across Asia.
"Our family decided to make an investment. We saw a model that we thought would work," Sampson said, sitting in the corner office at the Harmac mill where he now serves as president and regularly travels the world marketing Harmac pulp. (The whole company is based at the Nanaimo mill site, a stark difference from the foreign corporate ownership models of the past.)
"We wouldn't have gotten involved in the forest industry if it wasn't for a change in mentality and a new way of doing things," he said.
Sampson said he saw two choices facing the unemployed Harmac workers: pack up their families and look for work elsewhere, or pony up $25,000 and buy back their jobs.
"When we started up this employee owned model, most of the media was writing us off -- most of the analysts as well," said Sampson.
Indeed, media and analysts at the time said the fact that the employees were the only group interested in investing illustrated the poor state of the pulp industry, and was a harbinger of the death of the B.C. forest sector.
"This is nothing short of tragic. H.R. MacMillan must be rolling over in his grave," one analyst said at the time.
"It would be great to see a local success story because of what the mill means to the Nanaimo economy, but the game has changed for the pulp industry," said another.
But Harmac's employees used that negative energy "as fuel" and forged ahead with their plan.
By the end of July the Harmac employees, along with the Sampson's, Williams Lake-based Pioneer Log Homes and Fraser Valley construction company Totzauer Holdings bought the mill for $13.2 million.
"They had to believe not only in themselves but also the people that they work with to get it done together," Sampson said.
Still weathering the storms
Smiley said 225 workers bought in, about half of the original 530 workers employed by Pope & Talbot.
"The [previous] couple years had been so difficult here," said Smiley. "It was hard for people to believe that things could change for the good," he said. "And a lot of people didn't come back, particularly people with transferable skills."
"I know that each and every individual went home and talked to their families, because it was a big commitment, not just financial commitment because people were out of their jobs, it was an emotional commitment," said Smiley.
For those that stayed, months of uncertainty and the prospect of losing their livelihoods erased the hard-fought battle lines that once divided hourly, unionized workers from salaried staff.
"We were all very romantic about what we were doing," Smiley said. Where every staff member is also an owner, squabbles about overtime and flexible job descriptions faded.
They had trimmed overhead costs way back. No expensive corporate head office. No costly hoard of executives. No fancy marketing and sales team.
But by the middle of 2009 the price for NBSK had bottomed out again at around $570 per tonne. Sampson's cost savings weren't enough.
"The first year, we were all bailing at the same time. The boat was sinking," Smiley said.
The union lent $1.2 million to Harmac to keep it afloat, Smiley said. "But I would say that if you asked people, they would say that was the best time. Everyone was rowing the boat together."
Harmac weathered the price collapse and has enjoyed a steadily increasing market ever since. The price for a tonne of NBSK costs around $950 today, and Harmac produces 280,000 tonnes every year.
The company has attracted more than 100 new employee-owners since 2008. While you don't have to buy a share in the company to work there, Smiley said most workers choose to.
Sampson said there will be a BBQ held this month to celebrate their fifth year in business, but also to mark the completion of a $45-million electrical generation plant.
The plant uses wood waste for fuel and will produce 25 megawatts of electricity, 15 of which will feed the BC Hydro power grid, providing enough electricity to light and heat 17,000 homes. The rest will go to powering the mill -- further cutting costs.
And, when the plant goes online, the company will have a second revenue stream for the first time in its history, and it will conclude more than $100 million in efficiency upgrades and carbon emissions reduction work.
Some of that money came from the federal government's Green Transformation fund, a billion-dollar aid package for the struggling pulp and paper industry.
The industry, worth $4.5 billion in Canada, is highly volatile. Prices routinely peak and plummet. And the latest bull market hasn't been enough to keep other B.C. mills from closing for good.
Sampson attributes his mill's success, in an environment rife with failures, to the unique model.
"We just go lean and mean and do things a little different," he said. His point was aptly illustrated on a tour of the mill site that revealed building after building of heavy, specialized equipment that seemed to require few operators, and a reception office with no receptionist; just a bale of pulp, apparently the mill's first product after restarting in 2008, adorned with the signatures of its many owners.
Harmac's unprecedented 11-year labour agreement also helps keep the mill operating smoothly. Lockouts aren't a problem when employees are also owners.
When asked if he thinks the employee-ownership model could be replicated elsewhere in the forestry industry, Sampson is reserved.
"I have had people talk to me from within the forestry industry [asking] if it could be duplicated somewhere else and if it could be successful somewhere else," he said. "My answer to that is always 'only if you have the right people in place and if you have the right group of individuals,' and that's from top to bottom.
"I also think it has to come from the workforce itself. I would never suggest for any employee ownership model, not just the forestry industry, to try to force that on a group of people. That's not a way for success. If it comes from the people who say they want to buy in, then it makes sense."April 23rd 1994 will forever be one of the most curious days in Bundesliga history.
It is the 32nd match day of the 1993/94 season, and Bayern München are currently chasing the Bundesliga title, while 1. FC Nürnberg are barely above the relegation places hanging on for their lives. Bayern are two points ahead of Kaiserslautern, and Nürnberg have a healthy four point gap down to the relegation places(Editors note: Only two points were awarded for a win back then). Nürnberg would happily settle for a draw away in the Olympiastadion, while Bayern had to win the match, given the fact that Kaiserslautern were likely to beat relegation candidates SG Wattenscheid 09.
The match started out with Nürnberg defending, causing a headache amongst Bayern’s attacking personnel. ”The first time there was any danger was in the 26th minute”, former Nürnberg player Manni Schwabl recalled 12 years later when being interviewed by the German football magazine 11 Freunde. Referee Hans Joachim Osmers had rewarded Bayern with a corner kick.
Controversy
Schwaab placed himself at the near post, where he in the following moments witnessed one of German football’s most controversial moments. Schwaab himself can still describe the situation in great details:
The corner kick came at great speed into the box, landing in the box where it was headed on. Thomas Helmer was there, but Lubos Kubik was covering him tightly. Despite being guarded Helmer, somehow, managed to get to the ball. I had glanced towards the situation, seeing Kubik on the ground and our goalkeeper Andreas Köpke had already descended into a dive. Helmer squeezed the ball past the wrong side of the post, and the audience moaned in discontent. I was making my way towards the goal line to get ready for the goal kick. But, suddenly the entire stadium erupted into cheers.
What had happened? Whilst everybody had seen that the ball had missed the goal, linesman Jörg Jablonski had just seen the ball cross the line from across the other side of the pitch, and waved his flag signalling a goal. Referee Osmers hadn’t seen the ball go out of play, and relied on the information his linesman had given him, and gave the goal.
Take a look at Helmer’s phantom goal.
Helmer the main figure
Thomas Helmer himself isn’t particularly keen on talking about his phantom goal. When asked by German broadcaster NDR in April of 2012 to tell the story from his point of view, Helmer said:
Given all the things I have accomplished during my 17 years as a professional, it is extremely bitter to be reduced to that one goal.
In an earlier interview Helmer had stated:
Well, the referee should have approached me, and we should have talked about the situation. The rules actually state that he has to do so, I wasn’t aware of that rule back then. In the end, I think both of us acted wrongly.
Helmer himself showed off some of his finest skills later on in the match. Nürnberg had managed to equalize in the second half, but Helmer managed to get Bayern back into the lead with a beautifully struck shot from 17 meters.
Ironically enough, it was Thomas Helmer who brought down Christian Wück towards the end of the game, giving away a penalty to ”Der Club”. Referee Osmers had heard about his blunder during the half time break, and these days he honestly admits that he hoped for Schwalb ”to smash that ball into the back of the net, giving Nürnberg the point which they needed”, somewhat redeeming him of his terrible mistake. Raimond Aumann in the Bayern goal had different plans, and kept Manni Schwalb’s weak penalty out.
The goal’s consequences
Helmer’s goal was certainly the hot topic of the day after referee Hans-Joachim Osmers had blown the final whistle. Had Manni Schwalb’s penalty gone in, Nürnberg might have never handed in a complaint to the DFB. Three days after the controversial goal, the DFB held its hearing about the incident. As a result of the hearing a re-match was scheduled.
This time around the Nürnberg defense managed to keep out Bayern for 47 minutes. Mehmet’s Scholl first goal in the 47th minute was followed by four more goals, seeing Bayern grab two vital points.
Schwalb’s missed penalty in the first match meant in the end that Nürnberg got relegated, being equal on points with Freiburg, because of their dire goal difference. Bayern München were three points ahead of Kaiserslautern at the end of the season, winning the Bundesliga championship for the 12th time.
The goal has also followed the referee and his linesman. Jablonski continued to be a linesman and referee for another season after his massive blunder, but stopped afterwards, because ”the aftermath of this goal was that every call was getting questioned every time I officiated.” Jörg Jablonski was done as a professional referee after the 1994/95 season. Hans-Joachim Osmers on the other hand continued to officiate for quiet some time. Osmers managed to redeem himself through a boat load of good performances in the end.
These days Osmers has a picture of the phantom goal hanging in the office, jokingly saying that ”this goal stays with him each and every day”.
Feel free to leave a comment.Bleeding Cool found an interesting Easter egg in Aquaman: Rebirth #1.
Earlier today, popular rumormongering website Bleeding Cool pointed out that a character in the new Aquaman comic from DC is based on Vice Co-Founder and vocal anti-feminist Gavin McInnes. Bleeding Cool provided images as proof:
If readers are unfamiliar with McInnes, he's known for his outrageous comments about feminism, amongst other topics. In a live forum on thein 2013, McInnes had the following to say about women in the workplace:
Women are forced to pretend to be men. They're feigning this toughness. They're miserable. Study after study has shown that feminism has made women less happy. They're not happy in the work force, for the most part. I would guess 7 percent [of women] like not having kids, they want to be CEOs, they like staying at the office all night working on a proposal, and all power to them. But by enforcing that as the norm, you're pulling these women away from what they naturally want to do, and you're making them miserable.
Following up on that appearance on, McInnes doubled down. From a report on the show fromheadlined "Gavin McInnes Might Be the Most Sexist Man on the Planet":
The big picture here is, women do earn less in America because they choose to," McInnes said. "They would rather go to their daughter's piano recital than stay all night at work, working on a proposal so they end up earning less."
And it just got worse from there.
"They're less ambitious, and I think this is sort of God's way, this is nature's way of saying women should be at home with the kids — they're happier there," he continued.
"Having a choice doesn't mean that you are less ambitious. And your comments are absolutely deplorable," Holder shot back.
"If you were a real feminist, you would support housewives and see them as the heroes and women who work wasting their time," McInnes argued.
He then told Holder that she looked miserable and questioned if she was celibate because she was single.
Holder appealed to host Sean Hannity — who at this point was only laughing — noting that he has a daughter and that she should have a choice to do what she wants.
"Oh boy," was the only response Hannity could muster.Corrective Services Minister Mark Ryan said the Parole Board was appointed on merit. Credit:Tertius Pickard "I can't believe we're getting a question complaining about the number of women appointed to a parole board," he said. Here's what they said (full transcript): Mander: Minister I refer to page 18 of the SDS, and the question is about the new Parole Board which you've announced recently. You've talked about the fact that it's important to have diversity on that board and I'd agree with that. Minister, 68 per cent of these appointees are female and only 32 per cent are male. Of the professional members, 100 per cent are female, and that even exceeds the Labor party's quota system. How can you describe these appointments as diverse when there's such a major gender imbalance?
Ryan: I can't believe we're getting a question complaining about the number of women appointed to a parole board, my God, what will it come to next? We of course went through a merit-based process when it came to appointing members of the new Parole Board and what a calibre of people we've got on the Parole Board. The president of the Parole Board, Michael Byrne QC, a tremendous appointment, very talented in the law, a man who has an extensive criminal law practice and a fine legal mind. Not only a great appointment, but also a person who's very committed to the Sofronoff reforms. We also see two very experienced lawyers appointed as deputy president of the Parole Board, Peter Shields, a lawyer of many years, had his own practice, practice in the criminal law and also was on a number of Queensland Law Society committees in respect of the criminal law and other aspects of the law. And Julie Sharp, a barrister of some almost two decades from my understanding. We've also got a number of significant appointments too as committee and professional members of the Parole Board. So, you're right in identifying that we've got some magnificent people appointed as professional members of the Parole Board: Barbara Kent, an experienced barrister of 29 years, she's spent 25 years teaching law at the Queensland University of Technology, she has got proven experience and has been a...
You're right in identifying that we've got some magnificent people appointed as professional members of the Parole Board Minister Mark Ryan Mander: Minister, please don't read the qualifications for every member. Ryan: No, you're asking about... Mander: No, I'm asking about gender diversity. Ryan: No, you're implying that...
Mander: There are 68 per cent of these appointees are female, and 32 per cent are male and you are claiming that this is a diverse board, it is obviously not reflective. Ryan: You are making an outrageous inference that just because they're female, they're not going to be qualified on the board. Mander: No, I am talking diversity. Ryan: You're making an outrageous inference. Mander: I'm talking about diversity.
Ryan: I am talking about the magnificent diversity that we've got on our Parole Board. Mander: No one is denying their qualifications. Chair Duncan Pegg: You've had a chance to clarify your question and make your point, I call the Minister. Ryan: And can I reinforce of course the merits-based process that we went through with appointing people, was a national recruitment process by professional recruiting firm, there was a panel that interviewed those people who were appointed, who were recommended for appointment. The recommendations for appointment were actually made by the president of the Parole Board to me as Minister and I accepted his recommendations, so, member when you're casting aspersions in your question, you're actually, you're actually casting aspersions about the process and the recommendations made by the president of the Parole Board to me, and again I just can't believe that we've got a question complaining about the number of women...
Mander: Well what other factors did you consider when you consider diversity, Minister? What other factors did you consider? Pegg: Order, order. Mander: If you didn't consider gender, what did you consider? Ryan: You're getting worked up about this and maybe this underlies the motivation for your question to criticise the number of women. Mander: Well, qualifications aren't the only criteria, you said diversity is the criteria, so are you going to talk about other elements, but you're not going to talk about gender.
Ryan: Let's talk about the diversity and having seven Indigenous people. Mander: That's right. Ryan: And you're criticising... Mander: Totally appropriate. Ryan: And you're criticising the constitution of the board...
Mander: Totally appropriate. Ryan: You can't have a... Mander: What you're saying is that gender is not one of those elements. Ryan: You can't say it's appropriate to have a constitution of a board that's not diverse and then when I say seven Indigenous people are on it, you suddenly say it is diverse. Mander: It's not diverse in the area of gender.
Ryan: I think you're getting caught up in it. Mander: I'm not. Ryan: It's underlying a criticism about the number of women on a board, again, I just can't believe it, can't believe someone would make an assertion like that. Mander: 97 per cent of prisoners are males. Ryan: I can't believe, I can't believe that someone would make an aspersion like you have just done, so, talking about diversity, we've got seven Indigenous people on the Board, we've got a number of people from rural and regional Queensland on the Board, from memory, I don't have the exact number here, but from memory I think it's about seven who are from rural and regional parts of Queensland, we've also got two police officers on the Board, we've got public servants on the Board, we've got 24 community members and we've got three legal professionals, all people of significant experience and the member, I think it's important for us to highlight this experience because the member is making an allegation that the four women who have been appointed as professional members of the Parole Board are for whatever reason not worthy...
Mander: No, that's untrue. Ryan: No, that's right, well you're criticising it. Mander: That's asking. I am asking if gender was part of the diversity criteria. Pegg: Member for Everton, you're being unruly, allow the Minister to respond to your question. Mander: Oh he's provoking me, Mr Chairman.
Pegg: Well, you're very easily provoked, member for Everton, I call the Minister. Ryan: You need to get a bit tougher, Tim. Barbara Kent, an experienced barrister with 29 years experience, a very worthy appointment, as a professional member. Carolyn McAnally, acting director of JAG Strategic Policy for a number of years, also 19 years legal experience including 10 years with the director of public prosecution, including time as a crown prosecutor. Kylie Anderson, who is the manager of the Child Death Case Review Panel secretariat, over 17 years experience as a legal practitioner, adviser, senior manager within government and Beverley Russell who is the health professional appointed to the board, who holds a master of social science, Bachelor of Health Science, she has specialist nursing qualifications in mental health, psychiatric and alcohol and drug areas, she was a member of QCAT for five years, member of the Mental Health Review Tribunal for six years and since 2009, she's been the team leader of prison mental health service, in West Moreton Hospital and Health Service. I'm very proud of the constitution of our Parole Board. This went through a very thorough merits-based approval process, the appointments were made on the recommendation of the president of the Parole Board, he was asked to look at diversity and he's got the diversity right including indigenous representation, rural and regional representation as well as also of course community members who come from a variety of backgrounds and experiences. I commend the president on his recommendations and I also wish the Parole Board all the very best for its work that it will do, it is very important work, it's an exciting time to be in Corrective Services because of the Sofronoff Review, and I'm confident that the work that our new Parole Board will do will contribute to a safer Queensland.The owner of an Illinois bed and breakfast who came under fire after refusing to host a gay civil union ceremony on his property has suffered a legal setback after a panel with the Illinois Human Rights Commission declined to hear his appeal.
Jim Walder, owner of TimberCreek Bed and Breakfast in Paxton, Illinois, was forced to pay $30,000 to same-sex couple Todd and Mark Wathen after the agency determined he had discriminated against them with his refusal to host their event, The Christian Post reported.
But even after that setback last month, Walder has said he has plans to fight on and to appeal to the full commission, telling the outlet that he opposes gay marriage and believes hosting the event would have hampered his religious rights.
He also alleged that two of the three members of the panel who reviewed the case are either “LGBT activists or openly gay” — something called a “a very strange coincidence,” according to The News-Gazette.
Here’s a video advertising weddings at TimberCreek:
Walder said he feels as though there’s a “blatant reverse discrimination” that targets business owners, especially Christian ones. And considering the ties he said the review panelists have, he expressed shock that these people were tasked with looking into his appeal. In the end, he’s refusing to back down and accept the massive fines he’s facing.
“In our opinion, forcing a small business with one employee to host gay marriage which violates the owners sincerely-held Biblical belief that marriage is between one man and one woman is an extreme circumstance, especially when marriage has been understood for thousands of years to be a union between one man and one woman,” Walder told the Post.
The government, though, didn’t agree with this assessment. After the couple filed a complaint with the state’s Department of Human rights, arguing Walder was in violation of the Illinois Human Rights Act, the agency forced the owner not only to pay out $30,000 for emotional distress caused to the couple, but also an additional $50,000 for attorneys fees.
“We do not hate gays. We are not homophobic or bigoted,” Walder told The News-Gazette. “We do not prohibit homosexuals from visiting TimberCreek. Some have. We are respectful and kind to all of our guests.”
He continued, “We draw the line, however, at hosting gay marriages.”
Walder’s attorney, Jason Craddock, said he isn’t surprised by the panel’s decision, but said he and his client plan to take further action, including waging an appeal to the entire commission and taking the case to an appeals court. The TimberCreek website currently features a crowdfunding campaign to raise money for a legal defense fund.
(H/T: Christian Post)
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Plunging temperatures in Moscow failed to dent the enthusiasm of hundreds of cyclists who took to the streets in a mass event.
The organisers ignored warnings to cancel and say some 500 took part in the ride, aimed at promoting cycling.
The participants, some dressed as Santa Claus or the Russian equivalent, braved temperatures of minus 27C.
"Not one of the participants... ended up going to the doctors after it finished," organisers said.
Image copyright EPA
Dubbed Let's Bike It, the course took riders 15km (nine miles) along the banks of the frozen Moscow river with the Kremlin as backdrop.
This man was putting on a spurt on to make it to the start in time.
Image copyright EPA
But some riders could not do it without support from their loved-ones, including this lady with her well insulated pet.Image caption Three pedestrians and the van driver were taken to hospital following the crash
Four people, including a 15-year-old boy, have been injured after a van crashed into a bus stop in Clydebank.
The incident happened on Kilbowie Road, in the West Dunbartonshire town, at about 07:45.
The 52-year-old male van driver was taken to Glasgow's Queen Elizabeth University Hospital along with the teenager, a 42-year-old man and 48-year-old woman.
The driver has since been discharged but is the subject of a police inquiry.
Police have appealed for witness to the crash to come forward.
It resulted in the closure of the route between the A82 Great Western Road and Second Avenue. All four people injured remain in hospital, police said.
Image copyright Chris McLean
Insp Adam McKenzie of Police Scotland said: "It is quite clearly a serious incident from the word go when pedestrians are struck by vehicles.
"One person had been knocked completely over the small wall at the back of the bus stop.
"The driver was still partially trapped within the vehicle and debris from the bus stop was embedded in the vehicle as well."
He added: "At the moment we are conducting the forensic side of the inquiry - photographs, measurements and every piece of physical evidence that we can gather.
"The vehicle will be removed and will be subject to a full mechanical examination as well.
"It's a busy area and I would ask that if anyone in a vehicle or a pedestrian has witnessed it this morning, and has not already spoken to police, could they please come forward."“‘Drunk girl in public’ prank will make you lose faith in humanity” read the headlines of Metro, Blender Fox, and London Report. The “Drunk Girl” video went viral, garnering 4.5 million views, and showcasing a series of men conspiring to take advantage of an intoxicated Los Angeles woman as she walks down Hollywood Boulevard in the middle of the day.
Yesterday The Smoking Gun reported that the viral video titled “Drunk Girl In Public”, despite being advertised as a “social experiment” spun to appear authentic to viewers, is actually faked and scripted.
Stephen Zhang, 20, the creator of the video, apparently tried to profit off the trend of the 35 million-view Hollaback! video that showed a woman enduring street harassment through catcalls as she walked across New York City.
“Drunk Girl In Public” stars actress Jennifer Box, 24, who plays a woman swaying down a street and taking swallows of beer from a paper bag in broad daylight. As time passes, a few men approach and try to take advantage of her.
On first viewing it seemed real, but everyone but the bystanders in the video is an actor.
If you ever wondered why any of these supposed lowlifes didn’t have their faces blurred, it’s because they were aware of their participation. Blurred faces of people are usually a result of the lack of consent from a signed release form. In this case, the crew behind “Drunk Girl In Public” took advantage of the actors’ verbal contract.
The men in video are seen trying to lure Box back to their home or car were all recruited by Zhang and his coworker Seth Leach. Before the video was shot, Leach posted on his Facebook page that he was, “Shooting some videos in LA all day Thursday and need a good actress. If you live in Los Angeles or have a friend who does and is an actress, tag them/hit me up!”
So why were the male actors participating in a video that would otherwise defame them and potentially ruin their lives? They were duped with the premise that it was for comedy.
“A couple people asked me if I’d be part of their video, if I wouldn’t mind ‘acting out a little skit,'” Josh Blaine, 32, told The Huffington Post.
“They told me I needed to pretend to pick up this drunk girl and try to take her home, and that it would be really funny.”
Blaine, the shaggy haired man who wore sunglasses in the video drives a Hollywood tour bus. He said that the filmmakers fooled him into thinking that he’d be playing a character in a comedic short film.
Blaine also told The Huffington Post that although he gave the producers of the film his verbal consent to use the footage of him, he was shocked to find later that he was portrayed as a sexual predator in a supposed social experiment played off as real.
“I didn’t expect them to try to make me look like some sexual predator.”
Blaine mentioned in a message to his Facebook friends that he did “a favor for some camera crew guess this is what I get for being agreeable to [sic] someones project.” He added, “It was supposed to be a funny skit. Here’s to watching back with virtually no friends. fuck my life.”
One of the other purported predators in the video is street musician “Ashtray”, a man who makes a living on the streets of Hollywood Boulevard by playing buckets as drums.
Mike “Mokii” Koshak, the backwards cap blue tank top wearing man in the video works as a sales representative for LA Epic, a firm that sets up nightclub crawls. In the video, Koshak offers Box to come back to his place for “more beer.”
Christine Peters, Koshak’s boss and LA Epic owner told The Smoking Gun that “Mokii was taken advantage of” when asked to “say a couple of lines for a comedy sketch.” Peters said, “They made it seem like he was trying to take the girl home.” If you watch the video closely, you’ll notice that Koshak is wearing a company t-shirt and hat, to which Peters said she was upset that the firm was “dragged into it,” since they “don’t condone such behavior.”
Koshak posted on Facebook to assure his friends that the “Drunk Girl In Public” video “was all staged and all of the people in it were acting,” and that the clip “does not portray myself or any of the other people in it correctly.”
“It’s a false ass portrayal and I was lied to about what the video even was. Faulty ass shit.”
Leach happened to see Koshak’s Facebook posts and sent him a private message, acknowledging the video was staged, but typing:
“The important thing to consider is that the video is going to get you well known and have a future with us and our company.”
Leach promised Koshak a night of free drinks, and continued that “We are going to be huge and you are apart of it.”
“Just go with it dude, you are in our team now and we will take care of you.”
In response to the overwhelming attention that “Drunk Girl In Public” received, Leach posted earlier this week that the video was “on the homepage of pretty much every news and media website you can think of.”
Due to The Smoking Gun breaking the story, a number of YouTube users weighed in to comment on the original video, stating that the general public was fooled and bought into it.
YouTube user Rob Dyke typed:
“This video bases its success off of the facts that…
1) Most people are idiots and will believe anything
2) Most people LOOKING for these kinds of blatant issues will believe it even if it’s obviously staged
3) Rape is evil and men are evil therefore men are evil rapists
Stephen Zhang, you have CONTRIBUTED to the problem. You have exploited “rape culture” in order to turn a profit and get some attention. If you weren’t already exposed for staging this video, I would have loved to have strung you up. You’re pathetic. Sick and tired of these bullshit “social experiments”.”
Despite this individual video being a completely fake, it does not mean that those type of behaviors don’t exist in the world. One woman who wrote an essay for The Frisky mentioned that she encountered similar sexual assaults.
Claim for defamation lawsuit, anyone?Overall Industry:
Software:
Hardware:
“Looking at hardware sales on an average per week basis, all platforms showed an increase from January into February. Specifically, new platforms like the Wii U and PS Vita demonstrated some momentum from the typical January hardware lull with increases of over 40% and 30% respectively.”
Other Information:
MS PR said: Xbox 360 sold 302,000 units in February – marking the 26th consecutive month as the number-one selling console in the U.S. (Source: NPD Group, February 2013)
February 2013 NPD highlights:
· Holding 41 percent share of current-generation console sales, Xbox 360 sold 302,000 units in February, maintaining the number-one console spot in the U.S. (Source: NPD Group, February 2013)
· Total retail spend on the Xbox 360 platform in February (hardware, software and accessories) was the most for any console in the U.S. (Source: NPD Group, February 2013)
· During the month of February, Xbox 360 held five of the top 10 console game titles including: “Crysis 3,” “Aliens: Colonial Marines,” “Dead Space 3,” “Call of Duty: Black Ops II” and “NBA 2K13.” (Source: NPD Group, February 2013)
This spring, Xbox 360 continues to bring incredible offerings to consumers. Available for a limited time, the new Spring Value Bundle includes a 250GB Xbox 360, wireless controller, wired headset, |
do not speak with the press.”
Only the San Carlos Apache spoke with Circle of Blue.
Except for a mining company that wants to open a copper mine near the reservation, the San Carlos Apache have good relationships with its non-tribal neighbors, according to Tao Ettison, the tribe’s vice chairman.
Half of the tribe’s water rights are used on the reservation and half are leased, Ettison explained. The tribe is looking for new uses for its rights, namely through farming.
“We have several sites identified for irrigation expansion,” Ettison told Circle of Blue. “We’re progressively working at it every day.”
Settlements, Not Litigation
A tribe’s right to water is derived from the U.S. Supreme Court’s seminal Winters decision, in 1908. In Winters, the judges ruled that the creation of an Indian reservation by the U.S. government carried with it an implied right to water. Known as federal reserved rights, each tribe’s claims dated to the year the reservation was established. In western water law, which is generally based on a doctrine of first-come, first-served, the Winters decision put the tribes at the head of the line for water — before the miners, farmers, and cities that sprouted in the West after the native lands were forcibly cleared.
The legal agreements that seal a tribe’s water rights are known as “settlements.” Sixteen tribes have reached settlements with federal and state governments since 1978. More settlements are coming. Thirteen of the 29 tribes in the Colorado River Basin have claims to water that are not fully quantified, including the Navajo Nation, which has the largest outstanding claims.
Settlements are now the favored option for sorting out water rights, but it was not always the case.
The court process to quantify these rights is expensive, uncertain, and lasts for decades. The Aamodt case in New Mexico, for instance, was filed in U.S. district court in 1966. The case was still in court in 2000, when the parties began orchestrating an agreement outside the halls of justice. A deal was signed in 2010, bringing an end to the longest-running water rights case in the country.
Even if the court process moves quickly, the tribes are not guaranteed a favorable outcome. A New Mexico court, to cite an extreme example, awarded the Mescalero Apache just 13 percent of the water it sought.
“If you go to court, you get paper rights, not funding,” Nathan Bracken of the Western States Water Council told Circle of Blue. “It’s a tribal incentive to collaborate. The state wants to protect existing uses. The settlements are a way to minimize impacts to non-tribal users. You can’t get these compromise solutions through a court order.”
To avoid those pitfalls, tribes and existing water users prefer settlements, according to John Echohawk, executive director of the Native American Rights Fund, one of the early advocates for settlements. The first settlement, with the Ak-Chin tribe, was signed in 1978.
Federal Agency Studies Tribal Water Use
In 2012, the Bureau of Reclamation released a detailed analysis of water supply and demand in the Colorado River Basin. Detailed, but not comprehensive: the tribes were not initially included on the study’s planning committee. After protesting the exclusion, they were a late addition to the assessment.
Reclamation is now correcting its omission. The agency is in the middle of a companion study to analyze current tribal water use and estimate future demands. The study will assess how farms, cities, or industries that rely on unused tribal water will be affected by an increase in water use on the reservations.
“The study is important to us,” Reclamation’s Carly Jerla, a study coordinator, told Circle of Blue. “It was a commitment we made coming out of the [2012] basin study. It brings the tribal perspective to the discussion of future water imbalances.”
The study, conducted with the Ten Tribes Partnership, a group of tribes holding the largest water rights, will be completed in early 2016, Jerla said.
Negotiations produce broad agreements that address topics that are beyond the court’s domain: fishing rights, community development, ecosystem protection. The Zuni settlement, for instance, included money earmarked for restoring a sacred wetland. The Fort McDowell settlement added $US 23 million in federal money to the tribe’s community development fund.
The Obama administration made Indian rights settlements a priority since taking office, having signed six settlements. The fiscal year 2016 budget request includes $US 112 million to implement the provisions, such as constructing drinking water systems.
“Settlements have been, and should remain, a top priority for the federal government,” said Michael Connor, deputy secretary of the Interior Department, at a Senate Indian Affairs committee hearing on May 20.
Just as important, according to those who have participated in settlements, are the relationships that form during negotiations. “We find a way to live together on a limited water supply,” Echohawk told Circle of Blue. “The tribes are treated fairly and the impact to non-Indian interests is minimized. The most difficult part is getting Congress to fund the settlement.”
Facing a Future of Water Scarcity
The power of settlements to shape the future is already apparent. New Mexico, for one, has set aside a portion of its unused share of the San Juan River, a Colorado River tributary, for tribal water rights settlements, according to the New Mexico Office of the State Engineer.
Brian Parry, of the Bureau of Reclamation’s Native American Affairs program, negotiated several settlements in New Mexico: the Navajo-Gallup, the Aamodt, and the Jicarilla-Apache. He witnessed the swaps and trades that kept the deals on track. That persistence through decades of deliberation will be even more important as the basin warms and dries, as the cities grow, and as tribes put more of their water to use on the reservation.
“In the settlements we have people talking to people,” Parry told Circle of Blue. “Irrigation districts are taking a little less irrigation water, and tribes are trading water for more infrastructure. But it’s hard and it’s going to continue to be hard.”
“Tension is always going to exist,” Parry added. “Water is a tremendous concern. Everybody needs it and wants it. The question for these settlements is, what can be done to harm as few people as possible? The tribes are good about leaving water for their neighbors and entering into compacts for shortage sharing when times get rough — even when a court wouldn’t compel them to do it.”Posted: Dec. 2, 2015 12:01 am Updated: Dec. 10, 2015 6:40 pm
U.S. behind in fuel-cell technology Editor:Blessed with an abundance of natural gas, a component needed to create hydrogen, the case for hydrogen fuelcells for transportation is back in vogue, but sadly it is other countries that are ahead. In 2009, Steven Chu, the former secretary of energy, noted that in order for hydrogen fuel-cell transportation to work, "four miracles" needed to happenFirst, we had to find an efficient and low-cost way to produce hydrogen. Second, a method of storing hydrogen for automobiles was needed. Third, a method of distribution for fuel-cell automobiles that would need an ample refueling option, and fourth, a method to improve the durability and power of fuel-cell engine systems in order to compete efficiently with the internal gas combustion engine.All of the above occurred, but the problem was that funding for the hydrogen fuel-cell program was cut drastically, for the rest of Chu's tenure. Sadly, Japan surpassed the United States in U.S. patents for fuel-cell technology and South Korea was third. Germany and South Korea have submarines that operate on fuel-cells.Distribution centers that look like gasoline service stations are being built in California, and Japan and South Korea have cars in place ready to run in that state -- an environmental miracle. The U.S. is now again making progress in a number of areas, and has found a better method to get hydrogen from natural gas and it, too, is bringing cars to market with fuel-cells. We need to lead in tech centers, and greater funding and partnership between colleges, corporations and government is needed.Bill WeightmanHardystonAlthough no two GPU launches are ever exactly alike, I think this year’s launch of the FinFET generation GPUs really drives that point home. Over the last 3 months we have seen an incredibly compact launch schedule from NVIDIA, having started with the GeForce GTX 1080 and GP104 in May, and adding another 3 cards and 2 GPUs since then. At least on the desktop side, this is the most aggressive launch schedule we’ve seen out of NVIDIA in nearly a decade.
On the mobile side however, things have moved at a different pace. In the most recent years, NVIDIA has launched at least parts of their mobile stack either directly alongside their desktop series launch (e.g. GTX 600M series), or shortly thereafter in the case of the GTX 900M series. So there has been a great deal of interest in when the mobile GTX 10-Series would launch, both due to overall booming gaming laptop market, and because laptops in general are the ultimate litmus test for power efficiency and as a result stand to gain the most from the move to FinFET transistors.
To that end, we finally have an answer to the mobile question. Skipping any pre-release fanfare like on the desktop side, NVIDIA and its partners are going straight to launch, hard launching the GeForce GTX 10-Series lineup for notebooks today. And while it’s been a bit longer of a wait than in past years, NVIDIA is launching a full 3-part stack at once, from GTX 1060 to GTX 1080, meaning the notebook video card is now fully caught-up with desktop lineup. There’s a lot to cover here, so let’s dive right in.
Recapping Pascal So Far
In the interest of expediency I’ll forgo a deep recap of the Pascal architecture, but if you’re just now hearing about Pascal for the first time, please see our desktop architectural deep dive. Otherwise, in a nutshell, Pascal is everything that was great about Maxwell 2, but bigger, better, and manufactured on TSMC’s 16nm FinFET process. The first manufacturing jump since the launch of 28nm in 2012, 16nm FinFET delivers a significant improvement in both power consumption and transistor density, both of which are critical improvements for the space and power limited laptop market. A good deal of Pascal’s performance improvements are either a direct result of or are a second-order effect of 16nm FinFET, as NVIDIA has been able to significantly crank up the GPU clockspeeds compared to Maxwell, and these higher clockspeeds are coming to their notebook GPUs as well.
Architecturally, Pascal is not a radical departure from Maxwell 2. The basic GPU, GPC, and SM organizational structures are unchanged. However NVIDIA has implemented newer generation color compression for even greater bandwidth savings, and GDDR5X support within their memory controllers for greater total memory bandwidth. Meanwhile Pascal also introduces some important changes to how work scheduling is handled, with the architecture getting a much more flexible system for workload concurrency and pre-emption, which gives developers more practical, performant options when utilizing DirectX 12’s and Vulkan’s asynchronous compute support.
Finally, the architecture also incorporates significant updates to the display controller and video blocks that brings them up to date with the latest standards. Pascal now supports DisplayPort 1.3 & 1.4, adding support for both higher signaling rates and HDR static metadata. HDMI on the other hand is relatively unchanged from Maxwell 2 – it’s still HDMI 2.0b – however HDR static metadata for HDMI is a recent introduction here. Meanwhile the video encode and decode blocks now offer full support for HEVC, decoding Main(8), Main10, and Main12 profiles in fixed function hardware, while HEVC video can now be encoded at Main and Main10 profiles.
The end result, as we’ve seen in NVIDIA’s desktop parts so far, is a significant increase in performance and performance-per-watt relative to the Maxwell 2 generation. And now all of this is coming to laptops as well.
Pascal for Mobile: More Powerful, Less Power
Having touched upon what we’ve seen so far with Pascal on the desktop, let’s talk about Pascal in the mobile space. NVIDIA’s previously launched GP104 and GP106 GPUs is at the hearts of the new mobile products, with GP104 used in the GTX 1080 and GTX 1070, while GP106 is used in the GTX 1060. Architecturally there’s nothing else in Pascal we haven’t already seen on the desktop – so there are no hidden laptop-only features – but this doesn’t mean that there aren’t some important changes in store for the laptop iteration of NVIDIA’s GeForce lineup.
Of particular note here, alongside today’s launch, NVIDIA is rolling out a new version of Battery Boost. The technology, first introduced alongside the GTX 800M series, combines a frame rate cap with an aggressive clockspeed governor in order to minimize the amount of energy spent to sustain a given framerate, thereby increasing battery life. The newest rendition of Battery Boost is a refinement of the technology, and NVIDIA notes that they have specifically focused on further stabilizing framerates (i.e. reducing variance) in order to deliver a smoother experience.
NVIDIA is also tying quality settings into Battery Boost, allowing the technology to dial down game settings to further save power. The technology was already an extension of GeForce Experience, so this sounds like a relatively straightforward adjustment, however I haven’t yet had a chance to play with it myself to see what exactly NVIDIA is doing with quality settings and how it differs from the previous iteration of the tech. There’s also a piece of good news in here for current GeForce laptop owners: as this is a reworking of the tech at the driver level, the new version of Battery Boost is coming to Maxwell laptops as well as the new Pascal laptops.
As for the mobile parts themselves, what will be immediate obvious is that NVIDIA has overhauled product naming and branding. Starting with the Pascal generation, NVIDIA has done away with separate Mobile designations like GTX 980M. Instead there is only the GeForce GTX series, and whether a part is destined for laptops or desktops, it is still called the GTX 1080/1070/1060.
This overhaul is essentially the conclusion to a process NVIDIA started last year with the release of the GeForce GTX 980 for Notebooks, which saw NVIDIA release a fully-enabled (but still mobile-optimized) GTX 980 product for use in notebooks. Starting with the Pascal generation then, NVIDIA is extending this branding and product design strategy to all mobile parts, meaning that dedicated mobile branding and naming is no more.
The impetus behind this is to simplify product naming and to make platform performance more consistent. NVIDIA wants a GTX 1080 to perform like a GTX 1080, regardless of whether it’s in a laptop or a desktop. This means that given sufficient cooling (more on this in a bit), laptop video card performance should be within 10% or so of a desktop part. By doing so, this does away with the tradition of mobile parts underperforming their desktop counterparts (e.g. GTX 980M was closer to desktop GTX 970 in performance), which ideally will make it clearer to consumers what they should expect from a laptop video card, and how that product is impacted by system requirements and the like. And since desktop and mobile parts should perform like-for-like, there is no longer a need to have separate mobile branding.
Which is not to say that the mobile parts are 100% identical to their desktop counterparts, or even configured in exactly the same manner. NVIDIA’s goal, after all, is near performance parity, so how they get there is, in essence, up to NVIDIA. We’ll dive into specs in depth on the next page but case in point will be the GTX 1070; the desktop version has 1920 CUDA cores, but the mobile version has 2048 cores clocked at a slightly lower clockspeed. Presumably, it’s more power efficient for NVIDIA to go wide and slower than pushing the clocks quite so hard.
Of course since we are talking about laptops here, inescapable is the subject of power delivery and heat dissipation. As we’ve already seen time and time again in laptops, the amount of performance a given laptop can hit is closely tied to its power delivery and cooling capabilities. Put a power-hungry GPU (or other ASIC) in a laptop that doesn’t have enough cooling capacity to cool the chip when it’s running at full load, and the chip will have to throttle back to the point where power consumption/heat generation reaches equilibrium with the cooling system. Ergo notebooks with large coolers tend to deliver better performance than thin & light laptops, even with the same GPU and CPU.
NVIDIA has not disclosed the official TDPs of the mobile Pascal parts, but all indications are that they are going to be high. To be clear, these notebook parts are binned and power optimized, as has been the case in past generations. The best, lowest voltage GPUs are going to notebooks for exactly this reason, and NVIDIA is able to tweak the power delivery system to match. So while notebook GTX 1080 is probably not a 180W part, it almost certainly has a full load TDP in the 3-digit range. And if TDPs are that high – which is to say higher than the 900M series – then I wouldn’t be surprised if Pascal notebooks have an even wider spread on performance to account for this.
But with that said, NVIDIA has put some thought into all of this. Every GTX 10-Series notebook part has a base clock, and NVIDIA requires OEMs to adhere to this base clock. If a design falls below the base clock (presumably NVIDIA means consistently) then a laptop will not be approved by NVIDIA. This ultimately serves as the first and most important measure keeping vendors from doing crazy things like putting GTX 1080 in a 45W thin & light laptop, for example.
On that note, the GTX 10-Series will also be the first notebook GPUs from NVIDIA where they are allowing factory overclocking. Similar to desktop cards, laptop vendors will be allowed to overclock their devices’ Pascal GPUs to a higher frequency, essentially shipping a higher performance laptop. I don’t have a good feeling for how common this is going to be right now, but I would expect that it’s limited to very high end laptops with above average cooling, and also likely those laptops that use removable cards (as opposed to soldered on GPUs) so that vendors can test and validate laptop cards like they do desktop cards.Tesla Motors is opening its first Canadian Supercharger station today in Squamish, along B.C.'s Sea-to-Sky Highway linking Whistler to Vancouver.
The California-based maker of the Model S electric car said the charging station is just the first of several it plans to open soon in B.C.
Superchargers, which are designed to enable highway travel between cities, take 20 to 30 minutes for half a recharge of the Model S.
In a statement, Telsa Motors said the Squamish station is "an integral component of Tesla’s West Coast route, allowing Model S owners to travel between San Diego, California and Whistler, B.C., for free."
Tesla Motors said the Model S has an EPA-certified range of 425 kilometres.
The closest charging station is in Seattle, Wash., which allowed for supercharged-travel to and from Vancouver but not far beyond — until today.Chelsea’s Premier League rivals hoping for news of a meltdown and those in need of some title excitement will be disappointed to find out there was little evidence of either brewing following the shock defeat to Crystal Palace.
If trouble is around the corner for Antonio Conte and his Chelsea table-toppers, then there were few clues to be taken away from Stamford Bridge on Saturday night.
Head coach Conte, who has ranted and raved his way through countless victories this season, remained “cool” in the dressing room and stressed the fact that he and his players would not be panicked by only their second home defeat of the season.
Eden Hazard laughed his way through questions about Real Madrid and reiterated the fact he is happy where he is.
And Diego Costa, a man who could start an argument in an empty room, hung around in the tunnel to give a young supporter, who was there with Chelsea’s matchday wishes programme for ill children, his shirt and a warm hug.It is heartwarming to see a little discontent inside scientific community. To those of us with long careers in the discipline, the daily assault on reason is part of the experience, and the scourge of fake news and evidence denial are well known. We’ve watched it for decades with the frustration that empirical evidence and inconvenient truths were cast aside in policy discourse and public discussion, propagated by news outlets that value Kardashians over quarks. Willful ignorance has spawned a hot planet, expensive ballot initiatives for warning labels on safe food, calls to teach about a 6,000 year old planet in science class, and outbreaks of diseases long believed to be defeated. And that’s the tip of a melting iceberg.
pixby.com It is good to see something finally poke the sleeping science giant awake, but let’s think before raising a fist.
Scientists themselves have even ventured into the public discussion only to be falsely maligned everywhere from crank websites, to conspiracy radio shows, to the Old Gray Lady herself. The outrage from the broader community is typically gooey and short lived, if it even happens at all. It is about what we’d expect from non-confrontational nerds engrossed in more important pursuits.
But now a new attack on science appears to be well underway, and some long overdue mental magma is finally pumping in the community’s normally molten core of soft serve.
Recent Presidential mandates drew quite a reaction from the scientific community, some appropriate, but some overstepped. That’s a major problem.
USDA Bungle
The big screw up happened upon the notice from the USDA. The internet exploded with news that the Agricultural Research Service (the USDA research arm) was suspending publication of any “public facing documents”.
Scientists interpreted this as a broad swipe at suppressing the flow of data. I did it too. I retweeted and shared the rage!
I was inundated with tweets and emails, asking about the gagged silencing of USDA employees. As the internet’s network inflamed the story, it was clear to all of us that USDA scientists were blindfolded and bound, loaded into unused Amtrak trains (which is most of them), and relocated to Area 51.
Oops. We just royally effed up. We over-interpreted the message, which ultimately was nothing.
Bad move, scientists. We are so poised to react, that our outrage was misspent. Most of all, we flipped a slab of red meat to those that wish to discredit us, and a strike against our claim of measured reactions.
March on Washington?
Everyone from internet science sleuths to Bill Nye are calling for a Science March on Washington, a chance to show solidarity among those that value the scientific method and embrace the truths that science gives us. Good on them.
Not me. The best way I can support science and scientists it to create durable work and actively create the change I want to see. I’m in this for the long game, not an expensive afternoon in DC. The cure to science ills is deliberate and visible investment of our non-existent time in public-impact pursuits. I protest non-scientific perspectives daily, and have paid a professional and personal price for doing so, but we are making wonderful advances in the understanding of various publicly-controversial topics.
For me to get to DC, stay a night, and uber around will cost me at least $500, and that’s if I bivouac with other smelly scientists and dine on stale peeps and trail mix.
What if we invested those protesty travel bucks on an imaging microscope for a local classroom and then spent the day showing kids how to use it? That’s the way we create the change. Rather than coming off as whining complainers for 20 seconds on Fox News, let’s be the proactive teachers we are, and then use social media networks to tell the world about what proactive teachers we are.
Or in the worst case, can we please do both?
The Science March might be more effective as a website showing the beautiful things we did specifically in response to the anti-science movement.
Again, it is nice to see a little rage bubbling from within the lab coat. I like a little smoldering brimstone in the Ivory Tower. The challenge now is to channel the energy properly. At this point we need to be sure that our efforts are appropriate and consistent with the evidence. Then let’s avoid knee-jerk reactions and implement effective and visible means to protest, flooding social media with overwhelming acts of good.
We have the cred. Others are trying to take it, and erode the trust we deserve in science discussions. Let’s not make it easy for them.
Bite the Hand that Feeds Carefully
We all complain about the federal support of research and how we need more resources to do it. We must reject the invasive and non-scientific attack on science, but we have to make sure we don’t jaundice improved support for public science. This is why the high road is so important. Our protest should elevate us, improve public opinion, and gently coerce more support for public-sector research. Misplaced rage, social-media-propagated foibles, and assemblies with pitchforks and torches get us a one-way-trip to knowhere.
In Conclusion
In research we are taught to challenge evidence presented, even from trusted sources. We claim to guard against self-deception, and over-interpreting data. We portray ourselves as responding in measured, calculated ways that maximize impact of our actions.
I’m just suggesting a little self check here and watch out for jerky knees.
Like I said in the opening, we’ve lived in the midst of science denial for a long time and are poised to fight back against coordinated encroachment from a demonstratedly science-soft administration. Let's not jump the gun and look bad doing it.WASHINGTON -- The White House finally made its case to Congress on why it doesn't need lawmakers' approval to forge ahead with military operations in Libya: Because we're not at war.
Senior administration officials said Wednesday that the fact that the U.S. is only playing a support role in the NATO-led military effort in Libya -- that is, no U.S. troops on the ground and no potential for casualties -- and only plans to be involved for a short time means Obama doesn't need congressional authorization per the War Powers Act to proceed.
"We are confident that we're operating consistent with the resolution," an administration official said on a conference call with reporters. "That doesn't mean that we don't want the full, ongoing consultation with Congress or authorization as we move forward, but that doesn't go to our legal position under the statute itself, and we're confident of that."
The call came hours before the White House submitted a detailed, 32-page report to Congress that maps out the administration's legal justification for Obama continuing to call the shots on Libya without congressional approval.
See below for a copy of the report and Obama's accompanying letter to Congress. Lawmakers will be poring over it for details primarily on two things: 1) the costs of U.S. military operations, which the report puts at $715.9 million, from mid-March through June 3, and 2) the goals of U.S. involvement. The report gives a general sense of military goals as being "to protect civilians and enforce the terms" of the United Nations Security Council resolution, while political goals are to work with the international community "to bring stability to Libya and allow the Libyan people to reclaim their future."
Brendan Buck, a spokesman for House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), said a quick read of the report raises a number of questions about "the creative arguments" being made by the White House.
"The Commander-in-Chief has a responsibility to articulate how U.S. military action is vital to our national security and consistent with American policy goals," Buck said. "With Libya, the president has fallen short on this obligation. We will review the information that was provided today, but hope and expect that this will serve as the beginning, not the end, of the president’s explanation for continued American operations in Libya.”
Lawmakers in both parties have grown frustrated with Obama for not consulting Congress on the U.S. role in the NATO-led bombing campaign in Libya, which began in March when Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi began threatening violence against potentially thousands of his citizens as they protested his regime. The White House has maintained all along that a massacre was averted because the U.S. took quick action and joined with NATO to stop Gaddafi's forces.
Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio), one of Obama's most vocal critics on Libya, led a bipartisan group of lawmakers in filing a lawsuit against Obama earlier Wednesday over the constitutionality of launching military operations without congressional approval. He later issued a statement in response to the White House report.
“The White House claim that the war is not war is not a legal argument. It is a political argument," Kucinich said in a statement. "The legal argument will hopefully be addressed by the courts. Today, I, along with 9 of my colleagues, filed suit in federal court challenging the rationale that has brought our nation to an Orwellian war that is not war."
Boehner also warned Obama Tuesday that he may be in violation of the War Powers Act by Sunday if he doesn't seek congressional authorization by then. Sunday marks 90 days of U.S. operations in Libya; per the War Powers resolution, a president is required to obtain congressional approval for continued action by this date.
But the White House is sending a clear signal that they don't believe they need that authorization. During the conference call, the administration official ticked off numerous reasons why U.S. involvement in Libya doesn't constitute a violation of the War Powers resolution.
"We're not engaged in any of the activities that typically over the years in war powers analysis is considered to constitute hostilities within the meaning of the statute," said the official. "We're not engaged in sustained fighting. There's been no exchange of fire with hostile forces. We don't have troops on the ground. We don't risk casualties to those troops. None of the factors … has risked the sort of escalation that Congress was concerned would impinge on its war-making power."
Instead, the U.S. is only providing intelligence and refueling capabilities, said the official. And while that role brings "a set of unique capabilities" to the international effort, it is a far cry from the responsibility that NATO has for enforcing the no-fly zone and protecting civilians militarily.
"The bottom line is that lives have been saved," said a second administration official. "The president was very clear at the front end of this effort that the U.S. contribution would be limited in scope and duration; that there would be no U.S. troops on the ground in Libya. And that, of course, is a commitment that the president has kept and will continue to keep."
You can read the White House report here:Illinois State Comptroller Susana Mendoza was on a Sunday bike ride with her husband and 4-year-old son when a black pickup truck came barreling through a red light.
A few blocks farther down Austin, at Higgins, the black pickup rear-ended a car, causing a multivehicle crash. Witnesses tried to stop him, but the driver of the black pickup was able to drive away before police arrived.
He might never have been caught if it weren't for Mendoza. She rode up on her bike, saw the damage, helped the other drivers and confronted the man in the pickup. She got in his face. And she took an amazing video, which you can see above.
She didn't then know who he was.
But he's a rather large man who is well-versed in The Chicago Way.
He's a fellow with an infamous reputation, two stretches in prison, a guy who stole millions in quarters from the Illinois Tollway but still had enough clout to get a City Hall job under former Mayor Richard M. Daley — which led to the Hired Truck scandal. He also ran an army of political tough guys called "The Coalition for Better Government."
One of his friends was Chinatown bookie Nick LoCoco, who on a Sunday during football season oddly decided to go on a horseback ride and wound up dead with head injuries. At the time, as if by coincidence, he was under federal investigation in Hired Truck.
The black pickup truck driver is a guy with a colorful nickname:
"Quarters."
Yeah, John "Quarters" Boyle, a guy I've written many columns about.
Mendoza didn't know who was in the black truck. But she bravely stood up to him.
"He plowed through the red light with no compunction," Mendoza told me Friday. "And then a few blocks later on the same street, there was a four-car pileup. He smashed into them. He'd just run the red light and now he's trying to get away."
So Mendoza got off her bike, got out her phone and commenced shooting video of the pickup driver, telling him to stay put. She later gave the video to police and prosecutors. In it you can hear her shout:
"Hey! Stay there! Don't leave! He's trying to leave!"
Police are called and one of the accident victims stands in front of the truck. But Boyle starts pulling away. The man in front of the truck tries to hold it back and is almost run over.
Boyle pulls up to a nearby quick mart and goes inside. Menedoza won't quit. She follows him inside and tells patrons that police have been called. The video shows Boyle shuffling around the store, looking like he's about to fall over.
Mendoza: "Be careful with this guy!"
John "Quarters" Boyle: "Wha?"
Mendoza: "I said be careful with YOU. You almost ran that man over. I got you on video."
JQB: "You Wha?"
Mendoza: "I've got you on video. Say cheese!"
JQB: "I'm a policeman."
Mendoza: "You're the police? Great. Wonderful. I don't think you are the police and, if you are, you won't be for long, sir."
Boyle gets back in his truck and drives away. "Here he is leaving the scene," Mendoza, still on the case, says on the video. "Oh my God, he's going to hit someone!"
It's a fascinating video with a bunch of chaotic moments. And one thing is absolutely clear: In chaotic moments, people reveal themselves. And Mendoza showed she is one tough lady. She confronted a certified Chicago tough guy, a two-time ex-con. She warned those nearby, she announced she'd called police, she backed the tough guy down and he finally ran away.
And she made wisecracks along the way, like her soon-to-be-famous "Say cheese!"
That was on July 30, 2017, around 12:30 in the afternoon. Some days later, most likely showered and shaved, perhaps even smelling of after-shave and hair product, John "Quarters" Boyle turned himself in to police.
The Cook County State's Attorney's office charged Boyle with leaving the scene of an accident involving injury, failure to report a crash and operating an uninsured vehicle. Since there were days between the crash and Boyle turning himself in, no breathalyzer was administered.
On Friday, wearing an Operating Engineers Local 150 T-shirt, Boyle appeared in Cook County before Judge Stephanie Saltouros for a status hearing in the Daley Center.
Mendoza was there. I was there too. And when the case was continued to Oct. 20, Boyle walked out.
I stopped him in the hall and he made a face.
"YOU?!!! I'm not going to talk to YOU!!!" Boyle said. "I don't have time to talk to you! I'm not talking to YOU! I'm BUSY!"
Then he ran away. The lawyer handling the continuance for Boyle, Dale Boton, asked me what that was about.
Now I made a face.
But as I think more on it, I get the feeling that Quarters doesn't like me very much.
Mendoza didn't know who he was, but she gave her video to police who later gave her a call.
"An officer sent me a photo and said, 'Is this the guy?' And I said, 'Yes, that's the guy — 100 percent.' They said, 'It's John Boyle,'" Mendoza told me on Friday. "I don't know him, but I know that name because of your columns, 'Quarters' Boyle, and it turns out, yes, that's the guy."
Yeah, that's the guy. That's "Quarters."
"I just don't think it's fair that a guy like this just skates away," Mendoza said.
But it's a good thing that Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza stared him down, took that video and said those two magic words to him:
"Say cheese!"
Listen to "The Chicago Way" podcast — with John Kass and Jeff Carlin — and guests Tom Bevan, publisher of RealClearPolitics.com, and Tribune editorial cartoonist Scott Stantis, at wgnradio.com/category/wgn-plus/thechicagoway.
jskass@chicagotribune.comIn a televised address, President Trump on Monday shared his strategy for Afghanistan and South Asia, saying the United States military is "not nation-building again. We are killing terrorists."
Speaking in front of an audience of soldiers at Ft. Myer, Virginia, Trump said the American people are "weary of war without victory," and he "shares their frustration." When it comes to Afghanistan, while his original instinct was to pull all troops out, he listened to his advisers and came up with a new strategy, Trump said, but will never reveal the number of troops on the ground in the country or announce upcoming military actions. Trump is also expanding authority for American armed forces to "target terrorists and criminal networks that sow violence and chaos throughout Afghanistan," he said.
Trump said he will not set a timetable on when to withdraw troops, instead using a conditions-based approach, and he said undefined economic development in Afghanistan will help defray America's cost. The U.S. must "seek an honorable and enduring outcome worthy of the tremendous sacrifices that have been made, especially the sacrifice of lives," Trump said, and the "consequences of a rapid exit are both predictable and unacceptable." Catherine GarciaHOUSTON - A 7-year-old child was ejected from a vehicle and killed, and two other children were injured Friday after a single-vehicle crash in northeast Houston.
According to police, a woman was speeding along the 400 block of Maxey Road just before 1 a.m. when she lost control of a Nissan Rogue, went into a grassy area, hit a speed limit sign, continued into the grassy |
can't match 3-D or special effects. But comedy can seem more intimate, and people consider television a viable alternative."
There are stars who still shine in comedy, notably The Heat's McCarthy. She anchored 2011's comedy hit Bridesmaids, which did $169 million, and she co-stars with Jason Bateman in this year's biggest comedy to date, Identity Thief, which has collected $135 million since its Feb. 8 opening.
Analysts expect The Heat to do at least $150 million domestically.
"Maybe that changes the trend this summer," Bock says. "Audiences love her, and everything we're seeing indicates The Heat is going to be huge. The studio will probably want a sequel, and will get one. The question for studios today is finding a comedy series that audiences want to follow beyond the first story."
CLOSE In "The Heat", Megan McCarthy and Sandra Bullock play polar opposites who partner up to fight crime. The two get off to a rocky start but realize they have a lot more in common than they expected. VPC
Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/16x7NaoThe other kind of sonic blaster (UPDATE: SRL protohistory!)
Boing Boing reader Brian says,
After reading your earlier post about the LAPD using a "Sonic Blaster" I was reminded of a little gem from the Consumer Reports vintage photo gallery: "The Mattel Agent Zero M Sonic Blaster 5530 fires compressed air with a deafening blast. Our measurements top out at 157 dB--above a level that can do permanent damage to the hearing of an adult. We rate the toy Not Acceptable." Correct me if I'm wrong, but is this not the single greatest children's toy ever created? I certainly would have been very, very happy. The rest of the photo gallery is pretty interesting as well, actually, including things like Radio Sunglasses and a Portable Steambath.
Previously on Boing Boing:
LA Sherriff Dept.'s new sonic blaster
RNC-NYC -- reported presence of long-range acoustic device (LRAD) at protests
Reader comment : Mulroys says:
If your friend really wants one, he can get one on ebay for about 3-grand. Link. That kind of money would buy a very nice. handmade Italian shotgun. Such a dilemma!
Update : BB co-editor David Pescovitz asked Mark Pauline, founder of Survival Research Laboratories (SRL):
Isn't this a photo of the toy that spawned SRL's Shockwave Cannon device?
And -- Mark says yes!:
I got a Mattel engineer to send me all the engineering drawings in 1979 and started from there in around '83. However, I had my first one in 1963. It broke from excess use after 3 months and when I went to get a warranty replacement, I was told that the toy was "discontinued". The engineer remarked that it was probably Mattel's most expensive toy from a lawsuit standpoint. An awesome and dangerous toy!!
Photos of the shockwave cannon are available on the SRL site: Berkeley show, Tokyo show, and a 6-barrel version appeared in the Barcelona show.
You know, that kid in the photo up top even looks as if he could have been Mark back then...The opinions expressed by columnists are their own and do not represent the views of Townhall.com.
Have you noticed how often the word “lie” is coming up in this presidential campaign? Both leading candidates have called each other liars. That’s to be expected. But among the commentators, almost all of whom seem to be anti-Trump, I’ve noticed three things.
First, they keep expanding what counts as a lie. Promising to “build a wall,” for example, has now become a “lie.”
Second, although they accuse Donald Trump of lying, they never use that word when referring to Hillary Clinton, even though they admit that a good deal of what she has said isn’t true. Instead, Hillary is “cagey” (Paul Krugman) “deceptive” (Rem Rieder), “shades the truth” (Nicholas Kristof) – but apparently she doesn’t actually “lie.”
Third they think the chattering class (the commentators, questioners, etc.) are engaging in a “false equivalence” – acting as though there is a problem that is equally bad on both sides. One frequently repeated factoid is that PolitiFact rated 71% of the Trump statements it investigated as “false,” “mostly false” or “pants on fire,” while for Clinton it was only 28%. Doesn’t that prove that he is much worse than she is?
I think these folks have it exactly backwards. That may be understandable. As Washington Post columnist Eugene Robinson said the other day, as the polls get tighter the “Hillary supporters are freaking out.”
Most of Donald Trump’s controversial statements are intemperate generalizations or exaggerations or the result of faulty memory or unintentional misstatements of fact or mere puffing statements.
If Trump were on the witness stand and testifying under oath, almost nothing he has said in his presidential campaign would put him in jeopardy of a charge of perjury. The same cannot be said of Hillary Clinton.
But first, what is a puffing statement? This has long been recognized in the law of contracts. A classic example is the used car salesman who tells a prospective buyer, “this is the best car value you can find anywhere.” Common law regards statements like that as expressions of opinion, not warrants of fact.
Puffing statements are a subset of a class of statements that “no reasonable man” would take literally in any normal context.
Consider a few infamous Trump statements:
“I alone can solve this problem.”
“I know more than the generals.”
NAFTA is a “disaster” and “one of the worst legacies of the Clinton years.”
In no courtroom in America would any of these statements be taken as assertions of fact. It’s too bad more members of the chattering class didn’t take a course in business law.
Even Trump’s assertion that he was always against the war in Iraq would not count as a “lie,” in the courtroom sense of the word. What does it mean to be “against” something? In the back of his mind, he thought it was a bad idea? But didn’t he tell some interviewers early on that he approved of the invasion? Yes, but those statement may not have reflected what he really believed. And what does “always” mean? Was he against the idea when he was a small child?
Most Americans today probably think the war in Iraq was a bad idea. But it is doubtful that most people could be very accurate about when they first came to that conclusions. The invasion after all, occurred more than a decade ago.
Even if a statement is not literally true, the difference between that statement and actual fact can be inconsequential. Suppose, Trump wasn’t firmly against the war in the very beginning, but he has been dead set against it for at least 9 years or 8 years or 7 years. Does any of that really matter?
What matters is that Trump was the only Republican primary candidate who spoke out forcefully against the war and blamed it as the catalyst for everything that has gone wrong in that part of the world ever since. But for Donald Trump (and to a certain extent Bernie Sanders), we would have gone through this entire presidential campaign without the War in Iraq ever being an issue.
Now in contrast to Trump, Hillary Clinton has skated dangerously close to criminal behavior. Fail to precisely dot every i or precisely cross every t and she could easily be accused of obstruction of justice, perjury, criminal negligence in handling state secrets (which doesn’t require intent), pay for play in the State Department and perhaps even criminal behavior in the management of the Clinton foundation. Remember, three of her subordinates have pled the Fifth – which means that they fear their truthful testimony might incriminate them! It’s true that the FBI did not recommend prosecution. But if Rudi Giuliani is the next Attorney General, all that could change.
No wonder the Clinton campaign and Clinton supporters in the mainstream media are so nervous about what more email disclosures might reveal. One slip of the tongue (or in this case, one slip of the keyboard) could turn sleazy behavior into criminal behavior. That is, an errant email or two might confirm that what everybody thinks happened really did happen.
With respect to Benghazi, Secretary Clinton, along with others at the highest levels of government, apparently met for several hours to concoct a cover story they all knew to be false. Clinton later conveyed that false narrative to the families of the victims when she lied (yes we can use the word “lied” here) about why their loved ones died.
Nothing Donald Trump has said comes close to matching this behavior.Shares of Ariad Pharmaceuticals sank Thursday after Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Elijah Cummings sent a letter to the company, demanding more information about its price increases for Iclusig, a drug used to treat chronic myeloid leukemia.
The stock was up slightly before the letter was announced, then sank as much as 7 percent. It later recovered some of its losses and ended the day just slightly lower.
Ariad said it recognizes that "oncology drugs are expensive," but it stands behind "the importance and efficacy" of its products.
"Iclusig is the first drug that we have brought to market after years of risk taking and research, and it serves a very small and seriously ill group of cancer patients," the company said in a statement.
Ariad said it received the letter and plans to respond to Sanders and Cummings' request.Looking for news you can trust?
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Until the election, we’re bringing you “The Trump Files,” a daily dose of telling episodes, strange but true stories, or curious scenes from the life of GOP nominee Donald Trump.
Donald Trump has found no shortage of groups to offend this election cycle: Mexicans, Muslims, women, reporters, veterans, the disabled. But back in 1993, it was Native Americans who bore the brunt of Trump’s ridicule.
According to a transcript published by the Los Angeles Times, in a radio interview with disgraced host Don Imus, Trump mocked Native American communities that had opened or wanted to open casinos in New York, Connecticut, and New Jersey—all in the vicinity of Trump’s own competing properties in Atlantic City.
Trump questioned the legitimacy of the Native Americans’ heritage, telling Imus, “I would perhaps become an Indian myself.” He added, “I think I might have more Indian blood than a lot of the so-called Indians that are trying to open up the reservations.”
Trump made similar comments while testifying before a House subcommittee later that same year, saying that the Mashantucket Pequot tribe in Connecticut didn’t “look like Indians to me.” At the hearing, he also complained that “the Indians don’t have to pay tax.”
Trump’s vendetta didn’t stop there. The New York Times reported that in 2000, Trump financed ads portraying members of a Native American tribe as menacing criminals in an effort to stop construction on a casino that was planned in upstate New York.
This election season, as Trump doled out nicknames to “Little Marco,” “Lyin’ Ted”, and “Crooked Hillary,” he reserved a special one for Sen. Elizabeth Warren: “Pocahontas.”
Read the rest of “The Trump Files”:You know what the high road is. When you’re feeling really good, nothing fazes you. You respond to your child’s foibles with patience,, and a.
You know what the low road is, too. It’s when you’re, exhausted, resentful. When you insist on being right or wringing an out of your child. When your fuse is so short that you feel justified in having your own little tantrum. When you're in the grip of fight or flight emotions and your child looks like the enemy.
All those challenging emotions that flood us and wash us on to the low road can be traced, at core, to feelings of fear, powerlessness,, disappointment and disconnection from our child. Sure, we're reacting to our child's behavior. But we rage so we won't have to feel those unbearable feelings. When kids act out, they're being driven by these feelings, too, which is why connecting with them heals their emotions as well as their behavior.
That doesn’t mean there aren’t reasons to get upset. It means there are far fewer reasons than we think. It means that what upsets you might make another smile or shrug. It means that when we're in a state of, not much upsets us. By contrast, when we're on the low road, everything upsets us.
Life is tough. Nobody takes the high road all the time. But you can find yourself on it more and more. How?
1. Practice mindfulness. You don’t have to, although I highly recommend it. Just bringing awareness to your thoughts and emotions is enough to keep you from being in the grip of them. What does that mean? Notice what's happening NOW, in your body. Every time you take a deep breath and feel the sensations in your body, you're practicing mindfulness. You're pressing the pause button so you aren't just getting triggered. That gives you a about which road to choose.
2. Accept feelings and take loving action. What does that mean? We usually start sliding down onto the low road by tolerating behavior we don't like without taking action, so we get increasingly annoyed and finally get hijacked by our. The high road is accepting feelings while we take loving action. Here's the difference:
"I wish she wouldn't call her sister names." - This is tolerating the behavior that goes against our values, without accepting feelings or taking action. It doesn't solve the problem because no limit is set and the child doesn't get help with the feelings that are driving her to act unkindly. It makes us resentful of our child and more prone to snap later.
"Stop that name calling right this minute or you'll get punished!" - This is reaction without accepting feelings. Although a limit is set, this response escalates the problem and reinforces it, because now the child blames her sister for the, is angry at your unfairness so she doesn't WANT to behave, and still gets no help with her feelings.
"The rule in this house is we speak to each other with respect, and no name calling.....I hear how angry you are at your sister....Sweetie, tell me what's going on.... what's making you so angry?" - This acceptance of feelings shifts the emotions all round. Loving action sets a clear limit on behavior AND helps the child with the emotions at the root of the behavior, so she doesn't have to act on them.
3. Don't get hijacked by the low road. Those emergency feelings of fight, flight and freeze tell you you're on the low road. So when you notice that you're shaking with anger, it's NOT a sign that your child needs to be taught a lesson RIGHT NOW. It's a red warning flag telling you to STOP. Notice you're getting hijacked by your upset. Resist the urge to act on it. Breathe through it. You aren't that emotion; you are observing that emotion. It will pass. Melt that rage away by letting yourself feel the fear, sadness and disappointment under the anger. If this happens often, you need to do some homework to heal your own issues. (And who doesn't have issues?!)
4. The low road never leads to the destination you want. From the low road, our child is so clearly wrong. But the wider view from the high road shows us our child's perspective, and our compassion blooms.
Let's say your child is objectively, totally, completely, off-track. That often happens to young humans with big feelings and immature brains. But your child can only join you on a better path if you're reaching out from the high road. Blame,, anger, and criticism never help your child become a better person. (Do they help you be a better parent?) Your heart is your compass here; getting in touch with our love always gets us back on the high road.
5. Choose the high road. Children who feel ugly inside act ugly, which is a signal that they need our help. We always have a choice. Will you join him on the low road and escalate the upset, or will you embrace him with your love so he can get back onto the high road with you?
You can't live on the high road all the time, if you're human. But the more you get used to choosing it, the faster you'll notice when you're off-track. It's hard, yes, but it isn't complicated. The high road is love. The low road is fear. Choose love as often as you can. Unconditionally.“New York may be the city that never sleeps…but it sure loves to sleep around”
With Daredevil setting Netflix on fire this past spring. There’s been a lot of questions surrounding Jessica Jones. She’s a relatively newer character and she doesn’t have a long history or is a household name like Black Widow, She-Hulk and Jean Grey.
Well, just like Guardians of the Galaxy, Marvel took an obscure character and easily made her a big deal in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Jessica Jones, based on Alias by Brian Michael Bendis (Ultimate Spider-Man, New Avengers, Daredevil) features a knockout performance from Krysten Ritter (Breaking Bad, Don’t Trust the B—- in Apt.23) who traded in her tights for bottles of Jack Daniels as a private investigator with a scathing wit that masks a dark past.
Tonally, it’s similar to Daredevil, but Jessica Jones goes into territories that any MCU property wouldn’t even dare to go such as rape, abuse and trauma. Jessica’s struggle is more internal than the likes of Iron Man or Captain America.
Rape is quite a touchy subject and Jessica Jones handles it with such maturity without resorting to shock value (shame on you, Game of Thrones!). Also, the effects it can have a person’s psyche is heavy. Krysten does an excellent job capturing the vulnerabilities and traumas of a victim of rape and the viewers can relate to her turmoil of being in a toxic relationship where you lose all control and it’s manifested in the Jessica/Kilgrave feud. It’s like watching an episode of Breaking Bad and you feel uncomfortable for a bit but you can’t help be drawn to it.
It’s another dimension to her already fantastic character development. She’s a hero, a detective and above all…a survivor!
The supporting cast is on point as well. Doctor Who’s David Tennant (everyone’s favorite Doctor) plays the mind-controlling puppet master Kilgrave, better known as the Purple Man (sidebar: I know it’s a silly name for a villain, but keep reading). David is simply spellbinding as Kilgrave, he can make anyone do anything he wants and he captures your attention the moment he appears on screen.
Mike Colter (The Good Wife) plays the future hero for hire and star of the next Marvel/Netflix series, Luke Cage, who’s more than capable of carrying his own show (look for it next year). He and Jessica have amazing chemistry and, in a Marvel first, leads to plenty of steamy sex scenes. It’s not as graphic as anything you’ve seen on HBO but you’ll be thinking “This is in the same universe as the Avengers?!”
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Rachael Taylor also impresses as Trish Walker, the bond between her and Jessica is more than just a hero and a sidekick, they are equals. Carrie-Anne Moss plays lawyer Jeri Hogarth in a bit of gender-bending from the comics.
A female-driven cast propels Jessica Jones as a standout in the ever-increasing catalog of MCU. It’s unrelenting, tense and engaging. We may not see Jessica until the eventual Defenders miniseries but she’s here to stay.
AdvertisementsBy Rick Clemons for YourTango.com
I'm a parent. A damn good one if I do say so myself. Sure, I came out of the closet late in life. Went through a divorce. Tore a family apart. Then rebuilt the whole thing with the beautiful help of my ex-wife, partner, and two great daughters. But through it all, the one thing that I never lost sight of was that I was a parent, first and foremost. At times, it was tough juggling work, single parenthood, co-parenting, dating, and making ends meet. However, it was the choice I made and the bed I chose to sleep in, so I made it happen.
Of course, I'm not a perfect parent, and I freely admit it. I also get scared, frightened, concerned, and worried about my daughters every 60 seconds or so. There is always some nagging parental worry that skitters around your brain. I'd like to think we become used to it, but we don't. (Did you hear that Mom and Dad? I admit it; I understand you now)!
The fears we face about our children run rampant. Everything from physical safety to self-esteem, and what fashions to wear to be "in." And then, after all that, what happens when you hear the admission from your bundle of joy, "Mom and Dad I’m gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender!"
Maybe you suspected it or maybe you've just been slapped upside the head with a rainbow bat! Panic, curiosity and feelings of shock are now your best friends. For your kid who dropped the bomb, his or her emotions could be similar to yours. More than likely, they're also feeling relieved, free and excited to experience themselves in a whole new, authentic way. In that euphoric state, they may subconsciously forget that you've been dealt a blow. They might not even understand why you're so wigged out.
Rest assured, the feelings you're having are normal. You too shall get through this, in your own way, with your beliefs and values still in check or slightly readjusted. One of the most important things you can do as a parent with an LGBT child who has just come out of the closet is to operate from a place of love, and let your kid experience your feelings in a healthy manner. Even if those feelings are confusion, anger, fear, if you can stand in love, it will make the journey easier for all concerned.
5 Common Fears Parents Of LGBT Individuals Face
1. My child won't be safe.
Right at the top of the heap, I hear this concern every time I participate at support groups like Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG). Whether it's fear of bullying, physical threat or societal degradation, parents just want their kids to be safe — whether they're one or 100-years old! It's no secret that LGBT individuals are still waging a battle to be accepted in society. As a parent, this immediately creates a "I'm helpless to protect you" mentality. One of the best ways to feel both assured and supportive is to join your own support groups and become educated.
2. They'll lose their faith/religion.
It's no secret that many religious points of view regarding sexuality outside the normative of heterosexuality often become the battleground that tears a family apart. What do you do when you're torn between your faith and the love of your child? At the deepest core of your convictions, you're being tested to stand on a principle of love, yet hold firm to your guide posts for living. Some call it a rock and hard place. It's not uncommon to feel that you've missed an opportunity to instill the proper values of faith in your child. At this juncture I encourage parents to do some self-exploration, and trust that you've been and will continue to be a shining testament of your beliefs to your child. At the end of the day, children grow up and choose whether or not to live in the faith they've been raised, regardless of whether they're gay or straight!
3. What did I do wrong?
No matter what issues arise with our children as they grow, we as parents always seem to find some way to take full responsibility for how our children turn out. Coming out as LGBT is no different! Even if you're on the right side of understanding your LGBT child, there will be some funky feelings that may make you think you did something "wrong" to make your child this way. Don't fall for this negative self-talk. You gave birth to a unique individual who has wonderful gifts to share with the world.
4. Will they ever find love and have a family?
Let's be candid. Almost every parent desires that his or her child finds true love and has the exhilarating experience of raising a family. However, due to misguided media exploits, unfounded beliefs, and sensationalized stereotypes of the LGBT community, love in any form and raising children just aren't thought to be part of the LGBT DNA. Wrong! Keep your compassion alive and know that if your child is destined for love and parenthood, it's all possible, even as an LGBT individual. You just have to trust. And if you're child doesn't want either of those things, it probably doesn’t have a thing to do with their sexual orientation!
5. It will be a rough life.
Each day that passes makes it easier and easier for LGBT individuals to have wonderful lives. Besides, anyone can have a rough life. As a concerned parent, you will feel this fear on a regular basis. It may be more inflamed because of your child's sexual orientation, however, unless they give you any reason to believe it harder for them, try to trust it's not. Of course, a really cool course of action here would be to make sure the communication lines are wide open — every step of the way — regardless of the age of your child. Even at age 50, it feels great to speak with my parents about life, despite the fact we agree to disagree about my sexual orientation.
Granted, there are hundreds of thoughts and fears that will cross your mind as you navigate the road and life of your child as they come out of the closet. You as a parent have your own coming out journey as well. The beauty of this entire experience is that if you give space for each other to realize you're both coming out, you will have a child/parent bond that strengthens as it grows.
Join Rick’s Monthly "Guyz Like Us" Free Coaching Call For Gay Men! | Sign-up for Ricks' Free Video Series, "Coming Out Without Coming Unglued!" | Connect with Rick through his Coming Out & Life Coaching Newsletter | Schedule A Discovery Session here.
Twitter - @rickclemons & @ComingOutCoach
More Stories On YourTango:
10 Gay and Lesbian Celebrity Parents
Why Lesbians Make The Best Parents
5 Ways Abandonment Issues Can Ruin Your Relationships
Terrible And Hilarious Lesbian Stereotypes That Just Won't Die
Expert Advice From Therapists On YourTango
This article originally appeared on YourTango.com: "Have An LGBT Child? Be Supportive Through Your Concerns"Winter is coming, the goose is getting fat,
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And three mechs (30% off)!At the sight of the framed T-shirt with the logo Granite Brewery on the back wall of the pub, he would point and exclaim, “Mama, mama.”
Mary Beth Keefe’s first born, Tommy, was an infant when he made the connection between the family’s brew pub and his mom.
Like The Amsterdam Brasserie and Brew Pub before it, the Granite helped invent an industry that after years of struggle is flourishing.
“I was nine when the Granite opened,” Mary Beth recalled in an interview at the English-style pub on the corner of Eglinton Ave. E. and Mount Pleasant Ave. “We spent a lot of time here, having family dinners.”
Tommy will be the third generation Keefe to grow up in the business founded by Mary Beth’s father, Ron, in 1991.
He was inspired and also shaken by the death of his brother, Wilfred, at age 43. “When he passed away it was a wakeup call for the rest of us,” Keefe recalls.
A former corporate executive, Keefe chucked it all to try his hand at what was then a novel concept – a pub that brewed its own beer.
“It’s an explosion,” says Jordan St. John, co-author with Robin LeBlanc of the Ontario Craft Beer Guide.
Ontario is home to about 183 small breweries, including brew pubs like the Granite, and another 83 are planned by the end of the year, according to the website momandhops.ca.
Wilfred and Kevin had a home renovation business together in Halifax in the late 1970s. One day they got talking to the pub owner where they often ate lunch. “By 1 p.m., they owned it,” Keefe recalls with a laugh.
Wilfred and another brother, Kevin, were the visionaries in the family. The entrepreneurs. The risk takers. “They’re the ones who got us in the brew pub business,” Keefe recalls.
For awhile, they ran a typical pub, specializing in imported beer. But after Kevin read about the resurgence of craft brewing in England, he began pushing for a change in the laws in Nova Scotia that prohibited brew pubs from making their own beer.
Ontario followed suit.
One of the architects of the English renaissance was Peter Austin at Ringwood Breweries. To help others get into the game, Austin trained and equipped other small brewers.
Kevin went over for about six to eight weeks to learn the craft.
The result was the first Granite Brewery, in Halifax, in 1985, one of the first brew pubs in Canada.
For some years, the Halifax brothers talked about expanding into Ontario. After Wilfred died, Ron decided to fulfill that vision.
“I wasn’t that happy with what I was doing,” Ron said of his former corporate career.
Still, opening a pub that made its own beer was a big gamble back in the early 1990s.
Hardly anyone had even heard of craft beer. Governments didn’t know how to regulate them. Federal and provincial tax rates levied on the big brewers were crippling to the smaller players.
City officials didn’t know how to categorize them. “They said you can’t have a brew pub here. It’s an industrial use in a commercial-residential area,” Keefe recalled.
And then there was the marketing challenge. Most consumers had grown up drinking either Molson or Labatt, the two Canadian mega-brewers that owned virtually 90 per cent of the market.
“We used to spend a lot of our time trying to get people to try us,” Keefe recalls.
Keefe won the zoning battle with the city and later helped push for lower federal and provincial tax rates for smaller brewers.
Along the way, consumer tastes expanded.
“For years, we never had anyone under 30 come in,” Keefe recalls. “Now you get 19 and 21 year olds. They want to know what have you got that’s like a Mad Tom (an India pale ale). What are the IBUs on this?” Keefe said. “I don’t think anyone knew what an IBU was the first 15 years I was here.”
A measure of the bitterness provided by the hops, a light American lager might have as little as 5 IBUs, while India pale ale could have 40 IBUs or more.
Since 2009, Keefe has been gradually stepping back to make room for the next generation brewmaster, his daughter Mary Beth.
One of the first high-profile women brewers in Toronto, she’s made her mark, says beer guide author St. John. “She’s designed two or three newer recipes that have worked out very nicely,” he says.
The brewery produces 12 regular beers, with one or two rotating flavours, and also four seasonal offerings, Mary Beth says.
The pub’s most popular brew is the Ringwood, a pale blonde ale with a 5 per cent alcohol content. Granite’s “Peculiar,” a stronger, reddish brown malty ale styled after an English beer called “Old Peculiar,” is also a big seller.
Like most brewmasters, Mary Beth likes to experiment. For the annual men’s health fundraiser, Movember, she created The Chai Wallah with a Moustache Oatmeal Stout.
But the real challenge, she says, “is making a beer that people like with the four ingredients that beer is supposed to be made from – malted barley, water, yeast and hops.”
“I always thought it was pretty cool that my Dad made beer,” she says. “Keeping it in the family is important to me.”
Along with Mary Beth, Keefe’s son Sam has taken an interest in the business side of the brewery, while the youngest Dave helps out with marketing.
“We’ve had a few family meetings where we decided that we wouldn’t let the business get in the way of the family,” Mary Beth says.
This summer, the Granite will celebrate 25 years in business.
Behind the microbrew boom
Microbrews are a growing share of Ontario’s beer market, but it was a sector that stuggled for years. The industry’s big breakthrough came in 2003, when the province allowed brewers to own a pub on their premises.
That allowed the Granite to apply for a brewers’ license to sell its beer for home consumption.
Prior to that, most small-batch breweries were struggling, John Hay, executive director of the Ontario Craft Brewers recalls. When Hay joined the industry association in 2002, there were just 12 viable craft brewers in the province.
Now the group represents 60 brewers, from 5 Paddles Brewing Co. to William St. Beer.
While Ontario’s overall beer market has been declining, the craft brewers share has been growing to about 5 per cent.
The labour intensive demands of small batch brewing means they’re also major employers, accounting for 1,400 to 1,500 jobs, or roughly 40 per cent of the industry’s workforce.
The Granite Brewery has grown alongside the industry, expanding three-fold from a few tanks on the main floor to 3000 hectoliters — or about 3000 barrels — a year.
That’s still small even by microbrewery standards. Most craft brewers make about 10,000 to 12,000 hectolitres a year, though some make as much as 70,000 or 80,000, according to the industry association.
The Granite now sells through 20 to 30 other pubs and some LCBO stores though distribution through grocery stores – a new channel the province opened up to all brewers earlier this year - isn’t in the cards at the moment, Keefe says.
“The issue for us will be capacity,” he says.
For small brewers, the most profitable route to success is through its own brew pub, St. John noted. The pub introduces consumers to the product and also eliminates the middleman.
“If you have a restaurant that also brews its own beer and sells it off premise, it’s basically a license to print money,” St. John said.
The Granite specializes in ales made in open fermenters using Ringwood yeast, a particularly robust yeast that not only helps convert the sugar to alcohol but gives the beer a particular fruity taste, Keefe says.
“It’s one of the things that differentiates us,” Keefe says, noting the Granite is one of about 4 or 5 microbrewers in Canada that uses the Ringwood style of brewing.
About a quarter of Granite’s production is top fermented cask beer, or so-called “real ale”, which is unfiltered and unpasteurized and served from a cask without additional nitrogen or carbon dioxide pressure.
The process gives the ale a softer, silkier flavour with less carbonation, Keefe explains.
It also presents some challenges.
Open fermenters are at greater risk of being spoiled by an errant fruit fly or piece of dust. “It makes many brewers very nervous.”
Meanwhile, cask beers can quickly spoil after opening. “They only last a few days. Even the first pint and the last pint might taste a little different. But that’s part of the feature,” Keefe says.
Correction - August 3, 2016: This article was edited from a previous version that mistakenly said Kevin Keefe pushed for changes to the law in New Brunswick that that prohibited brew pubs from making their own beer.We’ve been working closely with Samsung to bring the absolute best portable virtual reality experience to people all over the world.
Starting today, you can pre-order the all new Samsung Gear VR, powered by Oculus, for only $99.
Gear VR is available on Amazon.com, BestBuy.com, and Samsung.com and will ship on November 20th.
The new Gear VR is 19% lighter than the previous Innovator Edition and features improved ergonom |
re-elected, forcing taxpayers to fund President Obama's future deficits and social programs (including Obamacare), which require bigger government."
Statute 12.07 (3) No employer or agent of an employer may distribute to any employee printed matter containing any threat, notice or information that if a particular ticket of a political party or organization or candidate is elected or any referendum question is adopted or rejected, work in the employer's place or establishment will cease, in whole or in part, or the place or establishment will be closed, or the salaries or wages of the employees will be reduced, or other threats intended to influence the political opinions or actions of the employees.
Jed Lewison wrote a piece today about Mike White, the CEO of Rite-Hite industries, and his threat to his employees Turns out Wisconsin, which has a history of being a pretty progressive state, has a law on the books against that sort of thing.(Emphasis mine)
The question now is will the Republican Attorney General, J.B. Van Hollen, do his job and prosecute this CEO for violating the law? I am not holding my breath on it...
From Occams Hatchet in the comments - more of the e-mail that makes the threat very clear:
The other big impact on Rite-Hite employees, if President Obama is re--elected, is the good chance of losing Rite-Hite insurance and being put into Obamacare. Employers have the choice (though competition in the marketplace will dictate), to continue their existing plans or to pay a penalty and have employees go into the Government Plan. Our plan costs much more per family than the penalty and hence the possible competitive need to drop the Rite-Hite Health Plan. Every opportunity to make up for lost profits to taxes will have to be evaluated.WORLD GASOLINE PRICES WORLD GASOLINE PRICES Gas prices on April 17 or 18. Data for EU countries were provided by the AA Motoring Trust. Prices are listed in U.S. dollars United Kingdom $8.37 Netherlands $7.52 Norway $7.33 Belgium $6.95 Denmark $6.95 Germany $6.72 Portugal $6.65 Finland $6.57 France $6.50 Sweden $6.50 Hungary $5.63 Poland $5.63 Slovakia $5.59 Austria $5.40 Ireland $5.40 Slovenia $5.36 Switzerland $5.17 Spain $5.14 Czech Republic $5.10 Greece $4.91 Italy $4.80 Lithuania $4.72 Latvia $4.61 Estonia $4.30 Luxembourg $4.27 Japan $4.16 United States $2.88 Kazakhstan $2.75 Russia $2.68 Mexico $2.38 China $2.19 Nigeria $1.92 Saudi Arabia $0.45 Venezuela $0.19 Digg
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Facebook LONDON Motorists around the world have been paying more for their gasoline over the past month as falling U.S. stocks of the motor fuel have helped to drive up global oil prices. Although prices have eased this week, worries persist over tight fuel supply ahead of the U.S. summer driving season starting in late May after government data issued on Wednesday showed gasoline stocks there down for the 10th week running. "The simple cause every year really is just this inability in the U.S. refining system to produce sufficient gasoline for the summer months," said Ray Holloway, director of the Petrol Retailers Association. "It started a little earlier this year in the European market because of the problem with fuel quality in the U.K. That just brought forward the expected price increase," Holloway said. Silicon contamination in gasoline damaged thousands of vehicles in the U.K in late February and early March. According to figures released by Britain's Automobile Association (AA) on Wednesday, the cost of unleaded gasoline generally rose in March and this week the price hit $8.37 a gallon in the U.K, where a gallon is equivalent to 1.2 U.S. gallons. "Price pressure will continue to build until the middle of August, because this year we have started from a higher threshold and crude oil is under pressure because of instability," said Holloway. Drivers in the United States may wince over their seemingly high gasoline prices, but American retail fuel costs are positively inexpensive in light of what motorists elsewhere have to pay. In the United States last month the average price of a gallon of unleaded gasoline was $2.87, according to worldwide March fuel price data published Wednesday by the U.K.'s Automobile Association. Contrast that to the adjusted $7.35 it costs Norwegians for a gallon of unleaded, or the $8.37 Britons pay for their petrol, and the American costs are tame. In the Netherlands drivers pay the equivalent of $7.52 per gallon, more than twice the American average. Of the 26 European countries quoted in the AA data, none paid less per gallon on average than the United States. According to Reuters data, gasoline prices were lower than in the United States only in countries where government subsidies play a significant part in cutting prices at the pump. In Russia, where the government still occasionally tries to cap prices and control consumer gasoline costs, a gallon of gasoline costs a Muscovite the equivalent of $2.78. To put this in perspective, the average monthly salary in Russia is 11,000 rubles, or $426. To fill up the 32-gallon tank of a 2006 Hummer H2 in Moscow would cost $88 — more than 20% of a Russian's monthly take-home pay. Copyright 2007 Reuters Limited. Click for Restrictions. Share this story: Digg del.icio.us Newsvine Reddit Facebook Enlarge By Shannon Stapleton, Reuters Gas prices at a Shell station in Great Neck, N.Y. They look bad to Americans, but maybe not others. Conversation guidelines: USA TODAY welcomes your thoughts, stories and information related to this article. Please stay on topic and be respectful of others. Keep the conversation appropriate for interested readers across the map.The fallout from the NSAC's decision to ban TRT continues. MMA Fighting's Guilherme Cruz reached out to the Brazilian MMA commission for comment on Dan Henderson's request for a therapeutic use exemption and their response to Nevada's outright ban:
Scheduled to meet Mauricio Rua at a UFC Fight Night card in Natal, Brazil, on March 23, "Hendo" applied for a TRT exemption for his fight in Brazil, and it will likely be approved by Brazilian MMA Athletic Commission (CABMMA).
"We have (NSAC) as a mirror, but the commissions are not bounded," CABMMA's medical director Dr. Marcio Tannure told MMAFighting.com on Thursday. "A decision made there doesn't mean that we'll agree here, or the opposite, but it starts a debate about it.
"We already debate this subject for a long time here in Brazil. Is a controversial subject, but it's on the rule. We may change our dealing or not. We haven't made a decision about it yet."
For now, CABMMA will continue to grant TRT exemptions if they think it's needed.
"It may change in the future like in Nevada," Dr. Tannure said. "Will it change? I don't know. It depends on what we think is more correct inside the sport."When asked about Chael Sonnen, another open user of TRT who's currently scheduled for a bout in Brazil in May, Dr. Tannure stated that Sonnen had yet to apply for a TUE.Kyocera Solar’s new MyGen US-made solar kits are now available for residential and light-commercial solar energy installations being developed by new and veteran solar professionals alike. The domestically produced pre-engineered kits include modules, inverters, racking, monitoring, grounding, manual, drawings and all the marginal components needed to complete a solar installation.
The grid-tied systems, which are said to fit various PV array configurations and have the option for a future system upgrade or expansion, were developed through partnerships with DECK Monitoring, Unirac and PV Powered.
“MyGen US-Made Kits are comprehensive and convenient clean energy solutions for home and business owners who want the cost benefits and energy-efficiency of solar electricity,” stated Steve Hill, president of Kyocera Solar. “These kits are not only an investment in solar energy and our environment, but also in the US economy — the products are made here, used here and contribute to creating green energy jobs for Americans.”“Remember me as a revolutionary communist.”
These were the last words of Leslie Feinberg, as reported in an obituary by Feinberg’s partner of 22 years, activist and poet Minnie Bruce Pratt. According to the obituary:
Leslie Feinberg, who identified as an anti-racist white, working-class, secular Jewish, transgender, lesbian, female, revolutionary communist, died on November 15. She succumbed to complications from multiple tick-borne co-infections, including Lyme disease, babeisiosis, and protomyxzoa rheumatica, after decades of illness. She died at home in Syracuse, NY, with her partner and spouse of 22 years, Minnie Bruce Pratt, at her side.
Feinberg’s written work is widely known. Hir groundbreaking 1993 novel, Stone Butch Blues, broke open the discussion about the complexity and fluidity of gender. Over twenty years later, it is still being printed, read, passed around between friends and lovers. For many baby butches and transgender bois and genderqueer lesbians, this is the book that was dogeared and read and reread. Stone Butch Blues has been distributed all over the world, translated into seven languages, and sold by the hundreds of thousands.
The first Feinberg book I picked up was Trans Liberation: Beyond Pink or Blue. My partner and I also own and have read her other books, Transgender Warriors: Making History and Feinberg’s second novel, Drag King Dreams. In 2004, as college students running the campuses feminist organization and pride organization, my partner and I both met Feinberg when we brought her to speak at our campus. Feinberg’s talk was on hir theory of transgender liberation, a Marxist and intersectional view of organizing for collective equity. As Feinberg writes in Trans Liberation, “A political movement isn’t just our physical motion into the streets, it’s the motion of our consciousness soaring, too.”
Feinberg came from a working-class Jewish family, born in Kansas City, Missouri and raised in Buffalo, NY. Held up in academia as a theorist and activist, ze identified with working-class people more than ivory towers. Feinberg began supporting hirself at the age of 14. Due to discrimination based on hir gender identity and expression, ze was unable to get steady work for most of hir life. Ze worked in a pipe factory, cleaning ship cargo holds, as a dishwasher, and other low-wage jobs.
Feinberg was a lifelong member of the Workers World Party, which ze joined in her early 20’s through the Buffalo branch. Over the years, Feinberg was instrumental in many radical mass organizing campaigns. Pratt shares some of this work with the WWP in the obituary:
After moving to New York City, she participated in numerous mass organizing campaigns by the Party over the years, including many anti-war, pro-labor rallies. In 1983-1984 she embarked on a national tour about AIDS as a denied epidemic. She was a key organizer in the December 1974 March Against Racism in Boston, a campaign against white supremacist attacks on African-American adults and schoolchildren in the city. Feinberg led a group of ten lesbian-identified people, including several from South Boston, on an all-night “paste up” of South Boston, covering every visible racist epithet. Feinberg was one of the organizers of the 1988 mobilization in Atlanta that re-routed the white supremacist Ku Klux Klan as they tried to march down Martin Luther King, Jr. Ave., on MLK Day. When anti-abortion groups descended on Buffalo in 1992 and again in 1998-1999 with the murder there of Dr. Barnard Slepian, Feinberg returned to work with Buffalo United for Choice and its Rainbow Peacekeepers, which organized community self-defense for local LGBTQ+ bars and clubs as well as the women’s clinic.
Feinberg was a gender revolutionary in openly straddling the space between, or rather off of, the binary. In a 2006 interview with Kansas City LGBT magazine, Camp, Feinberg said, “For me, pronouns are always placed within context. I am female-bodied, I am a butch lesbian, a transgender lesbian — referring to me as she/her is appropriate, particularly in a non-trans setting in which referring to me as he would appear to resolve the social contradiction between my birth sex and gender expression and render my transgender expression invisible. I like the gender neutral pronoun ze/hir because it makes it impossible to hold on to gender/sex/sexuality assumptions about a person you’re about to meet or you’ve just met.”
Pratt included these words on pronouns in Feinberg’s obituary:
[Feinberg] said she had “never been in search of a common umbrella identity, or even an umbrella term, that brings together people of oppressed sexes, gender expressions, and sexualities” and… believed in the right of self-determination of oppressed individuals, communities, groups, and nations. She preferred to use the pronouns she/zie and her/hir for herself, but also said: “I care which pronoun is used, but people have been disrespectful to me with the right pronoun and respectful with the wrong one. It matters whether someone is using the pronoun as a bigot, or if they are trying to demonstrate respect.
Diagnosed with Lyme disease in 2008, Feinberg stayed active in organizing, politics, and art. Ze lived her last years in the Hawley-Green neighborhood of Syracuse, NY with Pratt. (Pratt teaches at Syracuse University.) Some of my Syracuse friends met Feinberg when ze came to a community meeting about starting a Syracuse LGBTQ community center, something the city is sorely lacking. Feinberg was instrumental in raising awareness and support for CeCe McDonald. Ze was collecting documentation of the grassroots organizing work to Free CeCe in a project called, “This is What Solidarity Looks Like,” meant to be part of the free-access version of Stone Butch Blues ze was planning to release online for the book’s 20th anniversary.
Feinberg took up photography as a hobby when ze could no longer read, write, or talk. Hir work is posted on Flickr, including a “disability-art class-conscious documentary of her neighborhood photographed entirely from behind the windows of her apartment.” Hir photography was also shown at the Syracuse gallery, ArtRage.
Feinberg blogged about hir experience with Lyme disease and health care access as a transgender person in her “Casualty of an Undeclared War” series. Feinberg’s friends are working to post hir final works of writing and art online at a new site, LeslieFeinberg.net.
Feinberg is survived by Pratt and an extended family of choice, as well as many friends, activists, and comrades around the world in struggle against oppression and for liberation.Vice President Joe Biden is renewing his push for gun-control legislation with an event slated for Tuesday, marking the first time the White House has held an event on guns since its legislative push for background checks failed in the Senate in April.
A Biden aide declined to give any details about the event, which was first reported by Politico.
"The commitment of this president and the vice president to taking action to reduce gun violence is as strong today as it was at the beginning of the year and in the wake of Newtown," White House press secretary Jay Carney told reporters on Wednesday.
The failed bipartisan bill—crafted by Sens. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and Pat Toomey, R-Pa.—would have extended background checks to all commercial gun purchases, preventing people with criminal records from buying guns. President Barack Obama called its failure "shameful" and vowed to continue the fight for the legislation; though, since then the White House has remained largely silent on the issue. It's unlikely that the Republican-controlled House would ever support a similar measure.
Meanwhile, the gun-control group backed by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is launching a 100-day bus tour of 25 states on Friday, exactly six months after the shootings that killed 20 children and six educators in Newtown, Conn.
The bus tour, organized by Mayors Against Illegal Guns, kicks off in Newtown and will include family members of the victims from that town as well as from other mass shootings. The tour, called "No More Names: The National Drive to Reduce Gun Violence," will travel to states to thank senators who supported the failed background check bill, as well as to pressure senators who voted against it. For example, it will stop in Maine to thank Republican Sen. Susan Collins for backing the reform, the tour's organizers told reporters on Wednesday.
Bloomberg, the country's most influential gun-control advocate, will also send a personal letter to hundreds of deep-pocketed New York donors on Wednesday to ask them to withhold cash from the four Democratic senators who did not support the background check bill in April, The New York Times reported. Those senators are Max Baucus, Mark Begich, Heidi Heitkamp and Mark Pryor.
Even though their national efforts failed, gun-control advocates have won important state-level legislative victories in Connecticut, Colorado, New York and Nevada in the past six months. Mark Glaze, the executive director of Mayors Against Illegal Guns, said the group has to "rebuild grass roots on this issue" to effectively counter the National Rifle Association's influence.
Some Newtown families have also traveled to the Hill to meet with lawmakers this week about gun legislation.
Yahoo News' Olivier Knox contributed to this report from Washington.The first call between world leaders should be an easy, low-key affair - some pleasantries, an acknowledgment of the importance of the relationship, possibly a tentative suggestion of a state visit.
But the weekend chat between US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull was anything but ordinary. And people are now wondering how the extraordinary details were made public.
There were only a handful of witnesses to the conversation which took place early on Saturday afternoon, Washington time.
Mr Trump's controversial chief strategist Stephen Bannon, national security adviser Michael Flynn and White House press secretary Sean Spicer were in the Oval Office when the call was made. Mr Turnbull was the fifth world leader Mr Trump had spoken to that day. It was just after 5pm and the newly minted president had earlier finished calls with the leaders of Japan, Germany, Russia and France.Ana Ortiz Vamps on Ugly Betty Set (Photos)
was photographed yesterday on the set of Ugly Betty. The ABC hit comedy is filming in New York City, and true to form, the actress was vamping it up as Betty's sister Hilda Suarez.
The actress, dressed in a tight hot pink dress, gives Kim Kardashian a run for her money in this booty shot. She is seen working with fellow actor Eddie Cibrian on the waters edge. He plays the role of Coach Diaz.
Ugly Betty actress America Ferrera was nominated earlier this week for an Emmy in the category of Best Lead Actress in a comedy. Vanessa Williams was nominated in the category of Best Supporting Actress in a comedy. Check out 2008 Emmy nominee list here.
Check out more photos below.
Photos: WENNChina's need to diversify its energy sources has led it to kick-start Afghanistan's hydrocarbon sector.
China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) has won the right to develop Afghanistan's first oilfield, as the world's second-biggest consumer of hydrocarbons extends the frontier of its quest for raw materials.
Are you the strongest link? Business Quiz 2011 Do you have your finger on the pulse of business? Take our online contest for your chance to win brunch for two. Take the quiz
The state-owned CNPC is to sign the agreement today to develop three blocks in Afghanistan's Amu Darya Basin after outbidding international rivals in an auction and proposing to build a refinery.
The deal makes China the largest foreign investor in Afghanistan, after Metallurgical Corporation of China in 2007 won the rights to develop the biggest Afghan copper deposit. CNPC will work in a joint venture with Afghan Oil and Gas Company.
"The deal was supported and approved by President Hamid Karzai's cabinet [on Monday]," Jawad Omar, a spokesman for the mines ministry, told Bloomberg News yesterday.
Afghan officials hope that production will commence within a year, as pledged by CNPC, and that the blocks live up to estimates by the US Geological Survey, which estimated the reserves to be as much as 80 million barrels.
"Eventual investments in the Amu Darya Basin are expected to be in the hundreds of millions of dollars, and will spur improvements in roads and other infrastructure," said Wahidullah Shahrani, Afghanistan's minister of mines.
Northern Afghanistan could hold more than 1.6 billion barrels of crude, 16 trillion cubic feet of natural gas and 500 million barrels of natural gas liquids, he said. The next oilfield auction will be held in February, Abdul Jalil Jumriany, the policy director at the mines ministry, said in September.
Experts believe the timetable for production to be over-optimistic and see China's move into Afghanistan as part of a long-term strategy to find new sources of hydrocarbons in a changing geopolitical landscape.
"Its just a bet on possible resources that could be extracted in a decade from now," said an analyst in the UAE. "This is really a long-term game for the Chinese, and I think it comes primarily out of a concern [about ] what is happening in Iran."
Chinese companies including CNPC have invested heavily in Iran to feed their country's immense hunger for energy. Frustrated by the terms imposed by the Iranian government, they have recently started putting projects on hold, as China is looking to other sources of hydrocarbons.
Relations between China and Iran further deteriorated as Tehran refused to budge on prices for its crude, even as its bargaining position deteriorated, with western countries seeking to impose sanctions on its oil exports. In response to Tehran's stance on prices, China has halved its orders of Iranian crude for next month.
China's reorientation will become even more evident next year, with Africa and countries in China's vicinity, such as Afghanistan, the focus of attention.
fneuhof@thenational.ae
twitter: Follow our breaking business news and retweet to your followers. Follow usRobert A. Heinlein Starship troopers SS:"This book meant so much to me growing up, please enjoy it"..Thank you so much, I sure will!
William Gibson - Pattern Recognition
I'm 21 and the gifts I get for Christmas are the occasional nice dress shirt or sweater from family, maybe a good bottle from friends, don't get me wrong I appreciate it and I'm grateful but it's been a few years since I've been as excited with a Christmas present and honestly my SS just nailed it and made me feel 10 again.
These are great books I've been meaning to read and I will now!.
Thank you SS :)!
UPDATE :
SS sent two other books which arrived shortly after I left for school, and I didn't get a chance to pick them up until now. With my birthday coming up in a couple of days I'll count the books as my first birthday gift, thank you SS!Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), addresses donors Thursday in Washington. It was only his third time soliciting funds in-person since launching his presidential campaign. (Aaron Davis/The Washington Post)
As a crush of millennials crowded into a brewery near Nationals Park on Thursday night, a young man setting up a loudspeaker for Sen. Bernie Sanders took the microphone. “Testing. One. Two. Three. The political revolution is here.”
The septuagenarian socialist who is disrupting the Democratic presidential race soon arrived and refined the message. The revolution is still coming, Sanders (I-Vt.) said. Hopefully on July 29.
On that Wednesday night, six months before the Iowa caucus, Sanders will livestream his case for the presidency to more than 1,500 simultaneous gatherings planned in bars, coffee shops and living rooms nationwide. The candidate’s address will be followed by an organizational meeting for anyone who wants to stay online and discuss joining his campaign.
In only his third fundraiser since announcing his candidacy in April, Sanders on Thursday night cast his campaign to a room full of 20-somethings in D.C. as a proxy for registering deep dissatisfaction with the state of American politics and the nation’s growing income inequality.
[Sanders message to America is not new]
Sanders addresses the crowd at his fundraiser Thursday in Washington. (Aaron Davis/The Washington Post)
“Our job is to ask why,” Sanders said. “Why are we living in a society in which for the last 40 years the middle class in this country has been disappearing and almost all of the wealth and income are going to the people on top?”
Win or lose, Sanders said, “that’s the question we have to ask, that’s what this campaign is about.”
Whether Sanders can use the Internet to build an effective campaign remains to be seen, and the effort will not come without stiff competition. Hillary Rodham Clinton has hired a Google executive to lead her digital campaign, and in many ways she is building on the extraordinary success of President Obama’s online organization.
But there are signs Sanders has a base online to work from. In the first 24 hours of his campaign, 35,000 people donated an average of less than $44 apiece through his campaign Web site. After less than three months, he raised a total of $15 million, mostly from online donors who gave less than $200.
And the bulk of expenses for Sanders campaign so far have been to build up his online presence. He’s spent $1.3 million on digital consulting and online advertisements.
Sanders aides say that it’s all been building up to an event like the one on July 29 — something the Vermont Independent has long dreamed of.
Sanders has more than once paced his Senate office muttering to staffers that the only way a long-shot candidate like himself could reach enough people to be taken seriously would be to “beam himself into every living room” through the Internet, said Kenneth Pennington, a Senate aide who is now Sanders’s digital director.
For a candidate who has called for a $1 trillion public works plan and eliminating college tuition, he cast his campaign’s digital ambitions in no smaller terms, either. He said July 29 could be the country’s biggest online political event and his message could transcend political parties
“What we are trying, as part of creating a political revolution, is creating a grass-roots movement of millions and millions of people,” Sanders said. “On July 29 of this month, we will be holding what we believe will be the largest digital organizing event in the history of this country.
“We hope to have tens of thousands of people coming together to determine how they can develop movements in their local community,” he said.
“This campaign is not simply about electing me, I hope we accomplish that, but that ain’t the most important thing,” Sanders said. “The most important thing is building a political movement in which millions of people who have given up on the political process, including a lot of young people, get involved?”Tasers, while technically non-lethal devices, are not to be messed with. Just ask a police officer that's been tased in the name of training. Besides the crippling pain brought on by the electric shock, tasers can induce a number of heart conditions, up to and including heart attacks, while a 2008 study by Amnesty International determined that 334 deaths had been caused by tasers from 2001 to 2008 in the US alone. Like we said, it's not a toy.Which makes the plight of Bradley Jones so awful. Over a nine-month period, Jones was snuck up on and tased by his co-workers at Fred Fincher Motors in Houston over two dozen times. To make matters worse, it was videotaped and posted on YouTube, purportedly by the dealership's owner, Sam Harless.Jones is no longer with Fincher Motors and has, not surprisingly, lawyered up. He's filed suit against Harless and his wife, Texas State Representative Patricia Harless, who was part owner of the dealership. Jones has also singled out two other co-workers in his suit. He accuses the four of assault and battery and failure to provide a safe work place.With the evidence shown on this news clip, we think he may have a pretty sound case. Scroll down for the full video from KHOU Houston.If you could start your Friday morning at a local-foods breakfast party cooked by volunteer chefs to support the local farming economy, wouldn't that rule?
On a weekly basis for five years, Lisa Gottlieb, co-founder of Selma Cafe, hosted that party in her home. Two hundred-plus visitors come through to eat a seasonal meal with new and old friends (with name tags and all) for a suggested donation. All the revenue goes to pay for ingredients bought locally and the rest to fund micro-loans for the local farms. Since April 2013, Lisa no longer regularly hosts brunches due to zoning issues. But Selma Cafe still goes strong with the support of the community. Currently the Cafe is serving breakfast on a monthly basis in Sunward Cohousing’s common house kitchen. Happy fifth birthday, Selma!@DrOxtongue
So every year a bunch of rich, powerful and possibly insane posse of important people meet in a specified hotel to discuss a host of topics that we the public, or the press, are not privy to…this meeting is known as Bilderberg.
I packed a Leatherman to protect myself from the rabble…
I went to last year’s Bilderberg meeting which was held at The Grove, Watford, to sink my teeth into the hysteria. Also because I knew this could be the last time the group decided to meet in the UK for years to come.
A brief history - The Bilderberg group first assembled in the Netherlands - 1954, for years the shadowy group attempted to meet in secret. This fuelled the fire burning within most conspiracy fans, who believe the group are responsible for fixing the price of oil, covering up the existence of aliens, human cloning, starting wars, and sacrificing young children…to name but a few.
Long story short Alex Jones, David Icke, Jim Tucker and many more Bilderberg hunters (since its formation) have tried their damnedest to make the world pay attention to what the Bilderbergers are doing behind closed doors…each adding their own brand of spin along the way. Now you can do YouTube searches and numerous internet searches to take your own research into the group further – but be warned - what you may find could change your life or spur on neurosis, it’s up to you. Below is an Alex Jones rage compilation that is sure to get your knickers in a twist.
Sweaty palmed I clambered into a stranger’s Citroen Picasso, with another stranger I had met on a forum and we set off for The Grove. Not knowing if I was to be gang raped, murdered or even sold, however the journalist within me over-rode normal human concern, and thrust me head first into the viper pit.
The “free speech” fringe festival zone
Evangelical Christians booming about hell, bearded-men discussing home grown cannabis, dreadlocked jungle dudes and chicks conspiring about lizards, amateur photographers swapping stats with other hobbyists, Charlie Skelton running around the place like a journo on PCP, Alex Jones ranting about 1984, David Icke telling us all to get off our knees, a quivering Luke Rudkowski changing batteries for his DSLR, Ben Fellows smearing Ken Clarke, middle-aged men sporting anonymous masks smelling of fermented pig shit, a whole host of freaks, dead-beats, activists, drug addicts, average citizens and journalists all combine in the melting pot of Bilderberg 2013. Watch a video of Alex Jones and Paul Joseph Watson mingling with fans down below.
I scuttled around the place like a stunned beetle, thrusting my camcorder about like a lancer’s spear, I realised I was alone out here braving the dust bowl of the Bilderberg fringe festival. About a mile in the distance I could see the Grove hotel, within it were some of the most influential people in the world (see list of attendees here, possibly not in its entirety).
Protected by an illiterate rabble of G4S foot soldiers the Grove seemed impenetrable. It was a fortress, a bastion of sanctuary, a splinter in the mighty haunches of the alternative media.
As you can see we were penned in like mad hens
Before I could gather my thoughts a man named Baba Danji announced he was going to cross the line and walk towards the Grove hotel to confront (in his words) the free-Masonic cult inside. I looked to my left and spotted Alex Jones bounding over to the Baba, so without hesitation I ran by his side and followed him into the heat of battle, like a suckerfish I became dependent on AJ’s Texan cologne…together we captured the master’s speech before he dipped under a make-shift fence and headed towards The Grove hotel. See the video below for his mad speech and to discover the fate of Mr Danji…not to be missed.
The campsite was teaming with spooks, self-proclaimed cyber activists, hippies, police and normal men and women, loaded on weed and booze, who had caught wind that some mad shit was about to kick off down Watford and it was not to be missed.
Helicopters circled above us like mechanical birds lost in the clouds. The real debauchery began when the sun went down and the campsite transformed into an uncontrollable congregation of conspiracy fiends and wasters. People burned wooden pallets, men in vans put on laser shows and blasted out shit techno through thousand pound PA systems, anonymous members formed elite smoking circles, no-hopers spoke endlessly about how love will conquer all and people like me, who were there for the glitz and glamour, buzzed around like flies at a bake sale sampling the sugary weirdness before moving on to the next rabble of unpredictability – pie-eyed not from drugs but from the weirdness attacking our senses from all angles.
A rare spectacle - Alex Jones & The Big Icke side by side
There was a strange scent in the air throughout the entire weekend, an intoxicating scent which drove most people insane and others back home to their beds. We believed that we were part of history. We believed that this protest/piss up/celebration of the oddball was going to be remembered as the year the Bilderberg group finally disbanded due to bad press attracted by devoted activists and protestors. Some of us knew that no matter how loud our eldritch squawks grew we would never be able to defeat the PR monster.
Thousands of people were turned away from the ‘free speech protest zone’ and the campsite was teaming with subnormal types from all walks of life. Being here was about as close to the machine as one could ever get, but no matter how far you stretched your arm (even to the point of dislocation) you never came close to brushing a single metal cog, engine or even a production belt.
We were a collective scum floating on the cesspool of delusion, attempting to change history by assembling in a field and listening to mad men howl of madness. As a collective we stood for the refusal of the system, we stood for free speech and all that was right…but when the dust settled and the mad men went home to their mad mansions or lonesome shacks we were left right back at the beginning, pondering over which microwave meal to ingest and still getting pissed at the man for overcharging us on gas and electric.
We were watching them, they were watching us…it was all rather casual
The might of the PR machine surrounding the Bilderberg attendees will never be scuffed through standing in a field half buzzed on resin you bought from a member of anonymous. We will never defeat propaganda by getting drunk on special brew and buying David Icke’s back-catalogue of literary insanity…or dare I say sober swaying in a rocking chair musing over academia.
The only hope we have was what we had before we entered the circlejerk of Bilderberg 2013, and sometimes, hope can be a tricky bastard to pin down.
BILDERBERG 2013 VIDEO PLAYLISTAdventures in racism at the supermarket checkout
At the supermarket checkout, three women clustered in front me, surrounded by kids. The women were friends or family members—and they were on a budget. One went to pay for her groceries, using her Pennsylvania Access EBT card. Food stamps. It was declined.
The machine reported that the PIN number was wrong. She tried again, and was declined. A third time: declined.
The last failure locked her card for 24 hours, and she couldn't pay for her food.
"It must be the wrong PIN number," the cashier said. The woman protested, but the cashier was having none of it, or her now-useless card. The other two women with her offered to get her food using their own EBT cards—they had some cash, but would need it for the jitney home.
Both cards were declined. Again, the device reported that their PIN numbers were incorrect. They argued with the cashier—"We know our PIN numbers!"— but she insisted that they were at fault. Perhaps they don't have the available funds on their cards?
All their cards now locked, they set about figuring out what food to put back, so they could pay cash and still get a ride home. They pulled out stuff for the adults, leaving the food for the children.
The rest of us in line offered to pay. It turned out to be just a few bucks. Problem solved. They thanked us, got their stuff together, and headed off.
I'm not telling you this story to give a warm fuzzy about the good Samaritans of Giant Eagle. I am telling it because of what happened next, after my stuff was checked out.
“I hate to say it,” the cashier said, which means she didn't hate to say it at all, “but people like that just don't keep track of their money. They think they have all of it on their cards, but they just don't budget well.”
As I went to pay, I took out my card and entered my PIN.
Declined.
“My card was declined. It says I'm not using the right PIN.”
She looked at me blankly for a moment. Then she said this:
Hooray for manager.
Three black moms on food stamps insisting there was a problem with the machine: bullshitters to be argued with until they leave. Ms. Johannsen with a credit card, swiped with fingers white as the driven snow: immediate service from management.
We roll our eyes at the |
in the erosion of the NPT. While claiming to be protecting the world from proliferation threats in Iraq, Libya, Iran and North Korea…they also have abandoned past pledges and now threaten first use of nuclear weapons against non-nuclear states.
However, the treaty itself is fatally flawed because it contains an intractable contradiction: in exchange for offering technology and nuclear know-how from established nuclear powers to set up civil nuclear programs, countries that sign on to the treaty agree not to divert material into a weapons program.
One might ask, why would Japan, a small country close to active fault lines and known as “the Land of Volcanos,” a country that was still recovering from the devastation of a double nuclear attack, decide to adopt nuclear technology from the country responsible for that attack? While domestic considerations connected to energy independence certainly played a role, the United States sought to make Japan the “Great Britain of the East” by offering it protection under Washington’s “nuclear umbrella,” and nuclear technology to power the country. This was one of the factors that then drove China to acquire and test its own nuclear weapons in the 1960s and similarly motivated North Korea four decades later.
The ongoing and deepening nuclear calamity in Fukushima and Japan’s abiding commitment to nuclear power, including the ability to reprocess spent nuclear fuel and generate plutonium, is therefore an outgrowth of imperial power plays at the end of the Second World War.
Reeling from a 9.0 earthquake and a devastating tsunami, Japan is now several weeks into the nuclear crisis at Fukushima, and desperate measures are all that’s left. These measures have included pumping thousands of tons of seawater into the crippled reactors and spent fuel rod containment pools, dropping water from helicopters, and trying to plug a containment leak first with concrete, then a polymer, and finally with sawdust and rags. Radiation levels in the surrounding water have soared as high as 7.5 million times the legal limit while elevated radiation levels are now being detected in the United States.
Murray E. Jennex, an associate professor at San Diego State University with 20 years of experience in examining nuclear containment structures, believes that because these ad hoc measures are untested, they could be leading to greater problems, as spraying water everywhere wrecks delicate electrical equipment; “They dumped water all over the place…They keep on generating more contamination. That’s the consequence of doing it. They got water on things that shouldn’t be wet.”
U.S. nuclear experts question whether filling the reactors with hundreds of tons of water isn’t also raising the possibility of a rupture in the containment vessel, which would trigger a massive further release of radioactivity. The immense pressure of the water on an already compromised containment structure subject to continuing aftershocks could be enough to crack it open.
For the hundreds of thousands of Japanese moved into temporary shelters either because their homes were washed away in the tsunami or because of the emergency evacuation caused by the nuclear crisis, there is very little prospect of moving back. Hidehiko Nishiyama, deputy director general of the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency, Japan’s nuclear regulator, admitted on March 29 that, “We will have to continue cooling for quite a long period. We should be thinking years.”
According to Tetsuo Iguchi, a professor in the department of quantum engineering at Nagoya University, if further complications arise and the situation deteriorates further, “The worst-case scenario is that a meltdown makes the plant’s site a permanent grave.”
Despite assurances from U.S. politicians and the nuclear industry that a similar disaster “couldn’t happen here,” the possibility of a nuclear accident in the United States is very real. According to a new report by the Union of Concerned Scientists cited by the Christian Science Monitor,
Nuclear plants in the United States last year experienced at least 14 “near misses,” serious failures in which safety was jeopardized, at least in part, due to lapses in oversight and enforcement by U.S. nuclear safety regulators…. While none of the safety problems harmed plant employees or the public, they occurred with alarming frequency—more than once a month—which is high for a mature industry.
Twenty-three of the 104 operational nuclear reactors in the United States are built on the same 1960s design, and by the same company—General Electric—as the reactors at Fukushima. They have been recognized to have serious design faults since the 1970s and have been regularly retrofitted (i.e., patched up) to take into account new research illustrating their design vulnerabilities to such things as power outages and other malfunctions that make possible a core breach and a resulting release of radioactive isotopes.
Many of these U.S. reactors sit on geologically active fault lines or are situated in coastal areas and close to extensive sources of fresh groundwater. The 40-year-old Indian Point nuclear plant, less than 30 miles from New York City, has a history of safety problems and sits on two fault lines. As U.S. government nuclear experts are arguing that Japanese authorities extend the current 12-mile evacuation and exclusion zone around Fukushima to 50 miles, a serious accident at Indian Point would mean relocating 17 million people. Alexey Yablokov, member of the Russian Academy of Sciences and adviser to President Gorbachev during the 1986 Chernobyl disaster, commented on the Japanese government’s playing down of the dangers, saying, “When you hear ‘no immediate danger’ [from nuclear radiation] then you should run away as far and as fast as you can.”
The U.S. department that would be in charge of such an operation is the same one that brought us the chaotic and ineffective evacuation of the much smaller city of New Orleans during the 2005 Hurricane Katrina debacle: the Department of Homeland Security.
A Coast Guard report released in April investigated its perfomance in response to the BP oil spill. The report does not inspire confidence that the U.S. government is in any way prepared for a possible nuclear accident. According to Roger Rufe, a retired U.S. Coast Guard vice admiral and chair of the team behind the report: “We clearly point out that contingency planning was not adequate, certainly not for a spill of this size…. There was a complacency that this was not going to happen at this scale.”
According to scientists, California has a 99.7 percent chance of being hit with an earthquake of 6.7 or greater within the next 30 years. And a quake could easily far exceed that level. Nuclear plants in California are only built to withstand earthquakes of only 7–7.5. How do we know a more powerful earthquake is possible? Because it’s already happened; the 1906 earthquake that tore apart San Francisco was measured at 8.3. The 42-year-old San Onofre nuclear plant, located halfway between Los Angeles and San Diego, is situated right on the beach, with a fault line five miles offshore. Its tsunami wall is 25 feet high, which would have been too low to withstand the wall of water that washed over northeastern Japan. The Diablo Canyon plant, located 200 miles northwest of Los Angeles near Santa Barbara, was built in 1968 near two fault lines, one three miles off the coast that suffered a 7.1 earthquake in 1926.
With the nuclear industry’s litany of smaller radioactive leaks, accidents, opaque safety plans, and a history of cover-ups, people have every right to be very alarmed at the potential for a devastating nuclear accident coming to a plant near them.
Moreover, with the clear connection to nuclear weapons production, alongside many unresolved questions surrounding long-term waste management and the decommissioning of old plants, there are more than enough compelling arguments against nuclear power—in addition to the potential for terrifying accidents—to justify shutting them down now.
The production of electricity from splitting apart uranium atoms is an inherently unstable process liable at any moment to run away, out of control. In other words, the operation of a nuclear plant is premised on constant control over a fundamentally uncontrollable process. The “chain reaction” that is necessary to get the fission process going has to be relentlessly monitored to keep it within tolerable limits. Hence the need to keep the core cooled at all times, for control rods to drop into place at a moment’s notice, to avoid radioactive leaks, for multiple back-up systems and fail-safe devices, at least two containment vessels, an evacuation plan, regular testing of workers and the surroundings, and so on.
This instability at the heart of the production of nuclear power, combined with the long-lived and extreme toxicity of the resulting byproducts, leads to the second insurmountable issue with nuclear power: its expense.
This is fully recognized by the people who would otherwise be investing in nuclear power plants. They won’t do it without cast-iron guarantees that they will have only limited liability for accidents and retain huge government subsidies. The Bush administration gave the nuclear industry $18.5 billion in loan guarantees to try to encourage investment in new nuclear plants. The Obama administration doubled down with an extra $36 billion.
But even with over $50 billion of taxpayer money pledged, to get the ball rolling the nuclear industry feels the need for more. It is now asking for $100 billion. The industry also requested an extension of tax credits without plant-size restrictions, an investment tax credit, and a worker training and manufacturing tax credit as well as reductions in tariffs on any imports of required materials and components.
A 2009 report by Citibank, an institution that has rarely met a risky investment it could say no to, highlighted in the title of its report on nuclear power what its analysis showed: “New Nuclear: The Economics Say No.” The report goes on to say: “The risks faced by developers [of new nuclear plants]…are so large and variable that individually they could each bring even the largest utility company to its knees financially.” In 2001 the Economist, a publication with its heart firmly in the camp of “free-market” capitalism wrote: “Nuclear Power, once claimed to be too cheap to meter, is now too costly to matter.”
The Price-Anderson Nuclear Industries Indemnity Act, first passed in 1957 and last renewed in 2005, restricts any costs payable by utility companies in the event of a nuclear accident to $12.6 billion. Anything above that amount—which would be easily exceeded by any major accident—is covered by the federal government’s coffers; i.e., us. Again, without that indemnity, without the government subsidies and loan guarantees, and tax breaks, the nuclear industry could not exist; the laws of the free market are not allowed to apply to nuclear power.
A comprehensive 2003 MIT report, The Future of Nuclear Power, made it clear what the difficulties of expanding nuclear power were. Prospects for nuclear energy as an option are limited, the report found, by four unresolved problems: high relative costs; perceived adverse safety, environmental, and health effects; potential security risks stemming from proliferation; and unresolved challenges in long-term management of nuclear wastes.”
A 2009 update recognized the ongoing challenges of getting a “nuclear renaissance”:
After five years, no new plants are under construction in the United States and insufficient progress has been made on waste management. The current assistance program put into place by the 2005 EPACT has not yet been effective and needs to be improved. The sober warning is that if more is not done, nuclear power will diminish as a practical and timely option for deployment at a scale that would constitute a material contribution to climate change risk mitigation.
When the report mentions that the current support program is “not yet effective and needs to be improved,” this is a clear reference to the requirement for increased government subsidies. According to a report cited inScientific American, the costs to the taxpayer of building 100 new nuclear power plants, over the lifetime of the plants, over and above costs associated with alternatives if they had been pursued, come to a truly gargantuan $1.9–4.1 trillion. As nuclear plants are notorious for cost overruns, the higher figure is much more likely.
The report’s concluding statement is highly significant for those environmentalists who have been taken in by the pro-nuclear argument that “at least it’s not coal.” Without an increase in the rate of new-plant construction that surpasses that of the global construction programs of the 1970s and 1980s, nuclear power cannot make a meaningful contribution to climate change risk mitigation. Just to maintain the current world production of nuclear power, either the oldest, creakiest plants need to be relicensed or a veritable orgy of nuclear construction needs to begin. To maintain the current proportional contribution of nuclear power would require building eighty new nuclear plants in the next 10 years—commissioning one every 6 weeks! A further 200 would be required over the subsequent decade.
The long lead times for construction that invalidate nuclear power as a way of mitigating climate change was a point recognized in 2009 by the body whose mission is to promote the use of nuclear power, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). “Nuclear power is not a near-term solution to the challenge of climate change,” writes Sharon Squassoni in the IAEA bulletin. “The need to immediately and dramatically reduce carbon emissions calls for approaches that can be implemented more quickly than building nuclear reactors.”
Wind farms take only 18 months to come online; nuclear plants typically take in excess of 10 years. The last nuke plant to be built and become operational in the United States, at Watts Bar in Tennessee, took 23 years to build and cost $6.9 billion. Hence, from an economic and environmental perspective, nuclear power makes no sense; numerous studies from the Wall Street Journal and independent energy analysts have put the cost of nuclear power at between 12-20 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh). In contrast, those same studies put the cost of renewable energy at an average of 6 cents/kWh.
Furthermore, according to research by Friends of the Earth, if the extremely polluting and dangerous mining and refining of uranium are included in the running of nuclear plants, they emit 250,000 tons of CO2 for every year of operation. Moreover, one in five uranium miners in the Southwest has contracted some form of cancer.
The U.S. government and other governments around the world are enamored with nuclear power neither for its supposed environmental benefits (as if that weren’t a sick joke anyway) nor for its reliability, safety, or economic superiority. Ruling elites want more nuclear power because of its connection to nuclear weapons production, the need for energy independence, and the deeply entrenched and highly effective power of the nuclear lobby. However, that corporate lobby could not be so successful if its interests did not dovetail with the imperial geostrategic interests of the countries involved.
There are many other reasons to be against nuclear power: the cost overruns, the fact that no country has a fully developed or workable plan—or in most cases any plan—for what to do with the nuclear waste that is piling up alongside the nuclear reactors. If the government opened the long-term nuclear repository that was supposed to be beneath Yucca Mountain in Nevada today, it would be immediately filled with already existing nuclear waste.
The unresolved problem of long-term waste disposal—the U.S. government has pledged to sequester the waste for 1 million years—contributes to the astronomical cost of decommissioning nuclear power plants. Then there is the transportation of nuclear fuel for reprocessing and the international trade in nuclear waste. Alongside that, the highly centralized nature of nuclear plants means that if one or more goes down, at one stroke it takes out an enormous chunk of the electricity supply grid.
As nuclear plants have to be run continuously as close to full capacity as possible to even come close to justifying their enormous construction, operating, and decommissioning costs, they compete not just for funding, but they compete directly with clean renewable sources of energy such as wind and solar, which are similarly best operated on a continual basis. In addition, if regulators relicense nuke plants for another 20 years and start building new ones that will operate for 60, then there will be no “transition” to clean power until almost the end of this century. Goodbye clean world.
Can truly green, renewable sources of energy replace nuclear power? Easily. Scientific studies too numerous to mention show repeatedly that wind, solar, geothermal, and tidal sources of clean energy are abundant and easily accessible. Unlike coal and oil, these renewable forms of energy are freely available, don’t pollute the environment with waste (radioactive or otherwise), don’t need to be fought over, don’t contribute to global warming, and don’t require massive amounts of farmland, energy, and water as do biofuels. Furthermore, we have the technology to tap into them to provide not just the 20 percent of electricity currently provided by nuclear in the United States, but to provide all of our electrical needs.
But President Obama and the vast majority of Democrats are resolutely in the pro-nuke camp, even in the face of the catastrophe in Japan. They also favor more offshore drilling for oil in the Gulf and the Arctic, “clean” coal, and increases in agro-fuels such as ethanol. If we want a transition to a sane and clean energy policy, we will have to independently organize and fight for it.
We should take a page from the playbook of the German antinuclear movement. Mass protests in Germany against nuclear power have already forced Prime Minister Angela Merkel’s center-right government to announce a three-month moratorium on plans to extend the life of Germany’s seventeen nuclear power plants. Not satisfied, tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets in four major cities at the end of March, including more than 100,000 in Berlin, calling for an end to nuclear power.
We need to organize local demonstrations against nuclear plants here in the United States, and resurrect the incredibly strong and successful antinuke movement of the 1980s. Let’s bring back the slogans “Nuclear Power—No Thanks” and “No Nukes Is Good Nukes.” We need to organize in our workplaces, unions, communities, and campuses for a national March on Washington in the fall for Jobs, Clean Energy, and Climate Justice. Because, to quote the great abolitionist Frederick Douglass, “If there is no struggle, there is no progress.”Employers in the scandal-plagued labour hire industry will face new rules banning anyone with criminal convictions, previous workplace breaches or links to collapsed businesses from operating in Victoria.
A sweeping inquiry into the unregulated labour hire market has found a licensing system is crucial to stopping the abuse of vulnerable workers, particularly in low-paid sectors such as horticulture and contract cleaning.
Casual boilermaker Harry Marshall was often hired out to unfamiliar factories and workshops Credit:Justin McManus
The Andrews government on Thursday said it was alarmed at widespread exploitation at the hands of rogue labour hire operators, and committed to setting up a state-based licensing scheme.
Victoria is now the second state in less than a month that has had an inquiry call for state-specific labour hire licensing. In the absence of a national response, a South Australian parliamentary committee has also recommended proceeding with its own licensing arrangements for labour hire operators.Jacqueline Jenkins-Nye, who was recruited out of Goucher College by the Navy to help crack codes used by the Japanese and Germans during World War II, but whose contribution to science might be more recognized by children who have seen her television-personality son, died Thursday. The Baltimore native was 79.
She died at George Washington Hospital in Washington of cancer.
Long a resident of Arlington, Va., the mother of three was born in Durham, N.C. She moved to Baltimore at an early age, when her father accepted a position as a chemistry professor at the Johns Hopkins University.
After graduating from Western High School, she entered Goucher College to study math and psychology. She became part of an improbable chapter in the annals of American warfare that is drawing renewed interest from historians since the broadcast in November of a "Nova" special on World War II code breakers.
Ms. Jenkins-Nye was among a small group of scientifically accomplished "Goucher girls" the Navy recruited to help crack the seemingly impenetrable codes used by the Japanese and German military during World War II.
Sworn to secrecy and threatened with death if they spoke of their work, a dozen women from the Class of '42 went on to achieve quiet fame in the intelligence service for, among other things, helping to break the code that enabled U.S. fighter pilots to shoot down and kill Adm. Isoroku Yamamoto, the mastermind of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, in 1943.
"She was pretty smart," said her son, E. Darby Nye Jr. of Arlington. "She certainly had her moments."
In her later years, however, she was probably best known as the mother of Bill Nye, "The Science Guy," star of the off-beat educational series for children formerly seen on Maryland Public Television and affiliated stations nationwide. Nye achieved a near-cult following among youngsters and their parents with his antic experiments revealing the secrets of science.
"Her influence on me was infinite, immeasurable," Bill Nye said yesterday of his mother. "She taught me how to cook -- and how to make the famous family salad dressing that her grandmother taught her to make, which was pure chemistry. She taught me how to sew, even. To this day, I still own a sewing machine. And to this day, I can still hear her chanting in my ear: 'Sit up straight! Shoulders back! Now train, train, train! Do it till you get it right!"
On the wall of his home in Seattle hangs a framed copy of his mother's seventh-grade chemistry test from her elementary school days in Baltimore. She scored 100.
If the lesson of her life means anything, friends and family say, it stands as testament to the importance of education, perseverance and never accepting societal limitations.
Thirty years after earning her degree in psychology from Goucher, Ms. Jenkins-Nye returned to school to earn master's and doctoral degrees in education from George Washington University.
She was a substitute teacher in the Washington, D.C., public schools, an adjunct professor at George Washington and a manager or analyst in seven federal agencies from 1968 to 1982. She concluded her career at the National Archives before moving on to start a human resource development consulting firm at age 66.
But perhaps the most intriguing chapter of her life -- the three years she spent as an officer in the U.S. Office of Naval Communications -- was the one she spoke of least.
"We were called down by the dean of Goucher one day, and there were these strange people there who said they wanted us to take some training in a new field called 'cryptanalysis,' " recalled Fran Suddeth Josephson, 79, now an artist in Summerville, S.C. "They didn't say why, or what it was related to."
The dean's name was Dorothy Stimson. She was the cousin of Henry Stimson, U.S. Secretary of War, who was contacting women's colleges around the country seeking their best and brightest for a project so secret that none of the participants was allowed to know its purpose.
"I guess we were all what you would call today 'nerds,' " said Mrs. Josephson, then known as Fran Steen.
Among the brightest of the lot was Jacquie Jenkins.
"Very smart, very pretty," Mrs. Josephson recalled. "Headstrong, you might say. I don't believe she belonged to any sorority, which was unusual for the time. You could say she was maybe a little more independent-minded than the rest."
Upon graduation in 1942, the young women were invited to Washington. They were offered commissions in a new branch of the Navy known as the WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service).
After a whirlwind tour of military training, including practice in wielding cumbersome.45-caliber semiautomatic pistols, they returned to Washington and began analyzing intercepted radio transmissions. Even among best friends in the Goucher group, discussion of individual assignments was strictly forbidden.
"None of us ever knew what the others were working on," Josephson recalled. "Only years later, at our reunions, did we ever find out that some of us were assigned to different aspects of the same project. You just never knew."
A few years ago, Bill Nye traveled with his mother to the National Crypotological Museum near the National Security Agency in Odenton. He was stunned to see a picture of her unit on the wall.
"I was over in the corner, making all this noise, like, 'Jeez, Mom, that's you. That's my Mom,' " Nye said. "And this tour guide came over, and pretty soon it was quite a scene. All these people were standing around Mom, reading about all these exploits on the displays they have there. It was amazing, and I think very gratifying for her."
Ms. Jenkins-Nye was president of the Washington chapter of the American Society for Training and Development; a member of Phi Delta Kappa, Mensa and the Navy Cryptologic Veterans Association; and president of the Capitol Cotillion and the Candlelight Waltz ballroom dance clubs.
She was divorced in 1978 from Edwin D. "Ned" Nye, who died in 1997.
Services for Ms. Jenkins-Nye at Arlington National Cemetery were being arranged.
In addition to her sons, she is survived by a daughter, Susan Nye Dallas of Providence, N.C.; a brother, Sanford Jenkins Jr. of Lee's Summit, Mo.; a sister, Genevieve J. Syphard of Glen Arm; longtime friend Barton Singer of Arlington; seven grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.J. Scott Applewhite / AP Family Research Council President Tony Perkins speaks during a news conference to discuss Wednesday's shooting in in Washington on Aug. 16, 2012.
Washington
The Aug. 15 shooting at the headquarters of the Family Research Council, a conservative advocacy group, has provoked an outpouring of concern from social conservatives. It wasn’t just the crime, which people of all political stripes condemned. The aftermath has highlighted the feeling of besiegement from opponents of gay marriage, who feel their values are being increasingly marginalized across the U.S. As more and more Americans support gay marriage, they say, the national public has exhibited hostility toward groups that do not support gay rights.
A day after Floyd Corkins, 28, allegedly entered the FRC’s Washington headquarters with a Sig Sauer pistol and shot the building manager who subdued him, Tony Perkins, the group’s president, blamed a top left-leaning group for inciting violence against their conservative counterparts. “Corkins was responsible for firing the shot yesterday that wounded one of our colleagues and our friends, Leo Johnson. But Corkins was given a license to shoot an unarmed man by organizations like the Southern Poverty Law Center that have been reckless in labeling an organization a ‘hate group’ because they disagree with them on public policy,” Perkins said at a Thursday afternoon press conference. “I believe the Southern Poverty Law Center should be held accountable for their reckless use of terminology that is leading to the intimidation and [to] what the FBI here has categorized as an act of domestic terrorism.”
(PHOTOS: Political Pictures of the Week, Aug. 4-10)
Blaming the Southern Poverty Law Center for a rogue shooter’s actions may seem incendiary. But to hear social conservatives tell it, blistering language is regularly used to malign their values as well. “The fallback position now for supporters of gay marriage is that if you believe that marriage is between a man and a woman—which has been the default position for the past thousands of years—that somehow makes you the equivalent of a Klan supporter in the 1950s and ’60s, which I think is absurd,” former FRC president and Republican presidential candidate Gary Bauer tells TIME. “The demonizing of people who believe in normal marriage has to stop.”
Penny Nance, president of the Concerned Women for America, which promotes Biblical principles in public policy, feels similarly. “The language that is used constantly towards us by people who disagree with us on the marriage issue is so caustic, so over the top,” she says. “The fact that we want to preserve the traditional view of marriage does not imply that we dislike—God forbid, hate—people who identify as homosexual.” After she and her colleagues heard about the shooting at the FRC, Nance says, they stopped and prayed for the FRC staff and for the shooter. Then the possibilities of the shooter’s motive started to sink in. “When you have people calling you a hate group,” she says, “ in some cases it can encourage people who are marginalized or having mental health issues.”
This summer’s debates over marriage equality, fanned by Barack Obama’s declaration in support of gay marriage, have been particularly heated, from the Chick-fil-A controversy to the New Mexico photographer taken to court for refusing to photograph a lesbian wedding. According to a police affidavit, the alleged shooter at the FRC, who was charged with assault with intent to kill, was carrying 15 Chick-fil-A sandwiches in his bag at the time of the attack.
(MORE: Chick-fil-Gay)
Jennifer Marshall, Director of the DeVos Center for Religion and Civil Society at the Heritage Foundation, argues supporters of same-sex marriage have left little breathing room for people who hold different views. “The examples that we have seen this summer are disappointing,” says Marshall. “There needs to be more recognition that it is reasonable that marriage should remain between one man and one woman—the voters in 32 states have reached that conclusion where that question has been put.”
The presidential election—and the divergent visions for the U.S. set forth by the two candidates—has also heightened the urgency social conservatives feel. “Liberal politicians have a particular obligation to discipline a movement whose support they solicit,” Bauer says. President Obama did not comment on the shooting on the campaign trail in Iowa on Wednesday, though press secretary Jay Carney said Obama “expressed his concern for the individual injured in the shooting and his strong belief that this type of violence has no place in our society.” Mitt Romney took a more direct approach, issuing a statement saying that he was “appalled” at the shooting: “My prayers go out to the wounded security guard and his family, as well as all the people at the Family Research Council whose sense of security has been shattered by today’s horrific events.”
In the meantime, social conservative organizations are stepping up their security efforts. Nance says that she will immediately begin bringing security in tow when she travels. “I have two children—I am not taking any chances.” The Heritage Foundation issued a statement saying that while it seems that the FRC shooting was an isolated event, Heritage has plans in place should a similar scenario occur. Nathan Oppman, a newly hired FRC intern coordinator, expressed gratitude to Johnson, who had taken him on a welcome tour just the day before. “Guy gets shot and still protects the building, he’s a hero in my book,” Oppman says, “and I was a beneficiary of that.”
(MORE: Obama Endorses Gay Marriage: ‘I Think Same-Sex Couples Should Be Able to Get Married’)
Left-leaning groups have roundly condemned the violent act of a lone perpetrator, and the SPLC bristled Thursday at Perkins’ attempt to assign them blame. “Perkins’ accusation is outrageous,” senior fellow Mark Potok said in a statement. “The SPLC has listed the FRC as a hate group since 2010 because it has knowingly spread false and denigrating propaganda about LGBT people — not, as some claim, because it opposes same-sex marriage. The FRC and its allies on the religious right are saying, in effect, that offering legitimate and fact-based criticism in a democratic society is tantamount to suggesting that the objects of criticism should be the targets of criminal violence.”By the time golf legend Tiger Woods stepped into a Palm Beach Gardens courtroom Friday, he had already completed most of a first-time DUI offender diversion program to keep himself out of jail for his May arrest after Jupiter police found him asleep in his damaged Mercedes while on powerful painkillers.
Woods, 41, who lives on Jupiter Island, pleaded guilty to a charge of reckless driving Friday in a brief hearing that came months after prosecutors and his attorney announced that he would enter the program so prosecutors would drop the more serious DUI charge against him.
» PHOTOS: Tiger Woods court hearing for DUI
(READ MORE BELOW)
Golfer Tiger Woods talks with defense attorney Douglas Duncan Palm Beach County court Friday, October 27, 2017, as he pleaded guilty to a charge of reckless driving in connection with his May arrest for DUI. (Lannis Waters / The Palm Beach Post/ POOL)
Lannis Waters/The Palm Beach Post
Palm Beach County Judge Sandra Bosso-Pardo withheld a finding of guilt on the reckless driving charge, which means the golf great could later have the charge expunged from his record. She also agreed to dismiss a charge of improper parking, a traffic infraction, filed against him.
» Read: Full coverage of Tiger Woods’ DUI arrest
Woods arrived in a black Chevy Tahoe a half-hour early and only spoke briefly in court to enter his plea and tell Bosso-Pardo that he wasn’t under the influence of any drugs. Aside from his attorney, Douglas Duncan, Woods’ rumored girlfriend, Erica Herman, and at least two other men accompanied Woods. Woods left the courthouse afterward without speaking to reporters.
“Mr. Woods was treated like every other defendant, except for the media coverage,” Palm Beach County State Attorney Dave Aronberg said at a news conference outside the courthouse after deputies ushered Woods and his entourage away.
» Who is Tiger Woods’ rumored girlfriend?
As part of the DUI diversion requirements, Woods agreed to participate in various programs and abstain from illicit drugs and alcohol during a 12-month probationary period. Bosso-Pardo warned him if he fails to meet any of the requirements, the charges could be reinstated and she could send him to jail for 90 days.
Duncan and prosecutors told the judge that Woods already has completed a substance abuse program at an undisclosed location and did the required 50 hours of community service through his Tiger Woods Foundation, which provides education opportunities for youth worldwide. He also wrote a $250 check to Palm Beach County Victim’s Service.
(READ MORE BELOW)
Tiger Woods leaves the North County Courthouse in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida on October 27, 2017. Tiger Woods is expected to plead guilty "in abstentia" to a charge of reckless driving in connection with his May arrest for DUI. A long-awaited plea deal, that would allow Woods to enter a DUI diversion program, is expected to be approved by Palm Beach County Judge Sandra Bosso-Pardo at a hearing at the North County Courthouse in Palm Beach Gardens. (Richard Graulich / The Palm Beach Post)
Richard Graulich
As part of the diversion program, Woods also has attended DUI school and met with people who have lost loved ones to drunk driving.
The only part of the diversion program left for Woods to complete is the 12-month probation term, and on Friday the judge told Woods he was allowed to report to probation by mail. But he also will have to submit to random drug tests over the year and has to be available to speak whenever his probation officer calls.
Because no alcohol was found in his system when he was arrested at 3 a.m. on May 29 on Military Trail south of Indian Creek Parkway, Woods can skip the requirement to have his car outfitted with a device that would detect if he has been drinking before he can start his ignition. However, as part of the program, his car will be immobilized for 10 days, Bosso-Pardo said. He is free to travel anywhere, she said, but has to let his probation officer know about his out-of-country travel.
Woods attributed his dazed and confused condition to prescription medicine he was taking after his fourth back surgery in April. With his speech slurred and his stance unsteady, arrest video showed Woods unable to follow a Jupiter police officer’s instructions.
Aronberg said Woods can continue to take drugs prescribed by a doctor during his year-long probation.
In posts on his Twitter account weeks after his arrest, Woods said he was “currently receiving professional help to manage my medications and the ways that I deal with back pain and a sleep disorder.”
Weeks later, on July 3, he tweeted: “I recently completed an out of state private intensive program. I will continue to tackle this going forward with my doctors, family and friends.”
» PHOTOS: Tiger Woods in South Florida
Toxicology reports, obtained by ESPN, showed he had narcotic painkillers Vicodin and Dilaudid, along with the anti-anxiety drug, Xanax, and the sleeping aid, Ambien, in his system at the time of his arrest. It also showed his blood contained THC, typically linked to marijuana use.
Over the years, Woods has held charity golf tournaments that have raised millions to create educational opportunities for youth throughout the world. This month, for instance, he hosted an exclusive three-day golf tournament in Pebble Beach, Calif., to raise money for his foundation.
Golfer Tiger woods enters Palm Beach County court Friday, October 27, 2017, where he pleaded guilty to a charge of reckless driving in connection with his May arrest for DUI. (Lannis Waters / The Palm Beach Post/ POOL)
Lannis Waters/The Palm Beach Post
Since his arrest, the golfing world has rallied around Woods, who snared unfavorable headlines in 2009 when he got in a single-car wreck in Windermere, a luxury town between Orlando and Walt Disney World.
He was hospitalized with a sore neck and cut lip and was cited for careless driving after he drove over a fire hydrant and into a tree. But the real injury was to his reputation when a string of women emerged, claiming they had affairs with the married golfer. He underwent treatment for sex addiction and divorced Elin Nordegren, the mother of his two children, after nearly seven years of marriage.
The crash also derailed his legendary golf career. With 14 major PGA titles, second only to icon Jack Nicklaus, Woods hasn’t won a major since 2008. His last tournament win came in 2013.
Still, his recent Twitter posts indicate he is planning a comeback thanks to what he called successful back fusion surgery in April to end years-long debilitating spasms and leg pain.
Last week, he posted a video of himself practicing, labeling the long, low drive “the return of the stinger.” His agent recently told ESPN surgeons had cleared Woods to return to the links.
His plea hearing originally was set for Wednesday, but he was photographed that day watching his beloved Dodgers get handed a defeat by the Houston Astros in Game 2 of the World Series in Los Angeles. Court officials announced the postponement of that hearing on Tuesday.
Fellow golfing greats said they are hoping Woods can put his arrest behind him.
“Tiger’s a friend,” said Nicklaus, who lives in Palm Beach Gardens, shortly after Woods’ arrest. “He’s been great for the game of golf. He needs our help. I wish him well.”
Palm Beach County State Attorney Dave Aronberg now addressing the media. pic.twitter.com/dtFoplZXhg
— PB Post Courts (@pbpcourts) October 27, 2017
#TigerWoods arrived in a black Chevy SUV just a few minutes ago. He was wearing a |
the benefits conferred upon men by the church, the state and the existing distribution of property, and from the teachings of the Christ he deduces the rule of non-resistance and the absolute condemnation of all wars. His religious arguments are, however, so well combined with arguments borrowed from a dispassionate observation of the present evils, that the anarchist portions of his works appeal to the religious and the non-religious reader alike.
It would be impossible to represent here, in a short sketch, the penetration, on the one hand, of anarchist ideas into modern literature, and the influence, on the other hand, which the libertarian ideas of the best contemporary writers have exercised upon the development of anarchism. One ought to consult the ten big volumes of the Supplément Littéraire to the paper La Révolte and later the Temps Nouveaux, which contain reproductions from the works of hundreds of modern authors expressing anarchist ideas, in order to realize how closely anarchism is connected with all the intellectual movement of our own times. J. S. Mill’s Liberty, Spencer’s Individual versus the State, Marc Guyau’s Morality without Obligation or Sanction, and Fouillée’s La Morale, I’art et la religion, the works of Multatuli (E. Douwes Dekker), Richard Wagner’s Art and Revolution, the works of Nietzsche, Emerson, W. Lloyd Garrison, Thoreau, Alexander Herzen, Edward Carpenter and so on; and in the domain of fiction, the dramas of Ibsen, the poetry of Walt Whitman, Tolstoy’s War and Peace, Zola’s Paris and Le Travail, the latest works of Merezhkovsky, and an infinity of works of less known authors, are full of ideas which show how closely anarchism is interwoven with the work that is going on in modern thought in the same direction of enfranchisement of man from the bonds of the state as well as from those of capitalism.Steve Miller, former Director of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), admitted at a Congressional hearing that the taxes collected by the IRS are not mandatory – but voluntary.
When questioned at the House Ways and Means Committee (WMC) hearing last week, Miller told House Representative Devin Nunes that “America’s tax system is ‘voluntary’”. When Nunes remarked for clarification that the US tax code is a “voluntary system”, Miller said, “Agreed.”
House Representative Xavier Becerra commented that the ruse of the IRS is kept as a public confidence in the system scheme to keep Americans paying money to the IRS.
Miller confirmed this is so.
The shuffle at the IRS has landed Danny Werfel as the new acting director.
As his first message to those employed at the IRS, Werfel said that amid the mistrust of the public brewing against the organization, it is the mission of all employees to “help America’s taxpayers understand and meet their tax responsibilities.”
Werfel invoked the tragedy at Oklahoma to coerce his underlings into believing that they are doing a great work. He said: “... as the nation comes together to support the victims of the devastating tornados in Oklahoma, we should all feel a sense of pride that IRS is actively supporting the recovery effort and doing our part to help.”
President Obama anointed Werfel as a replacement for Miller who was asked to resign just a month before his term as acting director of the IRS was complete.
Werfel has a history working for the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and an analyst for the Department of Justice (DoJ). Obama describes Werfel as having “proven an effective leader who serves with professionalism, integrity, and skill.”
Senator Orin Hatch commented on Obama’s choice of putting a businessman in place at the IRS: “If I was the president I would find the very best businessman I possibly could who’d be willing to take it over and have the authority to be able to straighten the mess out. I don’t know whether Werfel has that kind of dimension or not, but I hope he does.”
Lois Lerner, director of the Tax-Exempt division at the IRS during the targeting of Patriot groups refused to speak to the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, claiming her right to the 5th Amendment.
William Taylor III, attorney for Lerner, requested in a letter that preceded her arrival, asking the OGRC that she be allowed to refrain from appearing before the committee. Taylor claimed that be forcing Lerner, it “would have no purpose other than to embarrass or burden her.”
The OGRC wanted Lerner to comment as to why she provided incomplete data to the DoJ during their investigation of the discriminatory targeting of Patriot groups; asserting that she was either fully or partially to blame for the unlawful activity.
This week, when Lerner did show up at the hearing before the OGRC, she emphatically claimed: “I have not done anything wrong. I have not broken any laws. I have not violated any IRS rules or regulations. And I have not provided false information to this or any other congressional committee.”
House Representative Trey Gowdy told the committee that since Lerner made a statement at the hearing, “she just waived her Fifth Amendment right to privilege. You don’t get to tell your side of the story and then not be subjected to cross examination. That’s not the way it works. She waived her Fifth Amendment privilege by issuing an open statement. She ought to stand here and answer our questions.”
According to sources, the employees that were directed to target Patriot groups had different upper management to answer to; therefore muddying up the chain of command and further convoluting how to calculate who is actually responsible for disseminating the directive.
With these new assertions, the original story of rogue employees targeting Patriot groups without being told to do so is making less and less sense.
Since it is policy that if a tax-exempt application is not processed within 270 days it causes an internal “red flag” that draws attention and explanation, these applications should have been dealt with within that time frame automatically.
In Cincinnati, Ohio, the directive to target Patriot groups has been linked back to Cindy Thomas, program manager of the Tax Exempt division of the Cincinnati IRS.
Further refusals of cooperation have manifest with the IRS refusing to produce documents requested by MWC chairman Dave Camp and Sander Levin. Earlier this month Camp and Levin wrote to the IRS requesting records of all communications between the IRS and the US Treasury to assist in understanding the discrimination of Patriot groups.
The scandal is unraveling onto itself which is why there is talk that a special prosecutor will be employed to independently review the evidence and piece together the actual timeline of what happened and identify who was involved and at what level.The number of female genital mutilation victims in Sweden has risen at an alarming rate, partly due to the migrant crisis.
While the yet-to-be-published study includes other countries, Swedish broadcaster SVT obtained the numbers for Sweden. It determined there are at least 150,000 victims of FGM living in the country. An increase of 100,000 since the last study.
As InfoWars points out, Sweden is home to many migrants from countries like Ethiopia and Somali, where female genital mutilation is common.
FGM is illegal in Sweden, but migrants may have either already had it done or will travel back home to have the barbaric procedure done.
In 2015, the National Board of Health estimated that there were approximately 38,000 genital mutilated women in Sweden. That number seems so far off now.
Let us know in the comments what you think.</td> </tr> </tbody> </table>
“Having that mindset is allowing that person to have control of you,’’ he said. “I don’t have to prove nothing to nobody, all I have to do is show up and continue to earn the trust of this organization and teammates and go out there and be a baller like I can.”
After surgery, Massaquoi was limited with the Titans during the offseason. In training camp he worked in non-contact drills, including 7-on-7, but he his doctors advised him not to have contact until middle August. Massaquoi didn’t play in the preseason opener at Atlanta because he hadn’t been cleared.
The Titans face the Rams on Sunday at Nissan Stadium.
“I expect Massaquoi to play (this week),’’ coach Ken Whisenhunt said. “So we’re just going to bring him along and get him ready to play this week.”
A fifth-round pick of the Falcons in the 2012 draft, Massaquoi said he’s felt good upon his return into full-contact work, which started on Sunday.
He’s enjoying his opportunity with the Titans, and being taught by defensive guru Dick LeBeau.
Now, he wants to do his part to stick around, and make an impact.
“I love Nashville and the organization and the environment I have been put in, and I love the group of guys I am working with. With coach LeBeau, he’s a tremendous teacher who has been around for seven-plus decades. So to be in the presence of him and to be able to take in the knowledge he shares I am delighted, and I am grateful,’’ he said.
“The only thing I have to do now is get out there and get more confident with the shoulder. But I wouldn’t be playing this game if I wasn’t confident in myself. I am definitely confident in my skill-set and happy to be working with a group of guys who are confident in themselves and be a brotherhood to be successful.”
<span>RECOMMENDED: </span>Beginning in September and running up until November 11th, the first day of the season, College Basketball Talk will be unveiling the 2016-2017 NBCSports.com college hoops preview package.
MORE: 2016-17 Season Preview Coverage | Conference Previews | Preview Schedule
You know the feeling. You’re flipping between games and stumble upon him. Maybe it’s a team you only rarely catch, or maybe it’s a conference foe you’ve watched play dozens of times over the last few years, but as you watch for a few moments, that’s when you see him. You could have sworn he graduated last year. Or even maybe the year before. But alas, there he is. That four-year starter. The dude who got a medical redshirt. A graduate transfer. It’s one of college basketball’s enduring and unique phenomena.
We present, to you, the Perry Ellis All-Stars.
PERRY ELLIS ALL-STARS, FIRST TEAM
MVP G Spike Albrecht, Purdue: After averaging just 2.2 points and 0.7 assists per game for Michigan as a freshman, Albrecht broke through with one of the most memorable NCAA tournament title game performances of all-time against Louisville, hitting four of five 3-pointers, scoring 17 points and letting loose one of the most epic heat checks of all-time.
@KateUpton hey saw you at the game last night, thanks for coming out! Hope to see you again 😉 — Spike Albrecht (@SpikeAlbrecht) April 9, 2013
Albrecht’s career was set to come to a close with the Wolverines last year, but recovery from hip surgery didn’t go as quickly as hoped and he sat out with a medical redshirt. That paved the way for an intra-conference graduate transfer to West Lafayette, where the 24-year-old will bolster the backcourt and make legions of fans wonder how the hell he’s still playing college basketball.
G Phil Forte, Oklahoma State: Once best known for simply being Marcus Smart’s best friend, Forte has grown into his own and become one of the top – and most enduring – players in the Big 12. He’s averaged double-figures in scoring in every season and was set to be the face of the Cowboys last year in his senior season, but a torn elbow ligament delayed that final season to this year, when he’ll try to help the Brad Underwood era get off the ground as a likely all-conference player. Not bad for an unranked Class of 2012 recruit who many thought had his high-major opportunity only because of his friendship with a future top ten pick.
G Bryce Alford, UCLA: Alford gets his spot on the first time because it feels like he’s been a major topic of conversation in hoops circles for a half-decade, even if it’s only been a little over two years. That’s what happens when you’re the shoot-happy son of the UCLA coach. He’s been a flashpoint for Bruins fans who have been less than thrilled with coach Steve Alford, given how much the offense – and shots – have gone through Bryce. With a monster freshman class coming to Westwood this season, Bryce’s role will be one of the more interesting subplots in college basketball this season.
F Kennedy Meeks, North Carolina: The Charlotte native arrived in Chapel Hill as a McDonald’s All-American with expectations as large as his 6-foot-9, 315-pound frame. He averaged just 16 minutes per game as a freshman, but a productive NCAA tournament and as offseason dominated by talk of all the weight he lost propelled those expectations. He averaged 11 points and 7 boards in 23 minutes per game as a sophomore, but saw his minutes and production drop as a junior. A career that some thought would be a quick one at North Carolina will now reach its four-year conclusion this season, with Meeks a topic of discussion for the Tar Heels each and every offseason he’s been in Chapel Hill.
F Amile Jefferson, Duke: Jefferson, another Class of 2012 recruit and McDonald’s All-American, returns for a fifth season with the Blue Devils due to a medical redshirt that was a product of a foot injury that cut Jefferson’s season last year short amid him putting up the best numbers of his career. It may turn out to be a blessing in disguise as he’s now part of a roster many have pegged as the best in the country, giving him a chance to pair another ring with the NCAA championship he won in 2015.
MORE: All-Americans | Impact Transfers | Expert Picks | Trending Programs
PERRY ELLIS ALL-STARS, SECOND TEAM
G Stevie Clark, Oakland: Best known for his arrest after police said he was urinating out of a moving car, Clark attended two junior colleges and has now resurfaced at Oakland with two years of eligibility remaining.
G Katin Reinhardt, Marquette: After stops at USC and UNLV, the one-time top-40 2012 recruit — the supposed second-coming of Jimmer Fredette — is finishing his career in Milwaukee.
G Rodney Purvis: He started his career at N.C. State, transferred to UConn and submitted his name for NBA draft consideration, but the former top 15 prospect is back for his fifth year of college ball.
F Nigel Hayes, Wisconsin: The Badger senior was both a reserve and a starter in Wisconsin’s back-to-back Final Four runs and became something of an internet sensation with his fascination with stenographers. He’s now become one of the faces of the Wisconsin program and an outspoken socially conscious voice.
F Alex Murphy, Northeastern: A potential McDonald’s All-American in the Class of 2012, he enrolled at Duke a year early only to redshirt the 2011-12 season. After a year and a half seeing limited bench minutes, he transferred to Florida where, in the second half of the 2014-15 season, he saw limited bench minutes. An injury kept him out last season and, after receiving a sixth-year of eligibility from the NCAA, will play at Northeastern this year.
C Przmek Karnowski, Gonzaga: The 7-foot-1 Poland native is the veteran of 113 career games, but only five came last year after a back injury forced him to take a medical redshirt.
YUP, THEY’RE STILL IN SCHOOL, TOO
Dajuan Coleman, Syracuse
Bronson Koenig, Wisconsin
London Perrantes, Virginia
Tracy Abrams, Illinois
Dylan Ennis, Oregon
Je’lon Hornbeak, Monmouth
Myles Davis, Xavier
Tyler Lewis, Butleron •
LEXIE CANNES STATE OF TRANS — UPDATE – Oct. 23 2014 — The murderer of trans woman January Marie Lapuz has been sentenced to 8 years in prison. Charles Jameson Mungo Neel was convicted of the murder earlier this month. From 24 Hours Vancouver:
Earlier this month, the B.C. Supreme Court sentenced Charles Jameson Mungo Neel to eight years’ imprisonment for manslaughter — effectively, he will be serving five years and three months due to credit for time already served.
The judge acknowledged mitigating factors in the case, including how Neel did not have a prior criminal record, he is a young man — 22 years old, feels remorseful and that the offence “is out of character” for him.
Justice Frits Verhoeven: “While the expressions of remorse … are not as thorough and convincing as one might wish to see, I suspect that those comments reflect a lack of ability on Mr. Neel’s part to fully express himself.”
———–
(Original article 12-31-12) The accused murderer of New Westminster trans woman January Marie Lapuz has a bail hearing Monday Jan. 7th according to the Canadian LGBT publication Xtra!
A news search resulted in no additional information about the accused, Charles Jameson “Jamie” Mungo Neel, since I wrote of his arrest earlier in December. However, in both the Xtra! article and on social media, there were concerns of the possible release of Neel during the hearing. However, as far as I can tell, these concerns were not based on recent developments, perhaps from the DA or the police, but rather, trans advocates’ stance of ‘categoric opposition to bail for accused murderers of trans people.’
That latter point was made by Leada Stray, one of the organizers of a rally to be held on Lapuz’s behalf two days before the hearing. Strays says they’re not asking people to pass judgement before Neel gets a fair trial, but rather, drive home the message that trans people are not safe in a country supposedly known for its pro-LGBT stance and leadership.
New Westminster Councillor Jaimie McEvoy is among the people planning to attend the rally: “I think it’s important when you have a group of people in society — who as a group are among the most disadvantaged in Greater Vancouver — I think it’s important for anybody to show their support.”
Sentencing: http://vancouver.24hrs.ca/2014/10/23/five-years-for-man-who-killed-trans-woman
Full details about the rally: https://www.facebook.com/events/286153181487577/
More on the arrest and murder of January Marie Lapuz: https://lexiecannes.wordpress.com/2012/12/06/arrest-made-in-september-killing-of-british-columbia-trans-woman/
More rally information from Xtra!: http://www.xtra.ca/public/Vancouver/Rally_planned_for_New_West_trans_murder-12989.aspx
———
Watch LEXIE CANNES right now: http://www.amazon.com/Lexie-Cannes-CourtneyODonnell/dp/B00KEYH3LQ Or get the DVD: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0963781332
LEXIE CANNES STATE OF TRANS is associated with Wipe Out Transphobia: http://www.wipeouttransphobia.com/ Read Lexie Cannes in The Huffington Post: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/courtney-odonnell/
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Categories: Deaths, Murder, Judicial, Courts, Transgender, Transsexual, Trans“You look fine, just don’t let your arms get any bigger.”
I’ve spent way too much of my life living with the irrational fear that, left unchecked, my biceps would expand uncontrollably, maybe eventually taking over my entire body. I have lived in fear of sleeveless shirts, favoring loose-armed men’s T-shirts over anything like a girly tee. And don’t even get me started on cap sleeves.
Why the bicep-phobia?
I wish I could point to just one thing. After all, I do have a body type that tends to put on muscle. But I also started gymnastics, and then martial arts at a very young age, and do not come from a particularly athletic family. And let’s face it, being proper just never came naturally to some of us, much to (some of) our family’s consternation. So the fact that I was starting to look athletic growing up was not helping. And so that was the kind of thing that would be said to me. Just don’t let your arms get any bigger. It’s ok to be strong, just don’t get too big and unladylike. Well, I’m sorry. That’s just how I look when I’m strong.
Fast forward to several years of martial arts (wrestling, taekwondo, wushu) competition. And then rock climbing. Guys sometimes look at, or worse, feel, my arms and say, things like, “wow, your arms are bigger than mine!” Or just that they’re huge. I’ve been told I look like someone you wouldn’t want to run into in a dark alley. And I’ve gotten upset. And been told that I should just take it all as a compliment. Because that’s how it was intended. And not to be so sensitive.
So what’s wrong with that?
I think there are two problems. The first is that popular culture (also see: fitspiration) has left people without a realistic idea of what athletic women look like. Worse yet, with the idea that there is just one way we look. But when we’re conditioned to believe that the result of ordinary exercise is always the super-thin model, perhaps with visible abs, we think that any athletic-looking woman deviating from that norm has made a concerted effort to do so. If you work out all the time and don’t look like a fitspo poster, that must be because it’s your choice, after all. Right? Oh, wait.
The second problem is more complicated, at least for me. I want to be in a position where I am happy enough with my appearance to take any relatively accurate well-intentioned comment on it as a compliment. But I’m not. I’m still a product of our ridiculous sexist, sizeist culture, and no matter how much I think other strong-looking women look hot, I can’t quite apply that standard to myself. At least not yet. But really, I don’t think other people should get to dictate what I should want to look like. You’d like bigger arms? Great. Maybe I wouldn’t. You’d like to be thinner? Great. Maybe I’m trying to gain weight.
I mean, this is hard for me, because the standard people are trying to hold me to is one that I would like to have already adopted for myself. But I just haven’t been able to do that yet. So there’s a double judgment tied up in all of this, because not only do I hear an insult, I also hear the fact that I am still sizeist. And both of those things hurt.
So what’s a friend to do? I mean, you’ve got this athletic person in your life, and you want to tell her she looks great, but now I’ve made it all difficult, because you don’t know if you should tell her she’s skinny, or strong, or healthy, or what? How do you know what she wants to hear? Well. Maybe you could just tell her she looks great. Or maybe this time you shouldn’t compliment her on her looks at all.
Some women exercise to look good. Lots of us also exercise because there’s something we love doing that requires us to move our bodies in ways that exert a bunch of energy. So maybe you should compliment her on whatever that thing is. Maybe you could tell her how great it was she did that bike race. Or that she climbed that route really well. Or ask how her soccer team’s been doing. How about that? My body got this way because of the way I live in it. And I think all in all, I’d rather be complimented on what I’ve done with it, than on how those actions have made it look.This article takes a closer look at some of the Qur'anic verses that imply its author assumed the earth is flat.
Taken from Zekeriya Kazvinî's "Acaib-ül Mahlûkat" (The Wonders of Creation). Translated into Turkish from Arabic. Istanbul: ca. 1553.This map depicts "a traditional Islamic projection of the world as a flat disk surrounded by the sundering seas which are restrained by the encircling mountains of Qaf".
For plentiful evidence that the earliest Muslims believed in a flat Earth, and a discussion of the failed attempts by ibn Taymiyyah and others to demonstrate that they believed in a round Earth, see the article Did Muhammad and the Earliest Muslims Know the Earth is Round?.
If the Qur'an is a letter-by-letter dictation from Allah, it should also concur with this fact that was known throughout the world before its revelation, and it should contradict the flat Earth model widely believed in by the 7 th century Bedouins of Arabia. Yet the evidence is that the Qur'an supports the flat Earth model (as well as geocentrism ).
The fact that the Earth is not flat has been known for thousands of years. The Ancient Greeks Pythagoras (570 - 495 BC), Aristotle (384 - 322 BC) and Hipparchus (190 - 120 BC) all knew this. The Indian astronomer and mathematician, Aryabhata (476 - 550 AD) knew this. And so did the early Christian scholars Anicius Boëthius (480 - 524 AD), Bishop Isidore of Seville (560 - 636 AD), Bishop Rabanus Maurus (780 - 856 AD), the monk Bede (672 - 735 AD), Bishop Vergilius of Salzburg (700 - 784 AD) and Thomas Aquinas (1225 - 1274 AD). In fact, contrary to what we are often told, the sphericity of the Earth was common knowledge among early medieval Europeans [2] and the Holy Roman Empire from as early as 395 AD used an orb to represent the spherical Earth. [3]
In this analysis, we look at direct references to the shape of the Earth in the Qur'an. Verse 88:20 is particularly worth highlighting for its use of a word that was deeply associated with flat surfaces.
Arabic word definitions in English are from Lane's Lexicon of classical Arabic (not to be confused with modern Arabic). Note that the Arabic word al-ard can mean the land or the Earth. However, it is perfectly obvious from the context that in the verses below al-ard means the entire Earth, not a local area of land.
The section after this one discusses indirect evidence that the Qur'an supports a flat Earth model, and perhaps contains even stronger evidence than the direct statements below.
Qur'an 2:22 - firashan (thing spread to sit or lie upon)
ٱلَّذِى جَعَلَ لَكُمُ ٱلْأَرْضَ فِرَٰشًا وَٱلسَّمَآءَ بِنَآءً وَأَنزَلَ مِنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ مَآءً فَأَخْرَجَ بِهِۦ مِنَ ٱلثَّمَرَٰتِ رِزْقًا لَّكُمْ ۖ فَلَا تَجْعَلُوا۟ لِلَّهِ أَندَادًا وَأَنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ وَٱلسَّمَآءَ بِنَآءً وَأَنزَلَ مِنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ مَآءً فَأَخْرَجَ بِهِۦ مِنَ ٱلثَّمَرَٰتِ رِزْقًا لَّكُمْ ۖ فَلَا تَجْعَلُوا۟ لِلَّهِ أَندَادًا وَأَنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ Allathee jaAAala lakumu alarda firashan [He] who made for you the earth a bed [spread out] and the sky a ceiling and sent down from the sky, rain and brought forth thereby fruits as provision for you. So do not attribute to Allah equals while you know [that there is nothing similar to Him].
Quran 2:22 and the sky a ceiling and sent down from the sky, rain and brought forth thereby fruits as provision for you. So do not attribute to Allah equals while you know [that there is nothing similar to Him].
فِرَٰشًا = firashan = a thing that is spread upon the ground, a thing that is spread for one to sit or lie upon.[4]
Qur'an 15:19 - madad (extend, stretch out)
والارض مددناها والقينا فيها رواسي وانبتنا فيها من كل شئ موزون والقينا فيها رواسي وانبتنا فيها من كل شئ موزون Waal-arda madadnaha waalqayna feeha rawasiya waanbatnafeeha min kulli shay-in mawzoonin And the earth We have spread out (like a carpet); set thereon mountains firm and immovable; and produced therein all kinds of things in due balance.
Quran 15:19 (like a carpet); set thereon mountains firm and immovable; and produced therein all kinds of things in due balance.
مَدَدْ = madad = extend by drawing or pulling, stretch out, expand[5]
Qur'an 20:53 - mahdan (bed)
الذي جعل لكم الارض مهدا وسلك لكم فيها سبلا وانزل من السماء ماء فاخرجنا به ازواجا من نبات شتى وسلك لكم فيها سبلا وانزل من السماء ماء فاخرجنا به ازواجا من نبات شتى Allathee jaAAala lakumu al-arda mahdan wasalaka lakum feeha subulan waanzala mina alssama-imaan faakhrajna bihi azwajan min nabatinshatta He Who has, made for you the earth like a carpet spread out; has enabled you to go about therein by roads (and channels); and has sent down water from the sky." With it have We produced diverse pairs of plants each separate from the others.
Quran 20:53 ; has enabled you to go about therein by roads (and channels); and has sent down water from the sky." With it have We produced diverse pairs of plants each separate from the others.
مَهْدًا = mahdan = cradle or bed; a plain, even, or smooth expanse[6]
Qur'an 43:10 - mahdan (bed)
الذي جعل لكم الارض مهدا وجعل لكم فيها سبلا لعلكم تهتدون وجعل لكم فيها سبلا لعلكم تهتدون Allathee jaAAala lakumu al-arda mahdan wajaAAala lakum feeha subulan laAAallakum tahtadoona (Yea, the same that) has made for you the earth (like a carpet) spread out, and has made for you roads (and channels) therein, in order that ye may find guidance (on the way);
Quran 43:10, and has made for you roads (and channels) therein, in order that ye may find guidance (on the way);
مَهْدًا = mahdan = cradle or bed; a plain, even, or smooth expanse[7]
Qur'an 50:7 - madad (expand, stretch out)
والارض مددناها والقينا فيها رواسي وانبتنا فيها من كل زوج بهيج والقينا فيها رواسي وانبتنا فيها من كل زوج بهيج Waal-arda madadnaha waalqayna feeha rawasiya waanbatnafeeha min kulli zawjin baheejin And the earth- We have spread it out, and set thereon mountains standing firm, and produced therein every kind of beautiful growth (in pairs)-
Quran 50:7, and set thereon mountains standing firm, and produced therein every kind of beautiful growth (in pairs)-
مَدَدْ = madad = extend by drawing or pulling, stretch out, expand[8]
Qur'an 51:48 - farasha (spread out) mahidoon (spreaders)
والارض فرشناها فنعم الماهدون Waal-arda farashnaha faniAAma almahidoona And the earth have We laid out, how gracious is the Spreader (thereof)!
Quran 51:48 And the earth have We laid out, how gracious is the Spreader (thereof)!
فَرَشَْ = farasha (see also 2:22 above for the noun) = spread or expand, spread a bed or carpet[9]
الْمَهِدُونَ = mahidoon from مهد = make plain, even, smooth, spread a bed[10]
There is also a hadith in which the plural noun furushaat is used, meaning "beds":
It was narrated from Abu Dharr that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “I see what you do not see, and I hear what you do not hear. The heaven is creaking and it should creak, for there is no space in it the width of four fingers but there is an angel there, prostrating to Allah. By Allah, if you knew what I know, you would laugh little and weep much, and you would never enjoy women in your beds (الْفُرُشَاتِ, al-furushaat), and you would go out in the streets, beseeching Allah.’”
Sunan Ibn Majah 5:37:4190
Qur'an 71:19 - bisaatan (carpet)
والله جعل لكم الارض بساطا WaAllahu jaAAala lakumu al-arda bisatan And Allah has made the earth for you as a carpet (spread out),
Quran 71:19 And Allah has made the earth for you as a carpet (spread out),
بِسَاطًا = bisaatan = A thing that is spread or spread out or forth, and particularly a carpet (from the same root we also have بَسَاطٌ = bisaatun = Land, expanded and even; and wide or spacious) [11]
This word is also used in a hadith in At-Tirmidhi:
... Then he came to hug the Prophet (s.a.w) and uttered that his father and mother should be ransomed for him. Then he went to grove of his and he spread out a mat for them (فَبَسَطَ لَهُمْ بِسَاطًا, fa-basata la-hum bisaatan, literally "and-(he)spread for-them a-mat"). Then he went to a date-palm and returned with a cluster of dates which he put down....
Jami` at-Tirmidhi 2369
So the derived verb basata refers to spreading out (thus flattening) a carpet.
Qur'an 78:6-7 - mihadan (bed)
أَلَمْ نَجْعَلِ ٱلْأَرْضَ مِهَٰدًا وَٱلْجِبَالَ أَوْتَادًا Alam najAAali al-arda mihadan Waaljibala awtadan Have We not made the earth as a wide expanse, And the mountains as pegs?
Quran 78:6-7 Have We not made the earth as a wide expanse, And the mountains as pegs?
مِهَٰدًا (same as مَهْدًا mahdan) = cradle or bed; a plain, even, or smooth expanse[12]
Qur'an 79:30 - daha (spread out or ostrich egg?)
Many Islamist apologists attempt to deflect criticism that the Qur'an promotes the mistaken belief of a flat earth by the word دَحَىٰهَآ (dahaha) used in Qur'an 79:30, commonly translated as ‘He spread it’ or ‘He stretched it’.
Arabic: والارض بعد ذلك دحاها والارض بعد ذلك دحاها Transliteration: Waal-arda baAAda thalika dahaha Literal: And the earth/Planet Earth after that He stretched/spread it. [13]
Quran 79:30
Word by word:
وَٱلْأَرْضَ وَ - wa - and ٱلْ - al - the أَرْضَ - ard - Earth feminine in Arabic
بَعْدَ - ba'ada - after
- after ذَٰلِكَ - dhalika - that
- that دَحَىٰهَآ دَحَىٰ - dahaa - (he) spread verb [14] هَآ - ha - her or "it" in the English translation, referring to the Earth.
دَحَىٰهَآ is a verb with a suffixed pronoun, so it cannot mean a noun "ostrich egg". In the apologist interpretation the verb would have to mean "he made it in a shape of an ostrich egg". It is absurd to think that such a little word could mean something so complex.
The هَا (-ha) suffix pronoun meaning literally "her" is also repeated in the surrounding verses as a literary device:
أَأَنْتُمْ أَشَدُّ خَلْقًا أَمِ السَّمَاءُ ۚ بَنَاهَا 79:27 Aantum ashaddu khalqan ami alssamao banaha 79:28 رَفَعَ سَمْكَهَا فَسَوَّاهَا RafaAAa samkaha fasawwaha 79:29 وَأَغْطَشَ لَيْلَهَا وَأَخْرَجَ ضُحَاهَا Waaghtasha laylaha waakhraja duhaha 79:30 وَالْأَرْضَ بَعْدَ ذَٰلِكَ دَحَاهَا Waalarda baAAda thalika dahaha 79:31 |
Budget Act of 2013, which lifted the spending caps for fiscal years 2014 and 2015, he could not support the amendment. The amendment failed on a party-line vote, 14–16.
The bill’s future in the Senate, though, is unclear. Leading Democrats in the Senate, including Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), have proposed blocking debate on all appropriations bills as a tactic in negotiations about spending priorities. They argue that the White House has previously threatened to veto any appropriation bill that is funded at the lower levels of the Budget Control Act.
Reid, in comments on the Senate floor June 10, warned that without progress on budget negotiations, the federal government could shut down when the new fiscal year starts Oct. 1. “We’re headed for another shutdown,” he said.We are currently maintaining 34,660 pages (1,399 articles).
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Heroes of the Storm is a Multiplayer Online Battle Arena game developed by Blizzard Entertainment. Players battle it out for supremacy of the battlefield, taking on the role of one of Blizzard's all-star cast from across the Warcraft, Diablo, Overwatch, and Starcraft universes.
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Jake Soenneker Blocked Unblock Follow Following Jan 29, 2017
Image credit: XKCD
The software development cycle is accelerating, and the web supports it beautifully. There’s no need to send new binaries to your users. They just visit your site and presto — they instantly have the latest and greatest version of your code.
But there are situations where your app can’t be served over the web. And sometimes your users need your app to run even when they don’t have internet access. And let’s face it — in 2017 there are still a lot of apps that are too resource-intensive to run in a browser. So desktop applications aren’t going anywhere.
This said, desktop app users still want to be “on edge” with your latest version. They want to be using that cool new feature they read about on your development blog.
“No problem,” the developer says. “I’ll Compile the code, insert the binaries into the installer, and publish a new version to my site. Then users can download my latest version. I’ll just tweet out a link, or include it in next week’s email blast to let them know.”
This is the traditional way to go about updating a client. And it’s OK for 98% of native desktop applications. It’s business-as-usual for your users. It’s error resistant, and doesn’t require a whole lot of work from developers. Developers can even put a “check for updates” item in their context menus. Your app can ping your website for a latest version number, then redirect your users to the file.
Well, it’s become clear that this traditional way isn’t good enough. Here’s why:
Announcements are critical for getting users on your next version.
If your app accesses network services, developers need to make them backward compatible.
Users have to manually update the software. This is means time, energy, and focus lost.
Customer support doesn’t want to address issues with outdated versions.
Users often retrieve their software other than from the source. It takes time for a new version to propagate, and it will never be up-to-date everywhere.
For some apps and games, it’s critical that every user runs the exact same version.
Automatic updating is hard. Companies feel the burn all the time when something goes wrong.
For example, as a user, I don’t know what Slack is doing when it’s updating. All I know is that when it finishes, it often tells me that it’s still not up to date. Chrome fails all the time and doesn’t even tell me why. Windows Update is getting better.
Well, as a developer, I have sympathy for the products and the teams who maintain them, because there are many reasons why updates are so difficult.
Image credit: XKCD
Users run a massive array of operating systems and environment combinations these days.
The underlying frameworks may need to be updated from one version to the next, too.
Users continue to tweak security and permissions.
Users may neglect to install updates to their operating system or to your application itself.
What if the update system itself needs updating?
With deploys getting more automated, and with teams shipping code faster, bugs and security issues evolve faster as well.
More applications need better update systems.
These update systems add enormous value by giving users the best experience your organization has to offer.
There are oodles of update frameworks available. One popular framework is Squirrel.
If you’re grappling with update issues, I would urge you to do your homework before recommending anything to your team. It’s worth noting that a large percentage of the existing systems in production today are custom-built. This is because these systems gives developers the most control to their code.
There are several features to an intelligent and flexible update system:
The ability to download “deltas” — the differences between the current installation and the new. There’s no need to download a file if the user already has it.
The system can update and repair itself, and it can recover from issues as they arise.
The system can detect existing frameworks on the operating system. It can download and install new frameworks without the user having to fetch them themselves.
Some architectures depend on services. I’m looking at you, Google and Adobe. Well, developers shouldn’t rely on these resource-intensive always-running background processes if they can avoid them.
The architecture I’m going to describe is only one type, but most of them are a variation and follow the same general principles. Going forward, I’ll be more Windows-specific, but these fundamentals apply to other operating systems, too. I’ll cover the basic concepts behind the update system’s components.
The update system components
The Installer
This is the initial entry point for the user, and it’s where the whole process begins. This isn’t a typical ClickOnce or Wix instalIer. It’s a single executable. It does several important things, and it may come as a surprise that it doesn’t contain the main application. What does it do then?
First it checks for OS compatibility. Will this computer be able to run the application at all? It has a very low framework requirement. For example, on Windows this would be.NET 2.0 or 3.0. This means users can open the installer with ease if they’re behind on updates. The Installer’s executable has the Updater embedded inside it. Not including the target application makes the executable small in file size. This is great for distribution. The less time there is between the moment the user clicked the download button and the moment they open the installer, the better. The Installer downloads and installs any necessary frameworks for the Updater. This means going out to Microsoft’s site, retrieving the.NET installer, and using silent parameters to install it. It creates the initial directories where the entire application environment will stay. Where is that exactly? On Windows, it’s:
C:\Users\<Username>\AppData\Local\
Why? You don’t need Administrator privileges to install there. This in turn makes the user experience even better, and allows users that don’t have privileges to still use your software. Unless there’s an excellent reason for doing so, don’t prompt the UAC and require privilege escalation.
6. The Updater is extracted into AppData and if shortcuts need creating, they will point to the Updater.
7. Once that’s done, it starts the Updater.
The Updater
The Updater is the most important part of the entire system, hence the name. It serves as a hub for the rest of the update system.
First, the Updater takes inventory of the files residing in the folder where it lives. It hashes (MD5, SHA, etc.) each of the files, and stores the values in a dictionary. The Updater will send the current framework version it’s dependent on to the Update Server. This is so the Update Server can instruct the Updater to grab a new framework version if it’s needed. The Updater will send the dictionary of files/hashes, and the Update Server will determine if the user needs an update. If it doesn’t, the client can move on to the Application. If there is an update available, the Updater will download a compressed file from the Update Server. It will extract the contents in a new folder. If this is the first time the user has opened the Updater, they will receive a package that contains the Application. If the user has downloaded an older installer, this method ensures that there’s no need to download the application twice. The Updater starts the Extractor.
The Extractor
The point of the Extractor is so that the Updater itself can update. The Extractor doesn’t even need an interface.
The Extractor performs any cleanup necessary. It moves the files from the extracted contents folder back into where the Application lives. The Extractor starts the Updater.
The Update Server
Why not host the binaries on a web server instead of building a dedicated update server application? Well it’s not possible to do things like client framework checking with a web server, and it won’t be able to build delta update packages. It also helps with things like determining if a repair is necessary or not. There can also be unique version migration situations that may need handling.
On the server, all of the components of the update system live in a folder it has access to. When it starts, it builds it’s own hash dictionary of each of these files. The necessary dependent framework version is set as a configuration setting on the Update Server. If the message sent from the Updater is less than the version, it will instruct the Updater to download and install the new framework. When the development team is ready to deploy a new version, they replace the files the Update Server has inventoried. They refresh the hash dictionary. Remember when the Updater sent that hash dictionary? Well the Update Server compares the two dictionaries and determines the client’s outdated files. This is how it builds delta packages. It compresses the package, and the Update Server will send a message for the Updater to begin its download.
The following is a diagram of the process moving through the update procedure:
Last words
In this design, the Updater is the entry point to the application. That doesn’t need to be the case though. Some questions to ask when building an update system:
Do you ask if the user wants to update, do you make it required, or do you hide the process?
Does the Updater need to be its own separate component? It may be able to live in the application itself.
Is updating necessary before the application begins? Perhaps it can update as the application is running.
These are types of questions the developer should consider before jumping into a design. Automated application updating is becoming more popular, and for good reason. It’s easier on the user, and it gets the developer’s code into their hands quicker. As an engineer, strive to make your updating process better for you and your users.
Thanks for reading!WKRN web staff - LA VERGNE, Tenn. (WKRN) - A 33-year-old Alex Green Elementary School employee was arrested and charged with reckless endangerment Sunday after officers allegedly found three children in her trunk.
According to police, a total of nine students were reportedly in Andria James' 2010 Chevy Malibu at the time. Three of the children were allegedly inside the trunk.
A customer reportedly spotted James' car at a La Verge Speedway Sunday and called police.
Copyright by WKRN - All rights reserved Andria James spoke with News 2 Reporter Larry Flowers on Monday. (Photo: WKRN)
Copyright by WKRN - All rights reserved Andria James spoke with News 2 Reporter Larry Flowers on Monday. (Photo: WKRN)
News 2 spoke with James on Monday who claims she is not the person people are making her out to be.
"There were never nine in my car or in the store. Never," she said.
James also told News 2 none of the children were ever in the trunk.
"That's a complete and utter lie," she said.
"So you're saying that they did not ride in the trunk, they got in the trunk at the store? Did they get in the trunk at the store," News 2 reporter Larry Flowers asked.
"Well, the doors were opened, so let's say that," James said." When the trunk came up, we had all their things in the back trunk because they needed to go home. I only needed to transport them at that point."
Police said surveillance video from store disputes James' claims.
"[We were] able to view video footage of the gas pumps and observe the vehicle pull up to the gas pump and three children exited the trunk of the vehicle once it stopped at the gas pump," La Vergne police Sgt. Bob Hayes said.
James told News 2 she picked the children up after a basketball game on Saturday and they spent the night at her La Vergne home.
"All of them didn't get in the trunk now, let's not get it confused," James said. "All of them never got into the trunk; there was plenty of room, those kids and seat belts."
James said she only took the children to the store to get away from a dangerous situation.
Copyright by WKRN - All rights reserved (Courtesy: Rutherford County Sheriff's Office)
Copyright by WKRN - All rights reserved (Courtesy: Rutherford County Sheriff's Office)
Police confirmed she called them a day or so before, but authorities didn't say why. Police told News 2 James put the children in more danger.
"It's very saddening and heartbreaking, and I have children of my own, that an adult would put other people's children or children in harm's way like that," Hayes said.
After James' arrest, parents and relatives were called to pick the children up.
"They were all very upset, especially the family members of the ones riding in the trunk," Hayes said.
All nine children involved were James' students and ranged in age from eight to 10 years old.
According to Metro schools spokesman Joe Bass, James has worked as a part-time tutor since September. He added that she will be placed on administrative leave which is standard procedure when an employee is arrested.
James, charged with three counts of reckless endangerment, has since bonded out of jail. She is due in court March 9.
Bass released a statement regarding the alleged incident that said in part, "We are in contact with the authorities in Rutherford County and will cooperate fully with their investigation. Obviously, the acts she is accused of are completely inappropriate for an educator entrusted with caring for students, and we will take further disciplinary action if needed as more details come to light."Hard drive manufacturers and manufacturers of data recovery tools love to boast data transfer speeds. Unfortunately, many customers fall for this trick. Today we will tell you about the maximum speed of hardware in theory and in practice.
Let’s take a WD drive (1 Tb WDC WD10EZEX-60ZF5A0) and make simple measurements: run the PC-3000 Express, go to Tests -> Surface test -> Logical test, mark only “Reading”, and leave it for some hours.
The results are presented below(perfomance chart):
As we can see, the maximum reading speed is 137 MB/s, the total time of reading the whole drive is 2 h 5 min. The reading speed of PC-3000 Express and UDMA-E controller limited to 150 MB/s (UDMA 150).
Next, let’s do the same measurement by using a full-featured SATA controller. We used a Gigabyte GA-A75-D3H motherboard (Marvell 9128 inside) and our free Disk Analyser software (which is able to test motherboard-connected drives). As you see, it can read good SATA drives a little bit faster than PC-3000 Express (read a drive at the maximum speed that the drive’s surface is able to reach). Reading will take the same time on any other modern full-featured SATA controller based on a chip like Marvell 88se9235, Marvell 88SE6445, etc.
As a result, the maximum reading speed is 190 MB/s, total time of reading the whole drive is 1 h 49 min.
Let’s combine the results into one single graph to make a clear comparison:
and draw the lines of maximum theoretical speed of SATA standards:
The theoretical speed limits of popular interfaces are as follows:
SATA Revision 1.0 – up to 1.5 Gbit/s ( 192 MB/s)
SATA Revision 2.0 – up to 3 Gbit/s ( 384 MB/s)
SATA Revision 3.0 – up to 6 Gbit/s ( 768 MB/s)
As we can see, the real maximum reading speed (190 MB/s) is close to SATA I maximum speed (192 MB/s), but only at first LBA’s. Drive is being read “stepwise”, the speed drops when it comes close to the last LBA. So the real speed is never close to SATA II and SATA III maximum speeds.
You may ask, are HDD manufacturers cheating us so much about the actual reading speed? In fact, it’s possible to reach 768 Mb/s when reading small files and when a drive has cache and uses read-ahead mechanisms. But you will never reach such speeds when imaging the whole drive.
You can also see on the graph that even for healthy drives the loss in speed when imaging is insignificant. Reading a 1Tb SATA 3.0 compatible drive via any full-featured SATA controller on a chip took 1 h 49 min, whereas via PC-3000 Express or UDMA-E it took 2 h 5 min. So the time difference is only 15 minutes.
For the majority of drives, there will be no difference in speed when you read them via a full-featured SATA controller or via the PC-3000 Express/UDMA-E controller.
The graphs above were received in the “ideal” conditions: computer was left to perform the reading process, with no other processes running. When a computer is used for any other tasks simultaneously with the reading process (especially when the Internet is actively used), the speed will also drop a little bit. In such cases, the graph becomes more “hairy”.
It seemed interesting to us to make the following experiment: to read the same drive (500 GB Samsung ST500LT012) in different conditions:
In the “ideal” conditions (when no other software running), the reading took 1h 37min. At the 100% CPU usage, it took 6 min more – 1h 43 min.
Below is the graph processed by moving average and with the X axis converted to time scale to make it clearer:
So we can draw one more conclusion: the reading speed is a little bit lower when the CPU is highly loaded.
What about reading damaged drives?
Present-day full-featured SATA controllers on chip have the data transfer protocol that is hardware-implemented. Of course, there is a considerable gain in speed, but you can not manage the reading parameters. This fact becomes crucial in case of a damaged drive because the damaged HDD violates the SATA protocol. In other words, present-day SATA controllers on chip can not work with most of damaged drives via SATA techno mode. That’s why PC-3000 Express and PC-3000 UDMA-E contain a unique proprietary controller that can handle such issues.
So when your purpose is data recovery from damaged drives, there is no need to chase after speed 😉
P.S. You can download raw data here and easily reproduce our experiment or make your own. We use this script for csd->csv conversion and visualize the data via GNU Octave plotting software (script for auto-plotting).
P.P.S. You are welcome to share the results of your reading tests in comments.I was going through my photos from our Italy trip last year and came across this pic of the salad I made while we were staying in our Rome apartment, the photo just flooded my memory of shopping for the ingredients and marveling in the freshness of everything and the great variety of olives, I just had to share. I know it’s a super simple recipe, but it was the photo more than anything else that just made me salivate at the memory.
It’s ideal as a side dish to accompany a pasta main and just adds some lovely colours too, so get looking out for your favourite olives and go for it.
We got our new camera yesterday, just charging it up now and going out tomorrow to take some practice shots. I do plan on making some Valentine cookies and muffins, but that won’t be until Wednesday/Thursday as I’m being whisked to beautiful York for a couple of days (early valentine’s present). I was going to bake something today but we won’t get through them all before leaving on Monday, so when I get back the photos should be vibrant and crystal clear (she says hopefully with fingers crossed!).
Mediterranean Salad
MyInspiration Feel The Difference Range
Serves 1 as a light meal or 2 as a side dish
Bunch of fresh rocket leaves
10 firm cherry tomatoes
8 Black Olives
8 Green Olives
Pinch of basil
Swirl of Olive oil (optional)
Pinch of black pepper to season
Method
Pretty simple, just toss everything in a bowl and serve as a side!This article will appear in the forthcoming issue of Internationalist Perspective
Over the past several years Rojava or Western Kurdistan, legally a part of Syria, has been seen by many anarchists, libertarians, and even Marxists as the locus of a social revolution, one that demands solidarity on the part of revolutionaries, all the more so as it has been the object of brutal military assaults, first from Daesch (the Islamic State), and now from Erdogan’s Turkey. Inasmuch as the Middle-East today is literally on fire, the scene of vicious ethnic and religious cleansing, and bloody battles between rival imperialist states and armies, it is important to determine whether we are seeing a mortal threat to capital, an anti-capitalist commune OR an inter-imperialist bloodbath in which the population has been mobilized to serve the interests of capitalism.
For the past several years, as Syria has collapsed into civil war fueled by the intervention of imperialist states (Iran, Turkey, Russia and the US), Rojava has been under the control of the PYD and its fighters (the YPG), the Syrian offshoot of the PKK (The Kurdish Workers Party (sic.)), led by Abdullah Öcalan. Originally a Maoist, now in Turkish incarceration, Öcalan has had a prison conversion, and under the influence of the writings of the American libertarian, Murray Bookchin, has reinvented himself as a partisan of “communalism” and “Democratic Confederalism.” Suffice it to say that whether paying obeisance to Chairman Mao or to “libertarian municipalism” Öcalan, and Öcalan alone (his photograph is on virtually every “public” space in Rojava) rules; his word is law, and in Rojava, as secretly in much of the Kurdish regions of Turkey itself (at least by night), the Kurdish Workers Party rules. In Rojava the PYD has built a one-party state. The nature of the “democracy” to which the partisans of the PYD, both in the West and in Rojava, point, is no different – slogans aside – from that of the “people’s democracies” in the Stalinist bloc during the cold war. Indeed even the feminism to which its partisans also point, with its women “warriors,” hair flowing in the wind, gun in hand, bears an uncanny resemblance to those photos of La Pasiónaria on the front page of the Stalinist press in 1936, which Russian imperialism used so well to mobilize public support. The fact that Rojava itself has been brutally attacked by both IS and by The Turkish AK regime of Erdogan, cannot be the basis for any kind of revolutionary defencism, as so many in the libertarian “world” are calling for. The class line in an inter-imperialist war is not based on which side fired the first shot; on whose troops crossed the border first or started the war, or even the particular brutality of one or the other of the combatant armies. On such a basis, revolutionaries will always have to choose one capitalist state, one imperialist bloc, or the other, thereby guaranteeing the victory and consolidation of capitalism; and thereby precluding any possibility of either resistance to its power, or to articulating a political position that might become a basis for actual resistance to imperialism on both sides of the front line.
Is the Kurdish nationalism of the PKK/PYD, different from the Kurdish nationalism of Iraqi Kurdistan and Masoud Barzani? Certainly the ideology is different. In Iraqi Kurdistan capitalism has become a mantra in what is now a de facto American protectorate, and military base, where it is politically difficult to distinguish between the Kurdish Peschmerga, armed and equipped by the US, and the American special ops and troops based in Erbil. Yet apart from the Western “tourists” who in the recent past came to Rojava to see a “libertarian commune” in practice, Rojava too is full of CIA agents and American special ops. Indeed, when IS threatened to capture the Kurdish stronghold of Kobane, it was American air power that saved the town for the PYD. Neither in its Kurdish nationalism nor in its mobilization for inter-imperialist war at the side of the US can one make a distinction in class nature between Rojava and Erbil!
Today, the clash between imperialist states and their local allies has turned the Middle East into a veritable charnel house, in which the acclaim for Rojava can no longer be seen as naïve or politically innocent, but rather as a descent into the ideological vortex of imperialism itself, for which excuses are no longer possible. So, let us take a look at the rapidly deepening clash between rival imperialisms in the Middle East, where allies can become enemies on the turn of a dime, starting with the clash between Russian and American imperialism in the region. Putin’s Russia has a foothold in Middle East by way of its naval bases and air fields in Assad’s Syria, dominated by the Alawite minority, whose defense is essential to the retention of Russian influence and power in the region, and to its close relationship with Shiite Iran. The US has now come to see IS as a serious threat to its own power in the region, even at the “cost” of propping up the Shia government in Iraq. Indeed, though it is too early to tell, the possibility exists that the Iran nuclear deal could at some point in the not too distant future begin a process of détente with Teheran, particularly if Washington’s traditional Sunni allies (Saudi Arabia, the Gulf states, Jordan) remain unwilling to take the lead and provide the ground forces to crush IS. The growing disenchantment of America with its Sunni allies, applies to Sunni Turkey, and the Erdogan government too, which sees Assad’s Syrian regime as an enemy to be destroyed, along with the Kurdish nationalism that threatens the very territorial integrity of Turkey in its Eastern provinces, the same Kurdish nationalism that is a lynchpin of American strategy in Iraq and Syria. Into that tangled skein Erdogan has now sent his troops across the border into Rojava to perhaps crush the PYD and YPG there, and at the same time both challenge Syrian claims to sovereignty, as well as Ankara’s traditional enemy Russia, the protector of Assad. And, at the same time Russia and the US are seeking a “ceasefire” in Syria, which it hopes would permit Russia to attack IS, even as Assad, with Russian aid, seems to be reclaiming Aleppo, and now perhaps Idlib too, thereby turning the tide in that protracted civil war through the mass killing of their civilian populations by relentless Russian bombing. History is replete with dramatic turns in inter-imperialist conflicts, and we just might be on the cusp of one now.
Whatever turns there might be, however, one thing is clear: those who insist on seeing Rojava through the lens of social revolution are blinding themselves to the ongoing inter-imperialist slaughter which quite literally shapes events there on the ground. When you’re supporting the same side as the CIA, do you really need Google map to tell you that you’ve crossed the class line?
Mac IntoshHad their lives not been cut short, the 14 women killed on that terrible evening 25 years ago would have pursued careers, formed families of all kinds, experienced the various ups and downs of adult life. As we mark the anniversary of the massacre, we take a moment to remember those 14 women.
Most of the information below has been taken from Montreal Gazette stories about the victims that were published between Friday, Dec. 8, and Tuesday, Dec. 12, 1989.
GENEVIÈVE BERGERON
Geneviève Bergeron wasn’t sure whether she wanted to pursue a career in engineering or music when she graduated from university, because she was talented in both fields. The 21-year-old was the eldest daughter of Thérèse Daviau, a city councillor for the Montreal Citizens’ Movement. Montreal’s mayor at the time, Jean Doré, wept briefly at a news conference as he reacted to the killings and loss of the young woman, who as a teenager in 1984 went door-to-door and helped Doré win his first election to Montreal city council, and was a regular babysitter for Doré’s 3-year-old daughter. Bergeron was a second-year scholarship student in civil engineering who spent much of her free time singing in a choir.
HÉLÈNE COLGAN
Clarence Colgan was watching the evening news the night of the massacre when he realized with horror that his daughter Hélène was in one of the classrooms stormed by the gunman. “I knew she was in there,” he said. Hélène, 23, had purchased a plane ticket to go on a southern vacation with friends Dec. 29, her father said. She was a good student and who already had three job offers in mechanical engineering. “She had so many projects. She was a conscientious and patient girl, and always pushed things through to the end.”
NATHALIE CROTEAU
Fernand Croteau’s knuckles were still sore from pounding on the cement wall. That’s all he could do after identifying his daughter Nathalie’s body. The 23-year-old was to graduate in mechanical engineering the following spring. “It’s horrendous,” a chain-smoking Croteau said at the time, his eyes bloodshot from lack of sleep. “Twenty-three years aimed at graduating with a degree. She’s only three months away from getting it and she’s killed — all because she was sitting in a chair in a classroom.”
BARBARA DAIGNEAULT
Barbara Daigneault, 22, an engineering student at the École Polytechnique, was also a teaching assistant for her father, Pierre Daigneault, who taught engineering at Université du Québec’s École de Technologie Supérieure. At the time of her death, the young women shared an apartment in Tetreaultville with her brother, Jean-Christophe.
ANNE-MARIE EDWARD
Anne-Marie Edward celebrated her 21st birthday just two months before she was murdered. When a reporter visited the family’s Pierrefonds home after the massacre, her father, James Edward, a manager at Monsanto Canada Ltd., shaken and with tear-reddened eyes, just shook his head and declined an interview. “Both of them (Anne-Marie and her 23-year-old brother, Jimmy) were very, very clever. … Very well-educated,” a neighbour said at the time. “They are close with their parents. We see them all pack the whole car up and go skiing.”
MAUD HAVIERNICK
Maud Haviernick, 29, a metallurgy student, was giving an end-of-term presentation to her class on the third floor of the École Polytechnique when the gunman walked in and began shooting. He had already killed 10 women in the building before targeting Haviernick and her friend Michèle Richard, 21. The two had been working on the same metals project all term and were standing together giving their final presentation when they died. Haviernick and her boyfriend of seven years, 37-year-old Serge Gagnon, lived together in Laval. Gagnon described his companion as a hard-working, job-oriented woman — the kind of woman who doesn’t have to call herself a feminist to be one, the kind of feminist her assassin, in his suicide note, said he disliked. “It’s so absurd,” said Gagnon, an engineering professor at UQAM who met Haviernick when she was completing her first degree. ”How are we to interpret this event? It was a useless and unjust act.”
BARBARA KLUCZNIK WIDAJEWICZ
Barbara Klucznik Widajewicz’s death ended her dream of a new life in a safe country, her husband said. In an emotional interview shortly after the massacre, Witold Widajewicz, a Polish-trained physician studying at Université de Montréal, recalled finding his wife’s body in the school cafeteria. “I opened the zipper and I found a hole in the left breast, the breast that I had kissed that day — one hole that finished everything, the American dream in this country,” said Widajewicz, 30. Klucznik Widajewicz, 31, a first-year nursing student at the Université de Montréal, had given up her career as an economist to take up nursing. The couple were high-school sweethearts who came to Canada in 1987. Pure chance led them to the École Polytechnique cafeteria on Wednesday evening, said Widajewicz — they chose it because it had the lowest prices on campus. “We believed that Canada was the safest place in the world,” he said. “We could have gone to West Germany, or Switzerland.”
MARYSE LAGANIÈRE
Maryse Laganière — the only woman killed who wasn’t a student — was found in the doorway of a second-floor office, probably shot as she left her finance department desk, her union boss Doris McNeil said. “She was very gentle, soft and calm,” McNeil recalled after the massacre. “She was always smiling and was always appreciated by her colleagues.” Four months earlier, Laganière, 25, had married Jean-François Larivée, a former École Polytechnique student. The same priest who had blessed their marriage said a quiet prayer over her coffin. Along with her husband, Laganière’s mourners included her parents and 11 siblings.
MARYSE LECLAIR
Maryse Leclair, 23, was the eldest of four girls. She was brilliant, said Jean Blondin, a longtime friend and neighbour of the Leclair family. “Very intelligent and a woman of character. She had all the talent in the world and a promising future.” Blondin had crossed the street to the Leclair’s Laval residence after learning that Maryse was among the victims. “They were in shock,” said Blondin, of parents Pierre and Louise Leclair. “Pierre cried and stopped and cried again — you die inside — there’s nothing to say in a case like this.” Leclair was the first victim whose name was known. Her father, Montreal Urban Community police director of public relations, stumbled into a police officer’s worst nightmare Wednesday. He spoke to the media outside the engineering building about a gunman killing women, then went inside and found his daughter dead on the floor.
ANNE-MARIE LEMAY
Anne-Marie Lemay and the South Shore parish choirs to which she belonged were together for the final time when the choral groups sang at her funeral service at Église St-Sébastien in Boucherville. Lemay’s family — father Pierre, mother Michelle and sister Isabel — asked that $1,202 raised in a church collection be donated to Fondation Carrefour Pour Elle, a Longueuil women’s shelter. “She was one of our best singers,” choral director Gérald Cloutier said after the service. “Everybody loved her,” Cloutier recalled. “She always had a smile and was in a good mood.”
SONIA PELLETIER
It was her last school day before graduating, and Sonia Pelletier already had a job interview lined up for the following week. A 28-year-old mechanical engineering student, Pelletier was in a second-floor classroom listening to oral presentations when the gunman walked in, roommate Sylvie Harrison said. Pelletier was from St-Ulric, a tiny municipality outside Matane. She was the youngest of the eight children. Relatives and friends described her as a mature, talented student who worked hard to obtain her degree, going back to school after being in the labour force for a year. “She was a brain. Her marks were always from 95 to 98 per cent,” Danielle Pelletier, Sonia’s sister-in-law, said at the time. “She worked hard even on weekends because she wanted so much to be an engineer.”
MICHÈLE RICHARD
Michèle Richard, 21 was a second-year metallurgy student who was giving an end-of-term presentation to her class on the third floor of the École Polytechnique when the gunman walked in and began shooting. Richard, a Montrealer, and Maud Haviernick had been working on the same metals project all term, and were standing together giving their final presentation when they died. Richard’s family did not wish to have her casket available for public viewing. She was buried on Monday, Dec. 11, 1989.
ANNIE ST-ARNEAULT
Annie St-Arneault, 23, was in her final class before graduating, her upstairs neighbour said. Through tears, the neighbour said St-Arneault was a dynamic student, involved in several student associations and participating in sports at the university. “She had no faults, she was very kind and she loved life.”
ANNIE TURCOTTE
Annie Turcotte, 20, was in her first year of engineering studies. At the time of her death, her mailbox in an apartment building near the Université de Montréal read: “Annie et Christien” — underlined with a happy face. She lived with her brother, the landlord said at the time. Turcotte’s family chose to hold a quiet funeral in their hometown of Granby. Christmas trees and a nativity scene decorated the altar. “This is |
imperfect as it may be, offers tremendous opportunity. While machine translation is still highly error-prone, it is capable of infinite scaling, processing the entirety of all global accessible media in real time. Indeed, the same week as the president’s CVE summit, the GDELT Project announced one of the world’s largest deployments of streaming machine translation, translating into English the entirety of global news that it monitors in 65 languages, representing 98.4 percent of its daily non-English monitoring volume. Within 15 minutes of monitoring a breaking news report anywhere in the world, GDELT has translated it and processed it to identify events, counts, quotes, people, organizations, locations, themes, emotions, relevant imagery, video, and embedded social media posts. Leveraging the effectively unlimited capacity of Google Cloud, I built the entire system in under two and a half months as a “nights and weekends” project.
The ability to reach across 65 languages, coupled with a high-resolution local media inventory of the world, means that — unlike the Pentagon’s efforts — GDELT is able to operate across the world’s languages in real time, rather than being limited to a small cadre of Western English-language outlets to understand unfolding events in a remote corner of the world. For some languages like Russian and Estonian, GDELT uses translation models contributed by some of the leaders in the field and achieves accuracy on par or surpassing that of Google Translate on the material it monitors. For other languages, especially those with few available computerized linguistic resources like Swahili, it is still able to robustly recognize locations, major person and organization names, themes, and key event types, but is often less able to discern slight nuance and sarcasm, though its dictionaries are designed to grow daily as it learns from open datasets like Wikipedia’s multilingual information. Machine translation cannot yet compete with the accuracy of expert human translation, but even at its worse, GDELT can flag an article as discussing a large violent protest in a specific city, along with the major ethnic, religious, social, and political groups and leaders mentioned, allowing it to be forwarded to a human analyst for further review. After all, the error of machine translation can be fixed in post-processing, but it isn’t possible to fix or filter what hasn’t been monitored and flagged in the first place.
Moreover, as the accuracy of machine translation continues to rapidly improve, and tools and training datasets become available for an ever-increasing number of languages, GDELT’s algorithms will regularly upgraded. The goal of GDELT’s mass translation initiative is to demonstrate the feasibility of mass translation of global information in real time and to offer a living test-bed that can leverage new technologies and approaches for mass translation.
The map below illustrates why it is so critical to look across languages. All global news coverage monitored by GDELT from Feb. 19 through March 1 was scanned for mentions of geographic locations in Yemen. Locations mentioned in English-language news coverage are colored in blue, while locations mentioned in the 65 other languages recognized by GDELT are colored in red. Larger dots indicate greater volume of coverage mentioning that location. English coverage of Yemen largely focuses on several small clusters of locations around major cities, which is a common artifact of English coverage of the non-Western world, while the media of other languages (especially Arabic) discuss a much broader range of locations across the country. Understanding the current situation in Yemen beyond events in Sanaa or Aden clearly requires turning to local press.
Moreover, the emotional and thematic contextualization of ongoing events in the local press can yield critical insights: in the case of Russia, while Western governments paint Moscow as the aggressor in Ukraine, a recent poll suggests 81 percent of the population have a negative view of the United States, the highest of the post-Soviet era, while Vladimir Putin’s approval rating sits at 86 percent. Much of this support is due to careful stage managing of the domestic media environment, requiring an understanding of the Russian psyche to fully understand the root underpinnings of Putin’s increasing popularity — even as sanctions devastate his country’s economy.
Similarly, much of the recent conversation on countering extremism has focused on the “root causes” of how individuals become radicalized or join extremist groups. In a much-maligned February interview with MSNBC (which led to the #JobsForISIS hashtag on Twitter), the State Department’s Marie Harf cited “a lack of opportunity for jobs” as the key root cause for radicalization, a position which the president himself expounded upon at length in his own speech later that week. As Foreign Policy’s South Asia Channel editor and CNN commentator Peter Bergen has noted, however, many of the extremists gracing international front pages, from Osama bin Laden to Umar Farouk Abdulmuttallab, Mohamed Atta to “Jihadi John,” have come from relatively wealthy and privileged backgrounds, not abject poverty. Yet even Bergen acknowledges that the foot soldiers of the Islamic State often come from far more modest backgrounds, and as the Washington Post’s Adam Taylor writes, even a middle class upbringing does not always equate to perceptions of infinite opportunity.
The truth is that there is no single “root cause” of extremism. Much as there is no single view on gun control or abortion in the United States, we must accept a far more fragmented and nuanced understanding of world views. Some may indeed join the Islamic State due to a perceived lack of opportunity, while others may join out of religious beliefs. Acknowledging that there is a continuum of rationales allows for the development of multiple tailored responses that transcend the over-simplicity of political soundbites and more precisely target cultural-specific narratives.
Given the enormous complexity of the world’s cultures, how can the U.S. government even begin to interact with the views and beliefs associated with elevated levels or risk of extremism? In our chapter of a report on megacities published last spring and prefaced by Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, Charles Ehlschlaeger and I noted that linguistic and cultural barriers form the primary obstacles towards understanding the developing world that is “often characterized by complex tribal, ethnic, linguistic, religious, familial, and societal affiliations and interconnections” that are “foreign” to most Western analysts. In short, merely being able to read the language of an extremist group does not automatically provide the necessary insight to understand the underlying world views of that group.
Last fall, in collaboration with Timothy Perkins and Chris Rewerts of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers published in the journal D-Lib, we demonstrated that it was possible to use large-scale data mining to construct a socio-cultural index over a region of particular interest to CVE: Africa and the Middle East. More than 21 billion words of academic literature on Africa and the Middle East, the entirety of JSTOR, all unclassified/declassified reports from the U.S. Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC), and the Internet Archive’s 1.6 billion archived PDFs were computer-processed to identify all mentions of social, religious, and ethnic groups; locations; major themes; and citations. The index can be used to map the geographic footprint of topics, list the thematic grievances most associated with conflict between ethnic groups in a particular area, and even as a “find an expert” system to identify the most frequently cited researchers specializing in particular issues. For example, mapping all locations associated with food or water security produces the map below, which in the prototype interface allows an analyst to zoom into an area of interest and instantly access the combined scholarly and governmental output regarding that area.
Similarly, more than 110,000 human rights reports from Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the International Criminal Court, the United Nations, and related organizations were processed using the same system to generate a related index of the world’s human rights reports. Instead of keyword queries on the open web, this interface makes it possible to intelligently map relationships and patterns between specific groups, driving forces, human rights abuses, and geography. When combined with the academic literature index above, and the GDELT news index, it is possible to track in near real time the spread of extremism ideologies, beliefs, and actions, and the undercurrents that drive and support them.
The digital era has made us exceptionally good at collecting the world’s information, but in doing so, we’ve emphasized archiving over analysis. Sometimes we have to put down the computer to better see the world, but when it comes to countering global extremism, big data offers the tantalizing ability to augment our human focus on the English language with the ability to listen to the whole world at once, transcending language barriers and reaching deeply into the reactions and emotional resonance of global events to add context and understanding.
If I can build machine translation for 65 languages in just two and a half months — and build an index over half a century and tens of billions of words of cultural knowledge in just half a year — what could the U.S. government achieve if it spent $125 million on listening to the world, rather than reading American newspapers?
Correction, April 16, 2015: The Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity-funded HealthMap project monitors news in 15 languages as part of its disease early-warning system. A sentence, now excised from this article, mischaracterized HealthMap’s Ebola alert, implying that it missed the earliest warnings of the disease due to an emphasis on English-language sources. HealthMap first flagged the appearance of Ebola in Guinea on March 14, 2014, as a result of this article in a French-language newspaper.
BEHROUZ MEHRI/AFP/Getty ImagesIn Helsinki, like many cities, there isn’t enough housing to keep up with demand. Some people blame a lack of land to build new housing, but one design firm argues that there is enough land–if you know where to look. The firm’s new building is designed to fit in a single parking spot.
“The city is not designed because of humans–it’s designed because of cars,” says architect Marco Casagrande, principal at the Helsinki-based Casagrande Laboratory, which designed the new tiny house. “All the streets in cityscapes are based on car dimensions. This I found a little bit strange. We have all this talk about the density of cars getting less and less in cities, and at the same time, we are talking about people moving into cities... but we don’t have space to build. Nobody has been questioning car parking spaces. They are everywhere. So this talk about no land to build in cities is nonsense: It’s everywhere, but it’s just for cars.”
A prototype of the design, called Tikku (Finnish for “stick”), built for Helsinki Design Week, has a footprint slightly larger than 8 feet by 16 feet. But with three stories, it has enough room to make it a comfortable place to live or work.
Casagrande had considered the idea of building in parking spaces for some time, but after working with a particular material on another project–cross-laminated timber, a type of very strong engineered wood–he realized that it would be possible to stack multiple stories on a small space. While constructing a regular apartment building, he used the material to stack modules of the material together, “kind of like big Legos,” he says.
“This could not be done with concrete,” he says. “It would become too heavy, and it would sink.” By using cross-laminated timber, which is five times lighter than concrete, it’s possible to install the tiny house without a foundation. A sandbox on the bottom balances the building; Casagrande says that because the material is flexible, it also performs better than concrete in earthquakes. It’s possible to make even taller tiny houses if they are clustered together to provide more support.
The construction process is fast on site: The modules can be built in a factory, and the whole house can be installed in a parking lot overnight. “I would like to emphasize how easy it was,” Casagrande says. “It’s almost ridiculous. Usually, building a house is really a pain in the ass, and it takes so much effort... In this case, it just popped up.”
The first prototype doesn’t have space for a kitchen or running water, based on the reasoning that someone living in the middle of an urban neighborhood could get food elsewhere and shower at a gym (it does have a composting toilet). It runs on its own solar panels, and the wood material is self-insulating and warm in winter, so it doesn’t need to be hooked up to the grid. But the architects are now working on designs that can also be connected to water and work more like conventional housing.© Josh Sager – January 2013
After a disaster, our country pulls together and helps those who are harmed, quickly and without political game-playing—this occurs regardless of who is affected by the disaster or whether the disaster is a natural disaster or a man-made catastrophe. If a city is devastated by a hurricane or an earthquake, our federal government supplies manpower and reconstruction funds; if a city is attacked by terrorists, our federal government supplies security and support for the victims.
Unfortunately, our country’s history of supporting our fellow citizens in the aftermath of a disaster has done nothing to spur the House GOP to action in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. In an unbelievable turn of events, the House GOP has refused to schedule a vote on the Senate’s $60.4 Billion aid package and could potentially cause those who were harmed by Hurricane Sandy to go without assistance for months. If the Sandy aid bill fails to pass the House by Thursday, January 3rd, it will have to be rewritten and passed during the next legislative session.
We, as a country, have become inured to the perpetual gridlock and dysfunction in our federal legislature, but this is one issue where delay is unacceptable. Those who are harmed by natural disasters are suffering for no fault of their own, and it is up to our government to help them in their time of need. A refusal to do what is needed for the victims of disaster is simply putting politics above governance and is not something which should be acceptable for any politician.
Hurricane Sandy was a devastating hurricane, both due to the power of the storm and the location where it hit. Sandy was a large and powerful hurricane which struck the population-rich eastern coast of the United States. New York and New Jersey—two of the highest population-density states—suffered from extreme storm and flood damage that requires significant funding to repair. As state governments lack the revenue streams to fund these repairs, it is up to the federal government to act and get these people back on their feet.
The outrage at the House GOP’s lack of movement on any relief package to Sandy victims is not a matter of partisan posturing by Democrats—in addition to House Democrats, Peter King (R-NY) and Chris Christie (R-NJ) have been two of the most aggressive critics of this refusal.
In a statement on January 2nd Peter King said “”I’m saying right now, anyone from New York or New Jersey who contributes one penny to congressional Republicans is out of their minds.”
Chris Christie, in his usual blunt and aggressive manner, was even more critical of his party’s representatives in the House than Rep. King; Rep. Christie’s criticism of the House GOP was this: “Last night the House of Representatives failed that most basic test of public service, and they did so with callous indifference to the suffering of the people of my state.”
Disaster aid is not an issue that is appropriate for politicians to ignore or play politics with. Disasters happen everywhere—wildfires and tornadoes strike the south, hurricanes sweep up the eastern seaboard, and earthquakes damage the west coast—and our federal government should do everything it can to react to them as quickly as possible. Playing partisan games with disaster aid only serves to further victimize those harmed by natural disasters and compound the disruption in affected areas.
Come election time in 2014, I ask that everybody remember this gridlock and vote accordingly. When a disaster strikes where you live, can you risk your, and your family’s, well-being on the potential that the politicians that you sent to Washington would rather score political points then help you get back on your feet?BEIRUT (Reuters) - More than 40 people died in clashes across Syria on Thursday, opposition activists said, as a U.N. Security Council call for an immediate end to the fighting fell on deaf ears.
In the worst incident 10 civilians, including three children and two women, died when their small bus was shot up in the northern town of Sermeen as they tried to flee to Turkey, the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said.
The SOHR, which depends on a network of local contacts for its information, said it was not clear who was behind the killings. Other activists blamed the Syrian army, which has been trying to stamp out insurgents in the area.
Dozens of civilians were killed in other parts of the northern province of Idlib, in Homs, Hama and Deraa in the south of the country, it said. Five rebel gunmen and seven soldiers were killed in clashes in Homs province, it added.
U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said Wednesday’s unanimous Council statement had sent a clear message to Syria to end all violence, but Damascus appeared to dismiss the document, which is not legally binding.
At least 8,000 people have died in the year-long revolt against President Bashar al-Assad, according to U.N. figures issued a week ago, with a motley assortment of fighters grouped in the rebel Syrian Free Army taking on the security apparatus.
Syrian Foreign Ministry spokesman Jihad Makdesi said this week that 3,000 members of the security forces had died in the uprising, which Damascus blames on terrorist gangs.
Heavily armed government forces have made advances in recent weeks, sweeping armed opponents from strongholds around Syria, but they appear to be struggling to consolidate their gains.
Opposition sources said tanks had once again shelled a neighborhood in the northeastern city of Hama, which has been a centre of revolt. Opposition sources said at least 20 people had died in army attacks there in the last 48 hours.
It is impossible to verify reports from Syria because authorities have denied access to independent journalists.
AMBUSHES
Syrian troops also turned heavy guns on Sermeen.
“Syrian forces are still not able to get inside the town because of fighting, but they are shelling Sermeen and using heavy machineguns,” said SOHR head Rami Abdelrahman.
In addition, the SOHR reported heavy fighting in al-Qusair, a town close to the Lebanese border. Three residents died in the fighting and four soldiers were killed in an ambush.
Fighting also erupted in southern Deraa, he said, and Assad’s forces conducted raids in the eastern province of Deir al-Zor and coastal Latakia province to try to snuff out the rebellion.
The Security Council’s statement was supported by Russia and China, which had both vetoed previous Council resolutions, marking a rare moment of global unity over the crisis.
It backed a peace drive by U.N.-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan, calling for a ceasefire, political dialogue and full access for aid agencies. It also says the army should stop using heavy weapons in populated areas and pull troops back.
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said world powers needed to work together much harder to end the bloodshed, saying the Council statement was just “a common message”.
“We also need to work out a common action plan,” he told reporters during a visit to Vienna on Thursday.
The U.N. statement talks of the need for political transition in Syria but does not demand that Assad step down - something both the rebels and the Arab League have called for.
Syria’s official news agency appeared to shrug off the document, saying it contained “no warnings or signals”.
Diplomats say that without swift resolution, the conflict risks spilling over into neighboring countries and heightening already tense sectarian ties, with the uprising setting Assad’s minority Alawite sect against a Sunni Muslim majority.
Syrian army tanks are seen in Deir al-Zour city March 21, 2012. REUTERS/Handout
Underlining the dangers, several stray Syrian shells fell in the Lebanese border village of al-Qaa and nearby fields late on Wednesday, wounding one person, residents said. Gunfire could be heard in the border area again on Thursday.
MORE ABUSES
Human Rights Watch accused Syrian forces of using the same “brutal methods” in Qusair as it had during the siege of Homs.
“Having seen the devastation inflicted on Homs, the Russian government should stop arms sales to the Syrian government or risk becoming further implicated in human rights violations,” said Sarah Leah Whitson, the group’s Middle East director.
Russia has defended its long-standing military ties with Syria and has said it sees no reason to modify them.
The European Union is set to impose further sanctions on Assad’s inner circle on Friday, including his wife Asma, who described herself as “the real dictator” in an email published by Britain’s Guardian newspaper last week.
“Tomorrow we will decide on new sanctions, not only against the Assad regime but also against the people around him,” German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle told Deutschlandfunk radio.
Referring to Moscow’s support for the U.N. statement, he said: “Assad cannot depend on the protective hand of Russia in the violence against his own people and that could accelerate the process of erosion of the regime.”
Although Russia has stuck to its demand that Assad must not be deposed by foreign powers, it has taken a sterner line this week, accusing the Syrian leadership of mishandling the crisis.
Analysts say this shows Russia is hedging its bets about Assad’s fate and is positioning itself for his possible fall.
“Russia will not be focused on keeping Assad in power for the sake of keeping Assad in power,” said Dmitry Trenin, director of the Carnegie Moscow Centre think tank.
Envoy Kofi Annan plans to go to Russia soon for talks on Syria, his spokesman said in Geneva on Thursday, but declined to be more specific.
Slideshow (12 Images)
British Foreign Secretary William Hague said international pressure on Syria would rise until there was a ceasefire.
“As long as this killing goes on we have to increase the pressure as well as consider what steps to take in the U.N. Security Council,” he told a news conference in Rome.
Hague welcomed Chinese and Russian support for the U.N. statement, but added: “This does not mean it is immediately possible to agree on a Security Council resolution.”Everything Bill Clinton said Thursday to defend his 1996 welfare reform law was false.
Clinton claimed that he left the program with plenty of money for poor people, suggested that it helped reduce black poverty and that it was only the mean, nasty Republicans from the George W. Bush era who gutted it and hurt the poor. Clinton's distortions of economic history and his own record are so outrageous that -- you will be shocked -- it is difficult to believe he was being honest.
Here's what he told protesters at a campaign rally for Hillary Clinton in Philadelphia:
"They say the welfare reform bill increased poverty. Then why did we have the largest drop in African American poverty in history when I was president? The largest in history. What happened was, all these Republicans got into -- the Supreme Court elected President Bush 5 to 4, then all these Republicans took over state legislatures. We left 'em with enough money to take care of all the poor people who couldn't go to work on welfare. We left 'em with the money they had before the welfare rolls went down 60 percent. The Republicans took it away, and [these protesters are] blaming me."
This is not true. Poverty dropped during the Clinton years not because of welfare reform, but because the entire American economy was being juiced by a massive stock market bubble. No credible economist even disputes this. The Clinton bubble was fueled by the aggressive financial deregulatory policies of Clinton and his Federal Reserve chairman, Alan Greenspan. When the stock market bubble burst, millions of people who previously would have received welfare fell into poverty.
Welfare reform was an intentional effort to curb financial assistance to poor people, on the grounds that many were simply too lazy to get a job. Clinton turned over a federal program to states, which were effectively allowed to slash welfare funding and impose new work requirements on people who received assistance. Even Republican co-architects of welfare reform concede that the program ended up hurting the poor.
"In a recession, it doesn’t work," former GOP staffer Ron Haskins told The Huffington Post in 2012 about the welfare reform bill, which he helped shape. "Even in 2001, which was a relatively mild recession, we saw a lot of these single mothers leaving the workforce because they just couldn’t find a job and being forced off the welfare rolls."
Let's be clear about the timeline here. The economy went into recession in March 2001, two months after Clinton left office. This was not because George W. Bush had just moved into the White House. It was because Clinton had left the country with a fundamentally unstable economy and a social safety net that had been weakened by his own bill.
This wasn't an accident or an unintended consequence. The whole point of welfare reform was to kick people off the welfare rolls. Clinton had campaigned on it in 1992. "When I ran for president four years ago, I pledged to end welfare as we know it," he said on the day the bill passed. "I have worked for four years to do just that."
In 1996, the year Clinton signed the law, the poverty rate was 13.7 percent. At the close of 2014 -- the most recent available annual census data -- it was 14.8 percent. But welfare rolls have declined roughly 70 percent, from a peak of 14.2 million in 1994 to 4.2 million today.
Maybe that's because 70 percent of the people on welfare were all lazy moochers. Republicans who continue to applaud Clinton's actions suggest just that. But even Clinton himself didn't make that (ridiculous) argument on Thursday. He instead insisted that the GOP was to blame for unnecessarily cutting off aid to needy people, not he.
That's an astonishing claim for a bill that -- again -- was literally designed to kick people off welfare rolls. Clinton turned over the federal government's budgeting authority for welfare to the states and now has the audacity to argue that he couldn't have expected them to slash funding. What, then, was the purpose of handing them budgetary power?
Clinton's signing-day rhetoric about "dependency" and "responsibility" is eerily similar to Paul Ryan's 2012 poverty-shaming language about the social safety net becoming "a hammock." People who receive government assistance are lazy, the argument goes. It has nothing to do with a society that systematically denies them economic opportunities and financial security. At least Paul Ryan has apologized.
But hey, it was the '90s, right? Everyone was doing it? Nope! Poverty advocates had pleaded with Clinton, urging him to veto the bill. Peter Edelman, an assistant secretary at the Department of Health and Human Services, even resigned in protest. His 1997 essay for The Atlantic titled "The Worst Thing Bill Clinton Has Done" is a classic.
Clinton is fabricating political history for a reason. His wife, then-first lady Hillary Clinton, was an aggressive champion of his welfare reform agenda. She is now running for president at a time when the Democratic Party is undergoing a mass re-evaluation of his presidency. Many of those voters are concluding that Bill Clinton's time in office was an eight-year disaster for progressive ideas. And they want to know whether Hillary Clinton still backs the policies that she and Bill Clinton advanced during the 1990s.
When she sends Bill out on the campaign trail and he blatantly misleads his audience to defend his record, it's hard to conclude that Hillary Clinton doesn't still believe in that agenda.Chirping electrons: Cyclotron radiation from single electrons measured directly for first time
Method has potential to measure neutrino mass and look beyond the Standard Model of the universe
News Release
April 28, 2015
RICHLAND, Wash. — A year before Albert Einstein came up with the special theory of relativity, or E=mc2, physicists predicted the existence of something else: cyclotron radiation. Scientists predicted this radiation to be given off by electrons whirling around in a circle while trapped in a magnetic field. Over the last century, scientists have observed this radiation from large ensembles of electrons but never from individual ones.
Until now.
A group of almost 30 scientists and engineers from six research institutions reported the direct detection of cyclotron radiation from individual electrons April 20 in Physical Review Letters. They used a specially developed spectroscopic method that allowed them to measure the energy of electrons, one single electron at a time.
Besides the excitement of actually detecting this radiation from a single fundamental charged particle — the electron — the method provides a new way to potentially measure the mass of the neutrino, a subatomic particle that weighs at most two-billionths of a proton.
"One of the biggest problems in physics today is the unknown mass of the neutrino," said physicist Brent VanDevender, lead scientist from the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. "The universe is full of neutrinos. There are so many of them that it matters how much they weigh. Even at two-billionths of a proton mass they would outweigh all of the other normal matter in the universe like stars, planets and dust, and affect the formation of large-scale structures like galaxy clusters."
Within the atom
Physicists are trying to understand some of the smallest parts of the universe. Typical atoms — which make up all matter — contain a nucleus surrounded by a cloud of electrons. The nucleus holds positively charged particles called protons and inert particles called neutrons, which give the atom heft. Electrons are negatively charged and zip around the nucleus.
These particles might appear unrelated, but the inert neutrons sometimes turn into protons in what is called beta decay. The proton stays behind while an electron and a neutral bit called a neutrino zip away into the universe.
Because they are so small and carry no charge, neutrinos are hard to measure. Currently, scientists have determined the heaviest a neutrino can be. Comparing the mass of a neutrino to a neutron would be like comparing a toddler to the Great Pyramid of Giza.
There are several efforts currently under way to detect and measure the neutrino mass directly, such as the KATRIN nuclear physics experiment in Germany. These efforts are huge, enlisting hundreds of researchers and building analytical instruments the size of a large house. Even so, there's a chance that the neutrino will be too small to be detected by such experiments.
About five years ago, two of the co-authors on this study proposed that perhaps instead of detecting neutrinos, or even electrons directly, they could come at the problem sideways by measuring electrons' cyclotron radiation, which can reveal an electron's energy.
If they measure, with enough precision, electrons emitted when a hydrogen carrying two extra neutrons — a tritium atom — beta decays to helium-3, they could infer the mass of a neutrino by adding up the energies of the helium-3 and an electron, and comparing that to a tritium atom. If they don't add up to a whole tritium atom, the difference must be the neutrino mass.
Measuring mass with energy? Yes, thanks to Einstein and special relativity. Because mass and energy are related, the team can measure the energy of electrons and get at mass that way. Gathering a few dozen collaborators into Project 8, the team developed a new method called Cyclotron Radiation Emission Spectroscopy to do so, and demonstrated it in this study.
CRES to impress
The instrument the team developed stands about as tall as a few wine barrels stacked on top of each other, much smaller than a house. To maximize their odds of success, they started with the best possible conditions. They chose an atom that would give them clean and easy to read spectroscopic information. That atom, a form of krypton called metastable krypton-83 (or 83mKr), would decay and give them lots of electrons that they could capture in their magnetic field.
As they trapped single electrons in the field, they measured how fast they zipped around in a circle, which led them to the electron energy. The energy they measured for the krypton electrons came in at the expected 30.4 kilo-electron-volts. Their precision was within 0.05 percent of the target — not tight enough to infer neutrinos, but a very good start.
"Neutrino mass is tiny so the spectroscopy has to be exquisite. We have to do about 10 times better in the end," said VanDevender.
They didn't expect enough precision to measure the neutrino in this prototype experiment, he said, so the most exciting result for now was detecting cyclotron radiation.
"Nobody ever really doubted its existence, but it is still cool to be the first to observe a basic phenomenon of nature. This is a prediction that has been hanging out there since 1904 and it took 110 years for somebody to confirm at the level of individual fundamental particles," said VanDevender.
Beta test
VanDevender predicted it will take another decade to get a measurement for the neutrino mass, and it's possible KATRIN might weigh it first. The next step is to repeat the krypton experiments they did with tritium.
Once they've mastered that, they will have to figure out how to scale up to accommodate more tritium in much larger volumes to get the information they need to determine the neutrino mass.
In addition to PNNL, researchers at the following institutions contributed to this study: National Radio Astronomy Observatory, Charlottesville, VA, University of California, Santa Barbara, University of Washington, Seattle, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, and Institut for Kernphysik, Karlsruher Institut for Technologie, Karlsruhe, Germany.
This work was supported by the Department of Energy Office of Science, University of Washington Royalty Research Foundation, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Wade Fellowship, the National Science Foundation and PNNL.
Reference: D. M. Asner, R. F. Bradley, L. de Viveiros, P. J. Doe, J. L. Fernandes, M. Fertl, E. C. Finn, J. A. Formaggio, D. Furse, A. M. Jones, J. N. Kofron, B. H. LaRoque, M. Leber, E. L. McBride, M. L. Miller, P. Mohanmurthy, B. Monreal, N. S. Oblath, R. G. H. Robertson, L. J Rosenberg, G. Rybka, D. Rysewyk, M. G. Sternberg, J. R. Tedeschi, T. Thummler, B. A. VanDevender, and N. L. Woods. Single electron detection and spectroscopy via relativistic cyclotron radiation, Phys. Rev. Letters, April 20, 2015, DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.114.162501.
Tags: Fundamental Science, National Security, Radiation Detection, PhysicsU.S. Trade Representative Robert E. Lighthizer speaks with senior adviser Jared Kushner last week at the White House. Lighthizer has taken a lead role in negotiations about the North American Free Trade Agreement. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)
President Trump has tried to bring his abrasive dealmaking style to the North American Free Trade Agreement negotiations, but the fourth round of talks ended Tuesday without any sign that Canada and Mexico were planning to knuckle under to U.S. demands.
Ministers from both nations said that the U.S. proposals unveiled over the past week went well beyond their countries' own red lines, though they agreed to remain at the negotiating table and extend talks through the end of March 2018.
In a reflection of Trump's stance, U.S. Trade Representative Robert E. Lighthizer exchanged sharp words with his Canadian and Mexican counterparts at a briefing Tuesday afternoon, saying he was "disappointed" that they were "reluctant to give up unfair advantages." He asserted that "trade deficits do matter and we intend to reduce them."
The negotiators' rhetoric comes as the White House appears to be leaning toward its more strident voices on trade.
While Lighthizer has taken the lead, Peter Navarro, a top White House trade adviser who lost his senior perch within the administration, remains influential. Last month, he circulated two documents that he created, stating without any supporting facts or data that a weakened manufacturing base could lead to a host of socioeconomic problems, including "higher abortion rate" and "increased spousal abuse."
[How a group of Florida tomato growers could help derail NAFTA]
During the past week of negotiations, Lighthizer has introduced several particularly controversial proposals. They included a sunset clause that would require the renewal of the agreement every five years; rules of origin that would tighten U.S. requirements for domestic content, especially for automobiles, to qualify for zero-tariff treatment; and an end to the transnational courts that settle international business disputes.
He also laid out limits on U.S. procurement from companies in Canada and Mexico while demanding greater access for U.S. companies seeking to sell goods and services to those governments. Canada's foreign affairs minister, Chrystia Freeland, said that the proposal left Canada and Mexico combined with less access to the U.S. procurement process than Bahrain.
Although NAFTA was designed 23 years ago to encourage investment and the freer flow of goods between the three countries, "continuing to design a national manufacturing policy largely dependent on exports to the United States for balance cannot long continue," Lighthizer said. He added that "it is unreasonable to expect that the United States will continue to encourage and guarantee U.S. companies to invest in Mexico and Canada primarily for export to the United States."
"We have seen no indication that our partners are willing to make any changes that will result in a rebalancing and a reduction in these huge trade deficits," Lighthizer said. "Now I understand that, after many years of one-sided benefits, their companies have become reliant on special preferences and not just comparative advantage."
Freeland said that an agreement "cannot be achieved with a winner-take-all mind-set." She said that what negotiators had seen over the past few days was "a series of unconventional proposals" that "make our work much more challenging."
Freeland countered that U.S. proposals to increase U.S. national content in goods given favored treatment within NAFTA "would severely disrupt supply chains" and "put in jeopardy tens of thousands of jobs."
She said that U.S. proposals "would turn back the clock on openness and predictability" and "in some cases run counter to World Trade Organization rules."
Freeland said that Canada does not consider bilateral trade balances to be the most important indicators in trade talks, but she noted that the United States has only a slight, $8 billion trade surplus in goods and services with Canada and that, in manufactured goods alone, the United States has a $36 billion surplus with Canada.
Though Trump has called NAFTA the "worst agreement ever," he has heard from a cacophony of voices within the White House on how he should proceed on his trade threats.
White House National |
the semantic space of reported emotional experience. Using statistical methods to determine the dimensionality of reported categories of experience, we obtain evidence for up to 27 varieties of experience from the categories of emotion reliably reported in response to over 2,000 emotionally evocative short videos. Our finding that 27 distinct varieties of reported experience are reliably associated with distinct situations converges with recent developments in the emotion signaling literature suggesting that upwards of 20 states have distinct nonverbal signals (56). The space of distinct reported emotional experiences in English involves a richer variety of states than considered earlier in the field (37). By no means do we mean to claim that this is the definitive taxonomy of emotional states, for which studies of other types of stimuli, other approaches to self-report, other modalities of emotional response, and other cultures will need to be incorporated. Nevertheless, the present investigation reveals the rich varieties of reliably reported emotional experience that may shape human behavior. Our next finding concerns how reported emotional experiences are distributed in relation to one another, another matter central to theoretical debate regarding the structure of emotion. Past theorists have suggested that the distribution of emotional states is shaped in one of two ways: either that emotional states occupy a limited number of distinct clusters or emotion families (16, 37⇓–39) or that they are more evenly distributed across more independent dimensions (82). Our approach, which interrogates the distribution of elicited emotional states within a dimensional space using an open-ended statistical framework, can identify both discrete clusters and continuous gradients. While our findings suggest that there may be constraints on which varieties of emotional experiences can be reported simultaneously in response to a single stimulus, most categories of emotion share continuous gradients with at least one other category. These correspond to smooth gradients in affective meaning, as one can see in Fig. 2A, where we observe gradients linking experiences of admiration, awe, and aesthetic appreciation; anxiety, fear, horror, and disgust; and a number of other emotion categories. These findings suggest a far more complex distribution of emotional states than the clustered or more uniform distributions hinted at in discrete and dimensional theories (16, 37⇓–39, 82). These findings also raise intriguing questions warranting further research. For example, the smooth gradients of affective meaning we document may account for how people transition from one experience to the next (e.g., from admiration to awe; see ref. 91), and for mixed emotional experiences (92, 93). Finally, our findings speak to the question of how people conceptualize their emotional experiences in semantic terms. When participants were asked to judge their emotional state by choosing from a list of 34 categories or by placing their experiences along 14 different dimensional scales of affective appraisal and motivation, the categorical judgments more powerfully explained variance in the affective dimension judgments than vice versa (Fig. 3). Categorical labels organize affective dimensions in a coherent and powerful fashion. It is important to recognize that the most current constructivist and appraisal theories seldom propose that specific dimensions offer an exhaustive description of reported emotional experience (94). Nevertheless, hundreds of studies of emotion-related behavioral, cognitive, physiological, and neural effects have focused on measurements of valence, arousal, and other specific affective dimensions (24⇓⇓⇓⇓⇓⇓⇓⇓⇓⇓⇓–36, 76, 77). The present findings suggest that reported emotional experience is more precisely conceptualized in terms of categories more often put forward by discrete emotion theories (16, 37⇓–39), although, contrary to discrete theories, we find that the boundaries between emotion categories are fuzzy rather than discrete in nature. Our findings dovetail with recent findings related to the neural representation of emotional experience. Most notably, Kragel and LaBar (95) decoded emotional experiences from concomitant fMRI of the human brain, documenting that distributed patterns of brain activity distinguish among discrete emotions. Specifically, experiences of amusement, anger, contentment, fear, sadness, and surprise could be discriminated with above-chance accuracy based on patterns of brain activation, even when classifiers were trained and tested on emotional states elicited by separate modalities of stimuli (film and music). In light of these findings, the results of the present investigation raise the intriguing possibility that distinct patterns of neural activation might distinguish among a much broader array of states than have been investigated so far, such as the many positive states we have documented here (e.g., aesthetic appreciation and awe) and may reflect continuous gradients rather than discrete categories. New fMRI modeling approaches could fruitfully be combined with the emotion elicitation and multidimensional reliability estimation techniques introduced here to determine the number of distinct varieties of emotion that are represented by distinct patterns of neural activity. The present findings regarding the structure of self-reported emotional experiences may also inform recent theoretical efforts to explicate how such experiences are generated. For example, in the higher-order theory of emotional consciousness recently put forward by LeDoux and Brown (15), it is posited that emotional experiences are introspective states defined by schematic representations of psychologically significant situations, and emotion terms are symbolic representations of these states. Cast within this theorizing, the reliability that we observed across participants in their reported emotional responses to particular situations—viewing short videos—emerges from commonalities in the symbolic structures participants relied upon to label their emotional reactions to the evocative stimuli. The higher-order theory of emotional consciousness also predicts that emotional states are represented in parts of the brain responsible for higher-order cognition (15), consistent with findings by Kragel and LaBar (96) that representations of subjective emotional experiences are found in high-level brain regions (e.g., orbitofrontal cortex). Our findings raise intriguing questions about how such brain regions might encode the dozens of distinct varieties of emotion that we have uncovered. It is worth noting important limitations of the present investigation. As in so many studies of emotional experience, the conclusions we might draw depend on the degree of correspondence between self-reports and subjective experiences. As noted earlier, some aspects of emotional experience may elude self-report, and there are other potential determinants of self-report besides emotional experience. On this latter point, we note that reported emotional experience may reflect a combination of three conceptually distinct phenomena: (i) emotional experience itself; (ii) cognitive and perceptual experiences that may not in their own right be considered emotional, but may nevertheless color how an emotional experience is labeled (18); or (iii) perception of affective quality, that is, the emotional experience that a situation could potentially cause or should cause according to cultural norms of emotional experience (18, 97). Future research will need to systematically examine such processes, to the extent possible, to further characterize the semantic space of emotional experience. It is also important to mention that we have focused on commonalities in the emotions people report experiencing in each situation; individuals also differ, often in striking fashion, in their reports of emotional responses to a given situation (98, 99). However, the results of an additional analysis we performed suggest that differences such as gender, age, social class, and personality factors explained at most a small proportion of the variance in reported emotional experience compared with commonalities across participants (Fig. S6). Nevertheless, it will be crucial for future studies to examine how such culture-related sources of variation in emotion self-report shape the structure of semantic spaces of emotional experience. Fig. S6. Individual differences in demographics and personality explain a relatively small proportion of the variance in reported categories of emotional experience. Demographic and personality information was collected from each rater in a separate survey submitted before each rating survey. The demographics and personality survey included self-reported years of age, gender, marital status, 11 levels of education ranging from “None” to “Doctorate,” fiscal and social conservatism (1-to-7 scales), religiousness (1-to-7 scale), the MacArthur Scale of Subjective Social Status, the Short Dark Triad of Personality, the Ten Item Personality Measure (TIPI), two questions on trait anxiety from the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, and two questions on subjective wellbeing from the Satisfaction with Life Scale. Using each of 19 composite items from this survey (e.g., the final measures of each of the Big Five personality traits from the TIPI), we performed a median split, assigning each individual response to the categorical judgment survey to one of two separate datasets. We then correlated the mean responses to each video across datasets, resulting in a “median-split correlation.” If the median-split correlation is low, then we can infer that people low vs. high in the splitting variable, for example extroversion, respond differently to the videos. Otherwise, we can infer that they responded similarly. To test whether the median-split correlation for each variable was significantly lower than would be expected by chance, we performed a separate permutation test for each splitting variable, randomly assigning equivalent numbers of raters of each video to one of two datasets. We repeated this permutation test 1,000 times for each variable. The resulting median-split correlations are displayed as black dots on the bar graph. For the most part, the split-half correlations are close to chance levels—the correlations obtained by splitting participants at random, plotted as the black dots—indicating that people of different genders, education levels, political views, and personalities responded very similarly to the videos. Interestingly, the only variable for which a median split explained a significant amount of variance in the categorical judgment was self-reported religiousness (FDR <0.01). However, even religiousness explained a relatively small proportion of the variance in the categorical judgments, with a median-split correlation only 5.5% lower than would be expected by chance (i.e., 5.5% of the variance explained by the videos presented). (The lower chance level of variance explained when religiousness was used as a splitting variable reflects the imbalance between the two resulting samples. A relatively small proportion of ratings, 31% overall, were submitted by raters who chose anything greater than the median of 1, or “Not at all religious.”) Granting these limitations and caveats, our results reveal how emotion concepts are reliably structured in their association with distinct situations. These findings have generative implications for studies that relate reported experience to behavior, physiology, and individual differences (14). With respect to neurophysiology, for example, hundreds of studies of the brain regions activated during reported emotional experiences have focused on valence and arousal or the six basic emotions (25, 26, 28, 29, 34, 35, 42, 44, 47⇓–49), leaving out the many other varieties of reported emotional experience that we find reliably occur in distinct situations and that could potentially be represented in distinct brain activity patterns. Questions about the structure of reported emotional experiences are foundational to the science of emotion. Answers to such questions bear upon the most central theoretical claims in the field. Our conceptualization of how emotional self-reports are situated within a semantic space and our geometric analytic techniques have yielded more nuanced, complex answers than is typical in the theorizing that has sparked such intense debate. Reported emotional experiences inhabit at least 27 dimensions associated with reliably distinct situations and are distributed along continuous gradients between particular emotion categories within this space. With analytic methods, and by studying the widest array of emotions and elicitors to date, we have uncovered an approximation of a geometric structure of reported emotional experience. It will be important to extend these methods and findings to studies of other emotion elicitors, such as music, daily activities, and social interactions. It will also be critical to ascertain geometric structures of reported emotional experience within other cultures and their languages, given that here we have only studied emotional experience reported by US participants using English emotion concepts (100). The methods developed here could be fruitfully applied to studies of emotion-related peripheral physiological response, central nervous system response, and nonverbal expression, once again to shift toward an understanding of how emotions are how emotional states are arranged within a geometric space.
Materials and Methods Emotion judgments of the videos were obtained using Amazon Mechanical Turk. A total of 853 English-speaking US participants took part in the study (403 females, mean age = 36 y). The experimental procedures were approved by the Institutional Review Board at the University of California, Berkeley. All participants gave their informed consent. See Supporting Information for details. The 2,185 videos and their mean ratings can be requested here: https://goo.gl/forms/XErJw9sBeyuOyp5Q2. Please exercise discretion in viewing the videos, many of which contain highly graphic violence, nudity, and/or sexual content. Videos with highly graphic content are blurred in the chromatic map linked elsewhere in the paper (https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/emogifs/map.html). However, an uncensored chromatic map is also available to readers of age 18+ by replacing the word “map” with the word “uncensored” in the previous URL (although please exercise careful discretion in viewing the uncensored map, which, again, contains extremely graphic content). In both maps, floating over the number corresponding to each video for an extended period will reveal the video’s unique numeric tag, which, followed by “.mp4,” also serves as its filename within our database. Note that videos within the map can be clicked and dragged.
The Categorical, Free Response, and Affective Dimension Judgment Surveys Three separate surveys were used to obtain emotion judgments: one for the categorical judgments, one for the free response judgments, and one for the affective dimension judgments. The categorical judgment survey was used to obtain multiple-select judgments of the emotions elicited by each video. Each of the 2,185 videos was judged by 9 to 17 observers in terms of the 34 categories (listed in Table S1). Observers were required to select at least one category but could select as many as desired. The individual survey each observer provided data for 30 videos, ordered randomly, which played only when the corresponding section of the survey was hovered over with the mouse. Observers were allowed to complete as many of versions of the survey as desired, with different videos presented in each. Payment for each survey was 72 cents. The free response judgment survey was used to collect free response judgments of the emotions elicited by each video. A separate sample of observers, nine each for the different videos, rated each video with 600 free response terms (listed in Dataset S1). Observers responded to each video by typing into a blank box. As observers typed, a drop-down menu appeared displaying all emotion terms containing the currently typed substring. For example, typing the substring “lov-” caused the following terms to be displayed: love, “brotherly love,” “feeling loved,” “loving sympathy,” “maternal love,” “romantic love,” and “self-love.” Observers could select as many emotion terms as desired. The individual survey each observer provided data for contained 30 videos, ordered randomly, which played only when the corresponding section of the survey was hovered over with the mouse. Payment for each survey was 90 cents. The affective dimension judgment survey was used to obtain rating scale judgments of the emotions elicited by each video. A separate sample of observers, nine each for the different videos, rated each video along the 14 affective dimensions. The ratings were each obtained on a nine-point Likert scale with the number 5 anchored at neutral. See Table S2 for the questions corresponding to each affective dimension. For these ratings, because they were more numerous, observers provided data for 12 videos, ordered randomly. Payment for each survey was 80 cents.
SH-CCA Method The SH-CCA method is a means of determining the underlying dimensionality of a dataset in which a set of items is rated in terms of some number of characteristics, and there are repeated measures (in this study multiple raters) for each rating. In brief, SH-CCA is a generalization of split-half reliability analysis, in which the averages obtained from half of the ratings of each stimulus for a single item (e.g., awe) are correlated with the averages obtained from the other half of the ratings, across stimuli. In SH-CCA, the averages obtained from half of the ratings of all items simultaneously are compared using canonical correlation analysis to the averages obtained from other half of the ratings, yielding an estimate of the number of dimensions of reliable variance. Our implementation of SH-CCA involves the following steps. (i) Half of the ratings for each stimulus are randomly assigned to each of two sets. (ii) In a leave-one-out-cross-validation procedure, one stimulus is held out at a time and CCA is performed on the remainder of the stimuli between the averaged ratings from the two sets. The resulting pairs of canonical variate loadings are averaged across each pair (taking advantage of the prior knowledge that both sets came from the same underlying population), then multiplied by the ratings of the held-out stimulus minus the mean ratings from the left-in stimuli, resulting in loadings for each held-out stimulus on each canonical variate. (iii) Loadings on each canonical variate for held-out stimuli are concatenated for each set and correlated across the two sets, resulting in canonical correlation coefficients. Correlations are controlled for the loadings of stimuli in both sets on all previous canonical variates, to adjust for nonorthogonality of held-out variate loadings. P values for each canonical correlation are computed by transforming each correlation coefficient using Student’s t-distribution. (iv) Steps i to iii are repeated 20 times and the resulting 20 P values are averaged for each canonical correlation to obtain final P values. We use leave-one-out-cross-validation instead of a standard test statistic for the significance of each canonical correlation, such Bartlett’s chi-squared statistic, because this and other standard test statistics assume the data are approximately multivariate normally distributed. Our nonmutually exclusive, multiple-choice ratings may violate assumptions of approximate normality. We verified that our implementation of SH-CCA with leave-one-out-cross-validation can be applied successfully to multinomial ratings under varying conditions of underlying noise and systematic dimensionality using 2312 simulation studies (Fig. S2). For these simulations, we estimated the number of significant dimensions by stopping at the first canonical correlation for which P > 0.05. In practice this resulted in statistically conservative estimates. When applied to the 34-category judgments, SH-CCA yielded evidence for between 24 (P < 0.05) and 26 (P < 0.1) significant dimensions of variance. Given our simulation results, in which applying a significance level of 0.1 actually resulted in a familywise error rate (FWER) of 0.0035, we expect these estimates to be conservative. However, we show the results of extracting 24, 25, or 26 dimensions in Fig. S3.
Explainable Variance Calculation To calculate explainable variance, we note that the variance of a given rating across stimuli is equal to the explainable variance plus the unexplainable variance. The unexplainable variance can be estimated as the mean of the squared standard errors across stimuli. Hence, the proportion of explainable variance can be estimated by simply dividing the mean of the squared standard errors by the total variance and subtracting this quantity from 1.
Estimating Significance of Categorical Judgment Ratings and Categorical Dimension Loadings on Individual Videos To estimate the significance of the categorical judgment proportions and dimension loadings of each video we first constructed a null distribution of categorical judgments. To do so, we simulated random 34-category judgments of 20,000 videos from a multinomial distribution with probabilities for each category set to the actual proportion of times the category was selected for our 2,185 videos. Each rating could consist of multiple category selections, with the number of categories selected given by a separate multinomial distribution with probabilities set to the proportion of times each number of selections was made for our 2,185 videos (56% one category, 27% two categories, 11% three categories, 4% five categories, and 1% or less for the remainder). We multiplied the resulting judgment proportions by the categorical dimension coefficients to obtain a null distribution of loadings on each categorical dimension. Finally, we calculated the P value for each proportion/loading as the proportion of times that a greater proportion/loading for that category/dimension appeared within the null distribution. We controlled the FDR using the Benjamini–Hochberg procedure.
Acknowledgments This research was supported in part by a grant from the John Templeton Foundation.
Footnotes Author contributions: A.S.C. and D.K. designed research; A.S.C. and D.K. performed research; A.S.C. contributed new reagents/analytic tools; A.S.C. analyzed data; and A.S.C. and D.K. wrote the paper.
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
This article is a PNAS Direct Submission.
Data deposition: An interactive map related to this study is available at https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/emogifs/map.html.
This article contains supporting information online at www.pnas.org/lookup/suppl/doi:10.1073/pnas.1702247114/-/DCSupplemental.Drones, those remote-controlled flying machines, are expected to top many wish lists this holiday season.
Now those who open those gifts will most likely need to tell the federal government.
On Monday, the Federal Aviation Administration, scurrying to prepare for hundreds of thousands of more drones flying into the air, released a list of recommendations for how to better monitor recreational use of the machines. Under the proposal, most drone owners would have to register the machines with the federal government, which would place the information in a national database, the first such requirements.
The recommendations, from a task force created by the agency, would be the biggest step yet by the government to deal with the proliferation of recreational drones, which are usually used for harmless purposes but have also been tools for mischief and serious wrongdoing, and pose a risk to airborne jets.
The FAA is widely expected to approve the bulk of the recommendations in the next month, just in time for Christmas.
The government already has rules that limit the use of drones for commercial purposes, like delivering packages. But attention has turned to recreational use more recently, as drones, many of them the size of a laptop computer, have emerged as a must-have item for thousands of people. The Consumer Technology Association, a trade group, has estimated that 400,000 drones will be sold this holiday season in the United States.
"The FAA needs to meet growing political pressure that they do something before an incident that nobody wants to happen, happens," said Anne Swanson, a lawyer at Cooley, a law firm in Washington.
Though drones have existed for years, their popularity has soared of late with improvements in technology and greater interest in photography and filmmaking from the sky. The broader adoption has also raised new questions about privacy, safety and the nuisance of small machines buzzing overhead.
In the last two years, hundreds of complaints have been filed with the FAA on drones striking bystanders at sports stadiums or flying too close to aircraft. Last May, an amateur drone pilot was arrested after flying his machine close to the White House.
In addition to entering the machines into a national database, the task force said, drone owners should display a government-issued registration number on each machine. The group also recommended that owners submit their names and addresses, but said email addresses and phone numbers should be optional. The rules would apply to recreational drones weighing half a pound to 55 pounds.
The FAA would enforce registration rules and oversee the database. The task force recommended that the FAA carve out separate registration-related penalties for drones. Registration violations applying to any aircraft can now exceed $25,000. That amount was established to deter suspected drug traffickers and tax evaders but should not apply to users of small recreational drones, the groups said.
"The task force recommends the FAA expressly establish a reasonable and proportionate penalty schedule that is distinct from those relating to traditional manned aviation," the group said in its report.
The task force did not go as far with its recommendations as some aviation and security experts had hoped. The proposals say owners should not have to submit any information about their aircraft, for example. It also said there should...(Continued on next page)
not be a requirement for drone users to be citizens or permanent residents.
"The FAA is under tremendous pressure to do something because there is a lot of public concern around drones," said Loretta Alkalay, an aviation lawyer and professor at the Vaughn College of Aeronautics and Technology in Queens, New York. "But I don't think registration solves the main concerns."
She added, "We shouldn't really expect that the people with most nefarious intents would register in the database."
Those complaints highlighted how difficult it has been for regulators to create guidelines for the flying machines. There is passionate disagreement by hobbyists, drone makers, privacy and safety advocates and the aviation industry on how much oversight the government should have and what kinds of machines should be included.
The FAA task force was composed of 25 people, including representatives of drone makers, technology companies, an airline pilots association and government officials. The agency gave them a short time — four weeks — to come up with recommendations on a registration system. The FAA said it would take the recommendations into consideration and then write new rules.
Members of the task force stressed Monday that many compromises were made. The task force wrote in its report that the goal of the registration process was to "ensure accountability by creating a traceable link between aircraft and owner, and to encourage the maximum levels of regulatory compliance by making the registration process as simple as possible."
"We tried to write it in as generic a flavor as possible," Dave Vos, a member of the task force and the head of a drone project at Google X, a business that works on future technologies, said in a conference call.
With the "consensus we reached, everyone is quite happy here," he said.
But privacy groups say simply registering names and addresses will not curb the ability of the machines to snoop on people from above.
The Electronic Privacy Information Center, an advocacy group, has pushed for the FAA to require that drones broadcast registration information and that authorities be notified about the surveillance capabilities of their machines. The task force did not address whether the agency should make that sort of rule.
But drone makers and groups representing drone pilots criticized the proposal as going too far. Under the recommendations, they said, the minimum weight for machines that need to be registered, 0.55 pound, is so light it would include toy drones that are not a risk.
"Unfortunately the task force recommendations may ultimately prove untenable by requiring the registration of smaller devices that are essentially toys and do not represent safety concerns," said Dave Mathewson, executive director of the Academy of Model Aeronautics, whose 180,000 members include drone pilots.
The task force said the FAA should keep the registration data private and available only for law enforcement. The group also recommended that the FAA write its registration rules so that the personal information of consumers could not be made public through Freedom of Information Act requests.
Despite many outstanding questions on how the registration process will work, some experts say the real objective is to nudge the public to behave.In an article published in the Russian newspaper Izvestia on Tuesday, Russian Senator Konstantin Kosachev wrote that the Western mass media distorts information about the intentions of countries as the main weapon in their information war.
According to Kosachev, the main objective behind this distortion is the creation of a myth that portrays certain countries as dangerous aggressors. “Thanks to all these Orwellian statements we are now living in some sort of an inside-out reality,” the Russian senator wrote, according to an English translation of the Russian-language report in RT.
Though Kosachev was talking specifically about how the Western mass media distorts Russia’s intentions, his comments apply to all key potential U.S. rivals, including, and perhaps especially, China, which is often cast as a rising power with malign intentions and commonly singled out as the biggest threat to U.S. hegemony.
His comments also come at a time of profound time change in discourse, as media from all corners of the world battle to gain the dominant position in a fast-changing global media landscape.
On July 4, Lu Xinning, deputy editor-in-chief of the People’s Daily, urged the Chinese and Russian media to work together to break the dominance of Western discourse in a speech at the third China-Russia Media Forum in Moscow, Russia.
Lu said China and Russia should work together to seize the opportunity of this new media era. “As two big powers, strategic collaboration between our two countries is related to global stability. This same logic applies to discourse, which can have a global impact,” Lu said.
Lu noted that in recent years, the Western discourse against China and Russia has been strong and the West is trying to force its Hobbes’s “war of all against all” view on China and Russia, creating a distorted view of the two world powers.
The Chinese and Russian media cannot let others interpret the international order and international rules on their behalf, and should take the initiative in this fierce international competition over discourse, Lu added. “This new media era has redefined the way in which information is disseminated and acquired, creating a rare opportunity for developing countries and emerging market countries to win the right to speak.”
But Lu’s call to action will be far from simple, as one reader pointed out. “No doubt [this effort] will be portrayed in the Western Privileged Press as a vast communist conspiracy against ‘freedom,’ ‘rule of law,’ and of course ‘democracy’ through the spreading of evil propaganda,’ the user wrote on People’s Daily Online. Then added: “[But] I certainly hope this effort helps to refute the false narrative of the 'Empire of the Exceptionals.'”
The Russian senator in his comments also talked about countering a false narrative: “The demagogy about attacks on values and freedoms should be countered with the truth about the geopolitical motives of Western nations’ actions,” Kosachev wrote.
The practice of demonizing other countries in the Western mass media plays a key role in keeping the myth of exceptionalism alive and well, but comes at the cost of other countries’ image and progress. In the U.S., for example, elite policymakers and the mainstream media passionately believe in “American exceptionalism.” They are convinced that the U.S. is a “shining city upon a hill,” morally superior to every other country on earth, and this thinking is reflected in their powerful and influential discourse.
But the tide may be turning. On Tuesday, visiting Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin witnessed the signing ceremony of a media cooperation agreement in Moscow. The agreement, signed between People’s Daily President Yang Zhenwu and Sergey Mikhaylov, director general of Russia’s TASS news agency, will allow both sides to form a comprehensive strategic partnership under the principles of equality and mutual trust. Eighteen other agreements were also signed at the China-Russia media forum in Moscow on July 4.With the Gaming market seeing an uprise in implementing HDR, TV manufacturers have bumped up their displays to support these technologies and provide customers with the best TVs they can offer.
Both Sony and Microsoft have implemented HDR on their recently released consoles, the Xbox One S from Microsoft, and the complete PlayStation 4 lineup support HDR. However, it seems like gamers are experiencing among the most frustrating issues they could have during gaming, and that’s input lag.
Input lag plays a key role and is often very important aspect of gaming. Basically, input lag is simply the delay between the user’s input and how long the display displays that action. LG’s 2016 OLED TVs are said to have HDR input lag according the gamers who have started the petition. Modern TVs usually have an input lag of around 30-50ms depending on the model of the TV, but over 70ms is simple unacceptable for many, especially FPS gamers. While Modern TVs also game with a “Game” mode built-in, LG’s implementation of their Game mode simply doesn’t support HDR which just defeats the purpose of these new consoles.
For this to be presented to LG, the petition requires only 75 more signups to reach the 1000 goal at the moment. To sign up for the petition, here’s their petition at Change.Org.
Till then, lets see how LG takes this into their consideration. Other users can comment how they feel about their TVs below.Suffern 'America's Got Talent' Winner Grace VanderWaal Hits the Studio
The chops that landed her first place are being put to the test for Simon Cowell and Columbia Records
By Jonathan Ortiz
PHOTO: TRAE PATTON/NBC
The sound that landed 12-year-old ukulele-wielding phenom Grace VanderWaal the winning title on season 11 of America’s Got Talent (plus a key to Rockland County and perhaps all our hearts) is being put to good use, as she's officially in the studio recording her debut album.
After her much anticipated win, the Suffern singer/songwriter signed to Syco Music, Simon Cowell’s joint venture with Sony Music and Columbia Records, perhaps prompting her bliss-abounding tweet, “I am sooooooo excited about what this is sounding like @SimonCowell can't wait for you to hear it."
This face says it's all @GraceVanderWaal.. so excited to be a part of your first studio sessions pic.twitter.com/HyXrloQkz6 — Autumn Rowe (@AutumnRoweMusic) October 10, 2016
While the rise to stardom has been sudden, she doesn’t seem to be letting it get in the way of her work. Or at least if VanderWaal's Grammy-nominated producer Greg Wells, whose resume also boasts credits for Katy Perry, Adele, and Deftones, has anything to say about it. In a tweet, he expressed surprise at her ease in the studio environment, and is confident that, “She’s got it.”
If you happen to be in or around Las Vegas later this month, you can catch this elusive “it” at one of her four upcoming Planet Hollywood performances. Or just get lost in her lofty vocals via YouTube.DJ Official, who has worked closely with Reach Records and The Cross Movement, is asking for prayer while waiting to find out if he is a candidate for a lung transplant at Cleveland Clinic. He will get an update in the next two weeks and sent out a call for prayer recently.
The DJ/producer--whose real name is Nelson Chu--said he’s scared at what the future holds, but notes that he knows who holds his future, and that ultimately he “couldn’t be any safer”... he just wants a longer life for the sake of his family.
Chu has been in the midst of health struggles since 2010, when a terrible bout with the flu revealed a rare form of bone marrow cancer that was attacking his kidneys, as well as the emphysema that has led to the need for this lung transplant.
Be praying for Nelson Chu and his family and friends as they continue to fight these battles plaguing his body.In an interview with Newsmax this week, Rep. Steve Stockman (R-Texas) lamented what he saw as a lack of progress on an investigation into the 2012 attack in Benghazi, Libya, claiming that Washington politicians had "spent more time on Trayvon Martin" than on investigating foreign policy concerns stemming from the incident.
After making a number of allegations against Democrats and President Barack Obama, including that the administration was "stonewalling" and that certain lawmakers were trying to "trivialize" the so-called scandal, Stockman explained his frustration.
"We spent more time on Trayvon Martin than we did on foreign policy which could jeopardize other lives," he said. "It's a tragedy in this nation that we somehow lose focus on things and drop the ball. This is a really serious case and we see the administration, consulate and the Democrats in joining together in stopping the investigation."
Martin was the Florida teen killed in 2012 during an altercation with George Zimmerman, who last month was acquitted on all charges stemming from the incident. The high-profile case drew nationwide attention, and lawmakers, including Obama himself, have weighed in on its implications.
Stockman went on to note that the Benghazi attack left four Americans dead, including U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens, charging that Democrats seemed disinterested in getting to the bottom of the issue.
Republicans have been pushing nearly nonstop for more urgent action on an investigation into Benghazi. During his interview with Newsmax, Stockman explained that he and other Republicans were working toward issuing a "discharge petition" to force House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) to appoint a special prosecutor for the case. He urged listeners to get involved in the issue, or else risk having "Hillary [Clinton] and her cohorts" bury the whole thing.Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Kong Linghui of China (in a 2005 picture) is considered one of table tennis' all-time greats
One of China's best-known table tennis players is being sued by a Singapore casino over alleged gambling debts.
Former world champion Kong Linghui owes Marina Bay Sands 454,375 Singapore dollars ($327,600; £255,600), according to a Hong Kong court filing.
Mr Kong, nicknamed China's 'Ping Pong Prince', said the debt was accrued by someone else and that he was being "dragged into a lawsuit".
The casino resort declined to comment to the BBC.
The 41-year-old sportsman has now been suspended from his current role as head coach of China's women's table tennis team.
'Deeply disturbed'
Mr Kong said he visited Singapore for four days in February 2015, accompanied by his parents, relatives and friends.
"It is only until today after media reports have exposed the incident that I have learned someone had left some debt unsettled with the casino," he said in a statement on Weibo.
"I am being dragged into the lawsuit. I have immediately requested the indebted to show up and clarify the facts."
"As we are in the middle of the World Table Tennis Championships, this incident has caused negative effect on the [national] team, which I feel deeply disturbed".
The court filing claims Mr Kong borrowed S$1m from the casino and put down a deposit to establish him as a "premium player" but has only repaid S$545,625.
Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Marina Bay Sands is one of Singapore's landmark buildings.
Mr Kong was drafted into China's national table tennis team aged 16 and went on to become one of the sport's all-time greats.
He won a gold medal in the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, and took a gold and silver four years later in Sydney.
And in 2000 he became only the third player to win the World Championships, World Cup and Olympics in the same year.
Mr Kong retired in 2006 and was made the head coach of China's women's national team in 2013.PITTSBURGH (AP) Cincinnati Reds fan Charles Trimble may consider switching his allegiance to Pittsburgh's team after bystanders at a Pirates game helped save his life.
The 60-year-old Trimble suffered cardiac arrest during a Pirates-Reds game at PNC Park in Pittsburgh on Aug. 23.
After he slumped over in his seat, a doctor sitting nearby began CPR. Stadium staff grabbed a portable defibrillator, and a nurse and emergency medical technician in the crowd also helped out.
Trimble, who lives in the northwestern Pennsylvania town of Corry, was still recovering in a Pittsburgh hospital Tuesday. He was in good |
't enough. She hasn't yet earned the right to be Who She Actually Is on the cover of, because Who She Actually Is isn't good enough if she's got WRINKLED HANDS at age 46.I have wrinkled hands not terribly unlike SJP's.would evidently like me to be ashamed of them. Fuck that. I love my hands, and I love Sarah Jessica Parker's hands, too.The real ones.------------------------By way of reminder: Comments that try to suss out what changes, exactly, were made, and even comments noting that, for example, the removal of laugh lines because they are ZOMG wrinkles actually robs a face of its character or humanity, are welcome. Discussions of how "she looks prettier/hotter/better in the candid picture" and associated commentary (which would certainly make me feel like shit if I were the person being discussed) are not. So please comment in keeping with the series' intent, implicit in which is the question:Fretting over which colour dress to buy could be a problem of the past with this hi-tech frock.
Billed as a fashion game changer the dress, designed by Showpo, appears to be able to change its hue at the touch of a button.
In a mesmerising new video Showpo CEO Jane Lu exhibited the garment, which changed from blue to pink to purple in a matter of seconds.
Amazing: The model can barely contain her excitement when the dress she is wearing changes colour
'I've got something really, really exciting to show that I've been working on for a while now,' Ms Lue began the video.
'This is going to be next level.'
The 28-year-old proceeds to walk into a modelling shoot where, to the amazement of all watching, she commands that the light blue dress change its colour to pink.
Game changer: Showpo have billed the hi-tech dress as a game changer in the field of fashion
Too good to be true? The capabilities of the dress appear so amazing many are questioning whether it is too good to be true
The video has proven so amazing that many have questioned whether it is legitimate.
'I'm sorry but that looks really fake,' a YouTube user commented.
'Impossible. Simply impossible,' another added.
But Showpo recently told Finder.com.au the dress had been born through the brand's fascination with technology and innovation.
'Jane [Lu] has always wanted to be innovative and ahead of the game when it comes to technology,' a spokeswoman said.
'She doesn't compete in the market, she dominates.'
Ms Lu started her professional life in corporate finance - first securing an elusive graduate position with KPMG before moving to accounting firm Ernst & Young.
After spending some time pondering her future life as a corporate go-getter, she decided to channel her energy into fashion instead.
Now her online shopping venture ShowPo.com reportedly turns over $10 million a year.Amazon recently rolled out a feature that lets you ask Alexa for music based on what you’re doing. Amazon even announced that it would be able to “play music for baby-making.” Okay, Amazon. Sure. But what else have you got? I decided to see what other activities I could get Alexa to play music for.
RELATED: How to Play Music On Your Amazon Echo Based On Your Activities
Alexa can already handle a lot of voice commands for playing music. She can find music by artist name, song title, playlist title, Pandora-style “stations,” and now curated playlists designed for certain activities. The whole point of all of these commands is so that you don’t have to learn the right syntax or tech-y commands. You just ask Alexa for some music and it gives you the kind of music you want.
With this in mind, I set about testing some activities to see if Alexa could find something appropriate. In some cases, Alexa returned a playlist specifically designed for what I wanted to do, other times it would try to take an educated guess at what kind of music I wanted and play a station that seemed close. I counted it as a success if I got music that would totally get me in the mood for whatever I said I wanted to do, whether or not Amazon specifically meant to support that activity. With that in mind, let’s take a walk through my now-tainted Alexa voice history.
“Alexa, Play Music For Baby-Making”
Why not give Amazon a freebie and start off with an activity the company explicitly confirmed works? I asked for music to make babies to, and Amazon responded “Here’s a playlist for baby making music: Hot, Sweaty Summer Nights.” Whoa. Pump the brakes a little, Amazon. You can’t just dive right in like that. You have to start slow, build up to it. At the very least, this gave me an example of how Amazon handles “supported activities.” Alexa confirmed this playlist was intentionally designed (presumably by a human) to accompany the physical act of love.
So, what’s the first song on this playlist? Sign of the Times by Harry Styles. Hrmm. I never claimed to be a leading expert on romance, but opening with a song that contains the lyric “You look pretty good down here, but you ain’t really good” isn’t exactly my idea of setting the mood. Still, if you don’t pay attention to the words, the music sounds pretty nice.
Did Alexa do what I wanted? Yes, but with a few asterisks. Officially, baby-making is a supported activity and I got a named playlist intentionally designed to accompany the act. Amazon’s employees and I might just have different taste in baby-making music.
“Alexa, Play Music For Dungeons & Dragons”
Alright, time to get a little more challenging. Dungeons & Dragons is always better with a little music in the background. I figured Alexa could give me a little help for my next campaign. I said “Alexa, play music for D&D.” She responded, “Here’s a station you might like: Shawn Mendes.” Okay, so two things: First, we’ve now learned that when Alexa doesn’t have a specific playlist for an activity, she’ll improvise with a radio station. Second, we’ve learned that Alexa would make a terrible DM.
Maybe it’s my fault, though. I tried a second time, spelling it out clearly. “Alexa, play music for Dungeons & Dragons.” This time we got something a little more appropriate. She started playing the Dungeons & Dragons official roleplaying soundtrack. Technically, that fits, but I worry she’s being overly literal instead of actually thinking about my request. Still, if I wanted to be picky about my campaign’s soundtrack, I should select my own songs instead of complaining about my ineffective robot assistant.
Did Alexa do what I wanted? While it’s not super creative, this is still technically a success. Until the throngs of Amazon engineers who undoubtedly also run D&D groups want to share their playlists with the rest of the world, I think this is the best we can hope for.
“Alexa, Play Music For Storming the Castle”
At the request of my colleague Justin, I asked Alexa if she could play music appropriate for storming the castle. She only did okay at giving me a soundtrack appropriate for pretending to storm a castle, so I didn’t expect much. However, Alexa helpfully informed me that I could unlock Storming the Castle with Amazon Music Unlimited. Which, you know, makes sense. It costs a lot to finance a war, and you don’t want to go storming a castle with nothing but a wheelbarrow, a cloak, and your wits, now do you?
Did Alexa do what I wanted? Not without shelling out an extra $7.99 a month on top of Amazon Prime. Frankly, I shouldn’t need to spend extra money to get music basic, everyday tasks.
“Alexa, Play Music For Practicing Kung Fu Moves”
I asked Alexa to “play music for practicing kung fu moves.” She told me to stop being such a nerd, but then she did start playing some music. First, she plays the Kung Fu Fighting cover by Cee Lo Green and Jack Black for the Kung Fu Panda movies. Alright, I’m a little impressed. However, as the playlist went on, it started playing some bad covers of songs like Beat It and Eye of the Tiger. Out of curiosity, I checked out the queue in the Alexa app.
What I found confused me. Alexa had started playing an album called Kung Fu by Kung Fu. The listing said most of those bad covers were made by a band named Panda. While Panda is a real band, they didn’t make any of these songs. The album also included several tracks of Kung Fu sound effects, but they were locked behind a Music Unlimited subscription. Weirdest of all, the album had multiple reviews recommending that I “SEE THIS BAND LIVE ASAP.” Man, you just haven’t lived until you’ve heard “Monkeys, Tigers, Birds, Lions (Fighting Sounds)” performed live on stage.
Did Alexa do what I wanted? I asked for kung fu music and I got a spammy, probably illegal album of bad covers and stolen tracks pumped full of Kung Fu Panda SEO. But that first song was pretty good. D+.
“Alexa, Play Music For Breaking Up”
Suspecting that my relationship might not last much longer if I keep asking Alexa to play music for ridiculous tasks while my girlfriend was in the room, I decided to get a head start and ask Alexa for breakup songs. She came back with a radio station—implying no one at Amazon made a breakup music playlist, which seems like a bit of an oversight—of 2000s pop music. The opening track was Hips Don’t Lie by Shakira. Not exactly what I expect when I think of sad break up music.
I tried asking a second time to see if I’d get a different result. She started playing Shawn Mendes. What do you think this is, Alexa? A D&D campaign?
Did Alexa do what I wanted? No. She kept trying to force me to listen to happy music instead of letting me be sad. Amazon should probably have Alexa watch Inside Out.
“Alexa, Play Music to Distract Myself From My Existential Dread”
If Alexa’s going to be a true personal assistant, she needs to handle uniquely human problems. Like lying awake at night, fending off the torrent of worries and fears about the nature of your existence in a cold, empty, and unconcerned universe. Hey Alexa, got any music to go with that?
Alexa misunderstood my request and said she was unable to find any Back Room Card Game songs by “my existential dredd.” Hold the friggin’ phone. Back room card games?! Is there a seedy black market where Yu-Gi-Oh players compete in illegal tournaments or something? And if so, Alexa, could you find me one? Also, I’m really disappointed that My Existential Dredd isn’t a real band. They would rock so hard.
Did Alexa do what I wanted? Well, she didn’t play any music, but I came away from her response with a whole lot of questions that don’t keep me awake at night, so I’ll call it a win.
“Alexa, Play Heavy Metal Music For Relaxing”
Amazon boasts that not only can Alexa find music for certain activities, but you can pick which subgenre you want, like “jazz music for hooking up.” So, let’s see just how creative she can get. I asked Alexa to play me some heavy metal music for relaxing. You know, in case your idea of relaxation involves less Mozart and more Mastodon.
To my surprise, Alexa delivered with zero qualifications. First up was Damage Inside by Machine Head. While distinctly metal, this track was soothing enough that I could see chilling to it in a recliner. Many of the songs she played seemed to be the one-to-two-minute tracks in between other songs on the album, but they all blended nicely together. They were legitimately chill while still distinctly metal.
Did Alexa do what I wanted? Yes. Amazingly, Alexa curated a station of metal music that was easy enough to take a nap to.
Honorable Mentions
In the course of my tests, I also tried a few more normal requests with mixed results:
Alexa was able to find music for both reading and writing. She chose some classical music for reading, but some electronic music for writing. This is probably the most intuitive Alexa got in my tests.
Asking Alexa to “play music for making dinner” yields no results, but “play music for cooking” did. I thought maybe she couldn’t handle such specificity, but when I asked her for “music for breakfast,” she was ready with the playlist “Ease into Morning: Acoustic.” So, apparently Alexa is more of a morning person.
I asked Alexa to “play music for gaming.” She started a station of Video Game Music which is pretty on the nose, but it made me realize that whatever game I’m playing has a soundtrack that’s already tailored to the game. Maybe I should just use that.
Overall, the new activity feature is neat, but it’s a little hit or miss. However, it’s just one arrow in Amazon’s quiver. If you need some background music that fits whatever you’re doing, Alexa can probably find something appropriate. Or she’ll play Shawn Mendes. Hope you like him.Ryan Tannehill once inspired irrational excitement. He arrived to the NFL more fully formed than expected as a rookie in 2012, yet was overshadowed by the rookie shooting stars of Robert Griffin III, Andrew Luck and Russell Wilson.
Four years into a flatline career, Tannehill now inspires apathy (and hilarious Miko Grimes tweets). He is paid like a franchise quarterback, yet dwells in a purgatory which NFL teams desperately try to avoid. Tannehill is too good to get rid of, clearly a superior option to stop-gap starters like Brian Hoyer who ride the quarterback carousel. But he still hasn't settled the question: Is he the guy?
When the Around The NFL Podcast searched for a new prime meridian of NFL quarterbacks to replace Andy Dalton and "The Dalton Scale," we strongly considered "The Tannescale."
This is the year for Tannehill to escape that purgatory. Like Dalton, he's set up for a big jump in year five. The surrounding talent is a huge reason why.
Tannehill's receivers are sneaky amazing: In Jarvis Landry and DeVante Parker, Tannehill has one of the best young, complementary duos in football. Landry is a master of all trades with insane hands and production. No player in NFL history has more catches in his first two seasons. Landry can line up anywhere in the formation, creating mismatches and making plays after the catch.
It's amazing how much better Tannehill's maligned deep ball looked when Parker was tracking it. Parker has the skill set of a true No. 1 receiver. He can go deep and come down with 50-50 passes. Just as important, Parker's ability to run routes appeared to improve throughout his rookie year. He gets defenders worried about his vertical ability then throttles down into zone coverage with his quick feet. Tannehill's accuracy can come and go. He's certainly not always pinpoint, and having receivers that can make tough catches will be a huge asset for him.
Miami also has depth behind the two talented young starters. Tight end Jordan Cameron, Kenny Stills and buzzy third-round pick Leonte Carroo make the entire group deep and dangerous.
The offensive line should be so much better: The Dolphins' offensive line went from embarrassing off the field during the Richie Incognito era to embarrassing on the field since. The Dolphins finished No. 31 in Pro Football Focus' final offensive line rankings in 2015, which is up a spot from their dead last finish in 2014.
The injuries to left Branden Albert and right tackle Ja'wuan James certainly played a big role. When center Mike Pouncey was out, the Dolphins line made the lousy Colts pass rush look like the '85 Bears.
The return to health for Albert and James should help matters. First-round pick Laremy Tunsil should slide off that mask and slide into the left guard spot between Pouncey and Albert. If the Dolphins have an injury at tackle this season, Tunsil is in place to take the spot. This is a good looking group on paper. More importantly, the failed schemes of Joe Philbin and his coaching hires are gone. Speaking of which...
Adam Gase has a history of helping quarterbacks: This is Tannehill's fourth coordinator in the last four seasons. Mike Sherman, Joe Philbin and Bill Lazor all struggled to make Tannehill consistent. Philbin reportedly never quite believed in him. Gase was hired in large part by selling himself as a quarterback whisperer that believed in Tannehill's talent.
Gase quickly goosed the statistics of Peyton Manning and Jay Cutler when he worked with them. All offseason, we've read how Tannehill is expected to have more freedom to make adjustments at the line of scrimmage. Tannehill has often been slow to make decisions in his career and hasn't always shown the ability to dissect a defense before the snap. Gase has said that he's probably put "too much this fast" on Tannehill's plate in the offseason to see how much Tannehill can handle. How quickly Tannehill can process this new offense and Gase's coaching will largely determine how much I regret writing this column. At least I know that...
Tannehill doesn't make many mistakes: Here is the list of players with a lower interception percentage than Tannehill over the last two seasons, with a minimum of 500 attempts:
1. Aaron Rodgers
2. Tom Brady
3. Alex Smith
4. Russell Wilson
5. Carson Palmer
Tannehill is not in the same class as the quarterbacks above, except Smith. But his ability to avoid mistakes is laudable. He's never come close to a collapse like Colin Kaepernick or RGIII, with 51 touchdowns and 24 interceptions over the last two seasons. While Tannehill's career has been frustrating, he's been a lot better than, say, Sam Bradford.
Tannehill has started every game in his career and his stats are league average or better the last two years. He has shown anticipation throwing the ball before his receivers break on routes, something Jay Cutler still never shows. After a disastrous September last season, Tannehill was mostly solid down the stretch. He shows veteran ability in going through his reads. Maybe that doesn't get Dolphins fans out of bed excited in the morning, but there remains real upside here.
Tannehill is very athletic and can throw well on the move running to either side. He was a wide receiver at Texas A&M and Gase figures to use his movement ability more than the Dolphins did a season ago.
This year's Dalton: This article is not an argument for Tannehill to suddenly develop into a top-five quarterback. But if Kirk Cousins can get paid $20 million for one season and Andy Dalton can look like an MVP candidate after four years of stasis, then Tannehill can break out too.
Like those two players, Tannehill is largely the product of his surroundings. He's going to rise and fall based on the situation around him. The situation in Miami should be greatly improved this season.Here in the UK we like to call our toll-free numbers a Freephone number because “Free” is a word we like to hear! Using a UK 0800 number to advertise your business will increase customer response rates and give your company a well-established and trusted reputation. For this purpose, the number range is suited to companies that want to encourage callers; in particular, small start-up businesses.
As for the customer dialling the 0800 number? Well usually any call made to a 0800/0808/0500 prefix from a landline is non-chargeable, however that doesn’t mean the same also applies to mobile phone users. Charges applied from UK mobile network providers can range between 9 and 24 pence per minute so “Freephone” isn’t always the case from a mobile network. As the majority of people are now equipped with a mobile handset they are often deterred from dialling 0800 numbers and usually try to find an alternative method of contact to avoid the higher charges.
This is potentially all about to change. The telecoms regulator “Ofcom” has started its consultation period to revise such charges. Markham Sivak who is leading the review has recognised that callers are “put-off” dialling 0800 numbers due to the confusion over call costs. He later added, “We have a complicated system. It is time to tidy it all up at once, not to make lots of little changes”
This is great news for all of us as their review goes on to discuss non-chargeable rates to Freephone across the grid, including from mobiles!
Under the new proposals released by Ofcom, charges will be clearly stated at the beginning of calls so that consumers know exactly what they are paying in advance and can therefore make the decision to accept the charges or not. For example, “This call will cost x pence per minute, plus your standard access charge.” We have an issue with this, as how will the customer know what their access charge is? Perhaps more detail is required here.
Our other issue with this is that under the currently announced changes 0800 numbers will only be free to call from a residential mobile phone (those on business contracts may not be included at this stage). This makes it even more complicated than the current system. What defines a residential mobile contract? Would a self-employed plumber be a business or residential contract? Come on Ofcom make it so simple that all customers can understand it – Make 0800 numbers free to call from all landlines and mobile phones.
City Numbers offer 0800 Numbers to UK Businesses. Check out the great rates and excellent features.State, local and federal officials gathered at Boston Medical Center Monday for the formal announcement of the largest private donation in the hospital's history: $25 million to help combat addiction.
The money, donated by billionaire investor and South Shore native John Grayken and his wife, Eilene, will be used to establish the Grayken Center for Addiction Medicine at the hospital.
"Addiction is happening to all of us," Kate Walsh, the hospital's president and CEO, said during a press conference Monday. "This is the most pressing public health issue of our time."
Walsh says the money is the largest gift in the U.S. in the last decade for addiction medicine, and it will be used to coordinate research, training and treatment. She says the center will be a hub of innovation in addiction treatment and a national model.
"Our goal is to be a leader in care and prevention strategies," Walsh said. "Our aim is to end this crisis."
The Graykens were introduced to the hospital by Susan Donahue, a former board member who co-chairs its capital campaign. The couple says they prefer to donate anonymously, but are going public with hopes of destigmatizing addiction and encouraging others to do the same.
"I have personal experience with this disease and I know what it does to people," Eilene Grayken said. "It can affect anybody. It's important to me that this becomes destigmatized so people can get the proper help they need."
Gov. Charlie Baker called the Grayken's gift a "beautiful opportunity for us to do fabulous work." And Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, who is in recovery from alcoholism, says the gift will help turn around the opioid addiction crisis in the region, and do research on treatment that may help stem the tide of opioid overdose deaths.
Latest estimates suggest 2,000 people died due to an opioid overdose in Massachusetts last year.
"This gift is going to raise awareness, bring hope and save lives," Mayor Walsh said. "This will help Boston and its world-class brain power be able to have more groundbreaking research."
Boston Medical Center is at the center of an area of Boston dubbed "Methadone Mile," but Mayor Walsh prefers to call it "Recovery Road." Walsh has taken several steps to address problems in the area — such as people openly using and selling drugs. The mayor says the $25 million gift will help that effort.
"It just so happens we have a lot of addicts using drugs and alcohol here, but it's really 'Recovery Road' because they're here for a reason," Mayor Walsh said Monday. "They're not here to get drugs, because they could get drugs anywhere in the city of Boston. But they're here because they're in and out of programs. This gift is going to turn 'Recovery Road' into 'Recovery Nation.' "
Among those at Monday's announcement was Sherri Harrison, a patient at Boston Medical Center who has been drug-free for eight years.
"Addiction is a disease — not a moral failing, not a character flaw," Harrison said. "It really touches me that people are beginning to understand this and there is so much more that can be done. I agree that BMC is the place to do it."
Boston Medical Center says it will begin looking for an executive director to lead the new center and coordinate the hospital's existing services, as well as add some of the research and training components.Our home's gadgets and appliances—from TVs, computers and coffee makers to clothes dryers—often suck up power even when we're not using them. These energy vampires take quite a bite of our utility bills. Now, we know just how much.
Smart meter data from 70,000 homes in northern California show that devices not being used—many in "sleep" or "standby" mode— consume electricity around the clock and account for nearly one fourth of a home’s power use. The biggest energy hogs include aquariums, pay TV set-top boxes, and hot water recirculation pumps.
The U.S. cost of all these idle loads—ranging from $165 to $440 per home—totals $19 billion annually and equals the output of 50 large power plants, says a study Thursday by the Natural Resources Defense Council or NRDC, an environmental group. Consumer electronics such as printers and gaming consoles account for half of this amount.
The cost isn’t just financial. The report, "Home Idle Load," says the electricity generated for these always-on devices represents a lot of carbon pollution that contributes to global warming but could be avoided.
The problem may be widening. While many devices are becoming more energy-efficient, there are simply more of them. Once purely mechanical devices, such as refrigerators, are going digital with electronic displays and controls. Increasingly, they’re also gaining Internet connectivity.
View Images The Xbox One and other gaming consoles are among many electronic devices that draw energy even when not in use. Photograph by Sean Dempsey, PA Wire, Associated Press
“The digital controls are not designed with efficiency in mind,” says report author Pierre Delforge, NRDC’s director of high-tech sector energy efficiency. “This is not rocket science,” he says, noting the technology exists to keep devices connected at half a watt or less.
He says the report, in addition to detailed audits of 10 homes and an analysis of 2,750 San Francisco Bay area homes, contains the broadest use ever of smart meter data to assess idle loads. “We were surprised by the huge number and variety of energy hogs,” he says in an interview, noting there was an average of 65 devices in the audited homes.
The report "is significant,” says Steve Nadel of the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, a Washington-based research group. Though the data only covers northern California, he says its findings are indicative for other parts of the United States.
Delforge says consumers are using many of the same devices nationwide. Also, he says results did not vary much based on a home’s location, age, size, or number of occupants. Half of the smart meters were in mild climates along the Pacific coast while the remainder were in more severe inland climates.
What mattered most, he says, were the devices themselves. The report urges more incentive programs for consumers and mandatory efficiency standards for manufacturers. Delforge says the federal government’s voluntary ENERGY STAR program, which gives a yellow label to efficient products, is a “good start,” but more needs to be done.
Nadel agrees. “We can and should do more,” he says, noting that some—but not all—of the Department of Energy’s efficiency standards limit a product’s energy use in “standby” mode.
Consumers can take action, too: Nadel says he’s increased use of power strips at his home. Delforge says he audited his own home and found its idle load uses 70 watts—less than half of the 164-watt average for the 70,000 California homes evaluated. He says his biggest energy hogs are his computer modem, using 20 watts, and his electric car charger, 15 watts.
“For people who are motivated, they can reduce their idle load by half or more,” Delforge says. He recommends buying simple “kill a watt” devices to detect the biggest offenders. Even without such an audit, his report urges consumers take these five steps:
1. Unplug devices not in use or used rarely, such as a DVR set-top box in the guest bedroom, a second fridge in the garage, or the furnace in the summer (switch it off if hardwired).
2. Plug devices into a power strip, or consider installing a whole-house switch that remotely turns off controlled outlets with the flip of a switch.
3. Plug them into a timer. A digital timer is better than a mechanical one because digital timers typically have a lower standby load. Use a timer for hot water recirculation pumps, instant coffee machines, or towel heaters.
4. Adjust power settings. Set your computer to go to sleep after 30 minutes or less of inactivity. Turn it off when you’re dnoe using it. Disable the “quick start” setting for TVs if they use more than a couple of watts, and disable the “instant on” mode for game consoles if you don’t need it.Hi, Reddit – We’re a team of epidemiologists from Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health. In our recent study titled, "Unequal depression for equal work? How the wage gap explains gendered disparities in mood disorders,” we used propensity scores to match women and men on age, education, occupation, family composition, years in the workforce, and other factors, and then estimated the effect of income differentials on depression and generalized anxiety disorder. We found that U.S. women whose income was lower than their male matches had nearly 2.5 times the odds of major depression and 4 times the odds of generalized anxiety disorder. Yet when women’s income was greater than their male matches, women’s odds of generalized anxiety disorder or depression were nearly equivalent to men. This finding, published in the journal Social Science & Medicine (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277953615302616), may help explain why women are nearly twice as likely to have depression or anxiety than men.
We are...
Lisa Bates, an assistant professor of Epidemiology and social epidemiologist engaged in research on gender and other axes of inequality as they impact health outcomes;
Katherine M. Keyes, an assistant professor of Epidemiology whose research focuses on life-course epidemiology with particular attention to psychiatric disorders;
Jonathan Platt, a second-year doctoral student in Epidemiology who studies the incidence and social causes of gender disparities of mood disorders; and
Seth Prins, a PhD candidate in Epidemiology who studies the political-economic determinants of mental illness, in addition to mental illness and mass incarceration.
We'll be back at 1 pm EST (10 am PST, 6 pm UTC) to answer your questions, Ask Us Anything!
*Edit: Hello! We're online and ready to start answering your questions. We'll be here for about an hour and a half. We're going to answer as many questions as we can, and try to cover a range of issues, from our findings to our methods and theory. *This article is from the archive of our partner.
For a while now, every time some curmudgeon came along to complain about "how terrible Twitter has gotten" the Twitterati would shame said curmudgeon with a simple argument: "Twitter is what you make it." It cast blame on the complainer, not Twitter. But that argument has evolved. That last big round of whining centered mostly on conservative blogger Matt Lewis, but his was just the latest lament to be met with a swift It's all your fault. You can find that exact cycle here, here, here, and here at The Atlantic Wire. But now those very Twitter apologists are starting to vent their complaints with the social sharing platform. Now, apparently, it's okay to hate Twitter for being Twitter.
Today, Mat Honan, the Wired writer with nearly 25,000 followers, took that approach in his column "Twitter's Big Challenge: Too Much Twitter." He writes: "If you use Twitter actively, it almost inevitably becomes unwieldy." So Honan ended up agreeing with one of those much hated "Twitter sucks now" columns by an even bigger Twitter star, Washington Post columnist Ezra Klein, who has 311,453 followers. Using his own experience on Twitter, Klein had concluded:
Twitter elicits a more poisonous information anxiety. It moves so fast that if I’m not continuously checking in, I completely lose track of the conversation — and it’s almost impossible to figure out what happened three hours ago, much less two days ago. I can’t save Twitter for later, and thus there’s always a pressure to check Twitter now. Twitter ends up taking more of my time than I’d like it to, as there’s a constant reason to check it rather than, say, reading a magazine article.
Anticipating the backlash that would come with hating on Twitter, both Klein and Honan were sure to add the necessary apology for their anti-apologist opinions — they are of the Twitter elite, they admit. "The problem isn't Twitter, exactly," wrote Klein. And Honan put in those famous words: "Twitter is what you make it," he wrote. "If you're overwhelmed by its flow, that's easily fixed by simply following fewer people." Honan echoed that sentiment on Twitter: "I don't know how to use Twitter, apparently," he wrote, before tweeting out a link to his column whining about Twitter.Dr. Pasachoff is an astronomer at Williams College who has used totality as an opportunity to probe the mysteries of the sun. He has set foot on every continent except Antarctica in pursuit of the phenomenon (though he has watched it in a plane above Antarctica).
He and his wife, Naomi, who has seen 39 eclipses, even witnessed a total solar eclipse on their honeymoon in 1974.
“I think there’s a primal feeling of excitement to see the universe darken at a time when it’s not usually supposed to,” he said.
Dr. Pasachoff advises that first-timers try to get within the middle of the path of totality rather than on the edges, just to make sure they see it. And he encourages them to make it a family event.
“Take a kid to the eclipse,” he said. “It can be inspirational to a new generation of students.”
He added that people shouldn’t worry about snapping the perfect picture with their phones.
Image Dr. Jay Pasachoff, left, and Mike Kentrianakis, second left, in Tianhuangping, China, in 2009.
Credit Rob Lucas
“If it’s your first eclipse, don’t try to take any pictures,” he said. “Just enjoy yourself. Just watch all of the phenomena and relax about it.”
Most important, leave early for it, he advised, to avoid being stuck in a traffic jam outside the path. Try to get into totality the night before.Dion Phaneuf was back. The results, though, were the same for the Leafs. With their captain making a much anticipated return from a leg injury, the Leafs looked no different than the club that has struggled since the beginning of November, losing 4-1 to the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday night.
Dion Phaneuf battles along the boards with Claude Giroux, centre, and Nikolay Zherdev, left, during NHL action. ( RICK MADONIK / TORONTO STAR )
The Flyers, one of the class teams in the Eastern Conference, put on a clinic at the Air Canada Centre. The Flyers’ first three goals came off shots from the point, the type of play the Leafs have been desperate to make this season. Ville Leino and Chris Pronger watched their point shots hit paydirt in the first period. Daniel Briere made it 3-0 in the second by tapping in a rebound of a shot off the end boards.
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Toronto put together a great start to the second period, and were rewarded in the 16th minute when Mikhail Grabovski converted a good cross-crease feed from Clarke MacArthur. But the Flyers were clearly the superior team. They took advantage of a bad pinch at the Flyers blue line by Phaneuf and went away on a 2-on-1 break. Briere finished it off with his second goal of the period and 16th of the season for a 4-1 lead. This was the Leafs’ second loss in a row, following a 5-2 setback in Pittsburgh on Wednesday. The Leafs are now 2-2 in a 10-day period where they play the top five teams in the Eastern Conference. While the Leafs did beat Washington in the shootout Monday, the players acknowledged they were fortunate to win that game after playing poorly through two periods and trailing 4-1. The past two nights, Toronto has been clearly outclassed.
Phaneuf’s return was expected to give the Leafs a shot in the arm. Instead, the club displayed the same bag of mistakes and poor puck decisions that continue to send this supposed season of hope in the wrong direction. The Leafs are now 5-13 since the beginning of November. They have been shut out six times already this season and looked like they were well on their way to No. 7 until Grabovsky broke some of the tension with his second-period goal.
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But the club’s top players are either snakebit (Kris Versteeg) or simply playing well under expectations. Phil Kessel, for example, has only three goals in his last 19 games. With Phaneuf back, there was some hope in the air that the Leafs would look more like the team that started the season 4-0. But that team is a distant memory. Goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere returned to the nets after a one-game absence (another groin strain). But nothing went right for the home side. And this roster will remain intact likely into the New Year. Leaf GM Brian Burke’s self imposed Dec. 9 trade freeze arrived Thursday and there wasn’t even a decent trade rumour to get the local hockey scene buzzing. The NHL’s holiday roster freeze arrives Dec. 19 and lifts on the 28th. Burke has long since maintained he will not upset a player’s life with a trade in the Christmas season. The club |
After news leaked that North Korea could possess the ability to produce miniaturized nuclear warheads, President Trump said Kim Jung Un’s regime “best not make any more threats to the United States.”
“Shut up! You’re gonna get us all killed!” Colbert said Tuesday on The Late Show. “And I just started The Handmaid’s Tale.
The late-night response to Trump’s North Korea comments was consistent across nearly every network.
ABC funnyman Jimmy Kimmel opened his monologue Tuesday by asking President Trump to continue his vacation and “go back to golfing before you kill all of us!”
https://youtu.be/I3Qss4H1M-Q
“Here’s the thing,” Kimmel said. “Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un both seem like reasonable men. I’m sure everything will work out fine.”
Over at TBS, Conan O’Brien used President Trump’s remarks to make a joke about his and First Lady Melania Trump’s sex life.
“Today, President Trump warned that if North Korea does not stop escalating its nuclear program, quote, ‘They’ll be met with fire and fury like the world has never seen,'” O’Brian said Tuesday. “Yeah. Then Melania said, ‘Don’t worry, he says that to me every night and nothing ever happens.’ So we got that.”
NBC’s Seth Myers opened his show with a similarly pointed monologue.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zLdnA0rcss
“Yeah, that oughta cool things down,” the Late Night host said. “God forbid Trump’s ever put in charge of a hostage situation.” Meyers said before lampooning Trump, saying: “Kill a hostage? You don’t have the balls! Plus, if you do, I’ll kill everyone outside the bank!”
Follow Jerome Hudson on Twitter @jeromeehudsonJust hours after Hillary Clinton dodged a question at the final presidential debate about charges of "pay to play" at the Clinton Foundation, a new batch of WikiLeaks emails surfaced with stunning charges that the candidate herself was at the center of negotiating a $12 million commitment from King Mohammed VI of Morocco.
One of the more remarkable parts of the charge is that the allegation came from Clinton's loyal aide, Huma Abedin, who described the connection in a January 2015 email exchange with two top advisers to the candidate, John Podesta and Robby Mook.
Abedin wrote that "this was HRC's idea" for her to speak at a meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative in Morocco in May 2015 as an explicit condition for the $12 million commitment from the king.
"She created this mess and she knows it," Abedin wrote to Podesta and Mook.
The "mess" refers in part to the fact that the three Clinton advisers were discussing the possibility of the former secretary of state pulling out of speaking at the May 2015 event because it was happening one month after the official launch of her presidential campaign and could raise more questions about her role at the foundation.
In April 2015, Politico reported the Clinton Foundation was accepting a "major donation" of at least $1 million from a Moroccan government-owned company, OCP, a phosphate exporter. Politico added that an official at the foundation said it was "unlikely" Hillary would attend the May 2015 event, just weeks after the April launch of her campaign.
It turns out the amount was far bigger -- $12 million -- and there was a far bigger struggle over whether Clinton would attend because she had a much more extensive role in lining up the money than the public ever knew.
In January 2015, Mook indicated Clinton was still considering whether to attend the event, even though her advisers clearly seemed to be concerned about the appearance of such heavy involvement in the foundation amid questions about its fundraising.
With the subject line, "FYI CGI Africa," Mook sent an email to Podesta and Abedin on January 18, 2015.
"Came up on our call with HRC," wrote Mook. "John flagged the same issues we discussed, Huma. HRC said she's sitll(sic)considering."
Abedin wrote back later that day, and suggested the King would be furious if Clinton pulled out of the event.
"Just to give you some context, the condition upon which the Moroccans agreed to host the meeting was her participation," Abedin wrote. "If hrc was not part if(sic) it, meeting was a non-starter."
Abedin added that CGI had not even come up with the idea to hold the event in Morocco, instead it was generated by Clinton herself.
"This was HRC's idea, our office approached the Moroccans and they 100 percent believe they are doing this at her request," wrote Abedin. "The King has personally committed approx $12 million both for the endowment and to support the meeting."
Since Abedin was writing this in January 2015, after Clinton had already left the State Department, it is unclear if "our office" is a reference to this meeting being something that was set up years earlier while Clinton was still secretary or something that was put together by her personal office after she left the Obama administration.
"What did these donors get in return?" Charles Ortel, a philanthropy expert who has been critical of the Clinton Foundation's practices, said in an interview with Fox News. "We are scratching the surface now."
While Clinton was secretary of state, her department in 2011 charged that the Moroccan government was behind "arbitrary arrests and corruption in all branches of government."
At the final presidential debate in Las Vegas on Wednesday night, Republican nominee Donald Trump demanded Clinton give back large contributions to the foundation from countries with questionable human rights records.
"It's a criminal enterprise," Trump said. "Saudi Arabia giving $25 million, Qatar, all of these countries. You talk about women and women's rights? So these are people that push gays off business -- off buildings. These are people that kill women and treat women horribly. And yet you take their money."
Clinton did not directly answer Trump's attack, instead focusing on her own questions about Trump's foundation as well as what she billed as positive parts of the work of the Clinton Foundation.
"But I am happy, in fact I'm thrilled to talk about the Clinton Foundation, because it is a world-renowned charity and I am so proud of the work that it does," said Clinton, adding it had made it possible for 11 million people around the world with HIV-AIDS to afford treatment.
The moderator of the debate, Chris Wallace of Fox News, also pressed Clinton on the issue of donors getting favors for major contributions.
"Why isn't what happened and what went on between you and the Clinton Foundation, why isn't it what Mr. Trump calls pay to play?" asked Wallace.
"Well, everything I did as secretary of state was in furtherance of our country's interests and our values," said Clinton. "The State Department has said that. I think that's been proven."
Though in the email exchange revealed by Wikileaks, Abedin suggested Clinton initiated the solicitation of the $12 million commitment, and the aide made it clear it was going to cause a major issue with the Moroccan government if the candidate pulled out of the CGI event that ran from May 5-7 of 2015.
"It will break a lot of china to back out now when we had so many opportunities to do it in the past few months," Abedin wrote in January 2015. "She created this mess and she knows it."
Hillary Clinton did not end up attending the event, though Bill and Chelsea Clinton did go to Morocco and moderated various panel discussions.
Lanny Davis, a longtime adviser to the Clinton family, told Fox News that the Clinton Foundation helped 11 million people with AIDS, fed hungry children and said the focus should be on the fact that the Obama administration has said there are indications the government of Russian President Vladimir Putin is behind the hack of Podesta's emails.
"This is the first time we've allowed a foreign power, much less Putin, to interfere," Davis said.
Davis added that he knows that when it comes to the people who have worked at the foundation, "their hearts were in the right place." He acknowledged that any time emails like this leak, there will be "optics" problems.
"When you're in the sausage factory, it doesn't always look so good," Davis said.186K Shares Share Share
I’m a doctor. We get all the glory. And credit. And guess what? We only deserve part of it.
I started out in medicine in the mid-80’s, volunteering at an ER. And the biggest shock to me was learning how much of what happens in a hospital is nurse territory. Doctors will see you anywhere from 5 to 30 minutes a day, depending on how sick you are. And the rest is the nurses.
They’re the ones making sure you get your pills and checking that your vital signs aren’t dropping. They make sure you don’t fall down and break something. If you start vomiting, doctors will run out of the room and the nurses will rush in. They change your wound dressings and start your IV line. They’ll bring you a warm blanket. And clean disgusting things off you. Even if you’re drunk. Or delirious. Or mean. And through all of this they try be friendly and positive. Even though you aren’t their only sick patient.
I respect nurses. I learned early on that they’re key to being a good doctor. You piss off the nursing staff, and you’ll have a miserable career at that hospital. Respect and treat them well, and you’ll never regret it. They’re as important to being a good doctor as your medical degree. Maybe more.
If you come out of medical school with a chip on your shoulder against nurses, you better lose it fast. Because they will make or break your training, and often know more than you do. Be nice, and they’ll teach you. A good neurology nurse is often a better inpatient neurologist than some doctors I’ve met.
I remember a guy named Steve, who was an intern with me a long time ago. We were only a few months out of medical school, and as we were writing chart notes one morning a nurse came over and asked if he’d go listen to his patient’s heart. With icy contempt, and not even looking up from the chart, he said, “I don’t have to listen to his heart because I looked at his EKG.” They ain’t the same thing, dude. If he’d listened, he might have noticed that the patient had developed a loud murmur in the last 24 hours.
When the attending caught it a few hours later, Steve got chewed out. If he’d taken the nurse’s advice, and listened, he wouldn’t have gotten reprimanded by the residency board.
Here’s a quote from “Kill as Few Patients as Possible” by Oscar London, MD: “Working with a good nurse is one of the great joys of being a doctor. I cannot understand physicians who adopt an adversarial relationship with nurses. They are depriving themselves of an education in hospital wisdom.”
Those doctors are also depriving themselves of friends. On a difficult day on call, sometimes all it takes is a sympathetic nurse to temporarily add you to her patient list, steal you a Diet Coke from the fridge, and let you cry on her shoulder for 5 minutes. It doesn’t make the day any less busy, but helps you absorb the punishment better.
What got me started on this?
While I was rounding this weekend, a grateful patient’s family brought the ICU nurses a box of donuts, and so the staff was picking through them. One said, “Oh, this kind is my favorite, it has cream filling.”
And a patient in one of the rooms yelled, “Hey, babe, I got my own kind of cream-filled dessert in here! Come have a taste!”
You say that to a waitress, and you’d likely get your kicked out of the restaurant.
You say that to a co-worker, and you’d be fired and/or sued for harassment.
You say that to a lady in a bar, and you’ll likely get a black eye.
And what did the nurse do? In spite of the patient said, she went to his room, turned off his beeping IV pump, and calmly told him that he would not talk to her that way.
And I admire that.
Nursing is a damn tough job. And the people who do it are tougher. And somehow still remain saints.
Doctor Grumpy is a neurologist who blogs at Doctor Grumpy in the House.
Image credit: Shutterstock.comThis article is about Goku's ultimate attack. For the attack used by Yamcha, see Spirit Ball.
Directory: Techniques → Offensive Techniques → Energy Sphere
"Remember that the Spirit Bomb is a martial arts discipline that allows you to borrow energy from grass and trees, from people and animals, from inanimate objects and the atmosphere... And then to concentrate them and release them. If you can draw so much destructive power from a ball made on this small planet......Imagine what you can do with a Spirit Bomb formed on Earth! If you can also learn to tap into the astounding powers of the Sun... Well. Just be careful. Or you may destroy the very planet you're trying to protect!"
— King Kai, in "Closer... Closer..."
Spirit Bomb ( 元 げん 気 き 玉 だま, Genki-dama, lit. "Energy Sphere") is a powerful attack invented by King Kai. It is among the strongest attacks in the Dragon Ball series, but its strength depends on the number of organisms supporting its use. In the manga, it is used only a total of four times.
Contents show]
Overview
Users of the Spirit Bomb gather huge amounts of energy from all chosen surrounding life forms and inanimate objects to conduct that energy into a massive sphere of astounding destructive power. Energy takes the visual form of sparkling, glittering wisps when adding to the mass that are usually blue and/or white in color. The creation of the attack promotes a calm breeze away from the bomb, which turns into a strong continuous gale and expels colorful bands or radiation of Northern Lights-esque aurora. The Spirit Bomb is quite swift when used and, if the user is not careful, it can absolutely obliterate a planet.
Usage and Power
In the Other World, Goku is taught this move from King Kai. Essentially, to use the Spirit Bomb, one must have a pure heart so they can manipulate and gather energy, otherwise the move can backfire and possibly hurt or kill the user. Likewise, once a Spirit Bomb has been fired, it is possible for one with a pure heart to deflect the technique, as Goku clarifies to Gohan and Krillin. However, a strong enough person can deflect it regardless of their morality; as shown when Kid Buu, who is stated to be pure evil, resists the Super Spirit Bomb fired by Goku during their final battle on the Sacred World of the Kai.
In Dragon Ball Z: Super Android 13!, Krillin says that Goku cannot gather the energy while in his Super Saiyan state. This is because the Super Saiyan transformation is inherently malicious and taints the heart and soul. In the feature, Goku manages to channel the Spirit Bomb energy directly into himself while he is in his Super Saiyan form, supercharging his power, giving him a Spirit Bomb-sized solar aura, and filling him with a straining fury. Despite not being able to form one as a Super Saiyan, Goku is apparently capable of using it in this form as he turns into a Super Saiyan when he destroys Kid Buu with the Super Spirit Bomb, albeit after already forming it and firing it. This may also contribute to the fact that Goku mastered the Super Saiyan form to the point where it's almost a natural state to him.
However, the main disadvantage of the attack is the amount of time needed to complete the attack, thus the attack is used very rarely. However, this disadvantage can be circumvented if sentient beings provide their energy willingly. This is shown during the Kid Buu Saga; although it took some time to convince the people of earth to donate their energy, once they finally complied, the Spirit Bomb swelled to enormous proportions in a matter of seconds.
Although Goku, Krillin, and Gohan are the only characters known to have used this attack, it was Goku who gathered the energy before Krillin threw it and Gohan only rebounded the attack. Although he never used it in the anime and manga, Cell claimed to be capable of using the attack (likely because he has data collected by Dr. Gero's remote tracking device about the fight between Goku and Vegeta) to Piccolo, Krillin and Future Trunks. Super Perfect Cell's bio in Dragon Ball: Raging Blast 2 mentions that Cell gained the ability to use the Spirit Bomb after taking on his Super Perfect form.
In his final battle with Fused Zamasu, Future Trunks used Give Me Energy! and all of his allies unconsciously create a Spirit Bomb from the energy of everyone on the future timeline's Earth through their hope for Future Trunks to defeat Fused Zamasu. While in his Super Saiyan Anger form he then absorbs it, greatly amplifying his power and his Sword of Hope to great enough heights that he is able to defeat Fused Zamasu, cleaving him in half.
Film Appearances
In Dragon Ball Z: The World's Strongest, after having decided that it was the only way to defeat Dr. Wheelo, Goku started gathering energy for a Spirit Bomb. Dr. Wheelo flew high into space, shooting a beam intended to destroy the whole planet. But just then Goku launched his energy ball and destroyed Dr. Wheelo once and for all.
In Dragon Ball Z: The Tree of Might, seeing that Turles had gained an incredible power after eating the fruit of the Tree of Might, Goku once again resorted to the Spirit Bomb. But since the tree had absorbed all the energy from the planet, there was no energy left for Goku to use his technique and Turles easily countered it with his Calamity Blaster. Goku then collected the energy inside the Tree of Might and used it to destroy both Turles and the tree he had planted after a brief showdown. In the English version, King Kai refers to this as a "Super Spirit Bomb", and it could be considered the first one of its kind.
In Dragon Ball Z: Lord Slug, when Gohan whistles as Piccolo asked him to, Lord Slug quickly loses his edge, and right after Piccolo gave his energy to Goku, the latter attacked Slug with the Kaio-ken. Goku then disabled the generator that was causing the Earth to freeze, so he could absorb energy from the sun. With that energy, Goku launched a Spirit Bomb at Slug, destroying him and his generator as well.
In Dragon Ball Z: Super Android 13!, although Goku does not actually throw a Spirit Bomb, he does gather the energy for it, except that, because he transformed into a Super Saiyan, he absorbed the energy, which ultimately he used to destroy Super Android 13.
Other Dragon Ball Stories
In Dragon Ball: Plan to Eradicate the Saiyans, in the flashback of Slug and Turles' defeats, they are shown being destroyed by the Spirit Bombs made to defeat them.
Goku uses the Instant Spirit Bomb to defeat Hatchiyack while using his Super Saiyan Full Power form.
In Dragon Ball Z: The Real 4-D, as the Z Fighters are being overwhelmed by Frieza's might, Goku prepares a Spirit Bomb, his allies manage to distract Frieza long enough for Goku to finish creating the attack. Goku unleashes the attack upon Frieza, who is unable to stop it and is defeated.
In the Dream 9 Toriko & One Piece & Dragon Ball Z Super Collaboration Special, Goku utilizes a Spirit Bomb against the monster Akami as part of his plan to finish Akami off. Luffy and Toriko distract the monster while Goku prepares the attack. After throwing the Spirit Bomb, he rushes towards the monster while preparing a Kamehameha, turns Super Saiyan 3, and then fires the Kamehameha while Luffy and Toriko are still attacking the monster.
Variations
Video Game Appearances
The Spirit Bomb appears in several video games, including the Gokuden series, Dragon Ball Z: Super Butōden, Dragon Ball Z: The Legend, Dragon Ball Z: Taiketsu, Budokai series (including Dragon Ball Z: Burst Limit), Dragon Ball Z: Sagas, Budokai Tenkaichi series, Super Dragon Ball Z, Supersonic Warriors series, and Dragon Ball: Tap Battle. The Spirit Bomb almost always inflicts extreme damage, being one of the strongest techniques in video games (in Budokai Tenkaichi 2 and Budokai Tenkaichi 3, when the user combines Give Me Energy! or Kaio-ken together with Spirit Bomb, it inflicts a tremendous amount of damage). It appears as golden-yellow and red in some games, and light-green for Cell's Spirit Bomb in the Budokai games. When used by Cell In the Budokai series, Cell uses the first part of the Perfect Combination, with the elbow sending the opponent to the ground. Then, he says either "Thanks for the energy!" in Dragon Ball Z: Budokai or "Okay planet, give me that stupid energy!" in Budokai 2, Budokai 3, and Infinite World while charging the Spirit Bomb. Lastly, he throws the Spirit Bomb at the opponent, who then attempts to block it. Cell then declares "Didn't think you would be this much fun. However, this is where it ends!" He then holds out one hand and forces the Spirit Bomb down on his opponent. In Budokai Tenkaichi, Cell says "You can kiss your precious planet goodbye!", and then fires the Spirit Bomb while shouting "Die!". In Budokai Tenkaichi 2, Cell says "You won't survive this time!" and then throws the Spirit Bomb (Perfect Cell can use the Spirit Bomb attack without the "Give Me Energy!" charge up). In Dragon Ball Xenoverse when firing the basic Spirit Bomb, Cell will exclaim "I told you I could do it if I wanted to!".
In Dragon Ball Z: Supersonic Warriors, Goku teaches Krillin how to use the Spirit Bomb (Krillin was able to wield the Spirit Bomb when Goku gave it to him to attack Vegeta in the manga/anime). In Dragon Ball GT: Transformation, Goku can perform the Spirit Bomb as a Super Saiyan 4.
In the Raging Blast series, if the non-custom Spirit Bomb is equipped on Goku with Krillin and Kid Gohan on his team, when he loses all health, a cutscene will occur recreating the scene of Krillin throwing the Spirit Bomb and Kid Gohan deflecting it back at the opponent. If this team attack hits, it will be an instant K.O, no matter how much health the opponent had.
In Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 2, after absorbing Perfect Cell, Super Buu can use the Spirit Bomb.
In the story of Dragon Ball Z: Shin Budokai: when Vegeta pushes Janemba out of the way of Goku's Super Spirit Bomb in order to save Future Trunks, the Spirit Bomb hits him instead. However, because he is no longer evil, the Spirit Bomb enters his body and greatly empowers him, giving him enough power to defeat Super Janemba. While using the Spirit Bomb's energy, Vegeta is at the Super Saiyan 2 level with his power is much higher than usual; Goku initially believes that Vegeta has achieved a new form, and is then surprised when he realizes that Vegeta is only at Super Saiyan 2 and has so much power. In Dragon Ball Z: Shin Budokai - Another Road, Goku uses an ultimate Spirit Bomb made from gathering energy from the people of Earth, many other planets, and even the Hell in order to defeat Future Kid Buu.
In Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2, if Goku uses Give Me Energy! three times in a row and then do the Spirit Bomb, he puts his hand in the air and launches the Spirit Bomb which does massive damage to the opponent and the blasts a huge hole through the Earth.
The Spirit Bomb can also be used in the crossover video game Battle Stadium D.O.N and J-Stars Victory Vs, in the form of the Large or Super Spirit Bomb. Goku, as well as the player's avatar, can perform this technique in Dragon Ball Heroes. The Spirit Bomb can also be used in Dragon Ball Z: Battle Taikan Kamehameha - Omee to Fusion and Dragon Ball Z For Kinect.
In Dragon Ball Z: Attack of the Saiyans, the Spirit Bomb is the second and final of Goku's Ultimates. He acquires it after obtaining the Spirit Crystal from the Sprite elder Montgomery to prove that he is of pure heart. Like in the manga and anime, it takes time to charge; this is represented in the game by taking several turns to complete.
In Dragon Ball Online, Mira creates a Spirit Bomb using the energy of his entire army. This Spirit Bomb is used to destroy New Namek, forcing Grand Elder Moori and the surviving Namekians to relocate to Earth.
Collect energy and fire a fearsome Ki Blast! Release your stored energy whenever you want!"
— Dragon Ball Xenoverse Super Skill description Super Skill description
In Dragon Ball Xenoverse the basic Spirit Bomb is a Super Skill used by Goku and Perfect Cell, and can be learned by the Future Warrior, who can learn it during their training under Goku as the Warrior's Master. The move takes a small amount of time to charge, with the user gathering energy in their palm and firing it off as a projectile. Similar to the Fusion Spirit Bomb, the technique, if it misses, redirects like a boomerang for an additional chance at hitting the opponent. During the game's Frieza Saga, the Future Warrior holds off Frieza while Goku creates the Large Spirit Bomb. The Future Warrior can also obtain the Super Spirit Bomb Ultimate Skill in the GT Pack 1 DLC and during the game's Kid Buu Saga, the Warrior assists Goku with the Super Spirit Bomb used to defeat and kill Dark Kid Buu. Both Goku and Saiyan Future Warrior are capable of using the Spirit Bomb & Super Spirit Bomb while in their Super Saiyan forms.
When activated, gathers energy from the surrounding area. The Spirit Bomb can be thrown one enough energy has been gathered. Press the button again to throw it. The Spirit Bomb will fly a certain distance forward, and then turn around and return to the thrower."
— Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 Tutorial description Tutorial description
In Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2, the Spirit Bomb returns as a Super Skill used by Goku which can be learned by the Future Warrior by completing Goku's Initiation Test to train under him. Goku can use it in his Turtle Hermit Gi (King Kai) 2 skillset. GT Goku can use the Spirit Bomb Super Skill in his Uniform 1 skillset.
The Super Spirit Bomb Ultimate Skill can be obtained as a reward in Expert Mission 16: "In the Realm of the Gods: Vegeta". Goku can use the Super Spirit Bomb in his Turtle Hermit Gi (No Character) 6 skillset and in his Super Saiyan God form. GT Goku can use it in his Uniform 2 skillset. Cell can use the Super Spirit Bomb in his Full Power form though unlike in Xenoverse Cell is unable to use the Spirit Bomb super skill in any of his forms or skillsets.
The North Kai sure comes up with humdingers, even if he can't use them himself!"
— Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 Chronoa in
During The Galactic Emperor Saga, when Goku starts to prepare the Large Spirit Bomb while the Future Warrior holds off Frieza, Elder Kai is impressed by how Goku always comes through and Chronoa herself comments that North Kai comes up with some pretty powerful techniques even though he can't use them himself. Apparently unaware of the original history Elder Kai assumes that the Large Spirit Bomb will finish off Frieza, presumably due to the Super Spirit Bomb's role in killing the more powerful Kid Buu. Eventually Goku completes the Spirit Bomb and launches it at Frieza who barely survives like in the originally history, leading to Krillin's death and Goku's Super Saiyan transformation.
During the Decisive Battle with Majin Buu Saga, the Future Warrior and SSJ2 Vegeta take on Supervillain Kid Buu while Goku collects energy from the people of Earth for the Super Spirit Bomb with the assistance of Mr. Satan. Eventually Goku finishes the Super Spirit Bomb which Supervillain Kid Buu tries to push back, but Goku transforms into a Super Saiyan and gives the Spirit Bomb one final push, which overpowers Kid Buu destroying the evil Majin while Goku comments that he hopes Kid Buu will be reborn someday as in the original history.
Like in Xenoverse, a Saiyan Future Warrior can use either Spirit Bomb while in any of their Super Saiyan forms even Super Saiyan 3 and Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan. A Frieza's Race Future Warrior can also use the technique in their Turn Golden form. However, they cannot be used by Earthlings in their Power Pole Pro state, Majins in their Pure Majin form, and Namekians in their Great Namekian form as their custom skillset is unavailable during these transformations. However either Spirit Bomb skill can still be used by any race using either the Kaio-ken or Potential Unleashed Awoken Skills. The Future can also utilize its Sword of Hope variation while using any of these transformations though utilize it will Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan while possible tends to drain their ki faster and causes both Sword of Hope and their Super Saiyan Blue form to end when they run out of ki.
After the 1.09.00 Update, Spirit Bomb Super skill can be added to Krillin's custom skillset after purchasing it in Partner Customization. Both Spirit Bomb and Super Spirit Bomb can be added to Perfect Cell's custom skillset after purchasing them in Partner Customization. Both techniques are also automatically available to be equipped to Goku's custom skillset via Partner Customization.
In Dragon Ball FighterZ, the Super Spirit Bomb makes two cameo appearances. During the climax of Android 21 Arc, Goku creates a Super Spirit Bomb to destroy Evil 21 (True From w/Perfect Cell Absorbed) while Good 21 (True Form) fights her evil counterpart to buy time for Goku to complete it. As Goku throws the attack, the Good 21 chooses to die together with Evil 21 and after entrusting the human soul linked with her back to Android 18, Good 21 holds Evil 21 down allowing them both to be destroyed by the Super Spirit Bomb. Whis later explains that the Good 21 made the right call as it was only a matter of time before she lost control of her hunger and that she sacrificed herself to protect her newfound friends and the universe from the threat she posed. Though they mourn the loss of 21, Goku notes that he has a plan though his friends assume he plans to resurrect the Good 21 using the Dragon Balls however he states that it would fly in the face of 21's sacrifice and that he actually intends to ask King Yemma to reincarnate 21 as a good person like he had previously by reincarnating Kid Buu into Uub. It is implied that Goku might also get Beerus and the Supreme Kais to join him in making the request.
Additionally, it also appears as a Dramatic Finish, which can be triggered by having Super Saiyan Goku defeat Kid Buu as the final opponent on the Land of the Kais stage with a neutral Heavy Attack, which will trigger a scene that reenacts Kid Buu being killed by the Super Spirit Bomb and Goku hoping he comes back as someone good. The Spirit Bomb will also appear as one of Base Goku's Meteor Attacks in the upcoming DLC for FighterZ.
Trivia
Unused voice lines in Xenoverse 2 indicate that Goten can use the Spirit Bomb. [11]
indicate that Goten can use the Spirit Bomb. Future Trunks is the first person to create a Spirit Bomb unconsciously indicating that it is possible for someone to gather energy necessary to create one without having to train under King Kai or Goku indicating the possibility that other beings may have developed the ability to use the Spirit Bomb on their own. This may also explain the development of similar techniques such as Baby's Revenge Death Ball which allows him to collect energy from his Tufflized slaves in a manner similar to the Spirit Bomb.
Counting the Spirit Bomb used in Dragon Ball Z: The Real 4-D, Frieza is the only villain in the series to have been on the receiving end of Goku's Spirit Bomb twice, as he barely manages to survive Goku's Large Spirit Bomb on Namek in the anime and manga. In The Real 4-D, Goku uses the Spirit Bomb on Frieza again though unlike the Large Spirit Bomb it is powerful enough to overpower and kill Frieza (who had a power level of five point three billion).
, Frieza is the only villain in the series to have been on the receiving end of Goku's Spirit Bomb twice, as he barely manages to survive Goku's Large Spirit Bomb on Namek in the anime and manga. In, Goku uses the Spirit Bomb on Frieza again though unlike the Large Spirit Bomb it is powerful enough to overpower and kill Frieza (who had a power level of five point three billion). Jiren is the only being so far that has been able to successfully both survive and repel the Spirit Bomb, with the only other beings to survive being Vegeta (although in this case, the spirit bomb was at only a fraction of its original power) and Frieza (who himself noted after surviving that that the Large Spirit Bomb almost killed him).
Gallery
Goku prepares a Spirit Bomb Goku prepares a Spirit Bomb Goku forms the Spirit Bomb King Kai prepares a target for Goku's Genki-Dama Goku aims for his target Goku fires his Spirit Bomb Goku charges a Spirit Bomb in The World's Strongest Goku uses the attack against Dr. Wheelo Goku launches the Spirit Bomb at Dr. Wheelo Goku's Spirit Bomb hits Dr. Wheelo Goku's Spirit Bomb overwhelms Dr. Wheelo and obliterates him Goku uses the Spirit Bomb in The Tree of Might Goku's Spirit Bomb in The Tree of Might Goku launches his Spirit Bomb at Turles Turles destroyed by the Spirit Bomb along with the Tree of Might Goku's Spirit Bomb destroys the Tree of Might Goku creates a Spirit Bomb to finish off Slug Cell says he can also perform Spirit Bomb Goku charges a Spirit Bomb in Super Android 13! Goku charges the Spirit Bomb Super Saiyan Goku absorbs the Spirit Bomb Super Saiyan Goku powers up Goku with the power of the Spirit Bomb The Spirit Bomb being compressed by Goku and Jiren's ki Goku preparing his Spirit Bomb in The Legend Goku's Spirit Bomb about to hit Frieza in The Legend Cell prepares a Spirit Bomb in Super Butōden Goku prepares a Spirit Bomb in Final Bout Goku prepares a Spirit Bomb in Budokai Goku throws his Spirit Bomb in Budokai Cell's Spirit Bomb as it appears in Budokai Cell gathers energy for a Spirit Bomb in Budokai 2 Super Buu (with Cell absorbed) after firing the Spirit Bomb in Budokai 2 Goku charges a Spirit Bomb in DBZ: Taiketsu Goku about to throw the Spirit Bomb in Supersonic Warriors Goku charging the Spirit Bomb in Budokai 3 HD Goku fires the Spirit Bomb in Budokai 3 HD The Spirit Bomb hits Frieza and explodes The Spirit Bomb explodes on Namek When defense wins in Budokai 3 HD Cell's Spirit Bomb in Budokai 3 Goku prepares a Spirit Bomb in DBZ: Sagas Goku concentrating energy for the Spirit Bomb in Budokai Tenkaichi Goku prepares his Spirit Bomb in Budokai Tenkaichi Goku fires the Spirit Bomb in Budokai Tenkaichi Cell charges the Spirit Bomb in Budokai Tenkaichi Goku uses the Spirit Bomb as a Super Saiyan 4 in GT: Transformation Goku's Spirit Bomb in Supersonic Warriors 2 Spirit Bomb in Battle Taikan Kamehameha Spirit Bomb in Battle Taikan Kamehameha Spirit Bomb in Battle Taikan Kamehameha Spirit Bomb in Super Dragon Ball Z Cell's Spirit Bomb in Budokai Tenkaichi 2 Cell fires the Spirit Bomb in Budokai Tenkaichi 2 Goku uses the Spirit Bomb in Budokai Tenkaichi 3 Goku launching his Spirit Bomb in Budokai Tenkaichi 3 Vegeta after absorbing Spirit Bomb energy in Shin Budokai Super Saiyan 3 Goku after absorbing a Spirit Bomb Goku prepares to fire a Spirit Bomb in Ultimate Butōden Cell prepares a Spirit Bomb in Ultimate Butōden Goku gathers energy for a Spirit Bomb in Raging Blast 2 Goku launches the Spirit Bomb The Spirit Bomb hits its target Goku prepares the Spirit Bomb in Ultimate Tenkaichi Goku charges a Spirit Bomb in Dragon Ball Heroes Goku launches the Spirit Bomb at Broly in Dragon Ball Heroes Goku and Akina combine their Spirit Bombs in Dragon Ball Heroes Goku uses a Spirit Bomb in Tap Battle Goku prepares a Spirit Bomb in Battle of Z Goku using the Spirit Bomb in J-Stars Victory Vs Goku throwing the Spirit Bomb Mira charges a Spirit Bomb in Dragon Ball Heroes Cell preparing his Spirit Bomb in Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2
Add a photo to this galleryUFC flyweight Louis Smolka. (Heidi Fang/Las Vegas Review-Journal)
Though UFC flyweight Louis Smolka has won four straight fights in the UFC, he feels that he’s constantly being underestimated. Currently ranked at no. 12 in the UFC flyweight rankings, Smolka hopes his next opponent will be ranked in the top ten.
Following his TKO victory over Ben Nguyen at UFC Fight Night 91, UFC flyweight Louis Smolka called for an interim title shot since the division’s titleholder, Demetrious Johnson, is injured. However Wilson Reis, who was expected to challenge for the belt next, accepted a bout against Sean Santella.
A native of Hawaii training out of Hawaii Elite MMA, the 24-year-old looks forward to seeing an event take place on the islands and to one day becoming a UFC champion.Warehouse 13 is a supernatural fantasy television series created by Jane Espenson and D. Brent Mote. The show premiered on Syfy on July 7, 2009.[1]
The series follows United States Secret Service Agents Myka Bering (Joanne Kelly) and Peter Lattimer (Eddie McClintock) when they are assigned to the government's secret Warehouse 13, which houses supernatural "artifacts".[2][3][4][5] It is located in a barren landscape in South Dakota, and they initially regard the assignment as punishment. As they go about their assignments to retrieve missing Warehouse 13 artifacts and investigate reports of new ones, they come to understand the importance of what they are doing.[2][5] During the course of the series, 64 episodes of Warehouse 13 aired over five seasons.
Series overview [ edit ]
Season Episodes Originally aired First aired Last aired 1 12 July 7, 2009 ( ) September 22, 2009 ( 2009- |
league.
Volunteer Artillery* Brisbane Queensland defunct
Brisbane Grammar School Football Club'* Brisbane Queensland defunct New junior club established in 2005 to participate in Queensland Independent Schools Australian Football League
Civil Service Football Club* Brisbane Queensland defunct
Ipswich Football Club* Ipswich Queensland defunct
1871 Kensington Football Club Adelaide South Australia defunct Integral club to the codification of Australian rules in South Australia. Folded in 1881
1872 Lilydale Football Club Lilydale Victoria 1st Div Eastern Football League Formerly Yarra Valley Football League, Mountain District Football League, Eastern Districts Football League
Hawthorn Football Club* Melbourne Victoria Australian Football League The continuity of clubs with this name is disputed. The existing Hawthorn Football Club is purported to have formed in 1901.
1875 Victorian Football Club Adelaide South Australia defunct Folded in 1884.
1876 South Adelaide Football Club Adelaide South Australia SANFL Merged with a club of the same name to form the modern club in 1876
1877 Britannia Football Club Collingwood Victoria defunct Colours were blue, red and white. Played their first games in 1878. Played out of Victoria Park from 1882 and were a precursor to the Collingwood Football Club's formation in 1892.
Bankers Football Club Adelaide South Australia defunct Weak fledgling club that was a founding member of the SAFA. Folded at the end of 1877.
1878 Norwood Football Club Adelaide South Australia SANFL
1879 27 March Reform Football Club Wellington New Zealand defunct
Sydney Sydney New South Wales defunct Disbanded in 1954.
1882 April Rovers Football Club Perth Western Australia defunct Started as a rugby club but switched to Australian rules in 1885. Inaugural premiers of the WA competition in 1885 and again in 1891. Disbanded in 1899.
April Fremantle Football Club* Fremantle Western Australia defunct No relation to the present-day club by the same name. Formed as a rugby club but switched to Australian rules in 1885. Disbanded at the end of 1886.
Unions Football Club* Fremantle Western Australia defunct formed as a rugby club in 1882, Unions switched to Australian rules in 1885 and would win 10 premierships in the early days of the WA league. Its remnants were eventually folded into South Fremantle
September Fitzroy Football Club Melbourne Victoria VAFA playing operations merged with the Brisbane Bears in 1996, but the club continues to trade as standalone entity
1883 / pre 1877 Footscray Football Club Melbourne Victoria Australian Football League The clubs name remains the Footscray Football Club Pty Ltd but now trades & is known as "Western Bulldogs". The letter FFC can still be located near the neck on the back of the jumpers identifying the clubs true name. In 1879 Prince Eugene Louis Napoleon, the ‘Prince Imperial’ and heir to the French throne, was ambushed and killed by Zulu warriors during the Anglo-Zulu war in Africa. Out of respect to him, the Footscray Football Club changed their name to the prince Imperials Football Club. In 1882 it decided to revert to the name ‘Footscray’ and therefore 1883 can not have been its formation date. The following websites suggest that its formation date must have been pre 1877... (http://www.westernbulldogs.com.au/club/history/timeline/1880s) and (http://www.westernbulldogs.com.au/club/history/timeline/pre-1880s)
Victorians Football Club Perth Western Australia West Australian Football League In 1889, the club merged with the West Australian Football Club and became Metropolitans. In 1891 it became West Perth, the name by which it is still known.
1892 12 February Collingwood Football Club Melbourne Victoria Australian Football League VFA 1892–1896; VFL/AFL 1897– 15 VFL/AFL Premierships A meeting was held at the Collingwood town hall on Friday 12 February 1892 to announce the foundation of the Collingwood Football Club. from "A Century of the Best" – Michael Roberts 1991.
1893 North Adelaide Football Club Adelaide South Australia SANFL SAFA/SANFL (1893–present): 13 premierships, Champions of Australia (1972)
1896 Albury Football club Albury New South Wales Ovens and Murray League
1897 South Bunbury Football Club Bunbury Western Australia SWFL South West Football League
1901 Sturt Football Club[21][22] Adelaide South Australia SANFL
1910 Yeronga Football Club Brisbane Queensland AFLQ State Association Originally known as South Brisbane [2]
1911 Carrum Football Club Carrum Victoria defunct Went into recess in 1996. Reformed in 2013 as the Carrum Patterson Lakes Football Club (See entry below) [3]
1913 Heatherton Football Club Heatherton Victoria Southern Football League Originally named the Heatherton Freighters they are now known as the Tunners [4]
1918 Murrumbeena Football Club Melbourne Victoria Southern Football League The club began as an Under 18 team in 1918, playing in the Caulfield-Oakleigh-Dandenong Junior Football League. [5]
1924 Mayne Australian Football Club Everton Hills Queensland AFLQ State Association (division 2) formed as a junior club and became senior club in 1925
1926 Colonel Light Gardens Football Club Mortlock Park Colonel Light Gardens South Australia SAAFL
1935 April Coorparoo Australian Football Club Brisbane Queensland QANFL, QAFL Seniors folded in 1995 but the Junior club still operate out of Giffin Park.
1971 Dysart Australian Football Club* Dysart Queensland Central Queensland Highlands AFL Defunct League Club still continues but has no league to play in
1972 West Bundaberg Bulldogs AFC Bundaberg Queensland AFL Wide Bay Now known as Brothers Bulldogs Bundaberg (1996-)
1977 Hervey Bay AFC Hervey Bay Queensland AFL Wide Bay Started as Seahawks – now Bombers (1985-)
Maryborough AFC Maryborough Queensland AFL Wide Bay Started as Tigers – now Bears(1995-)
1981 Brothers Rockhampton Roos AFC Rockhampton Queensland AFL Capricornia
1997 Across The Waves Bundaberg Eagles Bundaberg Queensland AFL Wide Bay Merger of Norths and Souths
2004 Bay Power Hervey Bay Queensland AFL Wide Bay Replacement Club for Fraser Coast
2009 Greater Western Sydney Giants Sydney New South Wales Australian Football League Formed in 2009, but the team did not officially make its debut into AFL until the start of season 2012.BitTorrent has revealed that it will launch its much-touted live news network on July 18 at the Republican National Convention (RNC) in Cleveland, Ohio.
The news comes less than a week after the company revealed that it had hired a former Vice and CNN producer to head up the new BitTorrent News streaming channel. Serving as news director, Harrison Bohrman will lead a team of six, which includes a triumvirate of former Al Jazeera reporters and producers, presumably made possible by Al Jazeera America’s decision to close shop earlier this year.
BitTorrent is best known as the company that develops the BitTorrent peer-to-peer (P2P) file-sharing protocol, but it has been pulling away from associations with illegal file sharing and piracy to position itself as a media distribution company. Back in May, the company launched BitTorrent Live, a multichannel video streaming app for Apple TV that subsequently landed on OS X, with more platforms to follow. It’s within this app that BitTorrent News will live.
According to a company statement, BitTorrent News will be “the destination for an informed, independent voice on the news in real time as news breaks.”
The network will feature up to 12 hours of live coverage during each day of the Republican convention, with commentary on key developments and coverage of the speeches, which will be interspersed with input and analysis from guests — all in real time.
“Television news has been stagnating for some time,” said Erik Schwartz, vice president of media for BitTorrent. “It’s having trouble appealing to a generation that grew up online. We’re building BitTorrent News to solve that problem. We are using superior data and tools and the Silicon Valley ethos of ‘lean startup’ to build a nimble news organization that will learn quickly from user behavior.”WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. lawmakers released a batch of Russian-bought Facebook Inc ads on Wednesday that showcased politically charged content allegedly spread on social media by Moscow ahead of the 2016 U.S. election.
Some of the ads criticized candidates, while others sought to organize or promote simultaneous rallies for opposite sides of divisive issues. The sample posted on a House committee website pulled from the roughly 3,000 ads Facebook provided to congressional investigators last month.
Tech companies recently acknowledged that Russia-based content on U.S. politics and social issues like gun rights, immigration, religion and race had spread on their platforms before and after the election.
Some of the ads sampled specifically dealt with the U.S. election and were critical of Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton. One from an account called “Army of Jesus” said Clinton was supported by evil forces.
“Hillary is a Satan, and her crimes and lies had proved just how evil she is,” the post read. It added that Republican candidate Donald Trump was “an honest man” who “cares deeply for this country.”
Other ads appeared to be aimed at setting up clashes over hot-button issues.
One ad from a group calling itself “Heart of Texas” promoted a rally in Houston on May 21, 2016 to “Stop Islamization” in the U.S. state. Another ad from a separate Facebook page promoted a pro-Islam rally at the same time and venue.
The Russian government has denied any attempts to sway the 2016 election, in which U.S. President Donald Trump defeated Clinton.
The ads were released at a U.S. House Intelligence Committee hearing, where lawyers from Facebook, Twitter Inc and Alphabet Inc’s Google testified about Russian influence on their networks.
It was the second straight day the companies attempted to ward off criticism from lawmakers that they were slow to respond to Russian abuse.
Facebook, the world’s largest social media network, again came under the most scrutiny from lawmakers, who expressed frustration with the company because of its role in targeted marketing.
Facebook General Counsel Colin Stretch told the committee that 16 million Americans may have been exposed to Russian information on Facebook’s picture-sharing service Instagram beginning in October 2016. The election was on Nov. 8.
An additional four million may have seen such material on Instagram before October, though that data was less complete, Stretch said.
Examples of Facebook pages are seen, as executives appear before the House Intelligence Committee to answer questions related to Russian use of social media to influence U.S. elections, on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., November 1, 2017. REUTERS/Aaron P. Bernstein
‘YOU FAILED’
The Instagram figures were in addition to the 126 million Americans who may have seen Russian-backed political content on Facebook over a two-year period, a number the company disclosed earlier this week.
The companies’ visit to Washington this week reflected shifting political fortunes for the U.S. tech industry, which after decades of relatively little regulatory scrutiny is now on the defensive on a range of policy issues.
“In the past election, you failed,” said Democratic Senator Ron Wyden, who normally is considered a strong ally of Silicon Valley.
U.S. intelligence agencies have concluded that Russia interfered in the campaign, including through social media, to try to influence the vote in favor of Trump.
A U.S. Justice Department special counsel and several congressional panels are investigating Russian meddling and any potential collusion by Trump’s campaign.
Trump has said there was no collusion with Moscow ahead of the election.
Democrats and Republicans both said in Wednesday’s Senate intelligence hearing that the tech companies need to do more to police against foreign government abuse on their platforms.
Some Republicans, however, sought to distance that scrutiny from questions about the legitimacy of Trump’s election victory.
Richard Burr, the Republican chairman of the panel, said it was impossible to measure the impact or know the motivation of the Russian operation to spread political material on social media.
Any conclusions that Trump benefited from Russia, perhaps in a decisive way, to win the White House ignored the complexity of the issue, Burr said.
“I’m here to tell you this story does not simplify that easily,” he said.
‘UNDERESTIMATING’ THE PROBLEM
Some Republicans also sought to portray the amount of Russian content as miniscule compared to the total amount of political material online.
The campaigns of Trump and Clinton spent a combined $81 million on Facebook ads, Stretch said, compared to about $46,000 in ad buys from the Internet Research Agency, a suspected Russian troll farm.
Slideshow (15 Images)
Senator Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the panel, said he was disappointed the companies appeared be confining reviews to information linked to the Internet Research Agency, and suggested there could have been far more undetected Russian content.
Some senators criticized the companies for sending lawyers, not chief executives, to testify.
“If we go through this exercise again, we would appreciate seeing the top people who are making the decision,” said Senator Angus King, an independent.My pal Andrew Leonard of Salon notes the latest U.S. Government Accountability Office's report to the Senate's Finance committee on the tax implications of virtual currencies, which not only mentions Second Life by name, but lays out an accurate scenario in which an SL content creator would probably have to pay US income taxes (if they're based in the US). Here's the key infographic from the report:
Read the full.pdf of the report right here. As Andrew notes, the real target of the report doesn't seem to be Second Life's Linden Dollars or World of Warcraft's gold coins (also mentioned), but Bitcoin:
The specter of the IRS casting a shadow over Bitcoin, which the GAO concludes is “the most widely circulated virtual currency available,” is the meat of the report. Just the fact that the U.S. government is starting to pay serious attention to the cryptocurrency surely has libertarians getting nervous.
Emphasis mine. Two things: The IRS has already recommended that people pay taxes on virtual currency earnings in Second Life, like four years ago. More key: This report is totally wrong about Bitcoin's circulation:Fast-food chain Arby’s is testing a new venison sandwich in the Pittsburgh area, according to USA Today.The sandwich will feature a thick-cut venison steak, onions and a berry sauce on a toasted bun, according to the company.The sandwich will be made from “premium cut top and bottom round steaks from the hind quarters of the deer,” Rob Lynch, Arby’s Brand president and chief marketing officer said.The company released the sandwich as part of a campaign to celebrate hunting season.The sandwich will be available at these locations in Pennsylvania Nov. 25-27:5205 Library Road, Bethel Park4260 Ohio River Blvd., Bellevue16 Towne Center Drive, Leechburg2539 W State St., New Castle2648 Ellwood Rd., New Castle3224 Wilmington Rd., New CastleGet the WTAE Pittsburgh's Action News 4 App
Fast-food chain Arby’s is testing a new venison sandwich in the Pittsburgh area, according to USA Today.
The sandwich will feature a thick-cut venison steak, onions and a berry sauce on a toasted bun, according to the company.
The sandwich will be made from “premium cut top and bottom round steaks from the hind quarters of the deer,” Rob Lynch, Arby’s Brand president and chief marketing officer said.
The company released the sandwich as part of a campaign to celebrate hunting season.
The sandwich will be available at these locations in Pennsylvania Nov. 25-27:
Advertisement
5205 Library Road, Bethel Park
4260 Ohio River Blvd., Bellevue
16 Towne Center Drive, Leechburg
2539 W State St., New Castle
2648 Ellwood Rd., New Castle
3224 Wilmington Rd., New Castle
AlertMeRE: 62% of notable alt right influencers are into asian women or have yellow fever Mike Cernovich isn't Alt Right. He, and others like Paul Joseph Watson and Alex Jones, appropriated the term but quickly fled from it after Salutegate. Cernovich is allegedly Jewish anyway.
Andrew Anglin strikes me as a shill. Anyone who goes on and on about the Jews like he does is almost certainly a shill (and that includes David Duke).
I can't really deduce anything about Spencer from that quote since he's often sarcastic. As I understand it he did invite Tila Tequila to the last NPI conference. OTOH his wife is white (Russian to be specific).
Jared Taylor also speaks French. He considers Jews to be white. Rumors have swirled for a while that his wife is Jewish. He's banned David Duke from American Renaissance meeting because of his anti-Semitism.
Mike Peinovich (aka Mike Enoch) is married to a Jewish woman, who has appeared on his radio show. Apparently they married before he was redpilled on the JQ. Reaction from the Alt Right has been mixed since she was outed. A lot of people don't care that she's Jewish but wish that he'd been up front with it from the beginning.
I'm not familiar with Chuck Johnson.
Vox Day is himself mixed race. I don't hear people in the Alt Right talk about him so I can't gauge what they think of him. As far as I know he identifies as a White Nationalist.
Paul Ramsey (aka Ramz Paul) has talked a lot about his yellow fever. His (ex?) wife must white though because I've seen his son and he's as white as Ramz Paul.
Tila Tequila is honorary white. She's also woke AF.
Kyle Chapman (aka Based Stick Man) deserves an honorary mention. He has either an Asian girlfriend or wife (I've seen her referred to as both). I don't think he's a White Nationalist though. He is a hero in the Alt Right world though.
It's not really hard to understand the yellow fever, to whatever extent it actually exists, in the White Nationalist movement. Asian women (not the Americanized version) have not been infected with feminism to the extent that Western women have. They still tend to retain traditional views. Also they are objectively more beautiful on average than either Caucasian or black women. Having yellow fever and actually making hapa/hafu babies are two different things though.
Despite being called white supremacists and Neo-Nazis there are no white supremacist or Neo-Nazis of any note in the movement. They are typically anonymous trolls online and a good many of them are likely shills. Virtually everyone in the movement admits that East Asians and Jews have higher IQs on average than whites and that biological differences between blacks and whites gives blacks a significant edge in many physical tasks (e.g. running). Hard to take them seriously as supremacists when they do that. A lot of them came from libertarian or anarcho-capitalist backgrounds and don't take national socialism seriously. If anything people like Pinochet and Mussolini are more admired than Hitler.For up to nine months of the year, arctic ground squirrels are moribund.
Their hearts beat only about three times a minute. Their body temperatures falls below freezing. They breathe, but only barely. Their metabolism practically stops. Every three weeks, for periods of about 15 hours, their bodily functions rouse a bit, but only to the level of sleeping, and then they fall back into their torpor. The cycle continues until late spring, when the squirrels emerge from hibernation and get busy on their summer mission of reproduction.
Now scientists have unlocked one secret to the squirrels' hibernation success, a metabolic process that may lead to big benefits for human heart and stroke patients.
A new study by researchers from Duke University and the University of Alaska Fairbanks and published in Anesthesiology, the journal of the American Society of Anesthesiologists, identifies an enzyme that allows squirrels' bodies to switch from burning carbohydrates to burning fat.
"This was a breakthrough," said co-author Brian Barnes, a UAF zoologist who specializes in the study of hibernating animals.
The enzyme, called Sirtuin 3, is part of a family of proteins that help regulate metabolism, fight stress and ward off the impacts of aging. It is loosely related to the compound that gives red wine its heart-health benefits.
Sirtuin 3 "in itself seems to be very protective," Barnes said.
To get to their discovery, the researchers did side-by-side open-heart surgeries on arctic ground squirrels and nonhibernating rats. A total of 1,478 proteins from hibernating and active squirrels and 1,320 proteins from the rats were analyzed, the study said.
A critical point for hibernating arctic ground squirrels — and for heart-attack victims, heart-surgery patients, stroke victims and victims of hypothermia — is when the flow of blood resumes after the heart has stopped or nearly stopped. That process, known as reperfusion, can bring about serious tissue damage in humans. But for arctic ground squirrels, which shiver and rewarm their bodies periodically during hibernation, reperfusion is no problem.
In the experimental surgeries, the animals' hearts stopped pumping for 45 minutes and they essentially died, Barnes said.
"And yet when we turned the pump back on, the arctic ground squirrels came right back to life," without tissue damage, he said. Some of the rats were revived as well, but their bodies were damaged, he said.
Why a switch to fat-burning would protect squirrels' bodies is yet to be determined. One hypothesis concerns the byproduct of inefficient glucose metabolism, Barnes said. When sugar is burned in a cell in the absence of sufficient oxygen, lactic acid is produced, he said. When fat is burned instead, there is less energy produced but no lactic acid, he said.
The next step in the research process, Barnes said, will be to try to figure out how to turn on that metabolic switch. Eventually, he said, there might be human trials with open-heart surgery patients.
The published study is the result of a Duke-UAF collaboration that started in 2009, when Barnes and anesthesiologist Mihai Podgoreanu, chief of Duke's Division of Cardiothoracic Anesthesiology, teamed up to start investigating how arctic ground squirrels manage to survive what would be, for humans, a series of repeated heart attacks.
Their discovery of the metabolic switch, and Sirtuin 3's role in it, was hailed in an editorial in the journal that published the study. It is a "tour de force-omic" study and demonstrates "a new and interesting approach to identifying targets for myocardial protection," said the Anesthesiology editorial.
The wine link? Sirtuin 3 is related to Sirtuin 1, an enzyme activated by a compound called resveratrol that is found in grape skins — and credited with the health benefits of red wine.
Arctic ground squirrels, found in most of Alaska and through much of northern Canada, are known for their extreme hibernation habits.
"They're famous for adopting the lowest body temperature of any mammal on earth," Barnes said.
In the fall, they curl into balls, wrap their tails around their bodies and essentially shut down. At the Toolik Field Station on the North Slope, where Barnes and his colleagues study the animals in their natural habitat, they start hibernating in late August and rouse in early May.
"If you put one in your hand, it's cold. You can't see them breathe," Barnes said. "They are in a state of near-suspended animation. It's what gets them through the winter."
Arctic ground squirrels are not the only world-class hibernators in Alaska.
Wood frogs hibernate up to seven months of the year, Barnes and his colleagues have found. Like arctic ground squirrels, cold-blooded wood frogs use a metabolic process to survive autumn freeze-thaw cycles. A study by Barnes and others identified a buildup of glucose as the process that protects the frogs' cells from freeze.Shock. It’s a word that has come up again and again since Donald Trump was elected in November 2016 – to describe the poll-defying election results, to describe the emotional state of many people watching his ascent to power, and to describe his blitzkrieg approach to policymaking. A “shock to the system” is precisely how his adviser Kellyanne Conway has repeatedly described the new era.
For almost two decades now, I’ve been studying large-scale shocks to societies: how they happen, how they are exploited by politicians and corporations, and how they are even deliberately deepened in order to gain advantage over a disoriented population. I have also reported on the flipside of this process: how societies that come together around an understanding of a shared crisis can change the world for the better.
Naomi Klein: ‘Trump is an idiot, but don’t underestimate how good he is at that’ Read more
Watching Donald Trump’s rise, I’ve had a strange feeling. It’s not just that he’s applying shock politics to the most powerful and heavily armed nation on earth; it’s more than that. In books, documentary films and investigative reporting, I have documented a range of trends: the rise of superbrands, the expanding power of private wealth over the political system, the global imposition of neoliberalism, often using racism and fear of the “other” as a potent tool, the damaging impacts of corporate free trade, and the deep hold that climate change denial has taken on the right side of the political spectrum. And as I began to research Trump, he started to seem to me like Frankenstein’s monster, sewn together out of the body parts of all of these and many other dangerous trends.
Ten years ago, I published The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism, an investigation that spanned four decades of history, from Chile after Augusto Pinochet’s coup to Russia after the collapse of the Soviet Union, from Baghdad under the US “Shock and Awe” attack to New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. The term “shock doctrine” describes the quite brutal tactic of systematically using the public’s disorientation following a collective shock – wars, coups, terrorist attacks, market crashes or natural disasters – to push through radical pro-corporate measures, often called “shock therapy”.
Trump and his advisers are trying to pull off a shock doctrine in which the goal is all-out war on the public interest
Though Trump breaks the mould in some ways, his shock tactics do follow a script, one familiar from other countries that have had rapid changes imposed under the cover of crisis. During Trump’s first week in office, when he was signing that tsunami of executive orders and people were just reeling, madly trying to keep up, I found myself thinking about the human rights advocate Halina Bortnowska’s description of Poland’s experience when the US imposed economic shock therapy on her country in the midst of communism’s collapse. She described the velocity of change her country was going through as “the difference between dog years and human years” and she observed that “you start witnessing these semi-psychotic reactions. You can no longer expect people to act in their own best interests when they’re so disoriented they don’t know – or no longer care – what those interests are.”
From the evidence so far, it’s clear that Trump and his top advisers are hoping for the sort of response Bortnowska described, that they are trying to pull off a domestic shock doctrine. The goal is all-out war on the public sphere and the public interest, whether in the form of antipollution regulations or programmes for the hungry. In their place will be unfettered power and freedom for corporations. It’s a programme so defiantly unjust and so manifestly corrupt that it can only be pulled off with the assistance of divide-and-conquer racial and sexual politics, as well as a nonstop spectacle of media distractions. And, of course, it is being backed up with a massive increase in war spending, a dramatic escalation of military conflicts on multiple fronts, from Syria to North Korea, alongside presidential musings about how “torture works”.
Trump’s cabinet of billionaires and multimillionaires tells us a great deal about the administration’s underlying goals. ExxonMobil for secretary of state; General Dynamics and Boeing to head the department of defence; and the Goldman Sachs guys for pretty much everything that’s left. The handful of career politicians who have been put in charge of agencies seem to have been selected either because they do not believe in the agency’s core mission, or do not think the agency should exist at all. Steve Bannon, Trump’s allegedly sidelined chief strategist, was open about this when he addressed a conservative audience in February. The goal, he said, was the “deconstruction of the administrative state” (by which he meant the government regulations and agencies tasked with protecting people and their rights). “If you look at these cabinet nominees, they were selected for a reason, and that is deconstruction.”
Much has been made of the conflict between Bannon’s Christian nationalism and the transnationalism of Trump’s more establishment aides, particularly his son-in-law, Jared Kushner. And Bannon may well get voted off this gory reality show entirely before long (or maybe, given current legal troubles, it will be Kushner). Given these palace intrigues, it’s worth underlining that when it comes to deconstructing the state, and outsourcing as much as possible to for-profit corporations, Bannon and Kushner are not in conflict but in perfect alignment.
Under the cover of this administration’s constant cloud of chaos – some deliberately generated by Trump, much of it foisted upon him by his incompetence and avarice – this shared agenda is being pursued with methodical and unblinking focus. Trump and his cabinet of former corporate executives are remaking government at a startling pace to serve the interests of their own businesses, their former businesses and their tax bracket as a whole. For instance, within hours of taking office, Trump called for a massive tax cut, which would see corporations pay just 15% (down from 35%), and pledged to slash regulations by 75%. His tax plan includes a range of other breaks and loopholes for very wealthy people like the ones inhabiting his cabinet (not to mention himself). The healthcare plan he has backed will cause approximately 23 million people to lose coverage, while handing out yet more tax breaks to the rich.
He has appointed Kushner to head up a “Swat team” stacked with corporate executives who have been tasked with finding new regulations to eliminate, new programmes to privatise and new ways to make the US government “run like a great American company”. (According to an analysis by Public Citizen, Trump met with at least 190 corporate executives in less than three months in office – before announcing that visitor logs would no longer be made public). Pushed on what the administration had accomplished of substance in its first months, budget director Mick Mulvaney cited Trump’s hail of executive orders and stressed this: “Most of these are laws and regulations getting rid of other laws. Regulations getting rid of other regulations.”
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Team building … applause greets Trump’s announcement that the US is withdrawing from the Paris Climate Agreement. Pictured are Gary Cohn, Steven Bannon, Reince Priebus, Scott Pruitt and Mike Pence. Photograph: Joshua Roberts/Reuters
That they are. Trump and his team are set to detonate programmes that protect children from environmental toxins, they have told gas companies they no longer need to report all of the powerful greenhouse gases they are spewing, and are pushing dozens and dozens of measures along the same lines. This is, in short, a great unmaking.
What Donald Trump’s cabinet represents is a simple fact: the people who already possess an absolutely obscene share of the planet’s wealth, and whose share grows greater year after year – the latest statistic from Oxfam shows eight men are worth as much as half the world – are determined to grab still more. According to NBC News in December 2016, Trump’s picks for cabinet appointments had a staggering combined net worth of $14.5bn (not including “special adviser” Carl Icahn, who’s worth more than $15bn on his own).
A large-scale crisis would provide the context to declare a state of emergency, where the usual rules no longer apply
So let’s be honest about what is happening in Washington. This is not the usual passing of the baton between parties. It’s a naked corporate takeover, one many decades in the making. It seems that the economic interests that have long since paid off both major parties to do their bidding have decided they’re tired of playing the game. Apparently, all that wining and dining of elected officials, all that cajoling and legalised bribery, insulted their sense of divine entitlement. So now they’re cutting out the middlemen – those needy politicians who are supposed to protect the public interest – and doing what all top dogs do when they want something done right: they are doing it themselves.
Which is why serious questions about conflicts of interest and breaches of ethics barely receive a response. Just as Trump stonewalled on releasing his tax returns, so he has completely refused to sell, or to stop benefiting from, his business empire. That decision, given the Trump Organisation’s reliance on foreign governments to grant valuable trademark licences and permits, may in fact contravene the United States constitution’s prohibition on presidents receiving gifts or any “emolument” from foreign governments. Indeed, a lawsuit making this allegation has already been launched.
But the Trumps seem unconcerned. A near impenetrable sense of impunity – of being above the usual rules and laws – is a defining feature of this administration. Anyone who presents a threat to that impunity is summarily fired – just ask former FBI director James Comey. Up until now, in US politics there’s been a mask on the corporate state’s White House proxies: the smiling actor’s face of Ronald Reagan or the faux-cowboy persona of George W Bush (with Dick Cheney/Halliburton scowling in the background). Now the mask is gone. And no one is even bothering to pretend otherwise.
This situation is made all the more squalid by the fact that Trump was never the head of a traditional company but has, rather, long been the figurehead of an empire built around his personal brand – one that has, along with his daughter Ivanka’s brand, already benefited from its merger with the US presidency in countless ways (membership rates at Mar-a-Lago have doubled; Ivanka’s product sales, we are told, are through the roof). The Trump family’s business model is part of a broader shift in corporate structure that has taken place within many brand-based multinationals, one with transformative impacts on culture and the job market, trends that I wrote about in my first book, No Logo: Taking Aim at the Brand Bullies. What this model tells us is that the very idea that there could be – or should be – any distinction between the Trump brand and the Trump presidency is a concept the current occupant of the White House cannot begin to comprehend. The presidency is the crowning extension of the Trump brand.
❦
The fact that such defiant levels of profiteering from public office can unfold in full view is disturbing enough. As are so many of Trump’s actions in his first months in office. But history shows us that, however destabilised things are now, the shock doctrine means they could get a lot worse.
The main pillars of Trump’s political and economic project are: the deconstruction of the regulatory state; a full‑bore attack on the welfare state and social services (rationalised, in part, through bellicose racial fearmongering and attacks on women for exercising their rights); the unleashing of a domestic fossil-fuel frenzy (which requires the sweeping aside of climate science and the gagging of large parts of the government bureaucracy); and a civilisational war against immigrants and “radical Islamic terrorism” (with ever expanding domestic and foreign theatres).
In addition to the obvious threats this entire project poses to those who are already most vulnerable, it’s a vision that can be counted on to generate wave after wave of crises and shocks. Economic shocks, as market bubbles – inflated thanks to deregulation – burst; security shocks, as blowback from anti-Islamic policies and foreign aggression comes home; weather shocks, as our climate is further destabilised; and industrial shocks, as oil pipelines spill and rigs collapse, which they tend to do when the safety and environmental regulations that prevent chaos are slashed.
All this is extremely dangerous. Even more so is the way the Trump administration can be relied upon to exploit these shocks to push through the more radical planks of its agenda.
A large-scale crisis – whether a terrorist attack or a financial crash – would likely provide the pretext to declare some sort of state of exception or emergency, where the usual rules no longer apply. This, in turn, would provide the cover to push through aspects of the Trump agenda that require a further suspension of core democratic norms – such as his pledge to deny entry to all Muslims (not only those from selected countries), his Twitter threat to bring in “the feds” to quell street violence in Chicago, or his obvious desire to place restrictions on the press. A large enough economic crisis would offer an excuse to dismantle programmes such as social security, which Trump pledged to protect but which many around him have wanted gone for decades.
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Swat team … Steve Bannon, Reince Priebus, Jared Kushner and Stephen Miller. Photograph: Alamy
Trump may have other reasons for upping the crisis level. As the Argentinian novelist César Aira wrote in 2001: “Any change is a change in the topic.” Trump has already proven head-spinningly adept at changing the subject, using everything from mad tweets to Tomahawk missiles. Indeed, his air assault on Syria, in response to a gruesome chemical weapons attack, won him the most laudatory press coverage of his presidency (in some quarters, it sparked an ongoing shift to a more respectful tone). Whether in response to further revelations about Russian connections or scandals related to his labyrinthine international business dealings, we can expect much more of this topic changing – and nothing has the ability to change the topic quite like a large-scale shock.
We don’t go into a state of shock when something big and bad happens; it has to be something big and bad that we do not yet understand. A state of shock is what results when a gap opens up between events and our initial ability to explain them. When we find ourselves in that position, without a story, without our moorings, a great many people become vulnerable to authority figures telling us to fear one another and relinquish our rights for the greater good.
This is, today, a global phenomenon, not one restricted to the United States. After the coordinated terrorist attacks in Paris in November 2015, the French government declared a state of emergency that banned political gatherings of more than five people – and then extended that status, and the ability to restrict public demonstrations, until July 2017. In Britain, after the shock |
co-operative went public in 2005. Conant said he had cast a "no vote" in a ballot that decided if Diamond should go public -- despite efforts by the then CEO Mendes to convince him to vote in favor -- partly due to Conant's concerns about how the company would treat walnut growers.
A recent spike in walnut prices, fueled by exports and a growing domestic interest in healthier foods, has exacerbated the gap between market rates and Diamond's rates, sources say.
Agricultural exports are hitting record levels, with U.S. farm exports reaching a record $136.3 billion in 2011. California, known for nuts including walnuts, almonds and pistachios and stone fruits like peaches and plums, is benefitting from this boom.
Diamond Foods, based in San Francisco, California, is the one of the biggest walnut processors in California. Diamond's biggest rivals include C.R. Crain & Sons and Crain Walnut Shelling in Los Molinos, Mariani Nut Co in Winters, Poindexter Nut Co in Selma, the Gustine operations of Illinois-based Sanfilippo and ShoEi Foods USA in Olivehurst.
Diamond shares, which closed at $23.52 on Friday on the Nasdaq, have tumbled 76 percent from their high of $96.13 touched in September.
(Writing by Martinne Geller in New York; Editing by Bernard Orr)
Copyright 2012 Thomson Reuters. Click for Restrictions.A chip butty is a sandwich made with chips (i.e., French fried potatoes) on buttered white bread or a bread roll, often with an added condiment, such as brown sauce, mayonnaise, or malt vinegar.[1][2][3][4][5] The chip butty can be found in fish and chip shops and other casual dining establishments in the United Kingdom. It is also less commonly known as a chip sandwich, chip batch, chip roll, chip muffin, piece and chips, chip piece, or chip sarnie.
One variation is the chip bap or chip barm, which uses a floury bap or barm cake instead of sliced white bread. In the East Midlands a chip butty made with a bread roll is referred to as a chip cob.
Scallop butty [ edit ]
A variation frequently seen in the North of England is the scallop butty, in which potato scallops (potato slices that have been battered and deep fried) are used in place of chips.[6][7]
In popular culture [ edit ]
A football chant called "The Greasy Chip Butty Song" (sung to the tune of "Annie's Song" by John Denver) is popular with the supporters of Sheffield United Football Club.[1][2]
The chip butty made appearances both as a power-up in the video game Earthworm Jim 2 and as a house in the PC game The Neverhood.[citation needed]
See also [ edit ]This article is about a private security firm. For information about the official law enforcement bodies in the United States, see Law enforcement in the United States
American Police Force (APF), and under its revised name American Private Police Force, was a fraudulent entity claiming to be a private military company. It never possessed any legitimacy to operate in the United States.[1] The company's previous logo was an exact copy of the Serbian state coat of arms which caused some controversy and resulted in the Serbian government threatening legal action against APF if it did not remove or change the logo.
In September 2009, US government contract databases showed no record of the company, while security industry representatives and federal officials said they had never heard of it.[1]
APF was registered as a corporation in California by convicted con man Michael Hilton on 2 March 2009.[2] However, the company did not have a business license to operate in California or Montana[citation needed]. Hilton was also discovered to have an extensive criminal history.[3][4][5]
Services offered by APF included "interdicting terror activity, interdicting weapons of mass destruction, international airline security, cheating spouse investigations, polygraph testing, kidnapping response, and weapons sales, including 'Nuclear/Biological/Chemical (WMD).'"[6]
On October 5, 2009, Academi (formerly Blackwater and Xe) denied being affiliated with APF.[7]
Taking over a Montana jail facility [ edit ]
In 2009, APF was contracted to control and operate the Two Rivers Detention Facility,[8] a prison facility which had been empty for over two years in Hardin, a town in Montana's Big Horn County.[9] The contract was reportedly a 10-year, multimillion-dollar deal.[8]
According to a CBS News article, dated from 29 September 2009, the APF is "a little known company which claims to specialize in training military and security forces overseas", which has "seemingly taken control of a $27 million, never-used jail, and a rural Montana town's nonexistent police force."[10] Following APF's Mercedes SUVs entering the community with "City of Hardin Police Department" stenciled on the side of their vehicles, a city official released a statement dismissing such accusations: "There are no commandos in the streets. There is no fence or gate being built around Hardin. People are free to come and go as they please. APF is not running our town or our police force."[11] The city of Hardin had no official police department, and traditionally relied on the Big Horn County Sheriffs department police protection.[10]
According to a reporter's blog dated from 1 October 2009 on the USA Today website, it is unclear why and by which authority the APF has taken control over the empty jail facility in Montana.[12] However, CNN reported back in April 2009 that Hardin city officials may invite and willingly host a Guantanamo Bay detention camp-style prison in order to improve the economic situation of the city, even though Senator Max Baucus of Montana opposed the idea and said it would be a security risk.[13]
Steve Bullock, the Attorney General of Montana, investigated APF for possible violations of the Montana Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Act in connection with dubious statements on APF's website with regard to APF's operations and supposed contracts with the federal government.[14]
As the story unveiled, Serbian authorities have stated that the coat of arms appearing in the APF logo is being used illegally, and had requested its removal.[15][16] Also, a California attorney who worked with APF has cut his ties to the project.[17]
Michael Cohen, a former supervisor for the Secret Service was named by Michael Hilton to be the future operations director for the jail facility.[18] Cohen who served 14 months in prison for stealing $2,800 from the government[19] admits submitting a resume to APF several weeks ago but decided not to follow through when Michael Hilton declined to give him information about the company.[20]
On October 9'th, it was announced that American Police Force would not be taking over the jail after all. Spokeswoman Becky Shay, former beat reporter for the Billings Gazette, denied any wrongdoings on the part of the company, but said that, "Two Rivers deserves a considerably less-controversial partner."[21]
On October 13 Steve Bullock, the Attorney General of Montana, dropped his investigation.[22]
Michael Hilton [ edit ]
Orange County court records[23] list the following aliases for Michael Hilton, the head of APF:
Michael Hilton
Midrag Ilia Dokovitch
Michael Anthony Hilton
Michael Miodrag
Michael Djokic
Miodrag Dokich
Anthony Michael Hilton
Michael Dokich
Midrag Ilia Dokovich
Miodrag Djokic
Michael Ilia Hilton
David Michael Comella
Michael Kokich
Djokic Michael Miodrag
Michael Dokovich
Miodrag Mic Djokic
Michael Djokich
The alias Michael Miodrag is listed as being involved in a 2007 multimillion dollar fraud case in Australia. Australian authorities said they want to question him but no charges have been filed.[24][25]
Becky Shay [ edit ]
Becky Shay (born Rebecca Lee Shay January 3, 1969) is APF's spokeswoman and only employee in Montana.[18] Shay filed two reports about the company[26][27] before abruptly leaving her job as a reporter for the Billings Gazette to begin working with APF as a spokeswoman in less than 24 hours.[28]
Following the APF's involvement with the Two Rivers Detention Facility, Shay worked as a crime analyst for the Billings Police Department from November 2011[29] to 2016, when she became the department's Records Supervisor.[30]China’s new president*, Xi Jinping, is scheduled to visit South Korea in the next few weeks. Given the tame, bland statism of both country’s media, few of the interesting debates and important disagreements will be aired. Instead, the national prestige obsession of both will dominate the coverage. There will be a lot of self-congratulation and vanity: how important each country is now, how they are resetting world politics, how the West, and the United States especially, needs to pay more attention to them, and so on. And finally, as both countries’ bureaucracies are reflexively anti-Japanese, there will be a lot of the standard conspiratorial “Japan is remilitarizing and plotting to take over Asia again” boilerplate. All-in-all, the local media coverage will be weak and recycled, so instead, here are the large, unspoken issues lurking in the background:
South Korea is increasingly caught between its economic dependence on Chinese export markets and military dependence on the United States.
This dilemma has been intensifying in South Korean foreign policy for more than a decade now. As China has risen to regional and global prominence, South Korean exporters have increasingly linked themselves to its 8 trillion dollar economy. South Korea, like many Asian states, is deeply committed to the mercantilist goal of a running trade surpluses. As such, the search for export markets plays an extraordinarily important role in South Korean politics. (It need not; a stronger won would help heavily indebted Korean consumers a lot. But corporate behemoths [the chaebol] play an outsized role in Korean politics and have convinced the Korean voter that their export profits and Korea’s national interest are identical. They are not.) Because of its high growth, China would clearly play a role in South Korean economic nationalism; that China is right next door and offers good complementarity as a lower middle income state only tightens the fit. In two decades China has risen to be the number one export market for South Korea.
Simultaneously, South Korea continues to significantly underspend on defense, given the challenges of both engaging in conflict with North Korea as well as occupying and reconstructing it. Despite decades of prodding from the U.S., Korean defense spending is still only at 2.5-3 percent of its GDP. It is woefully unprepared to fight North Korea alone, much less take on an insurgency during any subsequent occupation. South Korea desperately needs the U.S. for its external security, which in turn creates obvious tension with China.
There is no obvious answer to this dilemma that would not involve significant internal pain. The chaebol have little interest in rocking the export boat with China, while there is little will for higher defense spending, and indeed strong opposition from the South Korean left.
South Korea increasingly needs China to get any measure of good behavior, much less unification, out of North Korea.
In the early post-Cold War years, there was much fluidity among North Korea’s neighbors. China had not yet risen dramatically. It was one player among many, while the U.S., Japan, and South Korea had not yet moved toward a unified position on the North. Russia’s near total collapse in the region was not yet clear.
Today, the lines have hardened. Russia plays little role on North Korea. Putin may enjoy flirting with it to poke the U.S. in the eye, but he is a mild spoiler at best out here. The U.S., Japan, and South Korea have broadly hewed to a moderately hawkish line since the collapse of the Sunshine Policy. As such, North Korea, which used to happily bounce back and forth among possible patrons, playing them off against each other, is now stuck. Its only exit from the (more or less) unified democratic front is China. North Korea must placate China in order to evade the punishing UN sanctions regime it faces. China is now North Korea’s primary pipeline to the rest of the world. Smuggled goods come through inbound flights (it is very easy to see when you fly into Pyongyang from Beijing) and over the Yalu and Tumen Rivers. Chinese banks help launder North Korean illegal monies from its drug-running and insurance fraud. The cushy lifestyle of the Pyongyang elite – HDTVs, luxury cars, modern appliances, top-shelf liquor, and so on – would not be possible without massive Chinese flouting of the sanctions.
This has thrust China into newfound prominence on North Korea. It hosted the (failed) Six Party Talks, and there is a growing consensus among North Korea watchers that if China were to cease its economic and diplomatic support, North Korea would suffer a major systemic crisis. South Korean President Park Geun-Hye must now dote on Beijing to bring about any kind of movement on North Korea, and in the longer term, any hope for unification now depends on Beijing’s willingness to one day cut off North Korea. So long as Beijing pays Pyongyang’s bills, provides it diplomatic cover at the UN – where it recently blocked a reference of North Korea to the International Criminal Court –and provides it with an unstated defense guarantee against the United States, North Korea will continue to stumble on. The road to Pyongyang now runs through Beijing.
South Korea may not worry about China’s rise as the United States and Japan do, but it will not compromise on nearby maritime territorial issues with China.
It is now widely recognized outside of South Korea that China manipulates South Korean anti-Japanese feeling in order to drive a wedge between the Americans’ main allies in the region. Indeed, were the U.S. not in the region and allied to South Korea and Japan, it is unclear whether South Korea would align with Japan or China. Japan would be the natural political choice; like South Korea, it is an open, liberal democratic state with an exemplary record since the war. But “Japanophobia” runs very deep in South Korea. Koreans fear and dislike the Japanese far more than they do the Chinese. Post-colonial resentment of Japan is shared by both and is often projected back through history. That the Chinese Ming dynasty helped Korea against a Japanese invasion in the 1590s is well-known by every Korean schoolchild. Korea has little interest in aligning with the U.S. and Japan against China.
But this does not mean that Seoul will agree to China’s increasingly capacious territorial claims in the East China Sea. China’s expansion of its air defense identification zone last year was greeted with hostility in Seoul as well as Tokyo. While the Japanese and South Koreans did not cooperate, both rejected the expansion, and South Korea counter-expanded its own ADIZ in response.
South Korea has taken a similarly hard line with Chinese “fishermen” who regularly wander into South Korean waters in the Yellow Sea. China does not recognize the inter-Korean sea border – called the Northern Line Limit – and it has rented out some of these waters from North Korea. South Korea has rejected this and regularly detains Chinese vessels that enter.
These three areas of tension will belie the smiles and self-congratulatory rhetoric coming later this month. South Korea is in the weaker position. It is smaller and desperately needs China’s help with North Korea. But it also has the looming threat of the U.S. pivot in the background. China cannot play too tough, or it risks pushing South Korea into the emerging U.S.-Japanese anti-China camp. Good relations with South Korea is China’s best chance of fracturing the emerging ring of hostile states on its periphery, particularly in the South China Sea. Regional hostility to China means Xi will not be able to bully Park as China has with the Philippines and Vietnam recently.
*Corrected from “premier.”A bill that would authorize $3.3 billion in bonding to fund Kentucky’s ailing pension system for teachers passed the Kentucky House on Monday.
The teacher’s pension system only has 53 percent of the money it needs to make future payouts to about 141,000 retired teachers.
House Speaker Greg Stumbo, a Democrat from Prestonsburg, said the risks of borrowing to fund teachers’ retirements are outweighed by not taking action.
“We contracted, we promised, they relied upon that and gave us years of their lives and service to the children of our state,” Stumbo said. “We owe them that debt. It’s going to be paid.”
If the $3.3 billion bond authorization is approved by the Senate and is signed by the governor, it would be the largest bond issue that Kentucky has ever passed.
Several Republican representatives argue that the borrowing that much money would overburden the state’s debt load.
House Minority Leader Rep. Hoover, a Republican from Jamestown, compared the measure to using borrowed money to go to a casino.
“It will seem like a good idea in retrospect but if you lose, paying back the debt is going to be a big big problem,” Hoover said.
KTRS officials say that the state can assume a 7.5 assumed rate of return on investments in its portfolio and would only have to pay 2 to 4 percent interest in the bond market if the bill passes this session.
However, Stumbo admits, an economic downturn would make the bond a risky proposal because the rate of return could plummet.
“Could that happen? Yeah it could happen. Happened once before. But I don’t think it’s going to happen,” Stumbo said.
Rep. Brad Montell, a Republican from Shelbyville, said that’s reason enough to not go forward with the bond.
“Nobody saw that coming,” Montell said. “Not even the smartest people on Wall Street saw it coming and the KTRS says, ‘Trust us.’”
Montell argued that the legislature needed to identify the structural problems within KTRS instead of trying to find ways to put cash into the fund. In a floor speech, he said the amount the state contributes to the system only accounts for 10 percent of the problem.
“Why aren’t we addressing the other 90 percent of the factors that are driving this problem?” Montell asked.
KTRS officials say that if the state doesn’t issue the bonds, the state’s required contributions to the system will double by 2026.
The bill’s outlook in the Senate remains unclear. Senate President Robert Stivers, a Republican from Manchester, hasn’t expressed support for the bill.
A Senate committee has passed a bill that would cap the state’s debt by only allowing the state to spend 6 percent of the state budget on debt servicing.
The sponsor of that bill, Sen. Joe Bowen, a Republican from Owensboro said that his and Stumbo’s bill wouldn’t be able to coexist.Edwin Rubenstein’s articles on the immigrant displacement of American workers show that the immigrant share of U.S. employment has, at least in the pre-Trump era, been remorselessly increasing, to the cost of American workers. There are close parallels with this phenomenon in Australia, as shown by Tim Colebatch, somewhat surprisingly because he is an establishment (and “unambiguously pro-immigration”) senior mainstream media hack in Australia. [Yes, there is such a thing as too much immigration, by Tim Colebatch, Inside Story, April 20, 2017]
From 2008 to 2016, the Australian labour market increased by 474,000 full-time jobs but only 74,000 of them went to the Australian-born. That’s just 16% or fewer than one in six.
Foreign-born workers, “and their families”, Colebatch notes, find it absurdly easy to gain permanent residency and with it a ticket to Australia’s generous welfare, health and education systems, our clean air and water, efficient public transportation, and other government benefits, without having contributed a tax-paying lifetime to financing them.
As Colebatch notes, employers warmly embrace foreign workers—wage underpayment is rife and there are no training costs for off-the-shelf foreign skilled workers.
Colebatch concludes that Australia has followed, with similar disastrous outcomes for the native-born, “the US model of importing skilled labour and leaving the young in the rustbelt to scrape by as best they can” and that migrant workers “do not generate enough demand to replace the jobs they have taken”. “What is clear”, he says, “is that our current system is not working for those who were born and raised here”. It is not, he says, “anti-migrant, let alone racist, to say that that is an outrageous failure of policy”.
Temporary work visas, like student visas and ‘refugee’ immigration., are all about getting a foot in Australia’s residency door, melting the multicultural hearts of government officials who wave in the foreign workers under the banner of ‘Diversity’ and not wanting to be seen as racist, whilst the cheap labor lobby pockets the proceeds.
Rubenstein notes that immigrant job-theft in the US is “a development apparently only tracked by VDARE.com” and Colebatch’s final observations would not be out of place on VDARE.com, viz. that the same phenomenon in Australia is “generally ignored in the policy debate” because “many on the left and centre-left seem to be uncomfortable with the idea that there can be such a thing as too much immigration”.
All credit to Colebatch for looking honestly at the migrant employment data and going where the politically correct fear to tread.
Phil Shannon writes from Adelaide, South Australia, and describes himself as a “VDARE.com supporter (from the ‘Alt-Left’!)”Terraria 1.3 Adds Expert Mode, A Portal Gun, And New Lands To Explore On June 30th
By Chris Priestman. June 24, 2015. 11:04am
ReLogic has released a trailer for the upcoming and huge 1.3 update to sandbox-action game Terraria. The update will be available for Windows players on June 30th while Mac and Linux players should get it sometime in July.
ReLogic also noted that this 1.3 update is the result of months of work from the entire team. The announcement also came with a teaser that read: “In an age of Darkness & a time of Evil…when the world needed a Hero…they got – you. With an array of new weapons, functionality, facelifts, and features at your disposal – will you be up to the challenges posed by the new foes in your path…as well as some old enemies that have learned some new tricks?”
More specifically, though, you can consult the trailer for further details. It tells us that the world has grown even darker and with it comes new lands to explore and new invaders to conquer (namely pirates and aliens). The update will also add an Expert Mode for those who really want to test their survival skills. Plus, there will be new boss mechanics, as well as a new boss described only as “an ancient evil” – it looks pretty nasty.
Finally, there will be a Camera Mode added, new achievements, streamlined multiplayer and cloud saving with Steam integration, and 800 new items including a portal gun.“The Road” by Hiroshi Aramata is a short story that appears in Straight to Darkness: Lairs of the Hidden Gods Volume 3 published by Kurodahan Press, an anthology of Cthulhu Mythos Tales from Japan edited by Asamatsu Ken. The Road was translated from Japanese to English by Kathleen Taji.
This story caught my eye for two reasons:
Mainly, I’ve become intrigued with Hiroshi Aramata’s series of Japanese occult novels based around the history of Tokyo titled, Teito Monogatari, but sadly I’ve been unable to read them, as aside from a few short fan translations, they’ve yet to be translated from Japanese into English. However, the novels have been adapted into two films Tokyo: The Last Megalopolis and Tokyo: The Last War, an original animated video series titled Doomed Megalopolis, and a manga series keeping the original Teito Monogatari name. So I’ve been able to experience a bit of the series via fan-translations of the adaptations. I found the first film, Tokyo: The Last Megalopolis to be an enjoyable watch, despite the filmmaker’s obviously needing to cram a lot of material into a single film. Some of you may be familiar with the series due to the iconic appearance of the series’ antagonist Yasunori Kato, who was an influence on the Street Fighter character, M. Bison (or Vega as he’s called in Japan), as well as several other fictional characters over the years.
It also turns out “The Road” is set primary in Providence, RI and focuses on the life of H. P. Lovecraft.
The story takes place from September 10th to September 11th 2001 and begins with a train ride from New York City to Boston, Massachusetts. The main character is an unnamed Japanese professional, possibly a scientist or educator, who is a huge fan of H. P. Lovecraft. Browsing the story a second time, the character’s sex could be either male or female. Either way, the main character can’t resist getting off the train to walk the platform during the train’s three-minute stop in Providence, RI.
As fate would have it, the train pulls away before the narrator can climb back on board. In the ensuing hours, the narrator finds themselves being given a personal tour of Providence by Lovecraft’s friend, C. M. Eddy, who died back in 1967. Needless to say, time-travel via metaphysics seems to play a part in this story. Evidently, a concept or mechanism the people of Providence refer to as “The Road” will be opening soon. The last time “The Road” opened was back in 1923 as a result of the Great Kanto Earthquake that rocked Japan. As an aside, the Great Kanto Earthquake plays a part in Aramata’s Teito Monogatari series as well, with Yasunori Kato, causing the devastating earthquake through the use of magic.
Overall I thought “The Road” was a solid story written in tribute to H. P. Lovecraft. The metaphysical concept of “The Road,” or “the shadow of time” as they sometimes call it in Providence, is kind of interesting, but I enjoyed the tour of Providence by C. M. Eddy more, myself. I know from my limited reading on Lovecraft’s life that portions of what Eddy tells the narrator aren’t accurate (Robert Price points some of these out in his introduction, which I recommend reading AFTER you read the story and not before, due to a few minor spoilers) but they didn’t detract from the story. As a matter of fact, the scenes with Eddy kind of brought my mind to Paul Malmont’s two pulp era novels featuring pulp fiction writers: The China Town Death Cloud Peril (which Lovecraft appeared in, and the main characters attended his funeral) and The Amazing, the Astounding, and the Unknown, both of which I enjoyed.
I didn’t much care for the climax of the tale, it felt a bit too generic, but I thought the actual ending was handled rather nicely.
If you’re a fan of the Cthulhu Mythos, I don’t think you’ll find much meat on the bone in this one. But if you’re a fan or scholar of Lovecraft the man, this will probably be more up your alley, but like I said, don’t expect 100% factual accuracy here.
I basically picked this up because I wanted to actually read a story written by Hiroshi Aramata and it just so happened the only story he has out there that’s been translated into English is a short story about H. P. Lovecraft and Providence. Given these circumstances, I’m glad I took the time to read “The Road” and am eternally crossing my fingers for his Teito Monogatari series to be translated into English.Martine Rothblatt. Elijah Nouvelage/REUTERS Soon after Martine Rothblatt founded what would become Sirius XM, her daughter, Jenesis, was diagnosed with pulmonary arterial hypertension.
The disease is marked by too much pressure in the blood vessels leading from the heart to the lungs, causing them to narrow and not carry enough oxygen.
At the time, in the 1990s, this type of pulmonary hypertension was a fatal disease, Rothblatt said at Smithsonian's Future Is Here Festival on April 23, where she told the incredible story.
"The doctors said, 'There's no medicines approved for it; she's got maybe three months to live,'" she recalled. "I felt like my only purpose in life now was not to help move to the stars with satellites and stuff like that. It was to save Jenesis. So I just stopped everything I was doing."
Rothblatt dove into journals and biology textbooks, searching for a way to save her daughter. She found one specific molecule that might be able to help.
Pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline owned the molecule but didn't want to develop it — and the company wouldn't hand it over to a non-scientist like Rothblatt for ethical reasons. So she gathered a scientific team to convince Glaxo to let her buy the rights, founding the company now called United Therapeutics.
But once she had those rights, there was still no way of making that potentially helpful molecule in large quantities.
"To make that molecule, it took a 23-step chemical synthesis with two explosive stages that had to be avoided," Rothblatt said.
So she spent a year going to chemistry labs across the country until she found a scientist at the University of Illinois who said he could produce the molecule if she gave him $100,000. With that grant, he made just 1 gram. Amazingly, that was enough to keep scaling up the process step-by-step.
Today, Rothblatt said, United Therapeutics makes about 50 kg of that molecule per year. The US Food and Drug Administration approved the medicine as "Remodulin" in 2002.
See how much smaller the arteries in the lungs of a patient with hypertension are? CDC
The medicine has been a boon to people's health, but it's been an incredible business opportunity, too. Rothblatt said the drug, and several other the company has developed since, now make over $1 billion a year. And as United Therapeutic's chairman and CEO, Rothblatt made $31.6 million in 2014 — making her the second-highest paid female CEO that year.
"Now there's tens of thousands of people living a healthy, happy life with pulmonary hypertension," Rothblatt said. "Best of all — and I just owe enormous gratitude for this whole story to her, because she's my inspiration — my own daughter Jenesis is now 30 years old, works at United Therapeutics, and is a happy, healthy young lady."
In the time with Jenesis's diagnosis, other companies have developed a variety of drugs and treatments for pulmonary hypertension — some equally or more effective than Remodulin — so they have contributed to the increase in survival for patients, too. But there is still no cure for the rare disease.
If any patients can't pay for Remodulin, Rothblatt said, United Therapeutics gives it to them for free.
"It hasn't stopped us from being a successful pharmaceutical company," she said. "I think actually doing the right thing always helps you do the best thing."Breaking News Emails Get breaking news alerts and special reports. The news and stories that matter, delivered weekday mornings.
Oct. 14, 2014, 10:49 PM GMT / Updated Oct. 15, 2014, 12:32 AM GMT
The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday blocked key parts of a 2013 law in Texas that had closed all but eight facilities providing abortions in America's second most-populous state. In an unsigned order, the justices sided with abortion rights advocates and health care providers in suspending an Oct. 2 appeals court ruling. A panel of the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals had said Texas could immediately apply a rule making abortion clinics statewide spend millions of dollars on hospital-level upgrades.
The court also put on hold a provision of the law only as it applies to clinics in McAllen and El Paso that requires doctors at the facilities to have admitting privileges at nearby hospitals. The rule remains in effect elsewhere in Texas. Justices Samuel Alito, Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas said they would have ruled against the clinics in all respects. The 5th Circuit is still considering the overall constitutionality of the sweeping law, overwhelmingly passed by the GOP-controlled Texas Legislature and signed into law by Gov. Rick Perry last year.
IN-DEPTH
— The Associated PressNEWARK -- Six women from the Essex County area who wanted fuller bottoms ended up in hospitals after receiving buttocks-enhancement injections containing the same material contractors use to caulk bathtubs, officials said.
The women checked into hospitals in the county after their procedures, apparently administered by unlicensed providers, went horribly wrong, state health officials said. The women underwent surgery and were given antibiotics. No arrests have been made.
Different from medical-grade silicone, the substance used in the botched procedures was believed to be a diluted version of nonmedical-grade silicone.
"The same stuff you use to put caulk around the bathtub," said Steven M. Marcus, executive and medical director of the New Jersey Poison Information and Education System, who learned about the bizarre procedures through a committee he sits on that monitors outbreaks in the metropolitan area.
"What a tragedy," said Gregory Borah, chief of plastic surgery at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick.
Using over-the-counter silicone can cause abscesses that he said resemble "a big zit."
Borah, also president of the New Jersey Society of Plastic Surgeons, said the botched procedures underscore the need for patients who seek augmentation to have it administered by a licensed professional in a sterile setting.
A plastic surgeon doing buttocks augmentation would make an incision to develop a pocket underneath the muscle and shape the buttocks with inert medical-grade silicone, Borah said. He noted it is a relatively uncommon procedure in most practices and that he has done only two in his 24-year career.
By the time he tells patients of the potential risks — from anesthesia, scarring and silicone shifting when patients sit down — they often change their minds.
Breast and cheek augmentations are the most common procedures, he noted. Borah said buttock augmentation is more popular in some cultures than others.
The state Department of Health and Senior Services did not identify the women or release any details about their ethnicity. It also did not say where the "unlicensed medical provider or providers" performed their procedures.
"Fortunately, these women are being treated and are recovering," said Tina Tan, the state epidemiologist. "But there is the potential for more serious complications if these infections are not treated early and properly."
Investigators have not determined if the six cases, which began to be reported in mid-February, are related, but they have stoked concern among officials that such injuries are more common than previously thought.
Health officials issued an alert to state hospitals and doctors about the cases and the potential for more victims.
Marcus said there have been other incidents over the past couple years of providers providing implants of nonmedical-grade silicone, then getting put out of business — only for other shady providers to surface.
"Caveat emptor: Buyer beware," Marcus said. "If it looks too cheap, there’s probably a reason it’s too cheap."
By Rohan Mascarenhas and Mike Frassinelli/The Star-Ledger
• Ex-head of Manhattan cosmetic surgery clinic where N.J. man died pleads guilty to fraud
• Rahway cops probe woman's cosmetic surgery deathHOUSTON -- Justin Anderson, just whistled for his second charge on a reckless drive within a span of 91 seconds early in the fourth quarter, jogged the length of the court and sat down next to owner Mark Cuban at the end of the Dallas Mavericks' bench.
Anderson sat there until the start of garbage time in the Mavs’ 109-87 loss to the Houston Rockets on Saturday. As well-cushioned as it might be, it’s certainly not a comfortable seat for Anderson, whose sophomore slump has been one of several bummers in a miserable first six weeks for the Mavs.
With a promising finish to his rookie season, Anderson, the 21st overall pick in the 2015 draft, provided hope that he was one of the rarest NBA species: a good draft pick by Dallas. He ranked high among the reasons for hope entering his sophomore season that the post-Dirk era didn’t have to be a disaster in Dallas.
However, Anderson has regressed so far this season. He’s right back to where he was a year ago, as a wide-eyed rookie: a fringe rotation player trying to find his place in the NBA. He’s struggling to find a rhythm after creating a niche during Dallas’ playoff push last season as a complementary piece alongside Dirk Nowitzki and J.J. Barea, two Mavs mainstays who are out due to injuries.
Justin Anderson played just 12 minutes in the Mavs' loss to the Rockets. Bill Baptist/NBAE via Getty Images
“Right now, I’m just trying to figure out a way to help our team win,” Anderson said. “Whether that’s encouraging or being ready at all times. I’ve got to be ready.”
Anderson picked up his first DNP-CD of the season in Friday’s win over the Indiana Pacers. He sat in favor of Nicolas Brussino, a skinny, undrafted rookie who would be better suited getting seasoning in the D-League. This comes weeks after undrafted rookie Dorian Finney-Smith, the fill-in starter while Nowitzki nurses his sore Achilles tendon, leaped Anderson on the depth chart. Anderson played a grand total of 12 minutes on the second night of the back-to-back, and he cracked double digits only because Carlisle waved the white flag with Dallas down double digits with four minutes remaining.
Garbage time didn’t exactly provide a confidence boost for Anderson, either. He knocked down a 3, but he missed his final three shots, the last one in embarrassing fashion as the rim rejected his uncontested, two-handed dunk attempt.
Finney-Smith's showing the potential to be a useful role player is among the few bright spots in a miserable season for the Mavs, whose 5-18 record is tied for worst in the NBA. But it’s balanced by the major disappointment of Anderson’s developmental detour.
“Look, we love him,” Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said of Anderson. “He’s a big part of our future. Bumps in the road are a fact of life with first-, second- and third-year players.”
SATURDAY SPOTLIGHT CP3 saw a 20-20 night, |
, Chepo must implement the double pivot.
The Gap at Right Back…
Still, to this day, Chepo still has not found a consistent right back. Almost half way through the year and still no solid choice. Layun was the most recent contender to put in an argument for playing in that position; however, in todays match, he failed to stamp his authority to claim that spot. Maybe Chepo will, regardless, call Layun into the senior squad this coming September for World Cup qualifiers. Another candidate that is up in the air is Hiram Mier. He’s always been solid defensively, as well as going forward in support. His last appearance was at the Confederations Cup, but was used sparingly by Chepo. It has been almost a year since Mier played with Mexico’s Olympic squad and it was there where he truly shined at right back. If Chepo can fix this dilemma at right back, then that’s just one more fixed screw in this Mexico team.
Back to the Basics
As silly as it seems, Mexico need to practice on the fundamental building blocks that make soccer what it is. For example, in today’s match, Mexico vs. Panama, El Tricolor were caught making schoolboy errors all over the field. Jimenez’s touch was similar to that of a brick, Huiqui’s decisions were very poor, and Marquez Lugo was missing in action for the majority of the game. These are the mistakes that are supposed to be buffed during the crucial practice sessions with the team. I’m sure the playing field today was not in the best conditions to play soccer, as many reporters noted out on social networking sites; however, simple mistakes such as misplaced passes, bad touches, and lackadaisical runs need to be tremendously worked on behind the scenes.
As Mexico walks out of the Gold Cup empty handed this year, many will not be arguing as to why they were not successful. The fact is that Mexico, honestly, should not have been in the semi-finals. And it’s unfortunate to see continuous results that often leave many fans disappointed. But, this still is Chepo’s team. And unless the old dog is willing to learn any new tricks, consider him gone in no time.Paul Johnston, CP24.com
One of two men wanted by police in connection with a fatal stabbing in the city’s Rockcliffe-Smythe neighbourhood over the weekend has surrendered to police.
Police were called to Noble Park, in the Jane Street and East Drive area, at around 12:20 a.m. Sunday.
According to police, 23-year-old Russell Sahadeo was walking with friends in the park when the group was approached by two men.
An altercation occurred, during which Sahadeo was stabbed.
He was transported to hospital with life-threatening injuries where he later died.
In a release issued Wednesday night, police confirmed that one of two suspects sought in connection with Sahadeo’s death had surrendered to police.
Marcus Richard Lee, 21, of Toronto, has been charged with second-degree murder.
He is scheduled to appear in court via video conference on Sept. 18.
Police continue to search for 20-year-old Ton Quoc Hoang Ngo, of Toronto, who is also wanted for second-degree murder.
He is described by police as Asian, five-foot-seven, with a slim build, and short black hair.
He should not be approached if spotted, police cautioned.
Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to contact police at 647-801-6813, or Crime Stoppers at 416-222-8477 (TIPS).Zee Media Corporation Limited (ZMCL) on Tuesday announced that its Global English News Channel will be called 'WION - World is One News’ and it will launch in mid-2016. The channel will report global news and issues from a South Asian perspective, the company said in a statement.
Dr Subhash Chandra, Chairman, Essel Group and ZEE said, “Zee Media’s new Global English News Channel – WION, will look to offer a seamless experience to empower, educate and energise our discerning viewers. Inspired by the Group’s motto, “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam - The World is My Family”, WION aptly stands for ‘World is One News’ and will give a global view of the world with a South Asian lens.”
Rohit Gandhi, Editor-in-Chief English News Broadcast and Related Content said, “With WION, we will meet the aspirations of two billion South Asians by delivering a global news network reflecting a South Asian world perspective. It’s high time for South Asian reporting from front lines, war zones and prominent global capitals.”
Gandhi further added, “While a tv channel is the face of this mobile-first start-up, our news gathering, reporting, production and publishing processes are an ambitious leap into a multi-screen future. We aim to disrupt conventional ways of thinking about news and set a new template for storytelling across platforms.”
With the new channel, "the company will target the Generation Z audience, not in terms of age, but in terms of values, beliefs and attitude and will cater to a generation that is global, social, visual and tech savvy," the release said.
It is a mobile/digital-first platform and which will later extend into an international television channel. The news content will be available to audiences at their convenience, on their preferred screens.
The network will use latest technology to bring in user-generated content. Its news-gathering teams will be equipped with mobile technology for an ‘anytime-anywhere’ live approach, said the company.
It will also have bureaus across the globe which will comprise of a mix journalists with diverse nationalities.Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump has accused China of “raping” the US, in renewed criticism of China’s trade policy.
He told a rally in Indiana that China was responsible for “the greatest theft in the history of the world”.
Mr Trump, a billionaire businessman, has long accused China of manipulating its currency to make its exports more competitive globally.
This, he says, has badly damaged US businesses and workers.
“We can’t continue to allow China to rape our country, and that’s what we’re doing,” he told the campaign rally on Sunday.
“We’re going to turn it around, and we have the cards, don’t forget it,” he added. “We have a lot of power with China.”
Mr Trump, in his campaign manifesto, pledges to “cut a better deal with China that helps American businesses and workers compete”.
He sets out four goals that include immediately declaring China “a currency manipulator” and putting “an end to China’s illegal export subsidies and lax labour and environmental standards”.
Latest figures from the US government show the trade deficit with China reached an all-time high of $365.7bn (£250.1bn) last year. By February this year, it had already reached $57bn.
There was no immediate response from Beijing to Mr Trump’s comments, but he is seen by many in China as an inspiration rather than an antagonist, says the BBC’s Vincent Ni.
Donald Trump has repeatedly accused China of manipulating its currency to make its exports more competitive, with what he says are damaging consequences for the US economy.
Rather than floating freely against the dollar, the Chinese authorities ensure the yuan maintains a closely fixed relationship with the US currency, and that it only trades in a narrow band either side of a fixed point selected by China.
Critics, including Mr Trump, claim China is keeping its currency at an unnaturally low level to boost its exports to the US, which also damages the prospects of US firms selling their goods to China. That, they say, has created in a huge trade imbalance.
Latest figures from Washington for US-China goods trade in January and February show the relationship does appear to be skewed. In those months the US exported $16.3bn in goods to China, but imported $73.3bn, leaving a massive goods trade imbalance of $57bn.
Last week, the US Treasury placed China (and others) on a currency watchlist, after pressure on the US government to be more robust in combating any currency manipulation by trading partners.
The Treasury stated that none of its large trading partners had engaged in currency manipulation in the past year, but indicated it was concerned about growing imbalances with some of those partners, including China.It’s gone and it’s not coming back. That was the blunt message Nick Clegg delivered recently to all those Liberal Democrat MPs who still hanker after the world as it used to be; who, in their guts, still yearn for the comforts and familiarities of the old order that was so dramatically overturned by last year’s general election.
He wasn’t appealing to reason. He knows his colleagues understand that going into coalition with the Conservatives was the only rational decision they could have taken at the time. But he knows also that few of them are fully reconciled to the consequences of that decision – that most remain reluctant passengers, their eyes fixed on the rear-view mirror, waiting for their chance to take the party back to its comfort zone.
The last time Clegg himself looked back was when he first walked into Downing Street. That wave he gave as he stood on the doorstep of No 10 with David Cameron – it wasn’t just to the photographers across the road. It was to his party’s past.
Those Lib Dem MPs who mourn the passing of the time when the party was unsullied either by association with the Conservatives, or by the compromises of government, pose no immediate threat. Yes, they find the journey unnerving, but they know that to jump now would be fatal. In the short term, the danger is simply that they squander their chance to govern; that the end-of-day test they set themselves is not what they managed to do, but what they stopped the Conservatives from doing. The bigger danger, though, both for the party and for Clegg, won’t come until the next election. At that point, all those Lib Dems who view the coalition with the Conservatives as a temporary aberration forced on them by circumstance will declare the journey over. In Clegg’s view, it will have only just begun.
Clegg talks privately about his “project” – his plan to transform the Liberal Democrats from a party of protest into a party of power. In opposition, he believes the Lib Dems did what they had to do to stay in a game rigged in favour of the two big parties: filling gaps, seizing opportunities and attacking their opponents wherever they looked vulnerable. But he must have known they were storing up trouble for the future; that many of their supporters would be impossible to satisfy, some of their policies impossible to deliver. The pledge to abolish tuition fees while seeking to eliminate the deficit is one example; the promise to build a zero-carbon energy system while opposing nuclear power another. Last winter, Vince Cable buried the first. Next week, Chris Huhne will ditch the second. The disaffected groups the party courted over the last decade – anti-war, anti-nuclear, anti-fees, anti-politics – will continue to scream betrayal, but Clegg knows they are unlikely to be won back no matter what he does. When he waved goodbye to his party’s past, he was also waving goodbye to many of its past voters.
Despite their departure – maybe even because of it – the Deputy Prime Minister is upbeat. With only its core vote left, he senses the party has reached the nadir of its fortunes; that the only way now is up. He readily acknowledges that the Lib Dems are in a bad place at the moment, but he knows where he wants to take them and is impatient to get there.
His destination, referenced in every speech he gives, is the centre ground: what he calls the “sweet spot” in British politics, the place where, in his words, “we can be ourselves – more hard-headed and economically competent than Labour, more compassionate and committed to social justice than the Conservatives”.
The first part of that positioning statement needs little explanation. It was Labour, after all, that left the UK so horribly exposed to the global financial crisis and which has since opposed almost every difficult measure introduced to repair the damage. As evidence for the second claim – that the Lib Dems are more committed to fairness than the Conservatives – Clegg points to the raising of the income tax threshold, to the Pupil Premium, and to the expansion of early years provision, none of which, he believes, would have been introduced had the Conservatives governed on their own.
So long as the focus is on government policy and Clegg can demonstrate real Lib Dem influence, the internal debate will remain largely contained. The moment of truth will come after the next election, if the Lib Dems once again hold the balance of power in a hung parliament, as many poll-watchers expect. Such a result would only be possible, of course, if there was no significant movement of voters between the two big parties, making it much harder than last time to judge the public mood by sticking a wet finger in the air. In that scenario, the choices facing the Liberal Democrats would be stark; their real preferences impossible to conceal.
My bet is that Clegg’s preferred outcome would be another five years governing with the Conservatives. That would give him a chance to finish what he started with regards both to the country and the party. Most Lib Dems, if they had to choose today, would opt either to return to opposition or to govern with Labour.
Needless to say, much will happen between now and then, most of it impossible to predict. One key unknown is whether Clegg’s project will succeed – whether he will be able to turn the Left-leaning party of opposition he inherited into the centrist party of government he has in his mind’s eye.
If he fails, one thing is certain: the Liberal Democrats will need to find themselves a new leader.
Read Julian Astle at blogs.telegraph.co.ukThis is truly heartbreaking. Just days after news of Dave Mirra’s tragic suicide broke, new details have emerged revealing the truth behind the BMX star’s grueling battle with depression and how his decorated career may have played a part.
What was already a tragic story has been made even more heartbreaking, as a new report now claims that BMX icon Dave Mirra had struggled with depression for years before taking his own life at a friend’s house in Greenville, North Carolina on Feb. 4. While some have linked the extreme sports star’s untimely death to the concussion-related degenerative brain disease CTE, those closest to the him are now saying that it was a lack of “passion” caused by his 2011 retirement that may actually be to blame. Get the heart-rending new details below.
This is such tragic news. As Dave’s friends and family continue to mourn the loss of the legendary BMX rider, a new TMZ report claims that Dave was deeply depressed in the years following his 2011 retirement as he struggled to find purpose in life outside of the sports world. Friends close to the X Games star claim that he, like many in his profession, was an adrenaline junkie, who was unable to find a suitable outlet to replace the thrill of his BMX days — a factor they believe ultimately led to his mental state prior to taking his own life.
The report goes on to say that the father-of-two had tried to renew his passion for living by setting up a program to teach extreme sports to kids in his hometown.According to one pal, Dave was even talking about building a new speed cycling track just hours before his death. Unfortunately, the effort wasn’t enough to rid Dave of his “deep depression,” as friends say he continued to feel “lost” despite his important role in the community.
Sadly, it appears Dave may have even battled with these issues long before his retirement in 2011. In the days following his death, an interview between him and People magazine resurfaced in which the BMX star confessed to being a very sad and “intense” guy more than a decade before taking his own life. “I do get sad. I get sad for stupid things, like reading the news about things that go on in the world,” he told the publication in 2004.”I don’t like hearing about pain and suffering, especially, like, kids and poor people. That makes me sad. I think I feel things deeply.”
As always, our thoughts continue to go out to all of Dave’s friends, family and loved ones during this very difficult time.In the early 18th century, a revival took place in middle Europe that has received little attention. It had something most unusual about it: it was a revival among the children.
Lutherans were being increasingly marginalised by the Roman Catholic authorities in Silesia, (the borderlands of Poland and Czech today), but the schoolchildren would not accept this. Some time in 1707, the children of Sprottau (today Szprotawa) started to meet in the field outside the town, two or three times a day, to pray for peace in the land and for freedom of religion. They would read some Psalms, sing hymns and pray, some of them lying prostrate, and close with a blessing.
The movement spread through the mountain villages of Upper Silesia and into the towns. Not all adults were happy about this, fearing the consequences; some tried locking their children in the house, but they would climb out of the windows! In some villages, Roman Catholic children joined the Lutheran children to pray.
Some adults were drawn to the move of God. They would form a circle around the praying children. In some places, the combined number might reach 300 souls. Magistrates brought pressure to bear to disperse these meetings. One bailiff came with a whip, but when he heard the prayers, he could not use it.
Out of this “children’s revival” grew a movement of renewal that touched the area. In time, it found its centre in the Lutheran Jesuskirche church in Teschen (now Cieszyn), which opened in 1750. Here, so many attended services that hundreds had to stand outside the building. Sunday services began at 8 a.m. and continued through the day, in several languages. In turn, the Teschen church provided some of the original members of Count Zinzendorf’s community and fellowship at Herrnhut, known in the English-speaking world as the Moravians.
Trevor Saxby is a mentor, pastor and PhD in church history. Author of Pilgrims of a Common Life and part of the Jesus Fellowship Church in the UK. I love learning from the ‘movers and shakers’ of the past, as I want to be one today!By Sell on News, a global macro equities analyst. Cross-posted from Macrobusiness.
One of the consequences of economics pretending to be a science, when it is not, is the tendency to attempt to explain financial behaviour from its base constituent parts, rather as a physicist might build up a picture of a compound from its molecules. This repeatedly results in observations that are either banal or based on circular arguments. And once those observations are generalised, taken beyond their thought experiment circularity, they become consistently misleading.
There was an example of this in an article in The Economist that discusses the origin of money, or specie. Money, we are told, is “perhaps the most basic building block in economics”. Well, yes. Painters use paint, too. But money, unlike paint, is a little harder to define:
“It is clear what it does, but its origins are a mystery. Some argue that money has its roots in the power of the state. Others claim the origin of money is a purely private matter: it would exist even if governments did not. This debate is long-running but it informs some of the most pressing monetary questions of today. Money fulfils three main functions. First, it must be a medium of exchange, easily traded for goods and services. Second, it must be a store of value, so that it can be saved and used for consumption in the future. Third, it must be a unit of account, a useful measuring-stick. Lots of things can do these jobs. Tea, salt and cattle have all been used as money. In Britain’s prisons, inmates currently favour shower-gel capsules or rosary beads.”
It is interesting how this argument develops. There is no real definition of what it is other than it is a “mystery”, then we return to what money does, its functions. As Nobel laureate Sir James Mirrlees commented, traditional economic theory has no explanation for the existence of money. Not a small gap, to say the least. Then the article goes on to look at historical types of money, including barter at which point it has safely departed from any relevance to the meta money world that has developed in the global capital markets.
Taking a building block approach, in other words, gets pretty much nowhere. The quasi-science defeats itself readily enough.
Money, it seems to me, is rules. Rules about value and obligation. The rules can be enforced or overseen by government or they can be loosely enforced through private self organisation. The opposing arguments about money being from the state or private sources is really a non-argument. They are just different kinds of rules. What we are seeing in the global capital market is the shifting of the rule making away from governments and towards private actors, but both are typically involved. It is just that the balance over the last decade has been skewed towards traders, leaving governments to fix the mess when it all inevitably went wrong.
The article also makes the mistake of looking at money as a tangible thing, which is a blind alley. Rules are intangible:
“But the story just doesn’t match the facts in most monetary economies, according to a 1998 paper** by Charles Goodhart of the London School of Economics. Take the widespread use of precious metals as money. A Mengerian would say that this happens because metals are durable, divisible and portable: that makes them an ideal medium of exchange. But it is incredibly hard to value raw metals, Mr Goodhart argued, so the cost of using them in trade is high. It is much easier to assess the value of a bag of salt or a cow than a lump of metal. Raw metals fail Menger’s own saleableness test. This problem explains why metal money has circulated not in lumps but as coins, with a regulated amount of metal in each coin. But history shows that minting developed not as a private-sector attempt to minimise the costs of trading, but as a government operation. It was state intervention, not the private market, that made metal specie work as money. “
I would say that the physical version of money — and almost all money these days is blips on a computer screen, almost none physical coinage — was developed to be a store of rules (and only secondarily a store of value).
Whatever, the building block approach to understanding money is arid. It ends up only telling us what money does, not what it is. A much better approach is, having defined money as rules, to then ask how human beings create, and are affected by, the rules. An excellent starting point for that is the anthropologist George Simmel, who links it with the rise of individuality. Money allows an individual to define his or herself:
“Money furthers differentiation not only as a by product of of differentiation in society but within the individual directly. It does this by providing an effective means of distinguising between the subjective centre and the objective achievement of a person. The individual’s performance may be paid for while the person remains outside the transaction..”
But Simmel says the individualising power of money has another side. Group membership can either enhance or reduce individuality: investment bankers are all alike except for the differences in their bank balances. And it has an effect on how we conceive others:
“Such power is achieved at the cost of de-individualizing other beings whom one tends to evaluate in monetary terms. Here we confront the Neitzschean belief that there is a world economy of individuality, with the result that its increase in the few takes place at the expense of the depersonalised many.”
It is worth remembering, especially at a time when neo-liberal ideas of the worth of the individual and limitless virtues of markets abound, that the word “individual” once had the opposite meaning: “indivisible from”. That reflects the ambiguity, even paradox, of the idea. One is reminded of the Monty Python film Life of Brian:
Brian: You are all individuals Crowd: We are all individuals Some guy: I’m not.
Money is rules, and the patterns of individuality and co-operation or colectivism are revealed in relation to those rules. The question should be in this current bizarre world of meta-money: “What rules are good and what rules are either bad or dangerous?”
The answer will be found in looking at the balance between individual rights and freedoms and the collective good.
* * *
Lambert here: Well, gosh, I don’t know. Smarter people than me: “Money is power”; “Money, then, is credit and nothing but credit.” Then again, “money is rules” appeals to me, because it makes money seem subject to the taboos (rules) that fetishes are subject too. Readers? How do you answer Sell on New’s question, do you agree or disagree with Sell on News, and if so, why? Here’s another question: Are different forms of money appropriate to different constitutional orders? That is, would a city-state like Florence or Athens necessarily have different forms of money from an empire like Rome or the United States? Let’s have a good clean fight here….by Justin “filthy liberal scum” Rosario
Do you come from the liberal East coast? Are you from the laid back hills of California? Are you a dang city slicker? Then you, my friend, are NOT a real American. Your opinion doesn’t count because you don’t live your life the right way. Too bad.
At least, that is the impression one gets from listening to Sarah Palin and her cadre of conservativeparrots patriots. “Small town, USA” “The Heartland” “Middle America” These are all dog whistles for the base. Real Americans don’t live in cities, they say, they live in little towns and work on farms and live the American dream that conservatives tell us is “how things should be.”
“City Slickers”, on the other hand, are degenerates. We’re perverts and homo lovers. We don’t believe in God and guns. We’re *gasp* globalists, accepting of foreigners and different cultures. We don’t really love Republican America™[i] and we’re all trying to destroy it. Republican America™ is similar to Republican Jesus™ in that both are a highly distorted version of the original and both are unrecognizable to you, me or any sane individual.
City folk are lazy, too. Didn’t you know? We wouldn’t know an honest day’s work if it jumped up and bit us on our latte drinking, couscous eating ass. We’re all office drones and Yuppies and lawyers. We don’t know what it’s like to make an honest living and the only American apple pie we know about is McDonald’s. And speaking of couscous, we don’t even eat like normal folks. We ask for arugula instead of plain old lettuce and put mustard on our hamburgers. Mustard! Sounds like something a foreigner would do, not something a real American would even think of.
But let’s take a look at that premise. Do small town people really represent America? Well, let us define “represent.” One of Webster’s definitions (among others) is as follows:
“to exhibit the counterpart or image of; to typify”
Under this definition, Small Town, USA should be a typical example of America. The average American would display most, if not all, of the characteristics ascribed to idealized rural residents. Good, honest, God-fearing, hard working (White) Christian folk living in small communities should be the norm as contrasted to city folk who are the down slope of the Bell curve and a drain on our society.
Except that doesn’t reflect reality at all. As of the 2000 census, 79% of the population of the United States live in what is considered urban environments[ii]. As of 2008 a tipping point was reached and more than 50% of the entire world’s population is urban dwelling. This is a rapidly accelerating trend that is predicted to reach 70% worldwide by 2050 [iii], so it’s not even a uniquely American phenomenon.
So the “norm” of the United States is actually city life. To add insult to injury, not only do most people live in cities, but a disproportionate majority of the nation’s wealth is produced in those cities as well. Part of this is simply population density. More people equals more productivity. Oops, there goes the lazy city slickers theory! Another part is that cities are centers of commerce. Again, more people means more consumption, whether it be of services or manufactured goods. Seaports, airports, train and highway nexuses also play a hard-to-understate role in the wealth of cities as well. Even if a major airport magically appeared in a small town, it wouldn’t be a small town for long. Trade centers are inherently prosperous and as long as they are, they grow.
To further compound the fallacy of “Small town, USA” being the heart of America, the role that cities play in fostering innovation is almost impossible to exaggerate. Innovation comes from the free exchange of ideas among diverse disciplines and most major American cities are defined by their sociological, educational and intellectual diversity. Even in Texas. Most of the technology we take for granted was developed, not on a farm in Idaho, but in a metropolitan setting. If there is one thing that America is known for more than anything else besides “collateral damage”, it is our technological prowess. The internet, itself a technological marvel (thank you Mr. Gore), may alter this dynamic as collaboration can now take place from any location with ease but, for the foreseeable future, cities are where the brain storming will take place.
So according to any reasonable definition of “real American”, you can’t be one unless you live in a city. Take that ya hillbillies!
“But ya’ll city folk would starve without us farmers to feed ya”, you say? Well, sure. Of course, without cities, farmers would have no one to sell their produce to, so it’s a very symbiotic relationship. Besides, if you weren’t aware of it already, Big Agriculture is just that, BIG. A very small amount of companies produce the vast majority of our food and not a small amount of the world’s. The next time you hear a conservative complain about how the Estate Tax destroys small family farms, laugh at them. Laugh long and hard and then ask them to produce a single farmer, much less the threatened thousands, put out of business by it. It’s fun to watch them squirm. Then ask them about all the farmers put out of work by Big Agro assisted by all the overly generous (and completely unnecessary) subsidies afforded them by the government. That’s always a real conversation stopper. Especially if you’re talking to Michelle “250k” Bachmann. Not everyone is able to rip off the taxpayers like that.
But despite urban life being the statistical norm there’s a distinct problem with the line of thought that one is more authentic than the other: it is all utter nonsense. There is no such thing as an American that’s intrinsically better than any other. If there was, this wouldn’t be the United States as we understand it. The whole theory behind the existence of this country is its egalitarianism. Yes, there are glaring (to put it mildly) inequalities and some people (cough GOP cough) want to keep it that way or even make it worse. Yes, money has more influence than it should but it doesn’t make those who have it “better”. More powerful to be sure, but not “better.” Look at Bernie Madoff or Paris Hilton. Are they “better” than you? I didn’t think so.
Needless to say, the whole rural/urban dichotomy is false at its very foundation. City people aren’t necessarily smarter than people in the countryside and people in the countryside aren’t necessarily harder working than city people. It’s simply a wedge used by politicians and pundits to pander to one group or the other. Both liberals and conservatives are guilty of this particular tactic. Although, for a change, liberals are more subtle about it than conservatives. When a conservative speaks in a derogative fashion about liberals, they talk directly about intellectual elitists and Hollywood limousine liberals. When liberals poke fun at conservative ignorance, we’re summoning the image of back country yokels without actually saying it. Why do you think the word redneck comes up so often in a contentious political thread? It’s right up there with “Nazi.”[iv] It’s an insidiously self-reinforcing cycle. The more liberals insist on dispassionate facts, the more conservatives rely on shallow emotion and around and around we go.
There is, as the FSB pointed out to me, also a less than subtle racial overtone to conservative insistence that Small Town, USA is where the real (White) America lies (are you really surprised?). The idea that the most ethnically and sociologically diverse portions of our country are somehow lacking in purity is, at its heart, about race. “Real” Americans don’t know a second language or travel to foreign countries unless it’s Hawaii.[v] It’s just not a good American thing to do. Jon Stewart calls it “our nation’s love affair with xenophobia[vi]” and it’s a sad thing to behold.
I used to hear the phrase “melting pot” a lot as a kid and I thought it was a wonderful idea. Take hundreds of cultures and smoosh them together to form something new. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts. School House Rock even had a song for it.[vii] That’s gone now. On the one side you have overzealous liberals who champion multiculturalism to the point where American traditions shouldn’t overwhelm an immigrant’s native culture. On the other you have purists who see a foreign cultures’ influence as a threat to the traditional American way of life.
Both are so incredibly wrong it’s painful to see. Both are encouraging artificial barriers within our ever growing population. Growth comes from the injection of the new into the old. Liberals, we needimmigrants and their new ideas to integrate. Keeping them apart doesn’t help us or them. Conservatives, American culture is already a hodgepodge of concepts from all over the world and that’s what makes us so strong. We are constantly reinventing ourselves because we are not slaves (very intentional usage, thank you) to our past. At the same time we need a solid foundation to stand on because uncontrolled change is not always a good thing. A good idea, left unchecked, could easily become unhealthy, like chocolate covered bacon.[viii]
What makes a person a “real” American? Who is to say? Not I, not you and certainly not Sarah “WTF?” Palin or Glenn “Nazi Tourettes” Beck. There are so many ways to live the American dream of Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness that there is no one way to be an American. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with living in the countryside. I’ve spent time there and the people I met were very nice. It’s quiet, it’s less crowded, it’s definitely slower paced and these are all very attractive to someone living in the middle of New York City. But living in the city has its own attractions as well, Broadway, a never ending parade of new (and freaky weird) people on the subway and the availability to get Chinese food at four in the morning is hard to oversell.
So really, being a “real American” means whatever you want it to mean and don’t let anyone tell you you’re wrong. Just remember, their idea is totally different from yours. And they’ll be just as right.
Feel free to tell me what a terrible person I am on my FB page http://www.facebook.com/Jrosario1701
[i] Yes, I will be writing about Republican America™ in more depth at some point.
[ii] http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/planning/census/cps2k.htm
[iii] http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/mar/22/un-cities-mega-regions All I keep thinking of is Judge Dredd.
[iv] Maybe I should call it Rosario’s Corollary to Godwin’s Law. Just kidding; it’s nowhere nearly ubiquitous enough to be a corollary (yet).
[v] To anyone reading this and thinking “A-HA! He thinks Hawaii is another country! What a moron!” You are now legally classified as brain damaged.
[vi] The Daily Show with Jon Stewart presents America (the book). Chapter nine. Pure genius from cover to cover.
[vii] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32l3sTFRFX8&feature=related Go watch it, it’s awesome. I’ll wait…
[viii] Yes, such a thing exists. Google it but don’t blame your first coronary on me!SPACE is big,” wrote Douglas Adams in his book The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. “You just won’t believe how vastly, hugely, mind-bogglingly big it is.”
He wasn’t exaggerating. Even our nearest star Proxima Centauri is a staggering 4.2 light years away – more than 200,000 times the distance from the Earth to the sun. Or, if you like, the equivalent of 50 million trips to the moon and back.
Such vast distances would seem to put the stars far beyond the reach of human explorers. Suppose we had been able to hitch a ride on NASA’s Voyager 1 the fastest interstellar space probe built to date. Voyager 1 is now heading out of the solar system at about 17 kilometres per second. At this rate it would take 74,000 years to reach Proxima Centauri – safe to say we wouldn’t be around to enjoy the view.
So what would it take for humans to reach the stars within a lifetime? For a start, we would need a spacecraft that can rush through the cosmos at close to the speed of light. There has been no shortage of proposals: vehicles propelled by repeated blasts from hydrogen bombs, or from the annihilation of matter and antimatter. Others resemble vast sailing ships with giant reflective sails, pushed along by laser beams.
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All these ambitious schemes have their shortcomings and it is doubtful they could really go the distance. Now there are two radical new possibilities on the table that might just enable us – or rather our distant descendants …During March’s games, Maikel Franco will begin his opportunity to help the Philadelphia Phillies. And even if he crushes the ball, he may have to start the campaign with the Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs to play regularly. Because of Ryan Howard at first base and Cody Asche on the opposite corner, Ruben Amaro Jr. might not want Franco to ride the pines if he struggles early.
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specimens, Peale "painted skies and landscapes on the back of cases displaying his taxidermy specimens".[20] By the late 19th century, the British Museum held an exhibition featuring taxidermy birds set on models of plants.
The first habitat diorama created for a museum was constructed by taxidermist Carl Akeley for the Milwaukee Public Museum in 1889,[21] where it is still held. Akeley set taxidermy muskrats in a three-dimensional re-creation of their wetland habitat with a realistic painted background. With the support of curator Frank M. Chapman, Akeley designed the popular habitat dioramas featured at the American Museum of Natural History. Combining art with science, these exhibitions were intended to educate the public about the growing need for habitat conservation. The modern AMNH Exhibitions Lab is charged with the creation of all dioramas and otherwise immersive environments in the museum.[22]
A predecessor of Akeley, naturalist and taxidermist Martha Maxwell created a famous habitat diorama for the first World's Fair in 1876. The complex diorama featured taxidermied animals in realistic action poses, running water, and live prairie dogs.[23] It is speculated that this display was the first of its kind [outside of a museum].[23] Maxwell's pioneering diorama work is said to have influenced major figures in taxidermy history who entered the field later, such as Akeley and William Temple Hornaday.[23]
Soon, the concern for accuracy came. Groups of scientists, taxidermists, and artists would go on expeditions to ensure accurate backgrounds and collect specimens,[24] though some would be donated by game hunters.[25] Natural-history dioramas reached the peak of their grandeur with the opening of the Akeley Hall of African Mammals in 1936,[26] which featured large animals, such as elephants, surrounded by even larger scenery.[27] Nowadays, various institutions lay different claims to notable dioramas. The Milwaukee Public Museum still displays the world's first diorama, created by Akeley; the American Museum of Natural History, in New York, has what might be the world's largest diorama: a life-size replica of a blue whale; the Powell-Cotton Museum, in Kent, UK, is known for having the world's oldest, unchanged, room-sized diorama, built in 1896.
Constructing a diorama [ edit ]
Natural-history dioramas consist of 3 parts:
The painted background The foreground Taxidermy specimens
Preparations for the background begin on the field, where an artist takes photographs and sketches references pieces. Once back at the museum, the artist has to depict the scenery with as much realism as possible. The challenge lies in the fact that the wall used is curved: this allows the background to surround the display without seams joining different panels. At times the wall also curves upward to meet the light above and form a sky. By having a curved wall, whatever the artist paints will be distorted by perspective; it is the artist's job to paint in such a way that minimises this distortion.
The foreground is created to mimic the ground, plants and other accessories to scenery. The ground, hills, rocks, and large trees are created with wood, wire mesh, and plaster. Smaller trees are either used in their entirety or replicated using casts. Grasses and shrubs can be preserved in solution or dried to then be added to the diorama. Ground debris, such as leaf litter, is collected on site and soaked in wallpaper paste for preservation and presentation in the diorama. Water is simulated using glass or plexiglass with ripples carved on the surface. For a diorama to be successful, the foreground and background must merge, so both artists have to work together.
Taxidermy specimens are usually the centrepiece of dioramas. Since they must entertain, as well as educate, specimens are set in lifelike poses, so as to convey a narrative of an animal's life. Smaller animals are usually made with rubber moulds and painted. Larger animals are prepared by first making a clay sculpture of the animal. This sculpture is made over the actual, posed skeleton of the animal, with reference to moulds and measurements taken on the field. A papier-mâché mannequin is prepared from the clay sculpture, and the animal's tanned skin is sewn onto the mannequin. Glass eyes substitute the real ones.
If an animal is large enough, the scaffolding that holds the specimen needs to be incorporated into the foreground design and construction.
See also [ edit ]
Notes [ edit ]
References [ edit ]The trailers and poster advertisements for the third installment of the widely popular Hunger Games franchise has sewn Israeli fashion designer Alon Livne into the hype surrounding the newest film, Mockingjay: Part 1. Actress Jena Malone, playing Johanna Mason, dons Livne’s all-white dress gown which “juxtaposes the flowing drapery of classic statuary while the super modern and sculptural iridescent white bodice references the branch motif of the Panem Seal,” according to the film’s Capitol Couture website. The film’s fashion watch website continues with its accolades for the dress, saying: “With plunging lines and slits as daring and divine as the warrior woman herself, every element of Johanna’s ensemble (including her Alexander Wang shoes and hand-carved marble bangles by Chen Chen and Kai Williams) exudes her fierce strength and enduring pride—a true darling of the Capitol.” Livne trained at Alexander McQueen in London and at the luxury Italian fashion house Roberto Cavalli. His designs are sought out by international stylists, editors, and fashion enthusiasts, including the likes of Lady Gaga and Beyonce. The dress in Mockingjay is from Livné’s Spring-Summer collection for 2014. (via Israel21c)
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11 Secrets Of HMS Belfast
Climb aboard the Belfast to find out her secrets. © IWM
HMS Belfast is moored up near Tower Bridge and serves as a museum to the second world war. Unsurprisingly it holds a lot of secrets within, how many of these did you know about?
Lack of camouflage
The wooden deck was originally painted with camouflage patterns to prevent it being easily spotted by enemy planes. But the Admiral of the time decided that he hated the look of it so stripped it back to its original teak. Luckily the Belfast did not suffer any aerial attacks due to this purely aesthetic decision.
A valuable bell
Everyone comes on board towards the rear of the ship, and may spot a solid silver bell. It was given as a gift to the Belfast when she was launched, but there was concern that such a valuable item may be lost if the ship was sunk during the war — clearly the loss of the crew not being as much of a concern. So the bell was kept in storage and only placed on the ship in 1948, once the war was over.
This silver bell was far too valuable to be risked being lost at sea.
Officer privileges
Walking along the side of the ship next to the bell, the observant visitor may spot a brass line along the deck. This is the line that demarcates the part of the deck that was only accessible to officers. There was a clear hierarchy on board and only the officer classes could relax and smoke on this part of the deck.
The first casualty
The first casualty on board was in 1939 when Boy Seaman John Campbell incorrectly loaded a shell with an open fist, instead of a closed one. The breech of the gun closed on his hand and he lost two fingers. There was very little sympathy for him at the time and he didn't receive any compensation until 1987, nearly 50 years later.
Careful when loading the guns or fingers may be lost
An aircraft carrier?
The Belfast is clearly not an aircraft carrier but it used to have a plane on board. Take a look at the structures above deck and there is a conspicuous gap between the front and rear structures.
This is because a reconnaissance plane used to sit here and it was launched using a catapult. This increased the range of the Belfast's vision. But once radar came along, the plane became obsolete and they got rid of it.
A terrified reindeer
The Russian Admiral Golovko gifted a reindeer called Olga to the Belfast, which they used to keep in an aircraft hangar — the one used for storing the reconnaissance aircraft. But before they could get the reindeer home the Belfast was involved in the fierce gun battles of the Battle of North Cape.
After the battle they found the reindeer so distressed from the noise that she was impossible to calm and they had to put her down. As it was close to Christmas, the officers had themselves a lovely Christmas lunch.
A dead mongoose
The reindeer isn't the only animal story about the Belfast. A rather eccentric officer named Captain Ellison had a pet mongoose. One day a foul smell spread around the Belfast as the mongoose had clearly climbed into a hidden part of the ship and died. Hundreds of the crew had to be enlisted in looking for a mongoose corpse somewhere on the ship.
See those pins just below the guns? They stop the bow of the ship being accidentally blown off.
Don't blow the bloody bow off
The main guns at the front of the Belfast are able to fire downwards in case there's an enemy ship alongside it. But there are pins in front of the guns to stop the guns rotating downwards when they're facing forward.
If these pins weren't there it would be possible to accidentally blow the bow of the ship off.
Some of the guns are still capable of being fired and occasionally do to mark anniversaries such as D-Day. Thankfully they only fire blanks on these special occasions.
Nuclear protection
Some very small pipes sticking out of the ship are the vestiges of a system called pre-wet. It was designed to shoot out fountains of water in case of a nuclear, biological or chemical attack. Theoretically the fallout would hit the water and run off the sides of the ship. Even at the time they were suspicious as to whether this would be effective and by today's standards it seems very rudimentary and unlikely to be successful.
Lots of instruments on the bridge but where's the wheel?
What, no wheel?
The bridge affords the opportunity to sit in the Captain's chair. There are plenty of instruments but there doesn't seem to be any way to steer the boat. This is because the bridge provides a great view of the battle but is also the easiest part of the ship to target. And the last thing a ship needs is to lose steering in the heat of a battle.
So the actual wheel and controls are located deep in the protected interior of the Belfast and orders are relayed from the bridge.
Sleeping in the corridors
The Belfast was extremely crowded, so many of the crew would have to sling their hammocks in the corridors. When walking along these corridors keep an eye out for hooks high up on the walls. These denote where the crew would attach their hammocks when they needed some kip.
Next time you're aboard HMS Belfast, keep your eyes peeled for many of these secrets. Admission prices may be found on the website.
A special thanks to Yeoman, Michael Smith for the tour he gave us which was the source of all this information.IN TRULY hospitable fashion, the dear old Australian Bankers Association saw fit to describe your correspondent as ''inaccurate'' the other day in response to a story we had penned about bank profit margins.
The critique from the cartel's peak body presented a most fine opportunity. It was akin to a gilt-embossed invitation on designer stationery: ''Dear Sir, you are cordially invited to give us a shellacking at the earliest opportunity.'' The bankers said we had singled out ''covered bonds'' as a source of funding whose ''spread compression'' over the past year had been, in the words of a Westpac note to institutional clients, ''an extraordinary performance''. Our story did not recognise the ''pressures'' in other sources of funding, they said.
Illustration: Michael Mucci.
Indeed this new source of funding, covered bonds, made possible by a kindly and somewhat furtive act of Parliament a year ago, had performed extraordinarily. But so had all forms of funding, be they deposits, hybrids, bonds or cash.
The banks, you see, have a conundrum. They are rolling in it. While they did their usual Oliver Twist routine and held a bit back at every Reserve Bank rate cut over the past year or so, their blended cost of funds has been dropping dramatically. How can they possibly spin it now? It's tough out there? Surely the ''wholesale funding pressures'' line is passe. Surely there is no place to turn but the dependable ''Australia needs a strong banking sector'' angle.VOTER support for Tony Abbott and the coalition is on the rise in NSW, South Australia and Western Australia, according to the latest Newspoll.
However, Bill Shorten and Labor are making strong gains in Queensland and dominate in Victoria.
The September quarter demographic analysis published in The Australian on Tuesday shows men and voters aged over 50 have become the prime minister’s main supporters, while the opposition leader’s strongest backers are women and under 35s.
After being heavily penalised in the June quarter on the back of a poorly received federal budget, Mr Abbott’s personal standing has improved in every state except Queensland and across every age group, among men and women, as well as city and country voters.
Mr Shorten’s main gains have been in Queensland, where Labor is now in front in two-party-preferred terms for the first time since March 2010.
Mr Abbott is preferred prime minister by 38 per cent of voters, up one point, while Mr Shorten is preferred by 39 per cent, down two points.
Based on a sample of 6900 voters, the Newspoll shows the coalition’s primary vote up two points at 39 per cent, the opposition down a point on 35 per cent, and the Greens holding steady on 12 per cent.
On a two-party preferred basis, Labor is down a point at 52 per cent, while the coalition is up a point on 48 per cent.It was without doubt one of the most disappointing yokozuna-yokozuna bouts in recent years.
When Harumafuji’s disappointing hit-and-run technique against fellow Mongolian Hakuho on Nov. 24 gave him the championship after an action-packed 15 days, few were that impressed.
Instead, rather that his sixth yusho to date earning him praise and fan accolades, far more evident were questions surrounding the type of sumo he consistently resorts to.
Throughout, the Isegahama beya yokozuna was in hit-and-run mode.
Just hours after carrying off the Emperor’s Cup, rather than praise his performance, the Yokozuna Deliberation Council (YDC) once again expressed concern about the sport’s 70th grand champion to date and questioned the type of sumo he employed in Fukuoka to break his streak of four lackluster outings dating back to March.
In reverting to the “little man” sumo that got him to the yokozuna ranking, Harumafuji again failed to live up to standards so often displayed by Hakuho and other great sumo wrestlers in recent years.
Some fans have gone so far as to claim that ozeki Kisenosato (13-2) performed more like a yokozuna, with every single one of his 13 wins the result of forward-moving sumo. I would have to agree.
By contrast the senior-ranked Harumafuji used more than a handful of side-stepping and back-pedaling pulling moves to catch his opponents off guard from the get-go.
Indeed, it was perhaps with one eye on Kisenosato outshining Harumafuji in form throughout 2013 that the YDC hinted that the ozeki could himself could be considered for promotion on the back of a single championship in January.
Questions will be raised if the recent consecutive championships standard for promotion from ozeki to yokozuna is not imposed, with many foreign fans no doubt claiming preferential treatment for a Japanese ozeki.
Regardless of nationality, however, few will argue that his four yusho in the past four tourneys is deserving of reward, and that over the past two years none of the other ozeki have come close to his consistency.
Away from the pointy end of the division, up-and-comer Endo of Oitekaze Beya went 6-9 on an ankle that would have most laid up for weeks, in turn securing his makunouchi status.
The next six weeks will be crucial in his long-term success in the sport.
Rest and recuperation are — or should be — on the cards to give him the chance to enter the Hatsu Basho (starting Jan. 12) in tip-top condition.
Lower down, the man so lauded in the Japanese media as the first African, first Muslim and first Egyptian to enter the sport rounded off a forgettable tournament with a performance demonstrative of just how much he has to learn.
Going into the final weekend with seven wins he had two shots to get his kachi-koshi winning record. Losing to Ikioi on Day 14 by yorikiri his chance of earning a highly respectable 8-7 record in his first tourney in makunouchi went out the window almost immediately on the final day when, lacking any semblance of a plan going into his bout with Brazilian Kaisei, the 21-year-old attempted a henka sidestep at the initial charge. While not illegal, it’s a move that’s generally looked down upload in the sport, and in his attempt to dodge Kaisei at the initial face-off he suffered the embarrassment of his foe recovering and eventually was pushed out himself.
His rank for the next tournament, whether or not it means survival in the division or demotion to juryo, will be made public come the release of the next banzuke ranking sheet on Dec. 24.
If Osunaarashi want to live up to his fans’ and the media expectations, he needs to focus on his sumo, ignore the hype and get down to busineUrbit, the computing platform described as a “city in the cloud” by its inventors, raised more than $200,000 in four hours through a crowdsale last week. While the crypto-space has seen many spectacular crowd-sales, some more dodgy than others, Urbit has been able to excite leading venture capitalists and executives in the space, including BitGo's Ben Davenport, 21 Inc.'s Balaji Srinivasan and Chaincode Labs' Alex Morcos.
The platform, a product by U.S. startup Tlon, sparks curiosity, even though few outside the VC tech elite seem to have a good grasp on exactly what it proposes.
According to Tlon CTO and Urbit inventor Curtis Yarvin: “If bitcoin is digital money, Urbit is digital land.”
The Goal
The main problem Urbit intends to solve is the reliance of internet users on servers they do not control. Back in the ‘80s, the internet was designed as a peer-to-peer network but most people now just use it to connect to Facebook, Gmail, Reddit and other centralized services. This means that users are not in full control of their own data, software or identity, instead handing this over to corporate tech giants.
Tlon, instead, envisions a future where users own their own general-purpose cloud computers and socialize by connecting directly to each other. A sort of remake of the internet’s original peer-to-peer vision.
Speaking to Bitcoin Magazine, Tlon CEO Galen Wolfe-Pauly explained:
“The internet has collapsed into this client-server structure ‒ basically a digital modem. Attempts to fix this have generally been focused on a re-decentralization of the whole internet itself. But we don't think the internet can be fixed this way. The internet is here; it can’t change and it’s not going away. So instead, we want to build a new internet on top of the existing internet.”
Urbit is designed to give users their own interconnected, personal cloud-servers. An Urbit server can store data, run software, connect to other users or just about anything else a cloud-computer would allow. In practice, Urbit runs on top of the Unix operating system typically offered by existing cloud-servers, such as Amazon Web Services. But as opposed to Unix, Urbit promises to one day actually be human-usable. It will not be just for geeks, but for about anyone able to operate an iPhone.
The Tech
Urbit doesn’t get rid of the complexity of the decades-old Unix-Internet platform, which requires a professional sysadmin, by removing it. Rather, Urbit installs a new platform, redesigned from scratch, on top of the old platform.
As explained by Yarvin:
“Urbit is designed to replace the current infrastructure, not by removing it, but by painting over it with a new, opaque, unified computing and computation layer. You can think of this as the server-side equivalent of the browser, which replaced OS-level native clients with a Javascript sandbox.
The Urbit stack is a virtual machine, “Nock,” which is a page of code; “Hoon,” which is a typed functional language; and “Arvo,” a functional network OS, which is also a database. The only thing Urbit has in common with 20th-century programming is Unicode and some crypto algorithms.”
Yarvin himself indicated that reinventing all these wheels strikes many programmers as daunting and perhaps unnecessary.
“But if inherited complexity is the reason ordinary people can't control their own general-purpose computing, the easiest path to human simplicity is technical simplicity. The whole Urbit stack, including apps, is only 30,000 lines of code,” he said. “And all of it is as dumb as possible.”
Address Space
An important part of Urbit’s architecture is the hierarchical structure of routable address spaces also used for routing. These addresses ‒ which Urbit calls “ships” ‒ are perhaps best described as a fusion of IP-addresses, domain names and personal pseudonyms.
Ships are divided into tiers named for astronomical bodies. 8-bit galaxies are top-level network infrastructure, and have a network-governance role. 16-bit stars are also network infrastructure but have a less direct governance role. 32-bit planets are the individual level: They’re designed as human identities. And 64-bit moons are designed as clients, bots or connected devices.
Wolfe-Pauly explained:
“Urbit is initially centralized to its 256 galaxies but decentralizes itself. Each tier of ships signs the initial key for the tier below it. Then each key signs its own updates, creating a certificate chain. Like bitcoin, a ship is a transferable cryptographic asset. Unlike bitcoin, it isn’t fungible, so it can’t be sold on present-day exchanges. Like actual real estate, Urbit is highly illiquid and probably not for the short-term trader.”
This structure also creates digital scarcity. Scarcity is needed, the inventors believe, to give the “name spaces” value at all, which, in turn, counters spam and other abuse: No one would want to have their valuable address blocked by other Urbit users as the specific address could decrease in value.
Crowdsale
Of course, the scarcity of address space allows Tlon to raise the money needed to fund development of the platform. In the open crowdsale last week, 1.6 percent of all stars were sold, netting Tlon more than $200,000 to continue development.
“Suppose you're creating the internet,” Yarvin explained. “But it's 2016 and DARPA isn't funding you. How do you fund yourself? You sell off giant blocks of IP address space, defining them as cryptographic titles. And a network in which addresses are a limited resource, but treated as cryptographic property, actually works much better in a lot of ways.”
While Urbit currently is still centralized, it's managed and developed by Tlon and all galaxies are basically “pre-mined” (though there is no actual mining in Urbit) – the galaxies and stars are designed to become independent and self-governing. Ship owners will be able to vote through a sort of proof-of-stake system to determine the policy and future of their “digital cities.”
The vision, prospects and promises are big. But as the founders admit, Urbit is a work in progress. Making it an actual useful system for human beings will take many man-hours and lots of experimentation. And, like many projects in the crypto-space, the outcome may very well turn out to be binary: a huge success or a hopelessly failed experiment.EIZO today announced the new ColorEdge PROMINENCE CG3145 – a 31.1-inch reference monitor with DCI-4K resolution (4096 x 2160) for the professional HDR post production workflow.
HDR (high dynamic range) approximates the human perception of color and light as content is shown on a display device. ColorEdge PROMINENCE CG3145 is able to correctly show both very bright and very dark areas on the screen without sacrificing the integrity of either – a process which cannot be achieved with SDR (standard dynamic range) monitors. The monitor achieves the 1000 cd/m2 (typical) high brightness level needed for HDR content display. It is also the world’s first LCD monitor to achieve a typical contrast ratio of 1,000,000:1 for displaying true blacks. The name “PROMINENCE” refers to the phenomenon known as a solar prominence – a flame-like eruption which extends from the Sun’s surface. This image of the bright sun shining against the deep black of space lends to the monitor’s ability to accurately display both bright and dark content.
This professional color grading monitor is the first to overcome the severe drawbacks of other HDR technologies that are available in the market today – ABL and local dimming. ABL (Auto Brightness Limiter) is equipped in other HDR OLED monitors and limits the monitor’s ability to display lighter scenes with tones over a specific range in order to prolong the device’s lifetime. This causes those light areas to appear dimmer and the color duller as a result. Local dimming uses an area control backlight system which adjusts the brightness in sections of the screen depending on the content displayed. However, when an object on the screen falls outside of the area of the backlight that is adjusted, a “halo” effect appears, making it impossible to achieve full color accuracy in smaller details. ColorEdge PROMINENCE CG3145 achieves a true HDR visual experience without ABL or the “halo” effect to ensure users always see accurate colors and brightness in every pixel.
There are two gamma curves used for HDR video creation – HLG (hybrid log-gamma)1 and PQ (perceptual quantization) curve. HLG is suitable for live television broadcasting and the PQ curve approximates the human visual system in terms of color and light perception, making it ideal for films, streaming, and other video content. ColorEdge PROMINENCE CG3145 supports these gamma curves so professional creators can rely on a monitor compliant with industry standards for HDR video.
ColorEdge PROMINENCE CG3145 supports various video formats including HDMI input compatible with 10-bit 4:2:2 at 50/60p. The DisplayPort input supports up to 10-bit 4:4:4 at 50/60p.
Additional Features
98% of the DCI-P3 color space 2
Smooth gradations with 10-bit display from a 24-bit LUT (look-up-table) 3
Light-shielding hood included
HDR Gamma Support for Current ColorEdge Products
In addition to the new ColorEdge PROMINENCE CG3145 HDR reference monitor, EIZO now offers optional HLG and PQ curves for many of its current CG Series monitors. The optimized gamma curves render images to appear more true to how the human eye perceives the real world compared to SDR. This HDR gamma support is available as an option for ColorEdge CG318-4K, CG248-4K, CG277, and CG247X. Both gamma curves were standardized by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) as ITU-R BT.2100. In addition, the PQ curve was standardized by the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) as ST-2084.
With the new ColorEdge PROMINENCE CG3145 monitor and HDR gamma support for a range of other monitors, EIZO now offers a wide selection of solutions to cover HDR video creation, VFX, compositing, color grading, and more.
EIZO will be showing the ColorEdge PROMINENCE CG3145 and its line of HDR gamma-supported monitors at the NAB Show 2017 in Las Vegas, USA from April 24 – 27. Visit Booth SL13916 to see the products in a specially designed booth.
Product Information
ColorEdge PROMINENCE CG3145
Availability
The ColorEdge PROMINENCE CG3145 will begin shipping in late 2017. Select ColorEdge CG Series monitors are now eligible for HLG and PQ curve gamma support. Date of availability varies by country so contact the EIZO group company or distributor in your country for details.
Cabinet Color Black Panel Type IPS Backlight Wide-Gamut LED Size 31.1" / 79 cm Native Resolution 4096 x 2160 (1.9:1 aspect ratio) Viewable Image Size (H x V) 698.0 x 368.1 mm Pixel Pitch 0.170 x 0.170 mm Pixel Density 149ppi Grayscale Tones DisplayPort, HDMI: 1,024 tones (a palette of 16.76 million tones) Display Colors DisplayPort, HDMI: 1.07 billion from 24-bit LUT Viewing Angles (H / V, typical) 178°, 178° Brightness (typical) 1000 cd/m2 Recommended Brightness for Calibration [T.B.D] Contrast Ratio (typical) 1,000,000:1 Response Time (typical) [T.B.D] Wide Gamut Coverage (typical) DCI-P3: 98%[T.B.D] Video Signals Input Terminals DisplayPort x 2, HDMI x 2 (Deep Color) Digital Scanning Frequency (H / V) [T.B.D] USB Function 1 ports for monitor control
3-port USB hub Standard USB 3.0Chris McCann - Coventry City - League One
Swindon Town 1, Coventry City 0
McCann served the first match of his three-match suspension due to a red card in the final match last season in Coventry’s 1-0 loss to Swindon Town. A late goal in the 86th minute won it for the home side as McCann’s team gets off to a slow start to the new season. He has two more matches to sit out before getting on the field.
Tito Villalba - Club Tijuana - Liga MX
Cruz Azul 1, Club Tijuana 2
Hector “Tito” Villalba made his Liga MX debut for Xolos in a 2-1 win away from home against Cruz Azul. The victory lifts Tijuana to the top of the Apertura table on goal differential. Tito came on in the 83rd minute for his first minutes since the loan became official.
Tito Villalba on for his Xolos debut! #ATLUTD https://t.co/0drBO9NGF1 — Dirty South Soccer (@DirtySouthSoc) August 6, 2016
In his limited minutes, Villalba had a few touches on the ball. His only real chance to impact the match came on a counter-attacking opportunity. He picked up the ball around midfield and led the break the other way. He turned on the jets and blew away from defenders. He fumbled the ball away in the path of a teammate on the right flank. Not the cleanest of attacks, but it got the job done. Not bad for his first appearance in a while.
Kenwyne Jones - Central FC - TT Pro League
Kenwyne’s loan to Central FC still hasn’t been officially announced by Atlanta United. We can only presume they’re still waiting to receive his ITC in order to send it to Trinidad and Tobago. Central FC told us they expect to have him available for the club’s next CCL match next week against Sporting Kansas City.
Junior Burgos - Tampa Bay Rowdies - NASL
Tampa Bay Rowdies 2, Ft. Lauderdale Strikers 1
Burgos was an unused substitute in the Rowdies victory over the Strikers. That’s been about the norm for the midfielder so far this season. Since Tampa Bay bought Joe Cole earlier this season, Burgos’ role within the team has diminished.
Alex Tambakis, Andrew Carleton, Chris Goslin, & Jeffery Otoo - Charleston Battery - USL
The Battery got some much-needed rest this weekend. They’ll resume USL play on Saturday at home vs. FC Montreal.SuperMemo as a new tool increasing the productivity of a programmer. A case study: programming in Object Windows Piotr Wozniak, Informatyka, Vol. 12, 1993, p. 1-4;
corrected and updated: Oct 1, 1998 courtesy of Clark Hamilton, Microsoft
This paper was published by the Polish computer science journal Informatyka. In 1993, its editor-in-chief, Wladyslaw Klepacz, opted for increasing the appeal of this academic publication and experimented with an idea of publishing papers written in English (previously, only abstracts in English and German were included). This was the first English-language article in the history of this respected journal
This paper provides general guidelines for increasing the productivity of a programmer by means of SuperMemo a new speed-learning technique. The author has been working on a software development project involving programming in Object Windows (an application framework designed by Borland for Turbo Pascal for Windows). Conclusions coming from the authors assignment are described and illustrated with examples
Numerous studies on productivity in software engineering have shown that programming, which still combines elements of art and science, can be numbered among those few domains of engineering, where individual differences in productivity, often measured in the number of statements per day, vary greatly beyond ordinary expectation. The often-quoted relationship is like 1 to 20 among programmers employed in the same project [1]. This paper presents a way to increase programmers productivity by means of simple training techniques that can be introduced at very little cost by software developers or even by individual programmers on their own.
There are two opposites affecting the complexity of problems encountered by an engineer using state-of-the-art technology in development projects:
introduction of new concepts and techniques at the receiving-end of new technologies increases the complexity of tasks facing the developer
introduction of new tools and techniques at the level of the developers workshop makes his attention shift from methodological aspects to conceptual aspects of the considered problem.
The subject of this paper is a new training technique. SuperMemo, which can be employed in offsetting the decrease of a programmers productivity observed in association with increasing complexity of the development environment. The attention is focused on programming in Object Windows an object-oriented application framework designed by Borland for Windows programmers privy to Pascal.
Introduction of Microsoft Windows version 3.0 in 1990 resulted in an increasing interest in graphic interface applications for DOS based personal computers. As the user of the application interface tools such as pull-down menus, icons, dialog boxes, scroll bars, command buttons, etc., the programmer had to face new challenges posed by mastering close to 1000 functions of the Application Programming Interface, as well as no fewer a number of constants, messages, structures, etc. Windows Graphic Device Interface, and a number of other improvements at the level of the operating system, increased the productivity at the end-user level, and at the same time, rapidly increased the complexity of the development environment offered to the programmer. This situation led to a popular saying that Windows programs are as good as they are because only the best programmers can complete them.
As a consequence of a greater challenge facing the programmer, a number of application frameworks have been developed in order to counterbalance the growing complexity of programming in Windows. Increasingly, an object-oriented approach has been used in similar situations over the past decade. One of the most popular application frameworks for Pascal programmers is Object Windows, developed as a standard library for Turbo Pascal and Borland Pascal for Windows.
Optimally, development of new programming tools should gradually reduce the complexity of routine programming tasks in software engineering, and clearly separate the conceptual effort of the developer from details of the operating system, programming language and programming techniques.
The optimum situation, however, seems to be ever more elusive as new requirements are imposed on software applications with the availability of new technologies, appearing periodically in all fields of computer or communications technology. Professional programming was, and continues to be, the domain of the few, and success in dealing with complexity has a fundamental bearing on the overall effectiveness in software development projects.
There are four basic sources of information for a programmer working in software development:
printed documentation and publications,
on-line help systems,
peer-level and technical support consultation,
programmers knowledge acquired in the course of programming studies and programming practice.
There is a natural tendency to embed the printed sources of information, as well as human-to-human exchange of information in increasingly intelligent computer help systems. In other words, a clear split emerges between the two forms of storing knowledge: in a computer and in the human brain -- a phenomenon appearing more and more frequently in all kinds of scientific and engineering |
the area.
An official from the Nour al-Din al-Zinki rebel group said government forces had also tried to advance in southern Aleppo province.
There was no immediate comment from the Syrian military on Friday’s clashes.
Residents of several rebel-held areas, including towns and cities in Idlib province, used the relative calm to hold street protests against the Syrian government on Friday, the Observatory said.
A number of rebel groups have signed the new agreement, Russia’s Defence Ministry said on Thursday. Several rebel officials acknowledged the deal, and a FSA spokesman said it would abide by the truce.
Hanna, the FSA political officer, said late on Friday rebels were not yet responding to attacks by pro-government forces and had asked Turkey to make sure the attacks stop.
“If the breaks come again, we will reply to all the sources of fire. We are monitoring the fighting but our weapons are ready,” he said.
PREVIOUS COLLAPSES
The previous two Syria ceasefires, brokered by Washington and Moscow, took effect in February and September but both collapsed within weeks as warring sides accused each other of truce violations and fighting intensified.
Putin said the parties were prepared to start peace talks intended to take place in Astana. Syrian state media said late on Thursday those talks would take place “soon”.
The Syrian government will be negotiating from a strong position after its army and their allies, including Shi’ite militias supported by Iran, along with Russian air power, routed rebels in their last major urban stronghold of Aleppo this month.
Moscow’s air campaign since September last year has turned the war in Assad’s favor, and the last rebels left Aleppo for areas that are still under rebel control to the west of the city, including the province of Idlib.
A man rides a bicycle near damaged buildings in the rebel held besieged city of Douma, in the eastern Damascus suburb of Ghouta, Syria December 30, 2016. REUTERS/Bassam Khabieh
On Friday the Russian ambassador to the United Nations said Moscow had circulated a proposed resolution at the U.N. Security Council that would endorse the ceasefire, and said he hoped the council would vote on the resolution on Saturday.
In another sign that the latest truce could be as challenging to maintain as its predecessors, there was confusion over which rebel groups would be covered by the ceasefire.
The Syrian army said the agreement did not include the radical Islamist group Islamic State, fighters from al-Qaeda’s former branch the Nusra Front, or any factions linked to those jihadist groups.
But several rebel officials said on Thursday that the agreement did include the former Nusra Front - now known as Jabhat Fateh al-Sham - which announced in July that it was severing ties with al Qaeda.
A spokesman for Jabhat Fateh al-Sham criticized the ceasefire for not mentioning Assad’s fate, and said the political solution under this agreement would “reproduce the criminal regime”.
“The solution is to topple the criminal regime militarily,” he said in a statement on Friday.
The powerful Islamist insurgent group Ahrar al-Sham said it had not signed the ceasefire agreement because of “reservations” but did not elaborate.
RUSSIA-TURKEY DETENTE
The deal follows a thaw in ties between Russia and Turkey.
Ankara backs rebels fighting against Islamic State, which has made enemies of all other sides involved in the conflict.
In a sign of the detente, the Turkish armed forces said on Friday Russian aircraft had carried out three air strikes against Islamic State in the area of al-Bab in northern Syria.
Ankara has insisted on the departure of Assad but his removal has become a secondary concern to fighting the expansion of Kurdish influence in northern Syria. The chances of Assad’s opponents forcing him from power now seem more remote than at any point in the war.
Turkish demands that fighters from the Lebanese Hezbollah movement leave Syria may not please Iran, another major Assad supporter. Hezbollah has been fighting alongside Syrian government forces against rebels.
Slideshow (9 Images)
On Thursday a senior Hezbollah official said the party’s military wing would remain in Syria.
The United States, in the waning days of U.S. President Barack Obama’s administration, has been sidelined in recent negotiations and is not due take part in the Kazakhstan talks.
Russia has said the United States could join a fresh peace process once President-elect Donald Trump takes office on Jan. 20. It also wants Egypt to join, together with Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Iraq, Jordan and the United Nations.
Trump has said he would cooperate more closely with Russia to fight terrorism but it was unclear what that policy would look like, given resistance from the Pentagon and the U.S. intelligence community to closer cooperation with Russia on Syria.You’ve got your black t-shirt, combat boots (DMs, obviously), and your “vintage” army jacket which the shop conveniently had 8 of in your size and 8 in everybody else’s size.
Sounds like you’re on your way to being a professional anarchist.
President Trump, who promised to create jobs has a new one for you: “Professional anarchist”.
True to his word, he has seemingly created hundreds of thousands of new positions.
The Women’s marches in the US for example had so many newly appointed professional anarchists.
Picture: Aaron P. Bernstein/Getty Images
All on his first full day in office. Top work.
Anarchistic protests against the US used to be a job abroad, but Trump has managed to deliver on this campaign promise. Bring professional anarchist jobs back to America.
Make anarchism great again!RENO, NV - The Regional Transportation Commission of Washoe County will begin a new service from Reno to Sand Harbor at Lake Tahoe Saturday, May 24th, 2014.
The trip will begin at Meadowood Mall, stop at the Summit Mall and then complete the trip at Sand Harbor and vice versa for the return trip.
The RTC has also made the trip very affordable. The fee for the service is $5, one-way for adults, or $3.50 with transfer from RTC Transit Services or Tahoe Area Regional Transit (TART) Service. The fare also covers the park entry fee.
Youths, seniors and people with disabilities may take advantage of the new service for just $2.50, or $1.50 with transfer from RTC Transit Services or TART Service.
A valid ID must be presented for the reduced rate. Kids age 5 and under ride for free.
The service will operate through Labor Day on weekends and holidays, including Memorial Day, July 4th and Labor Day.Dr. Carol Paris is a psychiatrist. She’s practiced for 13 years in southern Maryland. And she’s fought hard for a single payer system.
She’s even been arrested in Congress for speaking out for single payer. But now, she’s had enough.
She’s closing her practice.
And moving it to New Zealand.
“I’m so tired and weary of trying to practice sane, passionate, good medicine in this insane health care system in the United States,” Paris said last month in an interview at Union Station before walking over to protest in front of the Supreme Court against the Obama health care law and for single payer. “It impairs my ability to practice in a way that is ethical and passionate. I have a few years left in me to practice. And I’ve decided see what it is like in another country. I have a couple of friends who are psychiatrists who have done a sabbatical in New Zealand. And they said they are so sad to be back in the United States practicing because it was so much more sane and caring in New Zealand. I’m going to see what it is like for my own mental health.”
“The insanity here is that we have a system of financing health care in this country that is all about profit for corporate America and not about the health care of the people,” Dr. Paris said. “It is opposed to the health care of the people of America. You can’t be about profit and be about a social service.”
“Every day, I spend more time helping my patients figure out how to game the system, how to maneuver the system of health care insurance,” Dr. Paris said. “Maybe they can afford to see me and maybe afford medicine, but they can’t afford therapy. So, I’m robbing Peter to pay Paul.”
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“Any recommendations I make for my new patients is based on the assumption that they will have no health insurance tomorrow.”
“I can’t speak to the system they have in New Zealand,” she said. “But the sense that I have is that the cultural imperative is premised on fairness. They argue about what is fair in New Zealand. I find that fascinating. I want to visit a country where people argue about what is fair instead of engage in political rhetoric about liberty and freedom.”
Does Dr. Paris feel any pangs of guilty about throwing in the towel?
“Six months of the year I’ll be back in Nashville, not working in the health care system, but working as an advocate supporting the effort to get single payer in the United States,” Dr. Paris said. “If we are so fortunate to accomplish that task before I am older and grayer, then I will practice medicine in the Untied States again. But not until then.”
Russell Mokhiber is with Single Payer Action - http://www.singlepayeraction.org.Thousands of Iranians use the city, which has strong trading ties with the Islamic Republic, to apply for visas every year since the United States has no formal representation in Tehran.
But according to diplomats quoted in the book, Dubai: The Story of the World's Fastest City, by Jim Krane, every applicant is first grilled for information. The most valuable sources are actively recruited as informants, either on the country itself or on its considerable expatriate population in the United Arab Emirates.
The information gleaned is so valuable that the CIA allegedly vetoed an attempt by the State Department to close down the consulate on costs grounds.
"The visa windows at the US Consulate and Embassy are lucrative intelligence collection points," Mr Krane claimed. "So lucrative, in fact, that the Central Intelligence Agency stepped in to save the Dubai consulate from closure."
Dubai's position just across the Gulf from Iran, and its several hundred thousand-strong Iranian population, makes it a key interlocutor between the country and the West.
Dubai's rulers, and the United Arab Emirates in general, are seen as strongly pro-Western, and the city is home to one of the largest American naval presences outside the US itself. As a result, a blind eye is turned to its voluminous trade, legal and illegal, with Iran.
Mr Krane claimed that the US learned to turn that trade to its advantage. As Iranians wanting to visit the US had to travel abroad following the closure of the Tehran embassy after the 1979 revolution, the CIA installed Farsi-speaking specialists in the consulate.
Those with "interesting backgrounds" are allegedly asked to return again and again, being pumped for ever more information before their applications are finally accepted for processing – even so, many are apparently rejected. Some are said to be recruited as regular spies or informants.
Because of the sanctions regime against Iran, and its alleged nuclear weapons programme, there are many potential lines of inquiry – those involved in all forms of trade, banking and finance are quizzed particularly thoroughly, Mr Krane says.
Those of interest do not have to live in Iran. The Iranian community of Dubai itself, split between anti-government exiles, pro-government officials and businessmen, often working for state-owned companies, and non-aligned individuals who simply find it easier to do business from outside the country, is also targeted.
The allegations will give strength to those officials in the Iranian regime who believe that pro-western elements in the country are conspiring against it. No one from the Iranian consulate in Dubai was available for comment.
A state department spokesman declined to confirm the allegations but said that so far this year the consulate had processed 46,000 visa applications including "a significant number of Iranian applications". The consulate was so overstretched that a new home was under construction, she added.
Morteza Masoumzadeh, an Iranian who moved to Dubai in 1980 and runs a shipping company, said many Iranians also travel to the United States to visit relatives, and apply for their visas in Dubai. He himself last visited the US two years ago.
But he added: "Speaking for myself frankly I have not come across such an issue. I have never been directed to that channel."Under terms of the Wisconsin law, only Wisconsin-based businesses can raise money through the state's Internet crowdfunding system.
Crowdfunding
Under terms of the Wisconsin law, only Wisconsin-based businesses can raise money through the state's Internet crowdfunding system. They have to file notice with the DFI's securities division, pay a $50 fee and -- like SEC filings only a lot shorter and less complicated -- are required to give information about the company's management, revenues, products and plans, as well as a full description of the shares offered and the risks of investing.
Fundraising platform companies must be located in Wisconsin, keep records of the offerings and sales of securities through their website, and pay a $100 registration fee.
Investors, too, must be from Wisconsin. An individual can invest up to $10,000 in a crowdfunding offering, or more, if he or she is an accredited or certified investor with a net worth of at least $750,000 or individual income of more than $100,000 or household income of more than $150,000 in each of the two most recent years.
Investors buy shares in the business, just as they do on Wall Street, though on a smaller scale. "As investors, you get a piece of the success. If you invest in a venture that's successful, then you get to have an ongoing interest. And it's not just a CD or a t-shirt," DFI's Struck said.
Like the popular and more casual fundraising websites, such as Kickstarter, it's all or nothing: companies have to raise at least the minimum amount they're seeking, or they don't get any of the investments.
Brian Hellmer, director of the UW-Madison School of Business' Hawk Center for Applied Security Analysis, said novice investors should be cautious about these opportunities and look at them carefully.
"When I give speeches to private investors, I tell them: You should not confuse investing for retirement with providing yourself with entertainment," Hellmer said.
Hellmer said he participated in a Kickstarter campaign for a kitchen product because it was a product he wanted to use -- but it still hasn't come to market.
"On one hand, funding innovation is critical to the growth of the economy. On the other hand, funding innovation means, by definition, taking on some risk," he said. Experienced investors spread out their investments so the gains will offset losses, he said.
"If you have $10,000 (to invest), I'd rather see you put $1,000 in 10 companies than $10,000 in the one that you happen to think is the best," Hellmer said.In this review I reflect on an issue of cultural neglect, namely the exclusion of Scottish art from representation in ordinary international contexts. An example of this is the exclusion of Scottish work from the National Galleries of Scotland major exhibition of European symbolist landscape at the Edinburgh Festival in 2012.[1] I give this failure wider context by considering a cognate systemic failure; namely that of BAFTA in 2007, with respect to advocacy of the Gaelic film Seachd / The Inaccessible Pinnacle. I discuss the issues with reference to the critique developed in my paper ‘Finding Scottish Art’ published in 2002.
In 2010 I presented a paper to the Rannsachadh na Gàidhlig conference at the University of Aberdeen entitled ‘Reflections on the Neglect of the Visual Art of the Scottish Gàidhealtachd.’ In that paper I noted the curious neglect of the visual aspect of a Highland culture that had produced both world class illuminated manuscripts in the seventh, eighth and ninth centuries and the founder figure of modern Scottish painting in the nineteenth century. At the heart of my concern was, and is, the necessity of re-appropriating such lost histories. Such concern has informed my research not just with respect to Highland art but with respect to Scottish art in general. There should be no need for such re-appropriation, yet even after the publication of Duncan Macmillan’s comprehensive book on Scottish painting in 1990, it was easy to find yourself in one of those strange conversations in which your interlocutor was earnestly trying to persuade you that in fact the area you were studying did not exist. Typically people would tell me that Scotland was a literary nation and that the visual tradition, was, almost as a consequence of this, of no account. Since many of my interlocutors were themselves Scots, or others sympathetic to Scottish culture, this struck me as an intriguingly auto-destructive attitude. But what underlay it was, of course, ignorance. A refusal to believe that any significant cultural tradition existed, if they themselves had little knowledge of it. So that is my theme here. Lack of knowledge. Ignorance. And the destructive cultural effects of such ignorance.
When I embarked in 2005 on a study of visual art as it originated in and related to the Scottish Gàidhealtachd, similar attitudes were much in evidence.[2] A common response was along the lines of, oh these Gaels have a wonderful song tradition, and there’s the poetry, but there’s really nothing visual to speak of. This desire to ignore the visual aspect of an entire culture struck me as odd to say the least. The difficulty is that such ignorance is not just lack of knowledge per se, but an attitude to such knowledge that classifies it as of little importance, classifies it as something about which it is acceptable to be ignorant. Such attitudes of ignorance become in the end attacks on the culture in question. They are usually – but not always – unintentional, and they are often completely unconscious, but they are attacks nevertheless. In my 2002 paper, Finding Scottish Art, I proposed the notion of ‘an attitude of ignorance’ to characterise such approaches.[3] That is to say not just ignorance in the sense of not knowing something, but ignorance as part and parcel of the promotion within institutions of certain kinds of ignorance. In other words the ‘systemic ignorance’ of my title.
An illuminating analogy can be found in the historiography of the art of the Indian sub-continent. In the early twentieth century there was a struggle between art historians who argued that India had no indigenous tradition of fine art and those who considered Indian art to be an autonomous tradition. It is no surprise to discover that those who advocated the notion that Indian art was merely the result of borrowings from other traditions were commentators like Sir George Birdwood, who were firmly committed to government of India by the British Empire. Equally it is no surprise that those who advocated the independent traditions of Indian art were cultural nationalists such Sister Nivedita and Ananda Coomaraswamy, both, incidentally, close friends of the leader of the Celtic Revival in Scotland, Patrick Geddes.[4]
The point here is that Birdwood’s Imperial attitude had the effect of denying to Indian culture a high status feature, namely a history of art. And of course when you deny a history to a people, you also deny the significance of all indigenous activity, past and present. Until very recently the Highlands of Scotland were in exactly this same condition, denied a history of art, despite one being very obviously present. This is a familiar enough colonial technique: namely to imply inadequacy on the part of the colonised culture, and to make that implied inadequacy part of the justification for the exploitation of resources. Knocking out any serious recognition of Indian art as of any global significance in its own right was thus part of a rationalisation of the status quo of political and cultural domination of India by Britain. There was no attempt to deny the existence of the art, instead it was ‘admired’, and seen as derivative. Such ‘admiration’ was both patronising and belittling.
As the art historian Partha Mitter notes ‘what Birdwood failed to see was the patronising element in his admiration of Indian art’.[5] And ‘failed to see’ is part of the issue here. It implies a lack of analysis based on unquestioned assumptions. Those assumptions are that some kind of cultural or political truth has already been achieved, and any new information, while it may be ‘admirable’, is nevertheless superfluous. The colloquial meaning of ignorant, namely ‘ill-mannered’ is interesting here, for there is nothing more culturally ill-mannered than to assume that you understand something that you don’t.
By ‘admiring’ Indian art in this patronising manner, Birdwood adopted a position that made it acceptable not to study Indian art at all, or only to study it here and there as a kind of peripheral subject. That made actively ignoring it possible. Ignorance was acceptable. This of course sounds mightily familiar to anyone concerned with studying the Highlands and indeed many other aspects of Scotland. Such studies are admitted to be ‘admirable’ but at the same time are continuously redefined as basically peripheral to the main function of the institution in which they take place be that university, gallery, school or professional body. This is actively promoted ignorance. Systemic ignorance.
From the perspective of the visual culture of the Highlands, a particularly interesting example of this active, ill-mannered, ignorance dates from 2007. In that year the Gaelic language film Seachd / The Inaccessible Pinnacle could have been put forward by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) to be considered for a Hollywood Oscar in the best foreign language film category. But it wasn’t. Seachd was just the kind of film one would expect to be recommended. It would have fitted perfectly into the routine advocacy that one might expect of a cultural body such as BAFTA. But instead of contributing to the wellbeing of Highland culture by giving a contemporary Gaelic film the opportunity to be given coverage on a world stage, BAFTA instead chose to actively endorse ignorance of Highland culture.
It is this active endorsement of ignorance that interests me here. The Seachd-BAFTA affair reminded me of a piece I wrote for the Scotsman in 1992. In it I described an ignorance-based reaction to a visual artist of Highland background. That reaction came from two art critics reviewing the Edinburgh Festival of that year. The critics were from newspapers in which one would not normally expect to find such contempt for other cultures, namely The Observer and The Guardian. The artist in question was Will Maclean. Both critics found the fact that in his art Maclean engaged with his own Highland background difficult to come to terms with. It was as though Maclean had made up his own history, culture and linguistic heritage. If I can quote directly from what I wrote then:
‘There is, of course, always room for critical disagreement about an artist’s work. But that’s not the point here. The point is that Maclean’s work is rejected in large measure because of his commitment to a place, a language and a people, as though these elements of cultural normality were so unlikely in Scotland that they had to be treated with scepticism.’[6]
That is a good characterisation of the systemic ignorance I am referring to here. The normal is considered so unlikely that it doesn’t bear consideration. There is a resonance here with the words of the poet Aonghas MacNeacail who writes of his childhood experience of encountering his own culture not as history but as memory.[7]
A term I coined in that piece about the reception of Will Maclean’s work was ‘metroparochialism’. It seems apposite to remind myself of it. It refers to the tendency of those in some small cultural parish of London – and those, often based in Edinburgh, who take their guidance from that small cultural parish – to show an ignorance-maintaining contempt for the views of those outside their immediate circle. With respect to the Seachd decision BAFTA’s metroparochialism was indeed impressive.
But that was 2007, surely that could not happen anymore, in the new Scotland where everyone, nationalist and unionist alike, is aware of the significance of Scotland’s cultural contribution as part of the wider international community?
Would that it were so. But it happened again in a very prominent way in 2012 in the major Edinburgh Festival exhibition mounted by the National Galleries of Scotland Van Gogh to Kandinsky: Symbolist Landscape in Europe, 1880-1910. This provided a classic example of metroparochialism. On the evening of the opening in July 2012 I posted the following comment to Facebook:
‘It’s well worth seeing this. It’s a good exhibition, not least the Finnish work. But unfortunately it is yet another example of the National Galleries of Scotland’s inability to represent Scotland in an international context. There is not one Scottish work included. Mackie, Duncan, McTaggart, Dow … there are so many possibilities, so many actually in the NGS collection. I’ve never been able to understand this blindspot in the galleries that seems to regard Scottish art as ‘other’. What an opportunity missed!’ [8]
Looking back on it I might substitute Mackintosh for Mackie, but nevertheless that immediate response still sums it up for me. It is something of an irony that one of the most interesting recent analyses of McTaggart has been in terms of the work of Henri Bergson, a philosopher of notable relevance to symbolist landscape.[9] So: an opportunity missed. A major international opportunity to give Scottish culture its place at the heart of a European tradition, completely missed. Scottish art defined out of the picture by those whose job it is to represent it. Less than a week after I had written that Facebook post, Duncan Macmillan, writing in his role as art critic of The Scotsman, did something remarkable. He reviewed the exhibition, drew attention to its interest and to the high quality of the work, and then refused to give it any quality rating. The final paragraph of his review is worth quoting in full:
‘The National Galleries of Scotland exist to show the world to Scotland, but reciprocally to show Scotland to the world. Properly conducted, that exchange affects both parties. Scotland is enriched by the presence of great art from elsewhere, but the Scottish story, properly told, should in turn also enrich the wider European story. If our National Gallery cannot tell our story for us, who will? I am supposed to give this exhibition a star rating. I can’t. The pictures would get five stars. The exhibition, seen as a Scottish project as it must be, would get none at all.’ [10]
And he’s right of course. Courtesy of the National Galleries of Scotland a highly successful international show, supported by the Scottish taxpayer, makes no cultural case for Scotland. Courtesy of the National Galleries of Scotland, the many thousands of people visiting the exhibition in Amsterdam had no exposure to Scottish art. Courtesy of the National Galleries of Scotland the same failure will be present when the exhibition goes to Helsinki. Courtesy of the National Galleries of Scotland every review of this exhibition carries with it the message that Scottish art made no contribution to symbolist landscape in Europe. Courtesy of the National Galleries of Scotland, Scottish art is thus defined as ‘out of history’ in Cairns Craig’s useful phrase.[11] Macmillan continues ‘If this were the National Gallery of Nowhere in Particular, the omission of the Scots would be a serious criticism, but for the National Galleries of Scotland it is inexcusable.’
Inexcusable. I agree. Michael Spens was a little kinder when he commented in his Studio International review that the exclusion of Scottish art was merely inexplicable.[12] But note that the issue here is not the curation of the exhibition per se, indeed it is excellent as far as it goes. What is inexcusable is the failure to oversee that curation, in the interests of Scottish culture, by the National Galleries of Scotland. The National Galleries of Scotland by acting as advocate of the exhibition and co-publisher of the catalogue, makes it absolutely clear that, in its view, there is no Scottish work worth including in this European context. The National Galleries of Scotland has put its stamp of approval on ignoring Scottish art in a European context. Inexcusable indeed.
Commenting on Macmillan’s review, Lesley Riddoch wrote: ‘What the hell is going on when a national arts body seems to ignore its own talent and subject matter?’[13] Indeed. Consider the following paragraph from the Foreword to the book that accompanies the exhibition:
‘This is a truly international exhibition, comprising artists from all over Europe. It is also the result of collaboration between three European countries: the Netherlands, Scotland and Finland. It has been a fruitful and rewarding partnership, highlighting the individual characteristics of our separate nations, and revealing a similar tenacity and dedication to the project.’[14]
Reading that I don’t know whether to laugh or cry. ‘Highlighting the individual characteristics of our separate nations’? What on earth does that mean when the art of one entire nation has been excluded? Would the National Gallery of Finland have been a partner if there had been no Finnish work involved? I think not. Would the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam have been involved had there been no Netherlandish art represented? I think not. The contrast is stark, noteworthy and instructive. At the heart of this failure on the part of the National Galleries of Scotland is the echo of Sir George Birdwood and his unwitting capacity to peripheralize the art of India in the early twentieth century. The decision makers of the National Galleries of Scotland seem to be thinking in ways that were found wanting a century ago. But as – in the context of Scottish literature – Irvine Welsh has so cogently reminded us, such cultural hegemony ‘not only breeds arrogance; it also promotes intellectual enfeeblement.’[15]
I do not want to imply in any way shape or form that there are not excellent staff within the National Galleries of Scotland who are well capable of representing Scottish art in an international context, indeed many of them are friends of mine. For example the inadequacy – from a Scottish perspective – of the other main show at the National Galleries of Scotland during the Festival, the Tate-Britain-curated Picasso and Modern British Art, was picked up by precisely such alert staff. As a result relevant Scottish work was introduced for its Edinburgh showing. But that Scottish work will never be seen in London, it will never tour. And that is the point. It is clear that with respect to major international touring exhibitions, that is to say the ones that really matter for the international cultural reputation of Scotland, the staff alert to Scottish culture are not calling the shots at the National Galleries of Scotland.
Even when the National Galleries of Scotland has initiated something of real significance with respect to Scottish art in an international context, there seems to be no will to follow it up on it on a level of strategic planning. A particularly interesting example of this is art as it relates to James Macpherson’s Ossian. The National Galleries of Scotland, in the shape of the Scottish National Portrait Gallery, actually commissioned Calum Colvin’s influential Ossian work in 2002, producing an exemplary Gaelic and English catalogue, and then facilitating international touring of the exhibition.[16] So there is a track record within the National Galleries of Scotland itself that deserves to be in the foreground here. But as things stand, it is not in the foreground at all. For example the whole area of Ossian and art has always had the potential to lead to a major international touring exhibition, taking in not just Scottish work but the wonderful early nineteenth century responses to Ossian from French, German, and Danish artists in particular. Indeed major public galleries in France and Germany demonstrated the potential of this in a joint project as far back as the 1970s.[17] More recently, Ossian work was one of the key themes of the major reconsideration of Girodet at the Louvre in Paris, which took place in 2005 and toured to Chicago and Montreal.[18] The list of such Ossian-responsive artists is extraordinary. As well as Girodet, and Scots and Irish such as Alexander Runciman and his friend James Barry, one can cite, amongst others, Ingres, Gerard, Abildgaard, Runge, even, some would argue, Caspar David Friedrich. A sort of curtain-call of the greatest artists in Europe in the early 19th century. What an opportunity for the National Galleries of Scotland to properly discharge its duty to Scottish culture on an international stage, through a major international touring exhibition. Indeed, what an opportunity to bring it together with the visual response to Kalevala, already pioneered in exemplary fashion by the National Gallery of Finland in 2009.[19] But all efforts to persuade them in this matter over the years have failed. Plus ca change. An irony is that if at any time over the last twenty years the strategic decision makers of the National Galleries of Scotland had taken the Ossian opportunity seriously the National Galleries of Scotland would not have failed in its curatorial oversight of the European symbolist landscape show, for the simple reason that the artists who explored Ossian, such as the brilliant German Philip Otto Runge, are so often key influences on European symbolist landscape.[20] The importance of the sustained Scottish contribution to the cultural networks of Europe would have been clear, not ignored.[21]
So despite the National Galleries of Scotland’s proven ability to commission highly regarded Ossian work, there is no evidence of strategic thinking based on this. It is mystifying that there has been no further response to a work of literature that has had, and continues to have, such a major influence on European art and literary culture and to which Scotland has a unique claim. But it gets back to the actively maintained ignorance to which I referred earlier. Has all the Ossian research produced in the last half century just passed by the National Galleries of Scotland with no effect? Do the decision makers of the National Galleries of Scotland still value Dr Johnson’s dismissive attitude to Macpherson more than the informed scholarship from the perspective of the Scottish Gàidhealtachd provided by Derrick Thomson and Donald Meek, or the research of Fiona Stafford and Howard Gaskill?[22] I suppose that is possible, but if it is true that makes the decision makers of the National Galleries of Scotland not just one, but two centuries out of date in their thinking.
This failure on the part of the National Galleries of Scotland is of course irritating, but it does provide an intriguing set of opportunities for cultural analysis. Exploiting the structure and consequences, both cultural and economic, of such decision-making would make an excellent set of Masters or PhD topics.
But remember that the BAFTA exclusion of Seachd from its nomination process was just as culturally damaging to Scotland as the National Galleries of Scotland’s failure to represent Scotland in the European symbolist landscape exhibition, or of its curious failure to develop its own Ossian initiative. It is as though something in the decision-making processes of such organizations stands in the way of treating Scotland as a normal culture. For these bureaucrats Scottish culture is still ‘other’. It can be ‘admired’, Birdwood-like, even advocated, but only as a separate area, not submitted to ordinary processes of international comparison, such as those provided by inclusion in a major exhibition of European work. Perhaps this attitude will eventually collapse under the weight of Scottish Turner Prize winners, but one should not assume even that. It is easy to justify contemporary work without any reference to wider historical or geographical context. I have elsewhere described this phenomenon with respect to Scottish culture as ‘eternally recurrent renaissance’.[23]
In 1969 George Davie wrote of a writer betraying a point of view that takes for granted that modern Scotland does not bear thinking of at all.[24] Curious that a comment from over forty years ago can resonate so strongly with the cases I have discussed, for there is certainly a sense that for BAFTA in 2007 – in a global context – the Gàidhealtach did not bear thinking about at all, and for the National Galleries of Scotland in 2012 – in a European context – Scotland did not bear thinking about at all.[25] Think of what an Oscar nomination for a Gaelic-language film in 2007 would have done for Highland culture in particular and Scottish culture in general on an international stage. And in 2012 think of the benefits to the perception of Scotland’s culture of half a million people appreciating Scottish work as part of a European symbolist landscape exhibition, not just in Edinburgh, but in Amsterdam and Helsinki. And think of the potential positive effect of such exposure of Scottish culture on the international reputation of Scotland, with all that is implied by that economically. No country can afford to have its culture devalued in this way, no culture can afford to be defined as ‘out of history’.‘O, Mary, this London’s a wonderful sight,” sings the well-known citizen of Co. Down who, however, still would far rather be where the mountains of Mourne sweep down to the sea.
To-day his nostalgic longings are shared by hundreds of thousands of Irish exiles, from all of the 32 Counties – clustered in colonies; in too many cases herded like cattle– in the teeming London area, notably in Kilburn and Camden Town, two Metropolitan near-central districts which vie and tie for the proud title, “London’s Little Ireland.”
I was able to study the London Irishman – or the Irishman in exile in London – during a recent eight weeks, when I stayed in the Regent’s Park district, bordering on Camden town. The picture presented to me seemed to possess much more shade than light.
Week-ends provided the most advantageous times for first-hand observation. During week-days the great cross-roads at Camden Town, where the new, modernist underground station stands, presents a spectacle no different from similar nodal points in the Metropolis, such as Clapham Junction or Elephant and Castle. Except, perhaps, that if you speak to the loungers at the five corners caused by the intersection of six busy thoroughfares you will be answered nine times out of ten in some Irish accent, emanating from anywhere between Derry and Baltimore, Dublin and Galway.
But any evening from Thursday to Sunday, and all day Sunday, from 11 a.m. to near midnight, you could without much imagination regard yourself as transported momentarily into any Irish city or larger town.
The pubs are packed – the Black Cap, the Camden Stores, the Elephant in particular – with 90% Irish patrons. Cockney ears are assailed by Irish songs and ceilidhe music, Guinness ousts the Englishman’s mild and bitter.
On Sunday morning’s the 50-yard stretch of Arlington road outside the Catholic church is so packed with the Irish in their Sunday best that a stranger, seated on the top of a passing bus, could be pardoned for believing that he was looking down on a mustering for a procession, or a mass demonstration. Parkway, the broad thoroughfare which connects Camden Town and Regent’s Park itself, for the |
true for anything having to do with speed of output: for example, how quickly you answer a question. Maybe you know the answer, but you just can’t prepare your mouth to form the words.” The gender gap in motor development shrinks through grammar and middle schools, Denckla says, disappearing once everyone has gone through puberty, around age 15. Yet Denckla doesn’t see any need for single-sex public education; she thinks mixed-grade K-1, 1-2 and 2-3 classrooms are a better way to deal with the developmental differences among school-age kids.
Scans of boys’ and girls’ brains over time also show they develop differently. Analyzing data from the largest pediatric neuro-imaging study to date — 829 scans from 387 subjects ages 3 to 27 — researchers from the National Institute of Mental Health found that total cerebral volume peaks at 10.5 years in girls, four years earlier than in boys. Cortical and subcortical gray-matter trajectories peak one to two years earlier in girls as well. This may sound very significant, but researchers claim it means nothing for educators, or at least nothing yet. “Differences in brain size between males and females should not be interpreted as implying any sort of functional advantage or disadvantage,” the N.I.M.H. paper concludes. Not one to be deterred, Sax invited Jay Giedd, chief of brain imaging at the Child Psychiatry Branch at N.I.M.H., to give the keynote address at his N.A.S.S.P.E. conference in 2007. Giedd spoke for 90 minutes, but made no comments on schooling at all.
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One reason for this, Giedd says, is that when it comes to education, gender is a pretty crude tool for sorting minds. Giedd puts the research on brain differences in perspective by using the analogy of height. “On both the brain imaging and the psychological testing, the biggest differences we see between boys and girls are about one standard deviation. Height differences between boys and girls are two standard deviations.” Giedd suggests a thought experiment: Imagine trying to assign a population of students to the boys’ and girls’ locker rooms based solely on height. As boys tend to be taller than girls, one would assign the tallest 50 percent of the students to the boys’ locker room and the shortest 50 percent of the students to the girls’ locker room. What would happen? While you’d end up with a better-than-random sort, the results would be abysmal, with unacceptably large percentages of students in the wrong place. Giedd suggests the same is true when educators use gender alone to assign educational experiences for kids. Yes, you’ll get more students who favor cooperative learning in the girls’ room, and more students who enjoy competitive learning in the boys’, but you won’t do very well. Says Giedd, “There are just too many exceptions to the rule.”
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Despite a lack of empirical evidence, a cottage industry has emerged working the “boys and girls are essentially different, so we should educate them differently” angle. Several advocates like Sax have been quite successful commercially, including Michael Gurian, a family therapist, who published the best-selling “The Wonder of Boys” in 1996, a work he has since followed up with 15 more, including “Boys and Girls Learn Differently!” Through the Gurian Institute, he provides trainings to teachers, “showing the PET scans, showing the Spect scans” (a Spect scan is a nuclear imaging test that shows how blood flows through tissue), “teaching how the male and female brain are different,” Gurian told me. Like Sax, Gurian speaks authoritatively, yet both have been criticized for cherry-picking studies to serve their views. For instance, Sax initially built his argument that girls hear better than boys on two papers published in 1959 and 1963 by a psychologist named John Corso. Mark Liberman, a linguistics professor at the University of Pennsylvania, has spent a fair amount of energy examining the original research behind Sax’s claims. In Corso’s 1959 study, for example, Corso didn’t look at children; he looked at adults. And he found only between one-quarter and one-half of a standard deviation in male and female hearing thresholds. What this means, Liberman says, is that if you choose a man and a woman at random, the chances are about 6 in 10 that the woman’s hearing will be more sensitive and about 4 in 10 that the man’s hearing will be more sensitive. Sax uses several other hearing studies to make his case that a teacher who is audible to boys will sound too loud to girls. But Liberman says that if you really look at this research, it shows that girls’ and boys’ hearing is much more similar than different. What’s more, the sample sizes in those studies are far too small to make meaningful conclusions about gender differences in the classroom. The “disproportion between the reported facts and Sax’s interpretation is spectacular,” Liberman wrote on his blog, Language Log. “Dr. Sax isn’t summarizing scientific research; he’s making a political argument,” he wrote in an e-mail message. “The political conclusion comes first, and the scientific evidence — often unrepresentative or misrepresented — is selected to support it.”
One of Sax’s core arguments is that trying to teach a 5-year-old boy to read is as developmentally fraught as trying to teach a 3 1/2-year-old girl and that such an exercise often leads to a kid hating school. This argument resonates with many teachers and parents, who long for the days when kindergarten meant learning how to stand in line for recess, not needing to complete phonics homework. Yet public schools are beholden to state standards, and those standards require kindergartners to learn to read. As a result, even leaders of single-sex public schools, like Jabali Sawicki, the principal of the all-boys Excellence Charter School in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, are using some of what Sax has to offer while quietly refuting other claims.
Sawicki is 30, lanky and mocha-skinned, with an infectious energy. He grew up in a tough part of San Francisco with a single mother who managed to get her son a scholarship for middle school at a private all-boys school. From there he went to a private high school and then on to Oberlin College. The Excellence School is part of Uncommon Schools, a small network of charter schools. Housed in a gracious building on a modest street, Excellence currently teaches children in kindergarten through Grade 4, and will add a grade each year for the next four years, up to Grade 8. Sawicki’s office occupies an empty classroom slated to be overtaken by students as the school grows. There, he told me that educating lower-class black boys is “the new civil rights movement.” He then walked me down the hall to one of his kindergarten classrooms, where a sign on the door read “Fordham, Class of 2024.”
“Jacob,” said Sawicki, folding himself into a tiny chair and pointing to a line in a workbook, “will you read that for our guest?”
Jacob, who is 5, straightened his tiny tie under his green cardigan and used his index finger to track his place on the page. “A rat and a rabbit went down the slide.”
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“Thank you,” said Sawicki. “And can you tell our guest what you like about the Excellence School?”
“I like that I get to wear a sweater with buttons,” he said, glancing down at his uniform. “And I like that I’m going to college.”
While there’s some dispute over whether there’s an ongoing education crisis for white, middle-class boys, there’s no doubt that public schools are failing poor minority students in general and poor minority boys in particular. Despite six years of No Child Left Behind, the achievement gaps between rich and poor students and white and black students have not significantly narrowed. “People are getting desperate” is how Benjamin Wright, chief administrative officer for the Nashville public schools, described the current interest in single-sex education to me. “Coed’s not working. Time to try something else.”
Wright was one of the first principals in the country to address the racial and socioeconomic achievement gaps by separating boys from girls. In 1999, he was sent to the failing Thurgood Marshall Elementary School, in Seattle, to try to turn the place around. One of the first things he noticed was that three boys were getting suspended for every girl, “and for the most ridiculous things in the world — a boy would burp, or he’d pass gas, or a girl would say, ‘He hit me.’ ” Nationwide, boys are nearly twice as likely as girls to be suspended, and more likely to drop out of high school than girls (65 percent of boys complete high school in four years; 72 percent of girls do). Boys make up two-thirds of special-education students. They are 1.5 times more likely to be held back a grade and 2.5 times more likely to be given diagnoses of A.D.H.D. So Wright met with his fourth-grade teachers and recalls telling them, “O.K., here’s what we’re going to do: how about you take all the boys and you take all the girls?” Wright says that in 2001, after Marshall’s first year in a single-sex format, the percentage of boys meeting the state’s academic standards rose from 10 percent to 35 percent in math and 10 percent to 53 percent in reading and writing.
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Wright attributes this both to the insights of “brain researchers” like Sax and to what he calls “the character piece” — giving children a positive sense of themselves as students — which he says is easier to address in a single-sex setting. “Nobody cares about me, nobody really wants me — an African American or a Latino boy will tell you that in a hurry,” Wright told me when we spoke in January. “Or a Vietnamese or a Cambodian boy, if you’re in the right neighborhood. Don’t nobody care. Teachers need to understand when it’s time to stop teaching the content and start teaching the context.”
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Not all schools see great results from switching to a single-sex format. After transforming the Thurgood Marshall School in Seattle, Wright moved to Philadelphia to work on the district’s single-sex programs, and the results were rather modest, a fact Wright attributes to working both with middle- and high-school students and with less-engaged teachers. Other districts have started single-gender programs only to shut them down, as major logistical headaches outweighed the small academic gains. Lori Clark, principal at Jefferson Leadership Academies in Long Beach, Calif., which in 1999 became the first public middle school in the country to convert to a single-gender format, is in the process of reverting her school to coed. “We just didn’t get the bang for the buck we’d been hoping for with our test scores,” Clark told me. “Our master schedule is like one of those old Rubik’s cubes. It’s hard enough to make sure each kid gets this level English class and that level math class — and then we need to account for if that student is a boy or a girl? We just couldn’t have our hands tied like that.”
When Sawicki first took the job at Excellence, he attended conferences given by Sax and others on single-sex education, and at all of them he’d stand up and say: “Tell me what is it that I should do? What’s the magic dust that I should sprinkle?” Now, four years into the job, he’s following Wright’s lead, trying to take the best of all models. At Excellence, in a third-grade room, the teacher Roberto de Leon roused his students into calling out the two-dimensional sides of three-dimensional shapes while throwing around a big purple eyeball. But the Excellence school couples their games with serious discipline. By 7:30 each morning, 220 boys walk through the school’s heavy double doors, each dressed, in the terminology of the school, as a professional scholar: in black sneakers, dress pants, a white shirt, a green cardigan, a belt and a tie. If a child arrives at 7:31 a.m., his parents will receive a call at 5:45 the next morning to make sure that boy will be at school on time. Excellence is a charter school — meaning the school is publicly financed but has been freed from some of the rules that apply to other public schools, in exchange for promising to produce certain results. Its halls are silent from 7:50 to 10:30 a.m. each day. “The school’s sacred time,” Sawicki explains. “Right now we have 220 boys who are reading. Just a few blocks that way” — he pointed toward Crown Heights, a nearby section of Brooklyn — “you’ve got 220 boys who are doing something that’s not going to get them to college.”
After meeting Jacob, Sawicki walked me over to a room labeled “University of North Carolina, 2024,” where the kindergarten teacher Trisha Bailey was sitting with nine boys in a reading circle. Part of Excellence’s strategy is to keep boys too busy to fall out of line. “Friends, who’s sitting tallest?” Bailey said in her brightest voice. “Who has a smile on his face? Whose feet are flat on the floor? O.K., here were go.” For the next two minutes, Bailey led the boys in a simple phonics exercise, sounding out together cat, kitten, kiss. Then she said, as animated as the host of “Blues Clues”: “Good job for you! Good job for me! Good job everybody! O.K., next.”
Under Bailey’s guidance, the boys did two more pages of phonics, and then she jumped to her feet and announced: “Stand up if you need to get your sillies out! Put your hands on your belly. Ha... ha, ha... ha, ha, ha. Now get ready for a blastoff with me!” Bailey counted down from 10 to 1, crouched down into a squat alongside the boys and then exploded into the air. Then she promptly took her seat. “Sit up tall, fold your hands, three-two-one, here we go.” Bailey held up a page and put her index finger on a red dot. “Boys, let’s read together now. This... is... my... kitten.”
The Young Women’s Leadership School in Harlem is widely considered the birthplace of the current single-sex public school movement. This position of eminence stems from both its early beginnings and its success: since opening in 1996, every girl in every senior class at T.Y.W.L.S. has graduated and been accepted at a four-year college.
T.Y.W.L.S. occupies the top five floors of a commercial building in Harlem, on 106th Street near Lexington Avenue. Most of the girls come from the neighborhood, where they walk home so quickly that they often breeze by their own mothers before registering whom they’ve passed. One afternoon in January, Dalibell Ferreira, a senior, sat drinking a soda in the college counselor’s office, where she sometimes stays until 8 p.m. because she finds her own home distracting. Ferreira is tall, poised, with wide-set eyes and her hair neatly pulled back around her fine Dominican face. When she graduates, she wants “to go to Wesleyan and study abroad, then travel, and then work for Unicef.” When she entered T.Y.W.L.S. in the seventh grade, she mostly liked that the linoleum floor was so clean she could see her own face reflected on it. Then she started appreciating that people wouldn’t snicker, “Oh, she thinks she’s so smart” when she raised her hand in class. Then one day last spring, on the way home from a friend’s house, Ferreira ran into a classmate from elementary school who was pushing a stroller and also pregnant. “I know that girl is smart, very smart, but now she just hangs around the block,” Ferreira told me. “I want to be bigger in life. Maybe that girl had dreams, too, but you can just see: the lights have gone out in her face.”
T.Y.W.L.S. was founded by Ann Rubenstein Tisch, wife of Andrew Tisch, the co-chairman of the Loews Corporation. Ferreira’s is exactly the story Tisch, a former correspondent for NBC Network News, hoped her students would someday tell. Tisch first got the idea for a public all-girls school while on assignment in Milwaukee in the late ’80s. She was interviewing a 15-year-old at a public high school that had just opened a nursery so teenage moms could come back and finish their degrees. “Where do you see yourself in 5 years?” Tisch asked the young mother. The mother started to cry. “I said to myself: ‘She’s stuck, she knows she’s stuck. And she’s impacting three generations: her mother, her child and herself.’ We need to get these kids on a completely different path, a path that wealthy girls and parochial-school girls and yeshiva girls are offered. Don’t you think that might make a difference?”
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Tisch is 53 years old, with reddish hair and a strong, warm face. One of the first things she did when she got serious about trying to start an all-girls public school was to hire a lawyer, George Shebitz, to explore the legality of a single-sex school. Tisch started visiting elite Manhattan all-girls private schools like Brearley and Spence, and once she had a vision of girls in blue-and-white uniforms sitting in circles around tables instead of at rows of desks, Tisch met with Evelyn Castro, who was then the superintendent of New York City’s District 4, the district that encompasses part of East Harlem and one known for its innovation. She then spoke to Rosemary Salomone, the legal scholar at St. John’s. Salomone knew of a 1994 report by the New York City Department of Education showing a gender gap in math and science scores, which was particularly notable among African American and Hispanic females. Salomone knew that Title IX prohibits schools that receive Federal funds from discriminating on the basis of sex, but she explained to Tisch that this gender gap could work to her advantage.
As the Supreme Court would rule in June 1996, just three months before T.Y.W.L.S. opened, the legality of single-sex schools depends on context. In United States v. Virginia, a case regarding females’ exclusion from the all-male Virginia Military Institute, the justices found that the male bastion was in fact violating the equal-protection clause of the 14th Amendment, and that the state of Virginia’s proposal to open an all-girls school wasn’t a sufficient remedy because V.M.I. gave its students not just a good education but powerful connections within Virginia’s military and political elite. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who earlier in her career had been a founder of the A.C.L.U. Women’s Rights Project (a group that has been active in suing single-sex public schools), wrote the majority opinion, composing what some people consider a condensation of feminist thinking up to 1996. Ginsburg’s opinion states that in some contexts, single-sex schools might be legal, as long as those schools worked to “dissipate, rather than perpetuate, traditional gender classifications.” “The two sexes are not fungible,” Ginsburg wrote, quoting a 1946 decision; the physical differences between the sexes are “enduring” and “cause for celebration.” Yet, Ginsburg warned, those differences cannot be used to place “artificial constraints on individuals’ opportunity.”
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News of an all-girls school opening in Harlem hit the press in July 1996 and started a firestorm of arguments about whether single-sex public education was illegal, regressive, anti-feminist and a nonanswer to the problem of how to educate both boys and girls well in school. As Salomone recalls, T.Y.W.L.S. “divided the feminist community right down the middle.” Later that year at Fordham Law School, Salomone debated the merits of single-sex public education against Anne Conners, then the president of NOW-N.Y.C. According to Salomone, Conners evoked Brown v. Board of Education. Salomone countered that race is substantially different from gender, and, more important, that a child would end up at T.Y.W.L.S., or another single-sex school, only by parental choice. After the debate, Salomone says she asked Conners if she had lost members over the issue and that Conners suggested that she had. Salomone told her, “Well, you lost me.”
Thanks to Tisch and the money she raises, T.Y.W.L.S. enjoys some significant advantages over an ordinary urban public school, most notably a health-and-wellness curriculum and a superheroic college counselor, Chris Farmer, who starts taking the girls on field trips to Columbia University in seventh grade and who once drove a student’s entire Ghanaian family, Islamic music blaring, from Harlem to Hobart and William Smith Colleges in upstate New York so the father would feel comfortable enough let his daughter attend. Tisch’s connections also make for priceless opportunities: Bill Clinton and Katie Couric, among other megawatt notables, have visited the school. But it was inside Emily Wylie’s A.P. English class where the real social value of single-sex teaching was on display. Ferreira, among 20 other seniors, sat in a circle discussing “Pride and Prejudice.” Wylie asked the girls to call out which characters had which vices and virtues. A serious discussion of whether lust — Lydia’s lust — was a vice or virtue ensued.
“She’s following her passions!”
“At least she’s not sleeping with folks for money.”
Wylie regretted to inform her girls that lust is one of the seven deadly sins, which prompted the thoroughly modern question: “But how is lust bad?”
Wylie says she believes she is a better teacher, and her students are better students, because they’re in a desexualized — or at least less-sexualized — environment. “Sure,” she says, “when they take pictures, they often present their backsides first. But I think I’m giving girls a better education than I could have if there were guys in the room. I’m freer. I’m more able to be bold in my statements. When I teach poetry and I talk about the sex in poetry I don’t need to be worried about the boy in the room who is going to chuckle over the thing he did with the girl last week and embarrass her. Which happened more than once in my last coed environment.”
Nearly everyone at T.Y.W.L.S. acknowledges that often parents’ most pressing concern when enrolling their 11-year-old daughters is sheltering those girls from sexualized classrooms and sexualized streets. “Harlem’s a very intense environment,” says Drew Higginbotham, T.Y.W.L.S.’s assistant principal, who lives in the neighborhood. “You’re constantly needing to prove yourself physically, to prove yourself sexually. Parents, when they come to our school, they sort of exhale deeply. You can hear them thinking to themselves, I can see my daughter here and she’s going to be O.K. for six hours a day.” Sax is not above or beyond this kind of thinking, either. In fact, after a nearly-two-hour conversation filled with scientific jargon and brains, he told me, perhaps wishfully, that really the most important reason to send a child to a single-sex high school was that those kids still go on dates. “Boys at boys’ schools like Old Farms in Connecticut, or Saint Albans in Washington, D. C., will call up girls at Miss Porter’s in Connecticut, at Stone Ridge in Maryland, and they will ask the girl out, and the boy will drive to the girl’s house to pick her up and meet her parents. You tell kids at a coed school to do this, and they’ll fall on the floor laughing. But the culture of dating is much healthier than the culture of the hookup, in which the primary form of sexual intimacy is a girl on her knees servicing a boy.”
In the past few years Tisch’s Young Women’s Leadership Foundation has opened schools in the Bronx and Queens, as well helping start ones in Chicago, Philadelphia, Dallas and Austin. Tisch wants to be careful about not overextending her network — “we don’t want to become Mrs. Fields or Benetton” — but she says she also feels an obligation from her success. Last year, 2,100 students applied for the three open ninth-grade spots in the Harlem school. Many other schools make inquiries about how they might replicate T.W.Y.L.S.’s success. This coming year, for the first time, Tisch plans on holding her own conference on single-sex public education. Though she’s meticulously circumspect about not disparaging Sax, her actions suggest that she is aware that if she doesn’t engage with the many districts interested in starting up single-sex programs, there’s a chance that Sax will run away with the movement.
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Education scholarship has contributed surprisingly little to the debate over single-sex public education. In 2005, the United States Department of Education, along with the American Institute for Research, tried to weigh in, publishing a meta-analysis comparing single-sex and coed schooling. The authors started out with 2,221 citations on the subject that they then whittled down to 40 usable studies. Yet even those 40 studies did not yield strong results: 41 percent favored single-sex schools, 45 percent found no positive or negative effects for either single-sex or coed schools, 6 percent were mixed (meaning they found positive results for one gender but not the other) and 8 percent favored coed schools. This meta-analysis is part of a larger project by the Department of Education being led by Cornelius Riordan, a Providence College professor. He explained to me that such muddled findings are the norm for education research on school effects. School-effects studies try to answer questions like whether large schools are better than small schools or whether charter schools are better than public schools. The effects are always small. So many variables are at play in a school: quality of teachers, quality of the principal, quality of the infrastructure, involvement of families, financing, curriculum — the list is nearly endless. Riordan says, “You’re never going to be able to compare two types of schools and say, ‘The data very strongly suggests that schools that look like a are better than schools that look like b.’ ”
That certainly appears to be the case for single-sex schools. The data do not suggest that they’re clearly better for all kids. Nor do they suggest that they’re worse. The most concrete findings from the research on single-sex schools come from studies of Catholic schools, which have a long history of single-sex education, and suggest that while single-sex schools may not have much of an impact on the educational achievement of white, middle-class boys, they do measurably benefit poor and minority students. According to Riordan, disadvantaged students at single-sex schools have higher scores on standardized math, reading, science and civics tests than their counterparts in coed schools. There are two prevailing theories to explain this: one is that single-sex schools are indeed better at providing kids with a positive sense of themselves as students, to compete with the antiacademic influences of youth culture; the other is that in order to end up in a single-sex classroom, you need to have a parent who has made what educators call “a pro-academic choice.” You need a parent who at least cares enough to read the notices sent home and go through the process of making a choice — any choice.
As T.Y.W.L.S. let out on a Friday in January and the girls spilled onto 106th Street, one such parent, a man in saggy jeans and a black parka, walked up the sidewalk clutching his daughter’s dog-eared report card and hoping to secure her a spot for next year. “This where the school at?” he asked a security guard. The engagement of parents like this may be a major part of the success of single-sex public education. These schools are popular with many parents, who are happy to have an option that has long been available in private and parochial schools. And they are also attractive to teachers and administrators, who are offered a relatively easy and inexpensive way to try to improve some of the intractable problems in public education, especially for disadvantaged students.
But schools, inevitably, present many curriculums, some overt and some subtle; and critics argue that with Sax’s model comes a lesson that our gender differences are primary, and this message is at odds with one of the most foundational principles of America’s public schools. Given the myriad ways in which our schools are failing, it may be hard to remember that public schools were intended not only to instruct children in reading and math but also to teach them commonality, tolerance and what it means to be American. “When you segregate, by any means, you lose some of that,” says Richard Kahlenberg, a senior fellow at the Century Foundation. “Even if one could prove that sending a kid off to his or her own school based on religion or race or ethnicity or gender did a little bit better job of raising the academic skills for workers in the economy, there’s also the issue of trying to create tolerant citizens in a democracy.”Imagine America without unions. This shouldn’t be hard. In much of America unions have already disappeared. In the rest of America they’re battling for their lives.
Unions have been declining for decades. In the early 1950s, one out of three American workers belonged to them, four out of ten in the private sector. Today, only 11.8 percent of American workers are union members; in the private sector, just 6.9 percent. The vanishing act varies by region—in the South, it’s almost total—but proceeds relentlessly everywhere. Since 1983, the number of states in which at least 10 percent of private-sector workers have union contracts has shrunk from 42 to 8.
Related Content What Does Labor Need to Do to Survive? Harold Meyerson talks to four movement leaders about the future of unions in America. A Brief History of American Labor Spotlight: America without Unions Harold Meyerson on the decline of America's labor unions—and what the future of workers' rights looks like without them.
Following the 2010 elections, a number of newly elected Republican governors and legislatures in the industrial Midwest, long a union stronghold, moved to reduce labor’s numbers to the trace-element levels that exist in the South. A cold political logic spurred their attacks: Labor was the chief source of funding and volunteers for their Democratic opponents, and working-class whites, who still constitute a sizable share of the electorate in their states, were far more likely to vote Democratic if they belonged to a union. The fiscal crisis of the states provided the pretext for Republicans to try to take out their foremost adversaries, public-employee unions.
In Indiana, Governor Mitch Daniels signed a “right to work” law giving nonunion members who enjoyed the benefits of a union contract the right to withhold dues to the union, making Indiana the first Midwestern state to pass such legislation. In Ohio, Governor John Kasich signed a bill repealing collective-bargaining rights for all public employees, but voters overturned that law at the polls. In Wisconsin, which had been the first state to extend those rights to public-sector workers, Governor Scott Walker also repealed those rights, but more selectively than Kasich: He kept them for police and firefighters. When outraged unionists and their allies mounted a recall campaign against him, Walker beat them back handily. In the nation’s capital, Republican senators and congressmen refused to confirm President Barack Obama’s appointees to the National Labor Relations Board, which adjudicates labor-management relations in the private sector.
Coming on the heels of the failure of the Democratic Congress of 2009–2010 to amend the National Labor Relations Act so that private--sector workers wouldn’t risk their jobs by forming a union, the Midwestern setbacks struck a growing number of commentators as labor’s death knell. Losing jobs as technology transformed workplaces, losing both jobs and middle-class wages as globalization transformed the economy, and blocked by statute and employer opposition from expanding—unions, some concluded, were history.
Within the labor movement, a number of leaders and activists quietly shared the same pessimism. They had invested in organizing with little to show for it. They had invested in politics but found that the Democrats they’d helped elect could not—or worse, would not—come to their aid. In 2008, they had seen the entire edifice of deregulated capitalism totter and almost collapse, plunging the nation into its deepest and most intractable recession since the 1930s. But unlike the ’30s, when workers flocked to unions, the current recession has only intensified labor’s downward spiral and business’s ascent. “What would it take for labor to come back?” one senior union staffer asked earlier this year. “This was the crisis we were waiting for, and it didn’t do it.”
For many Americans, the death of labor would doubtless seem the natural order of things, the dinosaur finally shuffling off to the graveyard. Unions have no presence in the hottest and hippest sectors of the economy, in high-tech, fashion, and finance. The public’s image of labor is a memory of a memory that’s anywhere from 50 to 100 years old—the Yiddish- and Italian--speaking seamstresses of the Lower East Side, the goons in On the Waterfront, and, for the historically sentient, George Meany puffing a cigar and damning the Vietnam peaceniks.
It doesn’t seem to matter that these images don’t conform to present reality. Today, there are millions more unionized teachers than unionized truckers. Of the six unions with more than a million members, two are headed by lesbians and one by an African American, a level of diversity in these troglodytic institutions not to be found on Wall Street or in Silicon Valley. A number of unions, particularly the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), play a central role in the political mobilization of Latinos, the group most likely to transform the American electorate. The AFL-CIO opposed the Iraq War and last year provisioned Occupy Wall Street.
But labor’s anachronistic image persists, and for a reason: It stubbornly represents blue-collar workers long after they’ve gone out of style and their numbers have diminished. It speaks for autoworkers and steelworkers, for the cutting-edge industries of 1935. To the young, even to most campus activists, unions are a holdover from their great-grandparents’ generation, speaking a language as incomprehensible as Old English: solidarity, shop stewards, seniority, strikes. Where are unions in the new economy? Can a union do anything for a temp? A part-timer? A software writer? A barista? Will anyone under 30—will anyone over 30—even notice if unions cease to be?
***
Perhaps not. But everyone will notice the consequences. Absent a substantial union movement, the American middle class will shrink. Absent a substantial union movement, the concentration of wealth will increase. Absent a substantial union movement, the corporate domination of government will grow.
That labor must take some of the blame for its troubles doesn’t let liberals off the hook. Time was when bolstering the power of labor within the economy—“the labor question,” as it was called in the Progressive Era—was central to the liberal project. But once the New Deal and the union upsurge of the 1930s and 1940s created the first middle-class majority in the history of the world, the labor question fell off the list of liberals’ concerns.
Liberals were right to privilege the struggles of African Americans, women, and gays. But over the past 40 years, labor grew weak while corporations grew stronger than ever before—so strong that their control of government now threatens most of the liberal agenda. Which is why we must turn again to the labor question, to the battle for economic power that is an inherent feature of capitalist democracy.
II. A Union-Free America
Here’s what happens if the dinosaur dies.
When unions vanish, ordinary Americans lose their right to bargain collectively for their pay and benefits. Even those who have never bargained collectively will feel the loss. Some years ago, when unions were big enough that their effect on the larger economy could be measured, Princeton economist Henry Farber concluded that the wages of nonunion workers in industries that were 25 percent unionized were 7.5 percent higher than they’d be if their industry were union-free. When unionized companies were common, firms that were nonunion had to mimic the wages and benefits of their unionized counterparts for fear that their employees would leave or, worse, organize. That was certainly the practice at General Electric and other largely nonunion giants.
Nonetheless, union workers generally maintained a 20 percent wage advantage over nonunion workers. The key to the wage advantage is the percentage of union membership in a given industry or market. In cities where nearly all the class-A hotels are unionized, as they are in New York and San Francisco, housekeepers make more than $20 an hour. In cities where roughly half of such hotels are unionized, such as Los Angeles, their hourly wage is about $15. In cities where all the hotels are nonunion, such as Phoenix, housekeepers make little more than the minimum wage, if that.
From 1947 through 1973, when union density in America was at its peak, real wages for nonmanagerial employees rose by 75 percent. From 1979 through 2006, as union density collapsed, real wages for nonmanagerial employees rose by only 4 percent. Unable to get a raise, American households maintained their standard of living during those years by women entering the workforce and by going into debt.
Density is just one element of unions’ ability to raise wages, however. The other is strikes. We look back now at the three decades of broadly shared prosperity that followed World War II as a time of union-management concord, when executives made their peace with unions and unions didn’t rock the boat. In fact, more strikes occurred from the late 1940s through the early 1970s than before or since. When union contracts expired, workers and managers fought pitched battles over the terms of the next contract. |
’s worth figuring out. The answer is 54 points (Atlanta currently sitting on 24 with 10 home matches remaining). As a frame of reference, 54 points is normally good for 3rd in the East, occasionally 2nd, would’ve been the top seed in 2011, and 5th in 2012. In short, I will take this very good scenario all day long.
On the other hand, if Atlanta performed perfectly equal to the average historical MLS team’s home and away results from here on out, they would pick up 24 more points and double their current total to 48. This has been good for a playoff spot 3 out of the last 6 years. OK, now everyone go outside and run around for an hour.
I post weekly match analyses and other stats/tactics type pieces here. Check it out some time.Share this article:
A coalition of civil rights groups Saturday announced a series of local events planned for next week in support of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which may be threatened with extinction under President Donald Trump.
Organized by the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA) and the California Dream Network (CDN), in collaboration with young undocumented immigrants, their families and supporters, “Rise Up 4 DACA” will take place during five consecutive days starting Monday, in a variety of locations throughout Los Angeles County.
Introduced by former President Barack Obama in 2012, DACA allows people who were brought into the United States illegally as children to work and study in the country without fear of being deported. NBC News, citing several unnamed government officials, reported Friday that President Trump appears likely to end the program soon.
Here is the schedule of “Rise Up 4 DACA” events:
Monday, Aug. 28:
— 8-9 a.m., banner and poster drops at Los Angeles Street overpass of 101 Freeway
— 10 a.m.-noon, youth meet with Sen. Kamala Harris, UCLA Labor Center, 675 S. Park View St., Los Angeles
— 7 a.m.-3 p.m., phone marathon to save DACA, calls to White House, CHIRLA Call Center, 2533 W. Third St., Los Angeles
— 3-5 p.m., DACA youth visit U.S. Rep. Linda Sanchez’s District Office, 12440 E. Imperial Highway, Norwalk
Tuesday, Aug. 29:
— 8-9 a.m., banner and poster drops at Los Angeles Street overpass of 101 Freeway
— 7 a.m.-3 p.m., phone marathon to save DACA, calls to White House, CHIRLA Call Center, 2533 W. Third St., Los Angeles
— Noon, DACA recipients lunch with Sen. Harris, Holman United Methodist Church, 3320 W. Adams Blvd.
— Midnight, bus with 50 community members departs from Los Angeles in route to Sacramento in support of DACA and SB 638, the anti-fraud immigration consultant bill. CHIRLA, 2533 W. Third St., Los Angeles
Wednesday, Aug. 30:
— 7 a.m.-3 p.m., Phone marathon to save DACA, calls to White House, CHIRLA Call Center, 2533 W. Third St., Los Angeles
— 5-7 p.m., vigil to protect DACA, Olvera Street, Los Angeles
Thursday, Aug. 31:
— 8-9 a.m., banner and poster drops at Los Angeles Street overpass of 101 Freeway
— 7 a.m.-3 p.m., phone marathon to save DACA, calls to White House, CHIRLA Call Center, 2533 W. Third St., Los Angeles
Friday, Sept. 1:
— 10 a.m.-noon, large rally in support of DACA, Federal Building, 300 N. Los Angeles St., Los Angeles.
—City News Service
Outrage as Trump targets ‘dreamers:’ Young immigrant battle was last modified: by
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Follow us:THE EQUALITY MINISTER Áodhan Ó Ríordáin and the independent senator Rónán Mullen have had some sharp exchanges on Twitter today.
This morning, Ó Ríordáin tweeted this in response to the Pro Life Campaign’s Cora Sherlock appearance on Morning Ireland to discuss yesterday’s UN report on Ireland’s abortion laws:
The Labour TD’s tweet appeared to draw a parallel between those who opposed the recent same-sex marriage referendum and pro-life campaigners.
It did not get a great response on Twitter:
It took a few hours but Mullen, a prominent conservative commentator, who opposed the referendum last month, responded with this:
But Ó Ríordáin wasn’t taking that lying down, and tweeted this response:
We’re waiting to see what Mullen has to say to that, but he’s not the only anti-same-sex marriage politician to respond to Ó Ríordáin today.
A minute before Mullen’s initial tweet, here’s what Tipperary South TD Mattie McGrath had to say:
This one could run…ADELAIDE ruckman Luke Lowden isn't even being considered for round one due to an Achilles injury that was aggravated – albeit indirectly – by boy band One Direction.
Lowden was carrying an Achilles injury when he joined the Crows along with Kyle Cheney from Hawthorn last October and hasn't featured in the NAB Challenge.
The injury occurred when the club was forced off AAMI Stadium due to One Direction's concert at the venue on February 17.
In order to run closed training sessions the Crows trained at nearby Thebarton Oval, but the surface was so hard in comparison to Max Basheer Reserve or AAMI Stadium that it had to be abandoned after just four sessions.
Walsh insisted the move back to West Lakes was no hit on Thebarton Oval, which often hosts SANFL training sessions throughout the summer.
Lowden has since returned to full training but needs more conditioning before he'd be ready to play.
"He won't be available for us round one of the AFL," Walsh said.
"He came to the club with an Achilles and we've had a couple of guys with Achilles [injuries] this pre-season.
"With Luke, he probably trained two days in a row on a really hard surface that's given him a small setback.
"We ended up moving back, we came back to Max Basheer (Reserve) because of it – we did penetrometers and we got readings."
With One Direction long gone, the Crows will take to AAMI Stadium on Saturday for their NAB Challenge finale against Port Adelaide.
Superb performances from Eddie Betts against North Melbourne and Patrick Dangerfield against Geelong have secured their places in the club's round one side, but Walsh said they were the only guaranteed starters.
He said he still needed to see "some things" from a number of Crows players to convince him they were deserving of a place in the starting 22, as well as from the side as a whole.
He wants higher disposal efficiency against the Power than was delivered against the Cats last Thursday.
"The main thing last week that I wasn't happy with was our skill level, so I'd like to see improvement in that," he said.
"Up until last week I was pretty happy with our skills; obviously we monitor what we kick out at training and we'd been well above other kicking efficiencies of other clubs I'd been at previously.
"Yeah [this is a naturally skilled team] but it's a little bit of fool's gold because we're only competing against ourselves [at training], so it's only as good as whatever pressure we can apply."
Saturday's pre-season Showdown at AAMI Stadium starts at 3.40pm (local time).The most important data point. Ever. Posted by Louis Brandy on 23 February 2009
I am not the first nor will I be the last to report to you perhaps the greatest scientific data point ever found. I imagine in every generation there is a moment when theory and experiment connect and everything changes. Usually the data comes first. Mercury had an abnormal procession of the perihelion. Newton couldn't explain it. Plug the numbers into Einstein's equations, and the answer matches reality. Wow. It must be an incredible moment to be the first to make such a discovery. Follow me and I'll give you a tiny taste.
Let's cut to the chase. The most important data point, ever:
First, Louis Pasteur boiled some liquid, and inside nothing grew. The consequences of this incredibly simple act are tremendous. There are living things too small to see. They cause diseases. It is not caused by vengeful gods, witches, or spontaneous generation. There is no more need for witch hunts, human, or animal sacirifice to ward off disease. Some, at the time, understood the implications of the simple experiment, others had to be led there. Some of you realize what the above data point means, for the rest, carry on.
Trend #1: A recent downturn in global temperature
This year (2008) appears set to be the coolest globally this century. bbc This year is set to be the coolest since 2000, according to a preliminary estimate of global average temperature that is due to be released next week by the Met Office. The global average for 2008 should come in close to 14.3C, which is 0.14C below the average temperature for 2001-07.
guardian.co.uk
Trend #2: A recent surge in maritime piracy
The latest piracy statistics released by the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) Piracy Reporting Centre (PRC) indicate a dramatic increase in attacks of piracy for the first nine months of 2008.
Unprecedented rise in piratical attacks
The 2008 figures surpass all figures for hijacked vessels and hostages taken recorded by the PRC since it began its worldwide reporting function.
IMB reports unprecedented rise in maritime hijackings
Piracy on the high seas rose to unprecedented levels in 2008
Maritime watchdog reports unprecedented rise in piracy in 2008
The data
The data is quite clear. Ever since maritime piracy was eliminated as a major threat in the early 19th century, you will see a major increase in global temperature. Some might have called it a coincidence. And now, today, both variables have reversed course at the exact same time. You might call it yet another coincidence. Yup, just like the way the discovery of DNA happened to validate both Darwin and Mendel. Beautiful theories are strengthened by future discoveries.
The theory that explains the data
In the year 2005, a revelation was made to one of the great minds of our time: Bobby Henderson. He penned an open letter to the Kansas School Board proclaiming the existence of a supernatural entity. Unlike most supernatural beings, this particular one manifested itself in a testable manner. In other words, Bobby Henderson made a falsifiable and testable prediction that could, in principle, prove the existence of his supernatural deity. I quote for you the most important part:
I’m sure you now realize how important it is that your students are taught this alternate theory. It is absolutely imperative that they realize that observable evidence is at the discretion of a Flying Spaghetti Monster. Furthermore, it is disrespectful to teach our beliefs without wearing His chosen outfit, which of course is full pirate regalia. I cannot stress the importance of this enough, and unfortunately cannot describe in detail why this must be done as I fear this letter is already becoming too long. The concise explanation is that He becomes angry if we don’t. You may be interested to know that global warming, earthquakes, hurricanes, and other natural disasters are a direct effect of the shrinking numbers of Pirates since the 1800s. For your interest, I have included a graph of the approximate number of pirates versus the average global temperature over the last 200 years. As you can see, there is a statistically significant inverse relationship between pirates and global temperature.
Bobby Henderson, Open Letter to Kansas School Board (2005)
And so it was predicted, in 2005, that global warming was a direct reaction to the number of pirates world wide. In 2008, just three years later, the number of pirates began dramatically increasing, and with it, temperatures plummeted. And like a tiny deflection in a single star's light overturned Newton and enshrined Einstein as the king of physics, so too does this little data point change everything. A testable prediction has been made, and experimentally verified. Now the question is whether we have the courage and the strength to admit to ourselves the full implications.James Crown, N.Y.U. political science professor
BY ALBERT AMATEAU | James Tracy Crown, a professor of political science at New York University for more than 40 years and author of works on American foreign policy, labor union history and the presidency of John F. Kennedy, died on July 27.
Diagnosed with cancer three years ago, James Crown died in hospice care at his home on E. 10th St. a few days before his 89th birthday, according to his nephew, Samuel Crown, of Virginia Beach, Va.
Over their 62 years of married life, he and his wife, Bonnie, who survives him, traveled all over the world. In Benares, India, Jim and Bonnie met the late poet Allen Ginsberg, who enlisted the couple’s support for a group of Indian writers known as “The Hungry Generation.” Bonnie, a literary agent, was at the time the director of the Asia Society’s Asian literature program.
During a period of tension between India and China, James Crown interviewed both V.K. Krishna Menon, defense minister, and Jawaharlal Nehru, president of India.
Friends of John F. Kennedy’s private secretary Evelyn Lincoln, Jim and Bonnie attended J.F.K.’s inauguration. Lincoln gave Jim a tour of the White House and later gave him various doodles and handwritten notes that the president had thrown out. Jim recently donated the material to the Kennedy Presidential Library, where they will be housed in a named collection — the James Tracy Crown Personal Papers — to be available for research by scholars and the public, according to his grand-nephew Jeremy Crown.
James T. Crown was born in St. Petersburg, Fla., the youngest of five children of Verna and Earl Taylor Crown. His father was a fire chief in St. Petersburg. James, who earned his B.A. and M.A. at the University of Florida, was a member of Students for Democratic Action, which in 1949 urged the university to admit black students.
“Their efforts to integrate the university were all above board and public,” said Bill Raiford, a longtime friend of the Crowns. “Jim phoned the governor of Florida and told him what the group wanted to do. The governor told him, ‘You can go straight to hell,’ and hung up,” Raiford said. “In the 62 years that I knew him, I never once saw him angry,” Raiford added.
“The South being what it was in those days, has was the target of a few threats,” recalled Jim’s nephew Samuel Crown.
“Uncle Jim was a major figure in my life,” said Samuel. “In my teens he would talk to me about politics, civil rights, things that were happening. He had a soft tone and he was always interested in what you were doing. Jim always wanted to expose us to things we might not come across at home: museums, Off Broadway plays when we went to New York, lectures and McSorley’s for our first beer,” Samuel said.
In 1950 Jim came to New York to study at N.Y.U.
“We have pictures of him in the 1950s with Eleanor Roosevelt,” said his grand-nephew Jeremy.
James Crown earned his Ph.D in political science in 1956. A year later, he won an award as a post-doctoral Fulbright research professor at Institut d’Etudes Politiques, popularly known as “Sciences Po,” in Paris.
He returned to teach at N.Y.U.’s University Heights campus in the Bronx.
“I was his student and then his colleague at the Heights campus,” said Martin Schain, a political science professor at N.Y.U. “To me, he embodied the idea of a university as a community of scholars. I was an engineering student at the Heights when I took a political science course with Jim in 1958. It changed the course of my life. I would never have become an academic without him,” said Schain, who organized Jim’s retirement party at N.Y.U. in 1994.
Frances Pinter, an international academic publisher in the United Kingdom, was a student of Jim’s during the late 1960s.
“I thought I wanted to go to law school, become a politician, possibly a senator, and change the world,” she said. “However, my scholastic record did not match my ambitions. I was only an average student, but Professor Crown saw something in me that I didn’t see myself.
“He thought that I would be an ideal candidate for the junior year abroad program. I applied to the London School of Economics because Jim encouraged me to do so. Much to my surprise, L.S.E. came through with an offer. Much later, I asked the admission officer how I’d gotten in. He showed me the recommendation letter from Jim. He trusted Jim’s judgement, which outweighed my less-than-stellar grades,” Pinter said. “I’m sure that if Jim hadn’t sent me off to L.S.E. my life would have been very different,” she added.
“I’ve been Jim and Bonnie’s neighbor on E. 10th St. for 30 years and my grandma was their neighbor before that,” said Pam Arnold. “Jim was always ready to engage you in a wide-ranging conversation about almost anything. He knew so many famous people, but it didn’t seem to affect the way he spoke to everybody,” Arnold added.
“About a year ago, when they saw which way their life was going” — Bonnie had Parkinson’s — “they began inviting people over for concerts; they knew a lot of musicians. Those gatherings lasted until a few months ago,” Arnold recalled.
In addition to Bonnie, James Crown is survived by many nieces, nephews, grand-nephews and grand-nieces. There will be no public services.ST. LOUIS — The sample size remains too small to declare summary judgment on his behalf. Erik Johnson has been good, verging on great, most of this season with the Avalanche. He has been the best defenseman on the ice more often than not in Avs games, including Tuesday night, when he played nearly 29 minutes in a tough-luck loss at Carolina.
There is the temptation to say Johnson finally has developed into the bona fide, No. 1 star defenseman the Avs hoped they acquired from St. Louis in 2011.
But it has been only 17 games. Johnson knows he has more ground to cover. Two and a half years after coming to the Avs, Johnson returns to St. Louis on Thursday off to a great start, but cognizant that he has had some ups before with the Avs, only to be followed by downturns. This time, though, Johnson says he can keep elevating his game.
“I feel like this is the best stretch I’ve had in my career,” Johnson said. “A lot of it has to do with Patrick (Roy). You know, I’m a player that can make plays. You go out there and make a mistake and go back to the bench and he’s like, ‘Don’t worry about it. That’s a great try. Go out and do it again next shift.’ In the past, we played a lot of D-to-D, chip-it-up-the-wall kind of hockey. Now, there’s a lot of flow to our game, where we come out of the zone with speed. We’re really utilizing our best asset, which is our speed.”
Under coach Joe Sacco, Johnson said, he would have been told, “What are you doing, not chipping it in?”
“Patrick has just given me that leash, and I just have a belief in my game right now. When the coach has belief in you, it makes a big difference,” Johnson said.
Johnson has yet to produce the kind of offensive numbers the Avs might have wanted after getting him from the Blues in the blockbuster deal that sent Chris Stewart and Kevin Shattenkirk to St. Louis. In 17 games this season, Johnson has a modest two goals and five assists. But that is nearly double the four points (no goals) he posted in 31 games last season.
But offensive numbers don’t tell the full story. He is moving the puck up ice effectively, either skating it out or hitting forwards with the first pass. He is a plus-10 entering Thursday in an average of 21 minutes, 24 seconds per game.
Before the season, Roy sat down with the native of Bloomington, Minn., and stressed one thing above all: amnesia. Forget about the past, Roy said. Forget the can’t-miss-kid label that made him the No. 1 pick in the 2006 draft with St. Louis, and the inflated expectations.
There is more work — lots of it — to do with Johnson, but Roy said the 6-foot-4, 232-pound defender has passed the first tests with him.
“The biggest thing with him is, he wants to learn, he wants to get better,” Roy said. “He wants to hear what we tell him. When he skates and moves his feet, he’s a very good player. We just have to keep taking it one day at a time with him and the rest of the team.”
Said Johnson: “We all just want to go through a wall for Patrick, and I’m no different. We want to win for him, and for each other.”
Adrian Dater: adater@denverpost.com or twitter.com/adater
Colorado at St. Louis
6 p.m. Thursday, ALT; 950 AM
Spotlight on Jay Bouwmeester: He was considered something of a bust in Calgary after the Flames paid a lot of money to import him from the Florida Panthers. Since he has been a member of the Blues, Bouwmeester has earned plaudits for consistently solid defensive play for coach Ken Hitchcock.
The knock on Bouwmeester used to be that he didn’t make his team a winner despite ample ice time, but the Blues are off to a good start with him playing major minutes.
NOTEBOOK
Avalanche: Former Avs player Milan Hejduk told the Czech Republic newspaper Blesk that he is done playing and will make the announcement official soon. … Jean-Sebastien Giguere will start in goal. … Defenseman Jan Hejda did not practice at the Scottrade Center on Wednesday afternoon, merely taking a day of rest. … Avalanche coach Patrick Roy has been getting in lots of skating himself the past two days. He skated hard with other coaches after practice, but complained of a cranky knee toward the end — all to the good-natured chortling of Avs executive vice president of hockey operations Joe Sakic, who said he’ll lace up his skates to join the coaches “at some point.” … The Avs have not lost two games in a row this season.
Blues: Former Avs defenseman Jordan Leopold will miss at least eight weeks after undergoing surgery to repair ligaments in his right hand.
Adrian Dater, The Denver PostThe Bottom 10 inspirational thought of the week:
"Now girl I know you're used to the same old same
But we ain't floatin' that boat, no we ain't ridin' that train
Hop on my rocket ship and let's get outta here
Let me put a little shimmer in your atmosphere
Now let's get outta this town, outta this club
Girl whatever you're sippin' I'ma mix it up
Take a few tick-tocks off of your clock
Put a little Third Rock in your hip-hop I got that
1994, Joe Diffie comin' out the radio
I'm just a country boy with a farmer's tan
So help me girl I'll be your pickup man
How 'bout a night to remember and a fifth of Goose
'Bout to bust out my honky-tonk attitude
A little feel-good you ain't never felt before
I'm talkin' 1994, hey
Joe, Joe, Joe Diffie, Joe, Joe, Joe Diffie, Joe, Joe, Joe Diffie."
-- Jason Aldean, "1994"
The Georgia Bulldogs must have thought it was 1994 again at Vanderbilt on Saturday.
The depleted No. 15 Bulldogs, who have played the past two weeks without their top two tailbacks and top three receivers, blew a 13-point lead in the fourth quarter of a 31-27 loss to the Commodores at Vanderbilt Stadium. It was UGA's first loss to Vanderbilt since 2006 and only the second since 1994.
While the Commodores benefited from two controversial targeting penalties against UGA, the Bulldogs lost because of a couple of inexcusable special-teams blunders. With UGA holding a 27-14 lead, Georgia cornerback Damian Swann muffed a punt to set up a Vanderbilt touchdown. After Vanderbilt cut UGA's lead to 27-24 with a 40-yard field goal, Bulldogs punter Collin Barber couldn't handle a high snap at the UGA 13, which set up the Commodores' go-ahead touchdown with 2:53 to play.
Aldean, the reigning Academy of Country Music male vocalist of the year, was probably thinking it was the "same old same" from his beloved Bulldogs. A native of Macon, Ga., Aldean and buddy Luke Bryan played in front a sold-out crowd at UGA's Sanford Stadium in the spring.
At least Temple hopped on a rocket ship and got outta here, ending a seven-game losing streak with a 33-14 victory over Army in Philadelphia. It was the first victory of Owls coach Matt Rhule's career.
With apologies to Steve Harvey and Jason Aldean, here's this week's Bottom 10:LOS ANGELES (Billboard) - Life after System of a Down has been pretty good for Serj Tankian.
Stepping away from the chart-topping Los Angeles-based hard rock band, which went on indefinite hiatus in 2006, the singer/songwriter/political activist launched a solo musical career with the release of 2007’s “Elect the Dead.” The rock-driven set debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 and has sold 319,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
In addition to touring and promoting his solo music, Tankian has spent recent years writing new songs, overseeing his label, Serjical Strike, promoting various causes, publishing books, producing albums and scoring music for films, TV and videogames — a lifestyle he never had time for while fronting System of a Down.
“I feel like I’ve established myself as an artist aside from System of a Down, and I’m comfortable with that,” Tankian says, noting that the group regularly receives offers to perform but that no such plans are in the works. “It’s been very emancipating and confidence-building.”
Now, with nearly three years under his belt as a solo artist, and amid numerous other side projects, Tankian is prepping the release of his second album, “Imperfect Harmonies,” due September 21 on Serjical Strike/Reprise Records. This time around, he moves further away from the heavy-hitting sound he’s become known for with SOAD and “Elect the Dead” and delves deeper into elements of electronica, orchestral music and jazz.
“In one way it’s really modern, with the electronics stuff, but it’s also really classical, with the legato orchestra,” Tankian says. “The core of the songs are still rock-based songs with some jazz influences here and there.”
SOMETHING NEW
It’s uncertain whether Tankian’s fan base, which largely consists of SOAD die-hards, will remain loyal to his evolving musical direction. So far, first single “Left of Center,” which features a big rock chorus and chunky guitars, hasn’t gained any traction on rock radio. “Elect the Dead” has spawned such radio successes as “Empty Walls” (which peaked at No. 3 on the Alternative chart and No. 4 on Active Rock) and “Sky Is Over” (which peaked at No. 22 on Alternative and No. 24 on Active Rock).
But at this point in his career, Tankian, 42, says he’s more concerned about following his own musical interests than with how many albums he sells. “When I die, I’m not going to care whether I’ve sold X number more records or less,” he says. “I’m going to care if I made the right expressions, if I explored enough and did something new, and put something new on this planet.”
Nevertheless, Tankian was hard at work earlier this summer preparing fans for his symphonic transition by performing numerous concerts with backing orchestras in Europe. The idea stemmed from an invitation in 2009 from New Zealand’s Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra to perform a symphonic version of “Elect the Dead.” The Auckland Town Hall performance resulted in the “Elect the Dead Symphony” project, which was released on CD/DVD in March.
“We wanted something that Serj’s core fan base could hold onto and have one more piece of ‘Elect the Dead’ before transitioning into the new record and putting his face out there in between,” manager George Tonikian says.
Tankian says performing with the New Zealand orchestra was an inspiration for much of the symphonic songwriting on “Imperfect Harmonies,” and his camp hopes to build buzz around the album through more live performances with orchestras during his European and North American tours between August and October.
He already has several other projects lined up. His musical “Prometheus Bound” is scheduled to open in March 2011 at the American Repertory Theater in Cambridge, Mass., and he’s finishing up a “classical jazz symphony” that he hopes to premiere next year. The forthcoming year may also find the artist publishing a second poetry book, “Glaring Through Oblivion,” and starting work on a nonfiction title.
Beyond all this, Tankian says he’d someday like to score a film and record an instrumental jazz album, adding, “I want to try one of everything.”Systematize your database— The Ruby way to be the croupier of migrations.
Ricardo Brazão Blocked Unblock Follow Following Jan 2, 2017
Ever wondered how the croupiers do that shuffle when they separate the card deck in two and just mix both piles into one? I’ve tried that multiple times and the cards just flew everywhere 😞. But now imagine that you could do that shuffling with your data and structure migrations, aligning them to run in the order they should…That would be a cool thing!
While your application starts getting bigger and bigger, probably so does your migration folder and with that you’ll probably need to move some data around different tables, or even change such data because your structure changed as well.
When do you run your migrations? First the data migrations and then the structure migrations or the other way around?
With any of those approaches some errors are prone to happen:
On the first approach (data → structure) what would you do, if the field that you need isn’t created yet (because the structure migration hasn’t run)?
On the second approach (structure → data) what would you do, if the field that you want to populate needs data from another field that is deleted on the structure migration?
Let me show you an example:
Let’s say you have a Post model with a boolean attribute named :deleted that represents the deleted Posts ;
model with a boolean attribute named that represents the deleted ; After some time, and some deleted Posts, you are asked to instead of just knowing that a Post was deleted we also need to know when the Post was deleted. So you create the :deleted_at field that will contain the date it was deleted;
, you are asked to instead of just knowing that a was deleted we also need to know when the was deleted. So you create the field that will contain the date it was deleted; Now you create the data migration that searches all the deleted Posts and timestamps the :deleted_at field. So far so good;
and timestamps the field. So far so good; After that is done you can safely remove the old and obsolete :deleted field.
So with this example we have 2 structural migrations (creating the :deleted_at field and deleting the :deleted field) and 1 data migration (populating the :deleted_at field). It’s all peachy and dandy until you run your migrations because when you finish running the structural ones you will not have a :deleted field to query the Posts that were deleted.
With this in mind let me introduce you to Systematize, the gem that will make that pain go away.By Barry Rascovar
For MarylandReporter.com
Nearly a year after violence, arson and widespread looting tore apart impoverished portions of Baltimore there still is no comprehensive, long-term plan for reviving and improving Baltimore from the governor’s office.
Nor is there an all-inclusive recovery plan from the mayor’s office.
Leadership is lacking.
Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake at least has the excuse that she’s stepping down as Baltimore’s leader in December. A detailed, long-range recovery program will have to be devised and implemented by her successor.
Her silence, though, is deafening.
Gov. Larry Hogan, Jr. has no such excuse. He’s had a long time to figure out how the state can step in with both feet and assist Baltimore rebound from a devastating blow.
He also had a golden opportunity to lay out his full range of ideas for a Baltimore renaissance in his State of the State Address in January.
It didn’t happen.
Vacant housing initiative
To his credit, Hogan announced a large, multi-year plan to demolish and replace blocks and blocks of vacant housing. Yet when his budget was released, not one penny had been allocated for this effort.
Pressed by the legislative black caucus, Hogan included a portion of the demolition funds in a supplemental budget, but not before he generated a good deal of ill will among legislators.
He also agreed to legislative demands to add $12.7 million to help Baltimore schools compensate for declining enrollment.
It was left, though to Senate President Mike Miller and House Speaker Mike Busch to cobble together a multi-pronged package of economic and social initiatives to help Baltimore in its hour of need.
Such a move is not ordinarily the province of the Maryland General Assembly. Large bail-out and economic rebound efforts normally come out of the governor’s office.
But since Republican Hogan failed to formulate a Baltimore recovery agenda (other than the vacant housing plan), state legislators stepped into the void.
Legislative plan
Their $290 million proposal, spread over five years (thus limiting the fiscal impact on the state) helps not only Baltimore but other parts of the state.
It offers Baltimore assurance that Hogan’s housing-demolition and replacement plans will be mandatory in future years, not voluntary.
It expands existing scholarship programs for disadvantaged kids throughout Maryland.
It adds mentoring and other support for middle-school kids in Baltimore and promises them scholarships if they stay out of trouble and get good grades.
It adds money to keep city libraries open longer.
It allocates funds for after-school and summer programs for children.
It provides grants for community groups to develop blighted city areas.
It gives Towson University funds to train Baltimore residents as construction workers.
And it provides $16.5 million to improve the city’s important system of public parks.
The Miller-Busch package roared through the Senate last week. The same thing is likely to occur in the House of Delegates.
Hogan hasn’t said much about this important package of bills. His spokesman supported the good intentions of the legislative initiative but worried about the fiscal impact – even though state funding is limited to five years.
Now is the time for the governor to get off the fence and involve himself in shaping a significant Baltimore recovery effort coming from Annapolis.
The legislative package aims at improving depressed neighborhoods. It focuses on giving youngsters better schooling, more positive activities away from school, involving universities and non-profit groups in reviving communities and making Baltimore a more inviting city for those living there.
Time to act
This is the moment for both Baltimore and the governor to join hands with the legislature in this ambitious undertaking.
With assistance from the governor’s office, objectionable elements of the bills can be modified, new ideas can be added and city officials can come together with the two branches of government in forming a triad of commitments for making Baltimore better.
Hogan brings to the table a businessman’s eye for how to help Baltimore. Even better, he is a businessman with expertise in private-sector land development. He needs to be involved.
Creating the environment for a phoenix-like bounce-back by Baltimore is important for Maryland. The city remains the state’s economic center as well as its regional population, cultural and education center. Tackling the city’s worst problems and overcoming them will pay handsome dividends for the governor in the long run – and for Maryland.
Barry Rascovar’s blog is www.politicalmaryland.com. His email is brascovar@hotmail.comUS government cables published by WikiLeaks show us that it wasn't just "the usual blogger-circles" (as the US Embassy in Sweden called them) complaining about the secrecy of the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA).
French digital rights group La Quadrature du Net has compiled a list of relevant WikiLeaks cables regarding ACTA. In one, a top intellectual property official in Italy told the US that "the level of confidentiality in these ACTA negotiations has been set at a higher level than is customary for non-security agreements." He added that it was "impossible for member states to conduct necessary consultations with IPR stakeholders and legislatures under this level of confidentiality."
In Sweden, the EU's top negotiator on ACTA told the US embassy there that "the secrecy issue has been very damaging to the negotiating climate in Sweden The secrecy around the negotiations has led to that the legitimacy of the whole process being questioned."
The inevitable result of such secrecy was leaks and rumors. When the US proposals for the Internet section of ACTA leaked, the head of Sweden's Justice Ministry had "to go public earlier this month to appease the storm of critics by assuring them that the Swedish government will not agree to any ACTA provision that would require changes to current Swedish laws."
And the EU negotiator added a criticism of his own: "the European Commission is concerned that the USG [US government] has close consultation with US industry, while the EU does not have the same possibility to share the content under discussion in the negotiations."
The "gold standard"
The cables note that critics wanted ACTA to take place before an existing body like WIPO, where processes were in place for transparency and for the involvement of public |
of choice is only available in some specific places. Camera Mall in Ann Arbor sells expired film for $2 a pop, generally Fuji Superia 800. It has only been expired by one month, and I have never had any issues shooting with it. It isn’t the best film, but for starting out or just messing around, it’s not a bad deal. Once you have gotten your hands dirty, I would recommend trying Portra or Ektar films, which are both by Kodak and are a little over $10 a roll. They produce amazing colors and are fun to mess around with for portraits. If you really feel confident in yourself, you can try Kodak Tri-X or Ilford HP5 black and white films, both of which are stellar, but will cost you a pretty penny to have developed… which is our next topic.
When I first started shooting film, I had no idea where I would have it developed. I heard that Woodward Camera did good work (which I must say, they really do), but after developing some film there I found the pricing to be a bit out of my budget as a broke & alcoholic college student. My buddy Julian recommended Express Photo & Camera in Livonia, and I haven’t looked back since. Development and scanning for one standard color roll ends up being around $5, and you save if you wait to develop a number of rolls at once. This is far cheaper than Camera Mall in Ann Arbor and Woodward Camera in Birmingham. They also only take about an hour to do the whole process, whereas the others can take up to a week or more. The workers at Express Photo & Camera are the nicest damn people you will ever meet, and are always happy to help with any questions you might have. Developing traditional black-and-white film is more expensive no matter where you go because of the different chemicals used, so to test the waters I would recommend Ilford XP2. This is because it can be developed in the same chemistry as color film, AKA, Express Photo & Camera can do it for cheap. I don’t like the results from XP2 quite as much as HP5 or Tri-X, but saving around $10 a roll is a nice kicker.Read more articles by
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TWO countries, one a tiny Caribbean island nation with a small population; the other massive in area with a huge number of inhabitants have dominated the AIBA World Boxing Championships (formerly known as the World Amateur Boxing Championships). The Republic of Cuba (Cuba) has dominated the men’s championships and likewise the Russian Federation (Russia), the women’s event. Two nations who, in many ways could not be more dissimilar rule the roost in the world amateur championships boxing ring.
Nineteen men’s world championships have come and gone and the story has only ever been about Cuba; it seems it was ever thus. In nine women’s world championships, Russia has reigned supreme. Only a brave, nay, perhaps, only a foolish man would likely suggest that this order is about to change anytime soon.
What we will never know is, had Cuban women been allowed, first to box in their own country, and then internationally, what impact they may have had on past world championships. The Cuban ban on female boxers is still hard to comprehend, even today, and many of us, long for the day, when Cuban females will be allowed to strut their ring stuff on the global stage. This can only be good for our amateur sport. I only hope that it will happen while I can still write in these columns; although I will not hold my breath for this eventuality. That said, it is understood that the Cuban government continues to look at the medical implications for women’s boxing.
Since, 1974 in Havana, where the initial championships were held, Cuba has amassed a phenomenal 135 men’s medals in the “worlds”, many more than the present day Russian Federation and the former old USSR (Soviet Union) whose combined total reads 108 medals (65 and 43 respectively). The United States of America are in third spot with 45 medals. Following on in that gold, silver and bronze medal order are a mixture of the “new kids on the block” and the older established eastern European ring strongholds; Kazakhstan (40); Bulgaria (34); Romania (29); Uzbekistan (36); Ukraine (29)and Azerbaijan(19).
Next come three western European boxing countries again in strict medal colour order; Italy (22), Germany(35) and France (23). China ranks next on 13 medals overall, and then Hungary on 10 and then Turkey with 16.
England, the Republic of Ireland and Poland – one of my all time favourite amateur boxing nations – have but one men’s gold medallist as follows: Frankie Gavin in 2007 at lightweight in Chicago; Michael Conlan in 2015 at bantamweight in Qatar and Henryk Srednicki in 1978 at flyweight in Belgrade,only the second ever “men’s worlds”. Overall the combined England/ GB medal return is 1 gold, 3 silver and 8 bronze. Disappointing overall returns indeed for such well established amateur boxing countries, with really no dramatic prospects for any likely improvements anytime soon, I would suggest. But there is always hope and this is what we must cling to for now it seems.
Not surprisingly, Cuba has no fewer than nine multiple gold medallists from the world championships; Felix Savon (6 gold and 1 silver); Juan Hernandez Sierra (4gold and 1 bronze); Julio Cesar La Cruz (4 gold); Lazaro Alvarez (3 gold and 1 silver); Roberto Balado (3 gold); Adolfo Horta (3 gold); Mario Kindelan (3 gold); Odlanier Solis (3 gold) and Teofilo Stevenson (3 gold). Only four other boxers are able to compete in this impressive and formidable list of illustrious ring title holders: Bulgaria’s Serafim Todorov (3 gold and 1 silver); China’s Zou Shiming (3 gold and 1 silver); Romania’s Francisc Vastag ( 3 gold and 1 bronze) and finally Magomedrasul Majidov from Azerbaijan with three golds. The Cuban production line of champions is truly awesome and has shaped men’s boxing at world level for over 40 years with no sign of diminishing. They deserve our praise and admiration. Some will still suggest, maybe even insist that Cuba’s success is due to the fact that it is one of the world’s last truly socialist countries following Marxist- Leninist ideology. They may have a point I suppose, but there will be many other factors too, which will need further and much closer examination, ones not merely based on political dogma. Perhaps the basis for another article in due course?
Now it is the turn of the ladies and not wishing to labour the point, how different it might have been, had Cuban women been allowed to duck between the ropes and throw leather at a variety of world level opponents.
Since its inception in 2001 in Scranton, in the United States of America, there has been eight other “women’s worlds.” Russia has set the standard and gained the most medals, 53 in total. China are next with 40; then India with 28; followed by North Korea on 21; next come the great western democracies of Canada and the United States of America on 25 and 32 medals respectively. As with the men, these overall medal totals reflect success in strict gold, silver and bronze order. Next up are Turkey on 22, Kazakhstan with 14; then the Republic of Ireland on 7. England/ UK have amassed 11 between them. Italy and France are next on 10 medals each; then come Hungary on 19, Ukraine with 18 and Sweden with 11. As with the male competitors, the countries listed in the women’s section, are not exclusive or indeed exhaustive to medal winning, nor is it intended for them to be so.
Ireland’s, lightweight Katie Taylor, is without a shadow of a doubt, the greatest woman boxer, so far, produced by our western boxing powers – with five world golds and a bronze. She is only just “topped” by India’s very assured and impressive Mary Kom with five golds and a silver.
England/UK have had success too with golds from middleweight, Savannah Marshall in 2012, she also captured bronze in 2016; and flyweight Nicola Adams finally registering gold in 2016, after three silver efforts in 2008, 2010 and 2012.
Strangely enough, only two Russians feature in the multiple gold medallists table. Irina Sinetskaya with three golds and one silver and one bronze and also Sofya Ochigava with two golds and also a silver and a bronze. Two Canadians, perhaps a little surprisingly are in the same list of the “good and great women exponents of the noble art”- Mary Spencer with three golds and a bronze and Ariane Fortin-Brochu with two golds, one silver and also one bronze. Italian Simona Galassi racked up three golds, as did Ren Cancan for China. Landing two golds were Hungarian Mari Kovacs, who also bagged two silver and one bronze, while Sweden’s Anna Laurell can claim similar medal credentials, notably two gold, one silver and one bronze.
Russia, no longer a communist state, variously described as a federal semi-presidential republic, seems to be conquering the world with its women leading the medal table. Again it is difficult to gauge how much affect their current political ideology has on their sporting prowess, save to say that the Russian Federation is very keen to show the world; not least the west, what it can in certain sporting fields, achieve with full state sponsorship. Sporting success is the one of the emblems of Russian achievement and dominance. It is certainly doing just that, so maybe the shift from a hard line communist state to its present day environment has been beneficial at least in the roped square. This is certainly worthy of continuing debate.Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson reportedly filed for divorce from his wife, Ashton Meem, last month after less than two years of marriage for undisclosed reasons.
A recent report from gossip site Terez Owens says Wilson may have learned of an alleged affair between Meem and former Seahawks teammate and top receiver Golden Tate. There were no other details as to how or exactly when Wilson learned of the alleged affair or how long it may have gone on.
Wilson made a statement through the Seahawks last month about the divorce, a move rarely, if ever, seen in the NFL.
"I have made the difficult decision to file for divorce," Wilson said. "Clearly, decisions like these don't come easy. Ashton and I respectfully ask for prayers, understanding and privacy during this difficult time. Moving forward, I will have no further comment on this matter."
Wilson and Meem began dating when they were in high school, and she eventually transferred from the University of Georgia to North Carolina State where Wilson was playing quarterback. Meem again moved for Wilson when he transferred to the University of Wisconsin, and the pair married before the Seahawks made Wilson a third-round draft pick in 2012.
Tate moved on from the Seahawks in the offseason after signing a five-year, $31 million contract with the Detroit Lions. While he didn’t directly address the issue, Tate vehemently denied a rumor on his Twitter account on April 30, saying he and his girlfriend Elise Pollard are still close with Meem and Wilson.
Btw the ignorant minority of people, bloggers and whoever else spreading ridiculous rumors should cut it out. It's absurd the stories that — Golden Tate (@ShowtimeTate) April 30, 2014
Are being made up from whatever source. In fact Elise and Ashton are still incredible friends, as well as Russ and I. — Golden Tate (@ShowtimeTate) April 30, 2014
I strongly advise the ignorant folks blowing this situation up and spreading this rumors to shut the hell up. Go watch the nba playoffs — Golden Tate (@ShowtimeTate) April 30, 2014Frozen is not just a film about a magical princess, a happy snowman and an adorably dopey reindeer.
It can also be read as a parable for recovering from an eating disorder, according to one academic who has been studying the film.
Dr Su Holmes, from the University of East Anglia, who struggled with anorexia herself, was watching Elsa sing Let it Go when she thought to herself: "Is it just me or does this song seem to parallel my own recovery?"
After tentatively putting the search terms into Google she realised she wasn't alone.
"Quite a big reading of it in this way had occurred on the internet across fan fiction, across blogs of people who had recovered who were writing similar things to the thoughts I was having."
In the film, magical Princess Elsa has powers to control ice and snow. Her parents discover this power and worry she could be dangerous. The castle is locked and she is encouraged to hide away, both emotionally and physically.
After losing her temper at her coronation and accidentally revealing she can create ice and snow, Elsa runs away and while singing Let It Go unleashes her powers freely and builds herself a remote ice palace to live in.
Thousands of comments are made on sites promoting anorexia where people with eating disorders discussed how they identified with Elsa's experiences, according to Holmes.
"There were two key groups," said Dr Holmes.
"The first circled around Let It Go because in the song Elsa talks a lot about the pressures around being the perfect girl and the need to break free from those repressions.
"There's been a long history about anorexia developing in so called 'good' or 'perfect' girls and that it's associated with societal and parental pressures.
"They were saying things like 'Omg I identified so much with girl and her desire to not have to be the perfect girl and not be the good girl that you always have to be', this is so much like what's happened with my anorexia."
She said the second group used Elsa to motivate them to eat even less.
"They used the same lyrics about the perfect girl in completely contrary ways. They said 'Yeah, this is exactly how I felt when my mum found out about the anorexia. And I thought I'm not going to be the perfect girl anymore'."
This wasn't the only connection she found between Frozen and anorexia.
"The idea of anorexia and its association with cold and wintriness is really complex. The idea that anorexics are often literally cold, they are isolated, and many of your emotions and sexual desires shut down."
There is no suggestion that Frozen is in any way causing eating disorders.
"These people were already anorexic and they were interested in the film.
"There is a lot of mainstream media that displays very very thin bodies and that is part of the culture in which we live.
"I wouldn't isolate Frozen in that regard any more than I would isolate Tangled or Cinderella or Snow White. That is a much wider issue in society.
"What I really found from working on this site is that what people were looking for was identification.
"They wanted to see people like them on screen and it was very meaningful for them in that regard. I don't think I would cast it as dangerous I think that's a much broader cultural question about the kind of media that young girls and women consume."
Beat, the eating disorder charity, told Newsbeat: "Eating disorders are by their very nature complex and have multi-causal factors.
"Many people who suffer also have perfectionistic personalities - often striving for the unattainable.
"We know from the way eating disorders are often portrayed in the media, how triggering images and text can be and Beat campaigns constantly to educate and inform that perpetuating the sensationalist side of these illnesses is dangerous and can have serious consequences."
You can get advice on eating disorders here.
Follow @BBCNewsbeat on Twitter, BBCNewsbeat on Instagram, Radio1Newsbeat on YouTube and you can now follow BBC_Newsbeat on Snapchat“The Duel in the Sun”
By: Claudia Mazzucco – On this day, July 9, 1977, Tom Watson defeated Jack Nicklaus by a single shot in which has often been called the Open of Opens. Both finished so far ahead of the field as to have Hubert Green, in his distance third place (ten behind Jack), declaring, “I won the tournament I played in.”
The victory gave Watson his sixth win and the second major title of the year. His 72-hole total was 268, which was a new record by eight shots. That was 12 below par of the Ailsa course at Turnberry in the southwest coast of Scotland. Set against the spectacularly beautiful background of the Firth of Clyde, the Isle of Arran and Ailsa Crag, Turnberry staged its first Open this year. It was certainly the most scenic of Britain’s links. The Ailsa course had 6,875 yards with par 70.
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In the first 54 holes, Watson and Nicklaus returned identical scores of 68, 70 and 65 which gave them a three-stroke bulge on the nearest pursuers and set the scene for a thriller final day.
The last round was played on Saturday. Nicklaus birdied the second hole while Watson made bogey. Another birdie on the 4th gave Nicklaus a three-stroke lead but Watson just would not go away. He got a birdie on the 5th and then on the 6th green he had faced a crucial putt for par. He said, “It was a difficult, left-to-right putt, the toughest putt a right-hander can face. It was a very, very good putt. Every shot was crucial because I was behind.” On the next hole Watson hit a solid driver from the fairway that even Jack stood and admired. Yet his brilliance scarcely made a dent in big Jack. He kept his lead as the gallery gathered around the two men. Tom caught the Bear with a birdie putt on the 8th.
Fans broke through the ropes on the 9th and a mass of humanity spilled on to the fairway. It was chaos. “It was a stampede,” said Nicklaus’s caddie, Angelo Argea. “I thought for sure Jack was going to get trampled.”
Watson made a couple of birdies of his own and came back from three strokes down to tie. Nicklaus subdued him anew with a 22/25-footer at the 12th. With six holes left, Jack was two shots ahead.
At the par-3 15th hole, Tom hit the shot which would win him the championship: he holed out for birdie 2 from 60 feet off the green. The ball hopped in the air, raced across the grass, hit the flagstick and dived into the cup, bringing Watson into a tie once more. He has always have the ability to step back and appreciate his role in golf’s history. When they went to the 16th tee, he smiled at Jack, and said, “This is what it’s all about, isn’t it?”
Jack smiled back, “You bet it is.”
Watson seized the ultimate margin of victory with a birdie at the (par-5, 500 yards) 17th which Nicklaus failed to match when he missed a downhill four-footer and settled for par. Tom absolutely stung a perfect 3-iron right over the flag and onto the green, where he had a putt for eagle from 20-feet.
Watson hit a one-iron down the fairway on the par-4 finishing hole, followed by a seven-iron to two-and-a-half feet. With nothing to lose, Jack pulled out his driver and attempted a more aggressive line over the left fairway bunkers. Instead, he blocked his tee-shot way right, the ball bounding into deep rough and under the edge of a gorse bush.
Playing first, Watson struck a 7-iron to two-and-a-half feet from the hole. Now it looked as if he had the championship in the bag but Nicklaus was not beaten yet. He took a roundhouse swing with an 8-iron and hammered his way out of the rough and on to the green. His ball stopped on the right front edge of the green, 35/40 feet from the hole. He made the putt for a birdie. Even though he had been half-expecting it, Watson was more than somewhat shaken. His two-and-a-half-footer seemed to be stretching in front of his very eyes. He said, “As I lined up my putt, the crowd was still going wild. Then Jack put his hands up to quiet the crowd.” But they were quiet only for the time it took Watson to take a couple of brisk practice strokes and roll his ball squarely into the cup for the win by one. He had finished the round with four birdies over the last six holes.
Nicklaus threw his arm around the champion’s shoulder and walked him toward the scorer’s tent. The crowd was still cheering. After this magnificent confrontation, Nicklaus shook his head and said, “I just could not shake him.” It had been a display of golf and sportsmanship no one would ever forget.OXNARD, Calif. -- With injuries keeping five defensive linemen out of practices, the Dallas Cowboys agreed to deals with end Ken Boatright and Adewale Ojomo.
Rookie defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence had surgery on a broken foot on Thursday and is expected to miss eight to 10 weeks. Defensive tackle Terrell McClain has been battling a sprained ankle and Ben Bass suffered a hamstring strain on Thursday. Anthony Spencer is on the physically unable to perform list and Amobi Okoye is on the non-football injury list. Their absences have put a strain on the remaining defensive linemen.
To make room on the roster, wide receiver L'Damian Washington and guard Darius Morris will be waived.
Boatright, who is 6-foot-3, 254 pounds, spent time with the Seattle Seahawks last season after signing as an undrafted free agent. He was cut in June. Boatright’s agent, Brett Tessler, tweeted the agreement.
Ojomo was cut by the Tennessee Titans following an arrest for soliciting a prostitute. He has spent time with the New York Giants, Seahawks and Buffalo Bills since 2012. He has played in one game in his career.
In addition to Boatright and Ojomo, the Cowboys also worked out Cory Henry, who went to rookie minicamp with the Houston Texans on a tryout basis. He had 32 career sacks at Florida Atlantic.U-Bahn, a Chestnut Street bar known for its craft beer, is not exactly the sort of place where you might expect to find controversy brewing.
On a typical weekend at the bar, the sister establishment to next-door BRU Craft & Wurst in Philadelphia's Midtown Village/Gayborhood, a local DJ can be found spinning tracks while patrons nosh on warm pretzels and other German-inspired eats.
But you can't get into U-Bahn on a Friday or Saturday night if you're wearing a hat or work boots.
And that dress code rankles Jeff Sotland, the co-owner of Tabu, a gay lounge and sports bar in the Gayborhood around the corner from U-Bahn on South 12th Street.
For the past few months, Sotland has worked with the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations (PCHR) as the panel worked to address complains about rampant racial discrimination at the city's gay bars and nightclubs. The issue has been ongoing for many months.
First, there were the heated community meetings on Gayborhood racism late last year. Then the PCHR released its report outlining complaints before leading mandatory training for all gay bar owners and staff. The PCHR confirmed to the PhillyVoice that, to date, there’s been 100 percent compliance.
Another element to the PCHR investigation was the dismantling of discriminatory dress codes in gay bars and nightclubs. In the past, articles of clothing like Timberland boots have been discussed, as well as athletic gear and skullcaps popular among African-American men.
But Sotland is concerned that not all establishments are being held to the same standard.
“If the PCHR is serious about enforcing dress codes [that are not discriminatory], then we should see a very serious approach undertaken in the coming days,” Sotland said. “U-Bahn and all bars operated by the same owners must go through training if everyone is going to be held to the same standard.”
According to Pamela Gwaltney, deputy executive director at the PCHR, the Gayborhood bars were targeted for investigation because of specific complaints that surfaced about these businesses. And while she says there is no standard dress code policy for bars and clubs in Philly, ultimately policies need to be enforced equally to ensure no patrons are being unfairly signaled out based on race.
“The Fair Practice Ordinance prohibits discrimination in public accommodations, and bars, clubs and restaurants are places of public accommodations,” she said. “We recognize that certain dress codes, while neutral, can end up being discriminatory in application because a particular group of individuals may wear that certain article of clothing more than others.”
'NEVER LOOKED AT OTHER ESTABLISHMENTS'
U-Bahn’s owner, Teddy Sourias, said his bar’s door policy was created two years ago in response to “safety” concerns.
“The policy was developed with the management and safety teams along with ownership,” said Sourias, who can’t personally remember a time when anyone was actually turned away for wearing a hat or steel-toe boots at the bar. “People typically don’t show up wearing them.”
A plaque implicitly stating the dress code policy was recently removed from the building.
Sotland has accused the PCHR of operating with a double standard, especially if bars like U-Bahn are exempt from the investigation into discrimination. “They never looked at other establishments near the Gayborhood,” he said.
A few significant incidents led to the investigation into the Gayborhood specifically, most notably after the owner of gay nightclub ICandy was caught on video using the n-word to describe African-American customers. Activist groups, like the Black and Brown Workers Collective, staged protests at ICandy, focusing their attention on racial bias throughout the Gayborhood, which led to media coverage and ongoing conversation within the community.
The uproar led the PCHR to investigate a myriad of complaints about treatment, hiring and door policies related to minorities at gay bars and nightclubs citywide. The investigation would also lead to non-profits that serve the LGBTQ community, like Mazzoni Center. An investigation is ongoing about accusations of sex abuse that led to the resignation of the medical director and executive director there this spring.
Thom Carroll/PhillyVoice Owners and staff at gay bars and nightclubs in the Gayborhood were ordered to attend mandatory training and review their dress codes after allegations of racism in the Center City neighborhood.
'SIMILAR PROBLEMS AT OTHER BARS'
At Stir, a popular lesbian-owned bar near Rittenhouse Square, about the only rule they have is that clothing is mandatory. “Stir has never had a dress code policy,” says Holly Johnson, co-owner with Stacey Vey. “Stacy will be the first to tell you that comfort for her is priority. You will find her in ripped jeans, sneakers and a t-shirt most times.”
Johnson admits that when the PCHR announced mandatory training for all gay bar owners, both she and Vey were a little surprised. “We were surprised that it was only to include gay bars,” said Johnson. “I’m sure there are similar problems at other bars outside the gay realm.”
Stephen Carlino, owner of the Tavern Group – which includes UBar and Tavern on Camac in the Gayborhood as well as Otto’s Taproom and Grille in Brewerytown – confirmed that his establishments all went through the PCHR training this year, though no dress code changes were needed at any of the three bars.
“We want people to be neat and clean,” Carlino said. “The only rule is that we do not want people in hoodies covering their heads. This is for security. You can wear a hoodie but not covering your face or head. My cameras need to see their faces.”
Carlino was agreeable to the training in light of the community complaints, but he believes that all businesses in Philly should be held to the same standard, not just gay bars and clubs. “If an establishment wants customers to wear a suit and tie then they should have that right,” he says. “But it should be applied to all customers. I don’t like the idea of the city intruding on how I run my places.”
As for other bars and nightclubs in Center City, PCHR confirmed to the PhillyVoice that it will be looking into policies that may be discriminatory.
“We will be contacting the owner [of U-Bahn] to learn more about their policy and share our concerns,” Gwaltney said. “Based on the results of that conversation, we will decide next steps which may include opening a formal complaint and conducting an investigation.”It's a cold night. I'm wrapping my head around something called "Visual Lightbox". I'm going to use it to assemble a digital portfolio for my Lighting Design class. "Portfolio" is really a bad word for it, since it's almost all other people's stuff, and "portfolio" implies that you made the contents yourself. But "portfolio" is what we're using, and since my grade is on the line, I'll not quibble with details.It's a cold night. There's a dull, dreary, dubbed version ofon the TV as background noise. It's the Mystery Science Theater 3000 version, so I occasionally look up and giggle. I've seen this numerous times, and I still find it hilarious. And I still pick up new jokes now and then; Maybe two minutes ago, I noticed Tom Servo trying to stare up Gertrude's giant sleeves.It's a cold night. I have cold root beer and a hot stew I made myself. Throw chicken and veggies in a small crock pot and leave it on low for 8-10 hours and you have five or six meals (or fewer, if your appetite's like mine).It's a cold night. I left my socks on tonight. And I hate socks.It's a cold night.WASHINGTON — All it took for Debbie Hays to make the jump from long-time renter to first-time homeowner was a bit of math.
The 58-year-old looked at the increasing rent checks she was signing for her Plano apartment of 15 years. She then eyed the prospect of paying about the same for a $1,100-a-month mortgage to own a cheery Cape Cod-style bungalow in Denton County’s Providence Village.
And one key part of her calculation was the mortgage interest deduction she now takes each year on her tax returns.
“It puts an incredible amount of money back in my savings account,” said Hays, who made the move in 2014.
That perk that so many tout as critical to boosting homeownership could be threatened as Congress pursues what would be the first major overhaul of the tax code in three decades.
The break — which allows individuals who itemize their tax returns to deduct the interest paid on mortgages of up to $1 million — isn’t likely to disappear. But the incentive could be capped at a much lower threshold or otherwise lessened through other efforts to streamline the tax code.Stephen Adly Guirgis’s best-known play has the kind of title that sends mainstream news outlets like this one scrambling to decide how to refer to it without actually, you know, using that word. The comedy, which The Boston Globe calls “The [Expletive] With the Hat,’’ was a Broadway hit in 2011 and opened Sunday at SpeakEasy Stage Company, where it runs through Oct. 13. Don Aucoin’s review runs in the Globe on Tuesday.
Recently in New York, Guirgis (pronounced GEAR-gis) sat down to talk about the play, and the language in it, at an Upper West Side restaurant where a table of children was just a few feet away. While they were within earshot, the 47-year-old playwright’s speech was rated G.
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Here’s a condensed and edited version of what Guirgis had to say about his play’s title.
“My titles usually come from dialogue in the play, and it just really felt like the right title to me — clearly, obviously the correct title. And when I titled it, I had no intention, no imagination, no conception that we would be doing the play anywhere else except downtown, where, downtown, it’s not an especially provocative title. You know, no one asked me to change it, so I didn’t change it. I’m not like a champion of profanity. I write what I hear, and the characters that I write, that’s how they talk. That’s how I talk a lot of the time. So I’m not trying to advance a social cause.
“I was raised a Catholic, so I can even feel a little, you know, embarrassed or guilty if I’m really offending people’s sensibilities. To a degree. My mom, she loved the theater, she loved movies, she loved TV, and I remember she used to say, when she heard a lot of profanity in something, she would say, ‘It just feels like they’re spitting all over me.’ So she had a sincere and visceral reaction to it. And with my writing, she was a really big champion and advocate, and she would say, ‘I wish you didn’t have to curse,’ but she was like, ‘I understand,’ and she was less judgmental.
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“And eventually I’ll write a play where there’s no cursing. Because not everybody curses, and I myself — maybe I’m getting older, but, like, I think there’s a time and a place for every kind of language and talk, and sometimes when I’m in a setting that doesn’t seem proper for someone to be cursing and they’re just cursing, it registers with me. You know? So for a lot of people, the theater is that place, and they go because they love language, and they don’t love that language as much as I do. [Laughs.] So I think it’s understandable. Yet at the same time — do you know this actor, Stephen McKinley Henderson? We were hanging out one night. He was talking about the play. For him, the title of the play and the fact that it was on Broadway and on a marquee and all that, he’s older than me, and it was really significant to him. He was like, ‘You don’t understand. People died for that word. They buried Lenny Bruce over that word.’ It meant a lot to him.’’A war is taking place in the frigid waters off the coast of Alaska. Pods of killer whales are stalking fishermen to steal the fish they are catching, meaning they get all the reward with none of the effort.
This is not an unusual behavior for the large sea mammal (it has been witnessed since the 1960s) and there are reports of sperm whales doing the same. But fishermen are claiming that the attacks are getting worse and more frequent.
The pods are eating halibut and black cod caught by longline fishing and the whales have begun to recognize the boats. According to John Moran, a NOAA Fisheries biologist, killer whales are smart enough to know a boat from another just by the sound and even know when they are lowering the fishing gear into the water.
A few thousand whales live in the waters of the Bering Strait so their impact can be significant. In a story reported by the Alaska Dispatch News, one unlucky fisherman, Robert Hanson, captain of the FV Oracle, spent a day fishing near the edge of the designated fishing waters before a pod of 50 whales started following his boat. They stalked him for two days.
"The pod tracked me 30 miles north of the edge and 35 miles west (while) I drifted for 18 hours up there with no machinery running and they just sat with me," he wrote to the North Pacific Fisheries Management Council. "It's gotten completely out of control."
Another time, he lost over 5,400 kilograms (about 12,000 pounds) of halibut and spent 18,200 liters (4,000 gallons) of fuel to escape the voracious carnivores. Other fishermen have also pointed out how killer whales are also bringing their young near the boats not only to feed but also to learn how to get the most out of this ready-serve meal.
Fighting off killer whales and sperm whales is quite difficult. Fishermen have tried decoy buoys and even heavy metal music to try and confuse the stubborn cetaceans, to little or no avail. In the case of sperm whales, a successful approach started by Southeast Alaska Sperm Whale Avoidance Project (SEASWAP) was to tag and track, via satellite, where the whales are.
Fishermen can simply log onto the SEASWAP website to see where the whales are and which areas to avoid. A similar approach could help dealing with killer whales as well. This will keep the fishermen happy and the orcas safe.
Unless they work it out and they begin to ostracize the GPS-tagged members of the pods.
[H/T: Alaska Dispatch News]prayer in c a guest Mar 21st, 2016 5,045 Never a guest5,045Never
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rawdownloadcloneembedreportprint C 1.27 KB #include <stdio.h> #include <stdbool.h> const char * pronoun ( int number, bool plural ) { if ( number == 2 ) return "you" ; if (! plural ) { if ( number == 1 ) return "i" ; } else if ( number == 1 ) return "we" ; return "they" ; } void dontthink ( char who [ 100 ], char auxiliaryVerb [ 105 ], bool forgiveNotBelieve ) { printf ( ", don't think %s %s %s you.
", who, auxiliaryVerb, forgiveNotBelieve? "forgive" : "believe" ) ; } int main ( ) { int i, j ; for ( i = 1 ; i <= 2 ; i ++ ) { for ( j = 1 ; j <= 2 ; j ++ ) { printf ( "Yah, you never said a word, you didn't send me no letter" ) ; dontthink ( pronoun ( 1, false ), "could", true ) ; printf ( "See, our world is slowly dying and i'm wasting no more time" ) ; dontthink ( pronoun ( 1, false ), "could", false ) ; } printf ( "Yah, our hands will get more wrinkled and our hair will be grey" ) ; dontthink ( pronoun ( 1, false ), "could", true ) ; printf ( "And see, the children are starving and their houses were destroyed" ) ; dontthink ( |
th Birthday Celebration: September 3, 2011: Join the Annual March from Mission San Gabriel to Olvera Street. On September 4, 1781 the 11 families and 4 Soldiers and their families set out from Mission San Gabriel and walked the 9 miles to what today is known as Olvera Street. At 6am the Priest blessed them and sent them out to found what has become known today as the City of Los Angeles. Since September of 1981 the descendants of those who founded the City have held their Annual Commorative March. The march will begin at 6am at Mission San Gabriel, then will head to Union Station, where at 9:30am they will gather together and then march across the street to Olvera Street. There will be banners, flags, color guards, bag pipes and more a small number of our members will be part of the Formal Procession, with the rest of our members following. There will will also be a brunch after, followed by additional church events. For more information, visit: lospobladores.org
47th annual Cinecon Classic Film Festival at the Egyptian Theater: September 1 - 5, 2011: Held at the The Egyptian in Hollywood, the Cinecon Classif Film Festival has been going strong for 46 years. The 47th Annual Festival will pay tribute to the National Film Preservation Foundation with screenings of two recent NFPF funded projects, The Active Life of Dolly the Dailies Episode 5, The Chinese Fan, produced by Thomas A. Edison, inc. in 1914 and starring Mary Fuller as ace reporter Dolly Desmond; and Stronger than Death, released in 1920 by Metro Pictures, starring legendary Russian actress Alla Nazimova.For more information, visit: www.cinecon.org
KJAZZ Blues Bash in Long Beach: September 3, 2011: KJAZZ 88.1 FM's annual Blues Festival in Long Beach will be held Saturday, September 4th, 2011 at the Carpenter Center at Cal State Long Beach. Come for the free street festival with live music outside the Carpenter Center from 12pm to 6pm. While the street fair is free, admission into the Blues festival is $55 at the door. CSULB students are $20. For more information, visit: www.longbeachbluesfestival.org/
62nd Annual Long Beach Greek Festival: September 3 - 5, 2011: From September 3rd - 5th, 2011, come celebrate Labor Day in Long Beach at its annual Greek Festival. Come for Greek food and drink, dance lessons, live music, family activities, and much more. The event will take place at Assumption Greek Orthodox Church, 5761 E. Colorado St, Long Beach. For more information, visit: www.lbgreekfest.org
Preservation Hall Jazz Band Wraps Up the Great Park’s Flights & Sounds Summer Festival at Great Park Irvine: September 3, 2011: The Flights & Sounds Summer Festival culminates with a spectacular weekend finale featuring BlackMahal and the legendary Preservation Hall Jazz Band. Not everyone can go to New Orleans, so come to the Flights & Sounds Summer Festival season finale, Saturday night, September 3rd, 2011 when the Great Park brings the world-famous New Orleans Preservation Hall Jazz Band to the Great Park stage to celebrate the rich musical interplay known as Dixieland jazz. Parking for the Flights & Sounds Summer Festival is $10, and admission is free. Events begin at 8:15 p.m. More info: www.ocgp.org
Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend: September 2 - 4, 2011: Chase your dreams at the Happiest Race on Earth for the Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend on September 2nd - 4th, 2011. Imagination is your destination on this 13.1-mile course that winds through the City of Anaheim, California and the Disneyland Resort. Run through Sleeping Beauty Castle and discover the treasures that lie in Disney California Adventure Park while high-fiving your favorite Disney Characters along the way. There's a little magic around every corner for the whole family! More info: espnwwos.disney.go.com
Latino Americano Festival at the Pomona Fairplex: September 3 - 5, 2011: The rich cultural traditions of Latin America will be celebrated during the opening weekend of the L.A. County Fair with a new festival expected to entertain all. Festival Latinoamericano de Arte y Folklore will be an artistic event aimed at the promotion of cultural values from different regions of Latin America. The festival will take place from September 3rd - 5th, 2011 at the Pomona Fairplex. More info: dguides.comIt’s late in the season, but there could still be an early rising for the Ottawa Redblacks.
Ray Early, that is, the 24-year-old punter from South Carolina who was assigned to the Canadian Football League team’s practice squad after signing Monday. He could see game action as soon as Friday night at TD Place stadium against the visiting Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
“It felt like I hadn’t even left football, going out there (Monday) and getting some practice reps with the punt team,” Early said after practice. “It felt good out there again. I don’t feel like I skipped a beat.”
Early averaged 45 yards per punt last season for the Saskatchewan Roughriders, where he was briefly a teammate of Redblacks field-goal kicker Chris Milo and the responsibility of Bob Dyce, then special-teams co-ordinator for the green Riders and now in the same position with Ottawa.
Punter Zack Medeiros remains on the Redblacks roster, but has been under pressure because of a couple of minor ailments and, more importantly, inconsistent production. Another “international,” Sergio Castillo, averaged a net of 36.3 yards in two September games, but wasn’t seen as enough of a difference-maker to warrant occupying a roster spot ahead of the “national” Medeiros, who had a long chat with Dyce on the field before practice Monday.
From St. Thomas, Ont., Medeiros has a gross average of 43.7 yards per kick, but a net of 34.4 after factoring in opponents’ punt returns, and the net was just 22.8 yards in Hamilton last Friday. The Ticats’ Brett Maher had gross and net averages of 44.2 and 38.8 yards, respectively.
“Consistency, to begin with,” Redblacks general manager Marcel Desjardins said when asked about the desired payoff from signing Early, “but also somebody who is able to place the ball properly and somebody who is able to give us the distance we need. But consistency is a big part of it.
“We would take — I don’t want to save ‘average’ — but less than stellar if we knew it was consistent.”
This is not a new problem for the Redblacks, who for various reasons have employed a staggering eight different punters since the 2015 season started: Milo (more than once), Thomas DeMarco, Anthony Alix, Maher, Andy Wilder, Ronnie Pfeffer, Medeiros and Castillo.
After the Roughriders released him in February, Early had an unsuccessful spring tryout with the Tiger-Cats. He said he had continued workouts and occasional kicking sessions during the summer while working in real estate in Columbia, S.C.
“I have been ready to go, I have been waiting for that call,” he said. “I just finally had that call this last weekend.”
If Early is added to the active roster, one other “international” would have to be dropped at another position. Defensive back Wayne Lyons was let go Monday to make room for Early on the practice squad.
gholder@postmedia.com
Twitter.com/HolderGordAuthor: Ray Found
It’s become commonplace for homebrewers to use yeast pitch rate calculators to determine starter volumes in order to ensure healthy fermentation. These tools are based off of pitching rates used in commercial brewing applications, generally accepted to be 0.75 million cells per mL of wort per ˚Plato for ale, double the amount for lager, ostensibly to compensate for the slower activity associated with cooler fermentation temperatures. This model encourages the use of starters to establish a larger amount of viable yeast cells, which usually involves producing the starter 24-48 hours before pitching.
However, another purported benefit of starters is the impact they have on vitality, which can briefly be described as a combination of yeast health and activity level. By agitating a starter regularly, whether via shaking or stir plate, the starter is constantly oxygenated, allowing the yeast to build sterol reserves critical for reproduction and cell wall development, among other things.
I’ve long been curious about this topic. In my own experience, beers pitched with yeast from a starter always show signs of fermentation activity faster, ferment more vigorously, and finish sooner than those pitched with a single vial/pack. Why? I’ve always assumed, based off of what I’ve read, that higher cell counts were responsible for this stuff. Perhaps there’s something else to it?
While working on the first water chemistry xBmt, Marshall had a back-and-forth with co-author of Water: A Comprehensive Guide for Brewers, Colin Kaminski, that moved from water to other topics, including yeast. Colin shared the following information:
Coors England developed an amazing method that is perfect for homebrewers to steal. Take a stir plate and make a starter. Add yeast and 10˚P wort [1.040 SG]. Aerate for 4 hours. At the end of 4 hours pitch into the wort. Do not aerate the batch. This maximizes “vitality.” Vitality is the most difficult to measure and important parameter in yeast. A standard starter is fermented out and then re-pitched. This [a vitality starter] uses continuous air and only allows the starter to spin for 4 hours. No alcohol is produced. The yeast respires but does not enter fermentation until after it’s pitched into the wort.
Marshall asked specifically about viable cell counts, which Colin explained will remain unchanged while vitality will be nearly 100%. I was intrigued and excited to put this one to the test.
| PURPOSE |
To evaluate the differences between a conventional yeast starter made to increase viable cell count and a starter produced a few hours pre-pitch to increase yeast vitality when used to ferment a split-batch of the same wort.
| METHOD |
To test the merits of this vitality idea, I decided to make a reasonably high-gravity beer for this xBmt. With my lupulin supply running low, I reworked my favorite MACC IPA recipe to be a DIPA through specialty malt reductions and the additions of simple sugar. It basically named itself…
Big MACC DIPA
Batch Size Boil Time IBU SRM OG FG ABV 11 gal 60 min 130 6.9 1.075 SG 1.010 SG 8.6 %
Fermentables
Name Amount % Domestic 2-Row 28 lbs 1 oz 80.6 Munich (10L) 4 lbs 9 oz 13.1 Gambrinus Honey Malt 11 oz 2.0 Sucrose 1 lb 8 oz 4.3
Hops
Name Amt/IBU Time Use Form Alpha % Magnum 63 IBU First Wort Addition FWH Pellet 12.6 Mosaic 60 g/11 IBU Flameout w/ 20 min stand Boil Pellet 11.7 Centennial 120 g/19 IBU Flameout w/ 20 min stand Boil Pellet 10.2 Citra 190g/37 IBU Flameout w/ 20 min stand Boil Cone 13.9 Amarillo 56 g Dryhop 2-5 Days Dry Pellet 8.8 Mosaic 60 g Dryhop 2-5 Days Dry Pellet 11.7 Centennial 66 g Dryhop 2-5 Days Dry Pellet 10.2 Citra 150g Dryhop 2-5 Days Dry Pellet 13.9
Yeast
Name Lab Attenuation Ferm Temp California Ale Yeast White Labs 001 85.8% 66°F
I am completely sold on this hop combination, to the point I am worried I am stuck in a bit of a rut with it. A delicious, fruity rut. Anyway, for this batch, I started with 2 vials from the same production lot.
Using my preferred calculator, I determined the conventional starter batch would need to be 1.8L, which I overbuilt a bit to harvest some for future use. About 42 hours prior to pitching, I pitched 1 of the yeast vials into a flask of boiled and chilled wort.
After spinning for about 32 hours, I moved the flask to the fridge to cold crash. Per my normal process, the starter beer was decanted and the flask returned to the stir plate on brew day.
While my strike water was heating in the garage, I made a 500 mL starter, hit it with the other vial of yeast, then placed it on my lego stir plate (build instructions to come) where it remained until the wort was to receive it.
It was a rather uneventful brew day. The mash settled in nicely at my target of 150˚F, where it sat for about an hour before running off.
The sweet wort met a heap of Magnum hops in the kettle, enough to impart a calculated 65 IBU.
This batch reminded why I hate whole cone hops– 190 grams of Citra required 2 huge bags, without which my valve would clog. It looked like loaves of bread going into my wort. One of my side goals for this xBmt was to use up all of my Citra whole cone hops that I’d been avoiding for that last couple months. Mission accomplished.
I quickly chilled the wort with my Hydra IC to 75˚F, about 7˚F above the temperature of my groundwater.
I then filled two 6 gallon PET carboys and placed them in my fermentation chamber to finish chilling. A few hours later, both worts were sitting at my 64˚F target pitch temp and the yeasts were pitched. In stark contrast to the first pitch rate xBmt, both the conventional starter and vitality beers were showing signs of active fermentation just 7 hours in. They were roaring along by the next morning.
Throughout the course of fermentation, I never observed any differences. Both had reached 1.013 SG after a week of fermentation and signs of activity were rapidly dwindling. I added a massive dry-hop charge to each carboy at this point.
A hydrometer measurement 2 days later revealed both beers had reached my target FG of 1.010. I cold crashed, fined with gelatin, then packaged these beers and put them in my keezer to carbonate.
| RESULTS |
The majority of the data for this xBmt was gathered at a BeerMe Brew Club meeting held at Skyland Ale Works. A huge thanks to our hosts and everyone from the club who participated!
The tasting panel consisted of 17 participants including provisional BJCP judges, experienced homebrewers, and enthusiastic craft beer nerds. Each taster was blindly presented with 2 beers from the conventional starter batch and 1 from the vitality then asked to identify the unique sample. In order achieve statistical significance given this sample size, 10 tasters (p<0.05) would have had to correctly identify the odd-beer-out, while only 6 (p=0.86) were capable of doing so, a result consistent with chance.
My Impressions: I never actually triangle tested myself on this one, but in multiple side-by-side comparisons, I failed to reliably ascertain any differences. On the other hand, when Marshall stopped by with friends Aaron and Matt on their trek to NHC, all 3 got it right, which admittedly gave me pause. Matt and Aaron were included in the results since they were blind to the nature of the xBmt, Marshall obviously wasn’t. Still, even with their correct responses, 6/17 isn’t remotely close to significance. My hunch– if served blind multiple times, my ability to pick the different beer would be equally as consistent with chance as the participant panel.
Hey, Marshall here, I wanted to chime to give my impressions since I got to try these beers. For what it’s worth, my guess during the triangle test was, well, just that- a guess. The beers tasted exactly the same to me, I doubt I’d be able to reliably identify the odd-beer-out over multiple triangle tests either. Also, if you’re looking for a tasty IIPA recipe, holy shit, this beer was delicious! I might consider fermenting it with TYB Vermont Ale or WLP090 for fun, but it’s money as is. Cheers!
| DISCUSSION |
I am not terribly shocked by these results and didn’t really expect there to be a significant difference given the results of the first pitch rate xBmt. What I was surprised by was how both fermentations appeared to be effectively identical. I wondered about the possibility the conventional starter didn’t produce as many yeast cells as the calculator predicted, meaning it had a similar cell count as the vitality starter. This seems highly unlikely given what we know about yeast propagation, which leads me to believe the broader interpretation we’ve intended to test in this xBmt deserves some consideration– yeast vitality may be as, if not more, critical than high amounts of viable cells. Something is going on here. Of course, one test is obviously far from conclusive in this manner and the usual caveats about this being a single data point still hold. But the fact these results corroborate those from Coors England lends credence to the idea that healthy starters may not necessarily require more than a few hours on a stir plate.
So, as long as vitality is increased, cell count doesn’t matter– I can pitch an old ass vial of 10% viable yeast into a starter, spin it a few hours, and all will be fine!
Ehh, probably not. Although, at this point, I am comfortable accepting that cell count isn’t the only metric by which we should be evaluating yeast pitch and, personally, I’ll be less inclined to delay brewing because I failed to make a starter in time. This seems like a practical solution for those who, like me, are limited in the times they get to brew, making the spur-of-the-moment brew day using my favorites liquid yeasts a much more viable option.
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Like this: Like Loading...Apple has just released iOS 6.1 for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.
According to the release notes, it includes features such as support for more LTE carriers, ability to purchase tickets through Fandango with Siri etc.
In this post, we take a look at all the new features and improvements in iOS 6.1, includes the ones that Apple hasn’t mentioned in the release notes.
iCloud Settings:
You will notice this as soon as your iOS device is upgraded to iOS 6.1. You’re now asked to confirm your Apple ID password for FaceTime and iMessage when starting your device for the first time after upgrading to iOS 6.1.
Purchase Movie Tickets using Siri:
If you’re in the US, then one of the major new features of iOS 6.1, is the ability to purchase movie tickets through Fandango with Siri.
You can simply ask Siri to find a specific movie, nearby theaters or desired showtimes. Siri then offers the option to “Buy Tickets” and launches the Fandango app for customers to complete their ticket purchase. You can add the movie tickets to Passbook.
Voice Dial Only:
Apple has added a new section called “Voice Dial Only” for Voice Control feature under Siri. Here, users will be able to select the language for the Voice Dial feature. It’s quite strange that Apple decided to update the Voice Control feature, especially since Siri has been around for more than a year now.
You can access it via the Settings app (Settings -> General -> International -> Voice Control -> Voice Dial Only section)
Support for more LTE carriers:
iOS 6.1 also brings LTE support for the following carriers:
USA: Alaska Communications, Alaska GCI, Bluegrass Cellular, C Spire, Cellcom, Pioneer Cellular
Canada: MTS, Sasktel
Puerto Rico: Claro, Open Mobile
Croatia: T-Mobile, VIPNet
Denmark: 3, Telenor, Telia
Finland: DNA, Elisa, Sonera
Greece: Cosmote
Hungary: T-Mobile
Italy: 3, TIM, Vodafone
Kuwait: Zain
Luxembourg: Tango
Philippines: Globe, SMART
Portugal: Optimus, TMN, Vodafone
Saudi Arabia: Mobily, Zain
South Africa: Vodacom
Switzerland: Swisscom
UAE: DU, Etisalat
Reset Advertising Identifier:
Apple has added a new Reset Advertising Identifier button. This button as the name suggests resets the Advertising Identifier so that future requests will return a different value.
To access it, launch the Settings app, tap on General, followed by About and then scroll down and tap on Advertising. Tapping on the button prompts you to either reset or cancel the reset request.
Tweaked Music Controls on the Lock Screen:
The music controls on the Lock screen (which can be accessed by double clicking on the Home button) have received a minor tweak in the look and feel department.
Report a Problem in the Maps app:
If you want to report a problem with the mapping data, it is a lot easier to do it in iOS 6.1. Apple has replaced the Report a Problem link with a prominent button. Launch Apple’s Maps app and tap on the on the curled paged at the bottom right corner of the screen. You will now see the Report a Problem button along with Drop Pin, Print, Hide traffic and List Results buttons.
New Welcome screen for Passbook app:
Apple updated the Passbook app with a new welcome screen. Apple seems to have also tweaked the text to reflect user’s location. It now reads “movie tickets” if you’re in the US and “cinema tickets” if you’re in the UK and so on.
The other minor change is that the welcome screen is shown every time you open the app, which should make it easier to look for apps that support Passbook. In the previous version, the welcome screen showed up only for the first time.
Update 1:
iOS 6.1 has fixed the Smart App Banner javascript bug in Mobile Safari.
Update 2:
Apple has also added a new search API to MapKit Framework for point-of-interest and location data, which can now be used by developers in their apps rather than relying on third-party services.
Update 3:
You can finally control music directly from your iPhone when connected to the car stereo in iOS 6.1. Check out this post for more details.
That’s it. We’ll update the post if we find any new features or improvements. If you’ve found anything interesting then let us know in the comments.
Like this post? Share it!In California, researchers proved that healthcare providers might care most to hand hygiene compliance when they are aware they are being observed.
The study was carried out at the Santa Clara Valley Medical Center (SCVMC), researchers concluded that care professionals tend to the Hawthorne Effect. The Hawthorne effect is a condition in which individual change their behavior when they know someone is keeping an eye on them.
This weekend, researchers presented the study at the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) conference, finding out that rates of hand hygiene compliance at SCVMC was entirely different when care providers were aware of being evaluated, in contrast to when they were not.
On one hand, they used Infection Prevention nurses, a team who was recognized by hospital’s staff as health monitors. On the contrary, researchers included high school or college students volunteers. But hospital’s workers did not know they were also going to be observed by the young monitors. The younger volunteers were trained by researchers to carry out the observational phase.
The study revealed that the hand hygiene compliance rate followed by Infection Prevention nurses was about 57 percent, while young monitors recorded a compliance rate of just 22 percent. Researchers consider that the gap between both types of monitoring was huge and that they will be launching some strategies to a achieve higher rates regarding hand hygiene compliance in medical institutions.
Does this pic gross you out? Images like these can jumpstart better hospital #handhygiene https://t.co/Z9bhGdHg2F pic.twitter.com/UFWDflvTDa — The Leapfrog Group (@LeapfrogGroup) June 10, 2016
Hawthorne Effect
It refers to a psychological phenomenon in which individual modify or improve their behavior or performance when they are being monitored. It seems like individuals may change their behavior simply because of they are researchers’ spotlight, they do not perform differently because they want to get different fake results.
Nurses and doctors from the SCVMC presented this condition while being monitored by the two types of auditors who assessed the hand-hygiene study. Health professionals changed their hand care dramatically when they aware of being observed by someone else, but also when they did not know.
Maricris Niles, an infection prevention analyst at SCVMC, said there was a significant gap between what the Infection Prevention nurses were witnessing and what volunteers were seeing. Apparently, there were a much higher compliance rates when the Infection Prevention nurses (those known by hospital staff) were around, and it significantly diminished when the anonymous auditors were assessing care workers.
Proofs for our Hawthorne Effect paper are reviewed and submitted. Excited for the online ahead of print version! #meded #ethnography — Elise Paradis (@ep_qc) June 1, 2016
Researchers took extra measures to guarantee the gap in the results was not linked to the different types of observers working in the study. What they did found out was the Hawthorne Effect as the leading cause to explain the difference in the principle of hand hygiene among subjects.
According to Lisa Hansford, one of the recognizable Infection Prevention nurses at SCVMC, hospital staff completely changed hand hygiene rules when she was observed arriving at the floor: “When we would come on the ground, I would notice that the nurses or providers were not using the alcohol. Then they would glance up and see me and bend over backward to lather up.”
U.S. hand hygiene compliance campaigns
As per the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), hand hygiene compliance has been a longstanding issue in the United States. According to the agency, health professionals wash their hands less than half of the time they should and the World Health Organization (WHO) has estimated 40 percent averages concerned with this issue.
Therefore, considering the critical role hand hygiene play in the medical field, the scientific community as well as government agencies have carried out several researchers and campaigns to diminish the low rates of hand hygiene compliance.
In May, The Obama Administration launched the Clean Hands Count Campaign. The campaign aims to improve proper adherence from health workers to CDC’s hand hygiene guidelines, unveil the myths and misperceptions linked to hand hygiene and encourage patients to get involved in their care by reminding healthcare providers to wash their hand before receiving any treatment.
In Detroit, specialists from Henry Ford Hospital showed healthcare workers magnified images of how bacteria might increase when there is poor adherence to hand hygiene practices. Researchers displayed pictures of ordinary places from the hospital containing thousands of bacteria.
The study was carried out as part of an awareness program about hand hygiene. Scientists have said that healthcare workers might forget for a while that the place where they spend the most time of their day is a constant term environment, the study is a sort of reminder for them to retake hand hygiene practice as a priority.
Other healthcare institutions are working with electronic monitoring techniques. Alcohol dispensing stations are observed while care providers get close to the stations. However, some epidemiologists might consider the control strategy as ineffective. They think that human observation may provide accurate results as well as the possibility of giving feedback on each hospital’s worker.
Source: WWAYTVMany are expressing shock and sadness over the firing of Gloucester Police Chief Leonard Campanello this week. The group Campanello started to help substance users get treatment says the chief is no longer involved as he sorts out his personal and professional problems.
PAARI Seeks To 'Move On'
The group Campanello co-founded is known as PAARI — Police Assisted Addiction and Recovery Initiative. More than 150 police departments around the country are now involved, with officers helping substance users get treatment rather than arresting them.
After launching his so-called Angel Program in Gloucester last year, Campanello started the national PAARI effort with John Rosenthal, a Massachusetts real estate developer and president of Meredith Management.
"When it was announced weeks ago about the investigation into Chief Campanello, he stepped down from any involvement whatsoever with PAARI," Rosenthal said.
Rosenthal says there have never been allegations of impropriety involving PAARI. And, he says, despite the controversy and the chief's firing, PAARI continues to grow and the work Campanello started will continue.
"We are moving forward. I'm sad for what's happened for the chief and the community of Gloucester, but it has nothing to do with PAARI and we just have to move on," he said.
Last month, Gloucester Mayor Sefatia Romeo Theken placed Campanello on paid leave saying the city was investigating the chief and the department. She didn't provide further details until Monday, when she fired him.
"During the Labor Day weekend, my office received communications from a woman who made disturbing allegations regarding Chief Campanello's behavior during their relationship," Romeo Theken said. "She expressed concerns for her safety."
But Romeo Theken says it was the chief's subsequent actions that prompted his dismissal. She says the chief told investigators that his city-provided cellphone went missing from his office — but was later mailed anonymously to his lawyer. The mayor asked the district attorney to look into a possible theft.
"On Friday, Sept. 30, the district attorney informed the city that a review of surveillance videos determined that Chief Campanello had himself mailed the envelope from a post office in Everett to his own lawyer's office," she said. "From the findings, it's clear that Chief Campanello's statements suggesting a theft from inside the police station were false."
Deleted from Campanello's phone, city officials say, were hundreds of texts in one day to a woman alleging concerns about her safety. There are now three separate investigations into the Gloucester Police Department and a review of possible criminal charges by the Essex County district attorney, who has been a critic of police promising not to arrest known substance users. A spokeswoman for the DA would only say a team of attorneys and state police is reviewing several things that Gloucester officials have brought to their attention.
'This Is Bigger Than One Man'
It's a much different type of attention than Campanello has been used to in the past year. In April, Campanello was on a White House panel telling other law enforcement officials to always consider the residents of their communities first.
"And if you're a police leader that's your only role — that's the only people you work for is your community. So listen to what they're telling you that they don't want their addicted person further stigmatized by an arrest. They have enough problems. Let's try to help," Campanello said to applause during that panel.
Over the past year, Gloucester police have helped some 500 people get into treatment. The very first person to go to the Angel Program seeking help was 31-year-old Steve Lesnikoski. He says the PAARI program resonated with so many people so quickly that he's confident it will continue to grow.
"I'm not qualified to speak on anything he's done," Lesnikoski said. "I think the mission will still go forward, and all of this is bigger than one man. At the end of the day, there's been some great work done."
Lesnikoski is now attending college and working as a crisis counselor.
Campanello will no longer officially be Gloucester's chief on Nov. 2. Last month, Campanello's wife of 17 years filed for divorce citing an irretrievable breakdown in their marriage.0 SHARES Facebook Twitter Google Whatsapp Pinterest Print Mail Flipboard
In a decisive 7-2 ruling, the Oklahoma Supreme Court has ruled that the Ten Commandments Monument erected at the State Capitol must be removed. The monument was a gift from Republican State Representative Mike Ritze. However, plaintiffs argued that the monument’s placement at the Capitol involved the use of public property for the benefit of a specific religion. They argued, and the court agreed, that the Oklahoma Constitution clearly prohibits such a display promoting one religion over others.
Article 2 Section 5 of the Oklahoma Constitution reads:
No public money or property shall ever be appropriated, applied, donated, or used, directly or indirectly, for the use, benefit, or support of any sect, church, denomination, or system of religion, or for the use, benefit, or support of any priest, preacher, minister, or other religious teacher or dignitary, or sectarian institution as such.
[[AD2]]
In the courts’ opinion, the justices ruled that since the monument operated for the benefit of a specific system of religion, it clearly violated the Oklahoma Constitution.
Brady Henderson, the legal director for the ACLU of Oklahoma praised the ruling, stating:
I think that at the end of the day it is the right decision simply because it acknowledges limits on the government’s power to effectively decide what religious edicts are right and wrong.
Republican Governor Mary Fallin, was predictably upset by the ruling, and she vowed to work with the state’s Attorney General to “evaluate the state’s legal options moving forward”.
While many evangelical Christians are sure to express their displeasure with the court’s decision, it is clear that the state’s constitution prohibits such blatant displays privileging a specific religion over all others. Many Christian conservatives believe that they follow the “one true religion” and that all others should be subjected to their belief system. However, in a society that values the separation of church and state, imposing one’s own religion upon others is against the law. The state’s Supreme Court has made it clear that the law applies even in Oklahoma.
If you’re ready to read more from the unbossed and unbought Politicus team, sign up for our newsletter here! Email address: Leave this field empty if you're human:BY: Follow @BillGertz
An al Qaeda terrorist stated in a recent online posting that U.S. Ambassador to Libya Chris Stevens was killed by lethal injection after plans to kidnap him during the Sept. 11, 2012 terror attack in Benghazi went bad.
The veracity of the claim made by Abdallah Dhu-al-Bajadin, who was identified by U.S. officials as a known weapons experts for al Qaeda, could not be determined. However, U.S. officials have not dismissed the terrorist’s assertion.
An FBI spokeswoman indicated the bureau was aware of the claim but declined to comment because of the bureau’s ongoing investigation into the Benghazi attack.
"While there is a great deal of information in the media and on the Internet about the attack in Benghazi, the FBI is not in a position at this time to comment on anything specific with regard to the investigation," Kathy Wright, the FBI spokeswoman, said.
A State Department spokesman also had no comment.
The FBI is investigating the death of Stevens, State Department information officer Sean Smith, and former Navy SEALs Tyrone Woods and Glen Doherty. They were killed in the attack U.S. officials say was carried out by an al Qaeda-linked group known as Ansar al Sharia.
A State Department Accountability Review Board report and an interim House Republican report on the attack gave no cause of death for Stevens, whose body was recovered by local Libyans in the early morning hours of Sept. 12.
The House report, "Interim Progress Report for the House Republican Conference," said "Libyan doctors tried unsuccessfully to resuscitate Ambassador Stevens upon his arrival at the hospital."
To date, no official cause of death for Stevens has been made public, although it was reported that a Libyan doctor who examined Stevens said he died from apparent smoke inhalation and related asphyxiation.
Video and photos of Stevens being handled by a mob in Benghazi were posted on the Internet. It is not clear from the images whether he was dead or alive at the time.
However, according to the March 14 posting on an al Qaeda-linked website, Abdallah Dhu-al-Bajadin, the al Qaeda weapons expert, stated that Stevens was given a lethal injection and that the injection was overlooked during the medical autopsy.
According to Dhu-al-Bajadin, "the plan was based on abduction and exchange of high-level prisoners."
"However, the operation took another turn, for a reason God only knows, when one of the members of the jihadist cell improvised and followed Plan B," he wrote on the prominent jihadist web forum Ansar al-Mujahideen Network.
Dhu-al-Bajadin’s claim of assassination also stated that it had been copied to the Ansar al-Mujahidin website from the closed and al Qaeda-accredited website Shumukh al-Islam. That site is only open to members and was initially posted by a member identified as Adnan Shukri for Dhu-al-Bajadin.
The reference to Shumukh al Islam has boosted the credibility of the claim among some U.S. intelligence analysts.
A western intelligence official said Dhu-al-Bajadin is a well-known jihadist weapons experts and a key figure behind a magazine called Al Qaeda Airlines.
According to this official, intelligence analysts believe that Dhu-al-Bajadin’s claim of assassination by lethal injection appears in part aimed at putting pressure on the U.S. government over its handling of the Benghazi attack.
The article did not say what substance was used in the lethal injection. It also stated that the State Department had come under criticism for not providing adequate security in Benghazi prior to the attack.
Dhu-al-Bajadin also said he had further details of the attack and the assassination |
-pocket expenses of cancer care are more than they can handle leading to interruption or even cessation of potentially lifesaving treatment. “HUNTINGTON BEACH – Firefighters are investigating the spill of a reported 1,040 gallons of fuel from a tanker truck Wednesday at the Chevron terminal in Huntington Beach.
The 8,000-gallon capacity tanker truck was receiving fuel when it ruptured around 6:15 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 27, at the terminal, according to the Huntington Beach Fire Department. The truck began leaking.
The terminal’s fire suppression system was activated before the fire department arrived and covered the area with foam, said Capt. Steven Teasdale. The station on Gothard Street also shut down automatically.
Firefighters used hose lines with foam and water to suppress the vapors and prevent a fire, Teasdale said.
The department’s hazardous materials team helped stop the leak and the truck was emptied of its remaining fuel.
No one was injured.
What caused the truck – which is not owned by Chevron – to rupture is still unknown and is under investigation. There was no threat to the environment, Teasdale said.Footage recorded by Lynn on her mobile phone shows the passenger exit his car before walking over to her vehicle amid busy southbound traffic about 3.30pm on October 19.“I held my phone up but he just kept walking towards me,” the woman said.“He threw something at the windscreen and was yelling so I checked my doors were locked.”The incident, which lasted about 20 seconds, then took another scary turn when the man punched through the driver’s side window, showering the frightened woman in glass.The blow was so strong Lynn said shattered glass became lodged in her arm.The man can be heard yelling expletives and accusing her of cutting them off. He also says that he has kids in the car.“He kept yelling at me to give him the phone, but by then I’d thrown it onto the floor of the car,” she said.“I don’t think he was hitting me but he was trying to grab me. I was leaning as far away from him as I could.”The man eventually returned to his car and was driven off. In shock, the grandmother did not know what to do next. “The window was completely disintegrated,” she said. “I had glass in my arm.“That’s when I realised the whole left lane was at a standstill.”She eventually drove herself home before filing a police report. No charges have been laid but Mandurah police say inquiries are continuing.If you have any information about the attack, contact Crime Stoppers by calling 1800 333 000 or via https://www.crimestopperswa.com.au/Story highlights Mindy Kaling takes a dig at Newark on "The Mindy Project"
Newark's ex-mayor Cory Booker responds with a dinner invitation
(CNN) It's like a modern romcom featuring a television star and a politician -- complete with a social media twist.
What started out as a diss on Hulu series "The Mindy Project" may lead to a dinner date between the show's actress Mindy Kaling and New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker.
A recent episode of the show featured Kaling's character, Mindy Lahiri, puzzled that the senator attended a friend's event.
"Cory Booker? I can't believe he came," Kaling's character said on the show. "I guess anything to get out of Newark, huh?"
Booker tweeted the actress and told her he does not agree with her portrayal of the city he once served as mayor, but said he loves her work nevertheless.
Read MoreBy waiting for the apex of a motion, Angkatavanich captures striking portraits of otherwise humble fish.
The photographer's interest in bettas and goldfish began because his father regularly bought them for him as pets.
Angkatavanich compares the motions he's looking to capture to those of graceful dancers.
After each shoot, Angkatavanich adopts the fish as pets.
Occasionally, someone beats him to the fish he wants. "hat can make me feel very upset the whole day," he says.
Some digital retouching is used to clear the errant fleck of dust.
All photos are shot in the photographers home.
The unnamed series has around 300 photos in it so far.
Critical to getting the right shot is making sure both the tank and the water are absolutely clean.
The photos are taken with simple equipment, just a D800, a simple strobe and various lighting arrangements.
Spending hours sitting down, the photographs are as much a product of patience as preparation.
The photographer visits pet sellers often to get first dibs on the most colorful and graceful fish.Research into creating algal biofuels out of thin air
Producing sustainable biofuels with microalgae has gained widespread interest, with projections that these microscopic aquatic plants could contribute significantly to future oil production in the United States.
PNNL's Marine Sciences Laboratory, located on Sequim Bay in Washington's Puget Sound.
However, such concentrated CO2 sources are generally not co-located where water, land, sunlight, and temperatures are optimal for achieving microalgae's production potential. In addition, the costs to transfer CO2 from power plants or other sources to algal cultivation systems are high.
Might it be possible to cultivate microalgae at high productivity with just the CO2 found in air? Researchers in Pacific Northwest National Laboratories's Coastal Sciences division will be partnering with Micro BioEngineering, Inc. to pursue this concept over the next two years through a recently awarded $900,000 grant from DOE's Bioenergy Technologies Office.
Research at PNNL's Marine Sciences Laboratory in Sequim, Wash. and MicroBio Engineering, Inc. in San Luis Obispo, Cal. will use a combination of physical, chemical, and biological manipulations to maximize the transfer of CO2 from air into algal pond cultures. This process, called AlgaeAirFix, will be compared with baseline of productivities achieved with concentrated sources of CO2.
The goal of this research is to demonstrate the possibility of meeting DOE microalgae biofuel program goals to produce up to 2,500 gallons of algal oil a year without depending on power plant or other such point sources of CO2.
The US Department of Energy's Energy Department's Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) has selected seven projects across the country to receive up to $10 million to support innovative technologies and solutions to help advance bioenergy development.
These projects will support BETO's work to develop renewable and cost-competitive biofuels from non-food biomass feedstocks by reducing the risk associated with potentially breakthrough approaches and technologies.
The selected projects are:American accolade bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences
The Primetime Emmy Award is an American award bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS) in recognition of excellence in American primetime television programming. First given out in 1949, the award was originally referred to as simply the "Emmy Awards" until the first Daytime Emmy Award ceremony was held in 1974 and the word "prime time" was added to distinguish between the two.
The Primetime Emmy Awards generally air in mid-September, on the Sunday before the official start of the fall television season. They are currently seen in rotation among the four major networks (ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox). The ceremony is typically moved to late-August if it is broadcast by NBC (such as in 2006, 2010, and 2014), so that it does not conflict with NBC's commitment to broadcasting Sunday-night NFL games (due to another conflict, this time with the MTV Video Music Awards, the 2014 ceremony was also shifted to a Monday).[1] However, the 2018 ceremony, to be broadcast by NBC, was moved back to September and aired on a Monday.
They are considered television's equivalent to the Academy Awards (film), Grammy Awards (music), and Tony Awards (theater). The awards are divided into three categories: Primetime Emmy Awards, Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards, and Primetime Engineering Emmy Awards.
Rules [ edit ]
Among the Primetime Emmy Award rules, a show must originally air on American television during the eligibility period between June 1 and May 31 of any given year. In order to be considered a national primetime show, the program must air between 6:00 p.m. and 2:00 a.m., and to at least 50 percent of the country. A show that enters into the Primetime Emmy Awards cannot also be entered into the Daytime Emmy Awards or any other national Emmy competition. For shows in syndication, whose air times vary between media markets, they can either be entered in the Daytime or Primetime Emmy Awards (provided they still reach the 50 percent national reach), but not in both. For game shows that reach the 50 percent threshold, they can be entered into the Daytime Emmy Awards if they normally air before 8 p.m (including the former "access hour" from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.); otherwise, they are only eligible for the Primetime Emmy Awards. For web television programs, they must be available for downloading or streaming to more than 50 percent of the country, and like shows in syndication they can only enter in one of the national Emmy competitions.
Shows that are offered for pre-sale to consumers, whether on home video devices or via the Web, are ineligible if the pre-sale period starts more than 7 days before the show's initial airing. Also, a show that receives what the Academy calls a "general theatrical release" before its first airing (either via television or the Internet) is ineligible. The definition of this phrase excludes limited releases for the specific purpose of award qualification, such as screenings at film festivals or the one-week releases in Los Angeles (and, for documentaries, New York City as well) required for Oscar eligibility.[2]
Entries must be submitted by the end of April, even if a show is not scheduled to originally air until the following month when the eligibility period ends in May. Most award categories also require entries to include DVDs or tape masters of the show. For most series categories, any six episodes that originally aired during the eligibility period must be submitted (programs that were cancelled before airing their sixth episode are thus ineligible). For most individual achievement categories, only one episode is required to be submitted; if an episode is a two-parter, both parts may be included on the submitted DVD.
Ballots to select the nominations are sent to Academy members in June. For most categories, members from each of the branches vote to determine the nominees only in their respective categories. All members can however vote for nominations in the best program categories. The final voting to determine the winners is held in August, and is done by judging panels. In June, the Academy solicits volunteers among its active members to serve on these panels. All active members may serve on the program panels; otherwise they are restricted to those categories within their own branch.
Categories [ edit ]
Primetime Emmy Awards [ edit ]
The Primetime Emmy Award is awarded in the following categories:
Creative Arts Emmy Awards [ edit ]
The Creative Arts Emmy Awards are awarded in the following categories (some of which separately recognize work based on whether a single-camera or multi-camera setup was used):
Primetime Emmy Engineering Awards [ edit ]
The Engineering Emmy Award is given specifically for outstanding achievement in engineering. It is presented to an individual, company or organization for engineering developments so significant an improvement on existing methods or so innovative in nature that they materially affect the transmission, recording or reception of television. The award, which is Television's highest engineering honor, is determined by a jury of highly qualified, experienced engineers in the television industry.
Outstanding Achievement in Engineering Development (Primetime Emmy Statuette)
Engineering Plaque
Engineering Certificate
Charles H. Jenkins Lifetime Achievement Award
Outstanding Achievement in Engineering Development
Philo T. Farnsworth Corporate Achievement Engineering Award
Retired categories [ edit ]
A number of awards have been retired throughout the years, including some that have been replaced by similar award categories in the Daytime Emmy Awards, Sports Emmy Awards, and other areas of recognition:
† Replaced by a similar category in the Sports Emmy Awards ‡ Replaced by a similar category in the Daytime Emmy Awards
Records [ edit ]
Overall wins by a performer, program, etc. [ edit ]
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a b Breaking Bad was split into two parts. They are both considered the final season. The fifth and final season ofwas split into two parts. They are both considered the final season.It is universally recognized that Peter suffered martyrdom in Rome during Nero's time. The traditional date is 67, a date common to Peter and Paul. But while even most scholars accept this date for Paul, researchespecially in recent timestends to pre-date Peter's martyrdom to the year 64 (the year of the fire in Rome and of the first great persecution campaign against the Christians). On the basis of these studies, including that of the epigraphologist and archeologist Margherita Guarducci, the most likely period in which the Prince of Apostles was martyred in the Vatican has been established. And she became the first to establish the day and the month as well, in an essay published in 1968. The following text is a summary of her in-depth research taken from: "La data del martirio di san Pietro", in La Parola del passato: Rivista di studi antichi, No. 267, Naples 1968 (The Date of Peter's Martyrdom, in Words from the Past. Antiquity Studies Review). THE DATE OF PETER'S MARTYRDOM Margherita Guarducci The most authoritative text informing us of Peter's martyrdom in Rome is the first letter of Saint Clement the Roman to the Corinthians, generally dated at about 96 AD. In its turn, Clement's letter cannot be read apart from one famed passage of Tacitus' <Annales> (XV, 38-45), in which the historian speaks of the famous fire that flared in Rome on the night of July 18-19, 64 and of its consequences. A comparison of these two testimonies seems to show that Peter was martyred during the anti-Christian persecution campaign unleashed by Nero after the fire and that the place of his martyrdom was the Vatican's <horti.> The information Tacitus provides is undoubtedly very authoritative because the author of the Annales was writing not long after the events and he was able to quote eyewitnesses as well as from first-hand documents, such as the <Acta senatus> and the <Acta diurna>respectively the minutes of Senate sessions and the official diaries of the Roman State. According to Tacitus, then, the Christians whom heas others dodescribes as a "considerable multitude" (<multitudo ingens>), were condemned to death not so much for causing the fire but because they were guilty of "hatred towards the human race" (<odium human>) generic). This was a serious charge because, the identification of the human race with the empire itself meant that anyone so charged was considered an enemy of the empire. The execution of the condemned, according to Tacitus' information, took place during grandiose circus spectacles (<circense ludicrum>), for which Nero made available his own circus in the Vatican that was the principal adornment of his <horti.> It is true, too, that the Vatican circus would have been a natural choice since, after the fire, it was the only area left in Rome for the kind of spectacle Nero desired. In fact, the Circus Maximusthe usual venue for Rome's <circensia ludrica>could not be used because of fire damage. Tacitus goes on to add an interesting detail: Nero himself honored the Vatican spectacles with his presence, mixing with the crowd disguised as a chariot driver and racing around the circus track. The spectacles lasted for several days. The question now was establishing exactly when they were held. October 64 Tacitus has no hesitation in establishing the year 64 for these events. If we look at the series of events the historian lists as having happened between the fire of Rome (July 18-19) and the end of the year, we can establish that the Vatican spectacles took place in the first half of October. Nor is it difficult to prove that between the end of 64 and Nero's death on June 9, 68 there are no other periods in which there was anti-Christian persecution of the type that Tacitus and Clement describe. It is also useful to note that the period between the end of September 66 and the beginning of 68 can be excluded without doubt since that was the period of Nero's travels in Greece. But, confirming the dating proposed for the circus spectacles and, therefore, for Peter's martyrdom, are two other important, anonymous, texts in Greek contained in a papyrus conserved in Vienna today. They are the <Apocalypse of Peter> and the <Ascension of Isaiah.> I believe that these texts (belonging to the so-called "apocalyptic literature", a very common category between the end of the first century and the first half of the second which used prophetic and symbolic language to interpret historical events of the time) are so well informed on the history of the Neronian period that they must have been written not long after events in 64 (not after the year 80, perhaps). I also believe that they are the fruit of the same Judeo-Christian environment. After addressing Nero's infamies, the authors of the two texts announce his punishment as imminent. According to the author of the <Apocalypse>, it would be none other than Peter's martyrdom that would mark the beginning of the emperor's end. This statement is echoed in the <Ascension> text which affirms that Nero's kingdom would last for "three years, seven months and 27 days" after the apostle's death. If we calculate three years, seven months and 27 days from Nero's death (June 9, 68), we arrive at the year 64 and October 13 to be precise: this date falls perfectly within the period in which, according to the Tacitus passage, we have set the unleashing of Nero's persecutions. On Nero's dies imperii The date calculated chronologically three years, seven months and 27 days after Nero's death is confirmed by another decisive point. October 13 was not just any ordinary day. It was the anniversary of Nero's ascent to the throne, his <dies imperii>. Moreover October 13, 64 was the tenth anniversary of his reign (<decennalia>, October 13, 54/October 13, 64). The <dies imperii> was an important date in the Romans' official calendar at the time of the empire. Numerous sources certify that between the first and fourth centuries, it was celebrated more or less solemnly with sacrifices, feasts, contests and donations to the public by the emperor. Regular features of these festivities were sacrifices and exhibitions of bloodletting according to the ancient belief that bloodshed was to the advantage of the living. In fact, it has been pointed out that in Rome the most important feasts concerning the person of the emperorbirthdays (<dies natalis>) for example, and anniversaries of his ascent to the throneoften coincided with exhibitions of bloodletting, gladiator fights, displays of the condemned (<venationes>). It has also been noted that it was on the occasion of these anniversaries that Jews and Christians would often be sacrificed. Thus for example, Jews of Alexandria were sacrificed on Caligula's <dies natalis>. Saint Polycarp's martyrdom coincides with the <dies imperii>of Antoninus Pius and that of the Christians of Lyons with the <dies imperii> of Marcus Aurelius. It is highly likely, then, that the Emperor Nero, who loved manifestations to be as spectacular as possible, would have promoted cruel spectacles for his <decennalia> (a feast when, in the person of the emperor made a god, the majesty of the Roman Empire was exalted). It is highly likely that he would have organized the execution of Christians who were already condemned on charges of being enemies of the empire. From a study of this whole series of testimonies, we can draw two significant conclusions. Firstly the hypothesis, founded on Tacitus' testimony that Nero's persecution in which Peter also suffered martyrdom happened in October 64, is confirmed. Secondly, it appears extremely likely that we must set the date of the martyrdom of the Prince of the Apostles at October 13 that year. Summary, The tradition's foundations Why the date of Peter's martyrdom was established as the year 67. The traditional date of Peter's martyrdom is the year 67. This is in contrast with information that Peter was martyred during the great wave of persecution under Nero which can only have happened in the year 64. The traditional dating, however, rests on the oldest known testimonies of chroniclers and ecclesiastical historians. Eusebius of Caesarea, who lived between the third and fourth centuries, for example, is the author of a <Chronicon>, a type of universal chronology of the major events in civilian and ecclesiastical history. He sets Peter's arrival in Rome in the year 42 and his martyrdom at 67. Peter's sojourn in Rome has been calculated to have lasted for 25 years. This calculation could be based on one of the oldest known ecclesiastical chronologies written by Hippolytus. He presents the two figures who are generally believed to have succeeded PeterLinus and Cletus (or Anacletus)as having governed the Church with the apostle and not after his death. Hippolytus attributes a 12-year episcopate to both. If we add the two periods plus the year when Peter first arrived in Rome we can calculate that he was in Rome for 25 years. The <Liber Pontificalis,> a collation of data on the first pontiffs which has come down to us in its sixth century edition, substantially accepts Hippolytus' version and deduces the following general chronology: "(Petrus) martyrio cum Paulo coronatur, post Passionem Domini anno XXXVIII" (Peter was crowned with martyrdom, together with Paul, in the 38th year after the Lord's Passion). This would set the martyrdom in the year 67, given that Jesus died and rose again at about the year 30 in the general view. Saint Jerome, too, in his <De viris illustribus> of 392, sustains that Peter and Paul were martyred together. His source is the same tradition used by the <Liber Pontificalis>: "Et hic (Paulus) ergo decimo quarto anno Neronis eodem die quo Petrus, Romae pro Christo capite truncatur... anno post Passionem Domini trigesimo septimo" (Paul, then, was decapitated in Rome' on the same day as Peter was martyred, in the 14th year of Nero's reign, the 37th after the Lord's Passion). Although Jerome reports the 37th instead of the 38th year <post Passionem Domini,> he is also assuming the year 67 to have been the date of the two apostles' martyrdom on the basis of the 14th year of Nero's reign. This article was taken from the No. 3, 1996 issue of "30Days". To subscribe contact "30Days" at: Subscriptions Office, 28 Trinity St., Newton, NJ 07860 or call 1-800-321-2255, Fax 201-579-5541. Subscription rate is $35.00 per year.The annual Consumer Electronics Show is just around the corner, and odds are that we’ll see a lot of new and refreshed notebooks, tablets, and 2-in-1s. One thing we can be pretty sure we’ll see? An updated Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon thin-and-light laptop.
Benchlife.info has published leaked documents which give us an idea of what to expect from the upcoming 2.5 pound laptop with a 14 inch display.
The ThinkPad X1 Carbon line of laptops have always been known for their sleek, but professional design. The new model is said to be 6 percent lighter, and 8 percent smaller than its predecessor, but it’s still MIL-SPEC tested for toughness.
Lenovo’s documents suggest the computer has slim bezels around the display, allowing the company to squeeze a 14 inch screen into a laptop that’s closer to the size you’d expect from a 13.3 inch or smaller model.
The 2017 ThinkPad X1 Carbon measures about 0.63 inches thick and weighs 2.51 pounds. It will be available with 1920 x 1080 pixel or 2560 x 1440 pixel display options. If you opt for the lower-resolution version, you can also get a touchscreen display.
Lenovo’s documents say the system will be powered by 7th-gen Intel Core i-series processors, feature an optional IR camera (for Windos Hello secure login capabilities), and sport two Thunderbolt 3/USB Type-C ports.
There are also options for an integrated global LTE-A modem and Lenovo says the laptop will offer up to 15.5 hours of battery life… although I suspect you may need to buy an external slice-style battery that connects to the bottom of the laptop in order to get that much run time.Every time I delve into the world of gaming video, I am more impressed with just how diverse the ecosystem is. Thousands of gamers from all over the world choose to take their unique experiences within games and record or stream them for the rest of us to enjoy. But what has impressed me most about gaming video is the fact that viewers come for the personalities of the content creators as much as they do for the games. It is those personalities that intrigue and engage us, no matter what the channel happens to be playing.
My primary purpose in writing these articles is to shine a spotlight on those engaging personalities that don't yet have the massive audience they deserve; up and coming content creators who continue to churn out quality videos and refine their craft. These personalities deserve be recognized for the incredible work they do often on a daily basis.
So here is another great gaming video personality for your to enjoy. This weekend, GameWisp recommends that you spend some time with Draegast.
Let's Learn Hearthstone
Our header video today is the opening video in Draegast's Let's Learn Hearthstone series. Draegast does have a fair number of long form playthroughs on his channel, but this caught my eye specifically because of the title. Hearthstone videos have been wildly popular over the last few months, with many channels attempting some sort of Let's Play of the World of Warcraft card game.
But as I drop in from time to time on these series, I often feel like I am watching a sport when I don't know the rules. I can appreciate the moves that bring victory, but I'm never quite sure why. This is precisely why I enjoy Draegast's approach here.
At the beginning of the series, he readily admits that he is a beginner and that he will probably make moves that don't make sense. But the point of the series is not to show off his skills as much to develop those skills and provide insight to other Hearthstone illiterates like me. He actively asks for comments and thoughts on his moves in order to make himself a better player. His laid-back but very informative commentary compliments the tone the series, and he spends time talking through each decision. Draegast's voice is pleasant to listen to and has a quality that breeds trust. I've watched the first couple of episodes of the series, and I must say that I am enjoying my lesson in Hearthstone.
Indie Game Spotlight
As with most channels focused on playthrough videos, Draegast has his own versions of first look videos. His aptly named Indie Game Spotlight series focuses on the opening sequences of various indie games. The series is very extensive and diverse, with little-known titles such as Aaru's Awakening, Beyond Perception, and Boson X, as well as more popular titles such as FTL: Faster Than Light. Also, several videos in this series have about a ten minute run time, which make them relatively quick views.
This video is Draegast's spotlight on Accelerator, a browser-based game that can be found on Newgrounds here. If you have been following What To Watch This Weekend, you probably have noticed that I tend to enjoy videos of simple, geometric games. The same repetitive feel that makes these games addicting makes for great video. The simplicity also allows the video creator's personality to shine. This video is no exception. The simplicity of the game allows Draegast's laid-back commentary and reactions to the game to drive the video and engage the viewer.
The combination of diverse game selection and informative commentary make Indie Game Spotlight a series worth watching.
Simulation Sunday
If Draegast's channel wasn't diverse enough, he added his Sunday Simulation series. In this series, Draegast plays some of the most random and ridiculous simulators that he can find. Previous titles have included Goat Olympics 2013, Mr. Mosquito, and Rat Simulator. This is Realistic Summer Sports Simulator, and it is, of course, all about the summer olympic games.
These games lend themselves to sarcastic humor, and Draegast obliges in excellent fashion. In this video particularly, the combination of ridiculous game mechanics and sarcastic humor create an experience that had me laughing out loud within the first minute.
Being a great gaming channel is in many ways about knowing how to pick great games to highlight the gamer's style. One of Draegast's strengths is in his ability to set a theme and pull in content which fits into that theme. When this is combined with Draegast's excellent sense of when to use humor and when to be informative, the experience becomes diverse and engaging across not just particular videos, but the channel as a whole. It is this quality that make Draegast's channel an excellent way to spend your time this weekend.Winter is here, the roads are slippery and one has to be very careful not to lose grip and crash. But some... some like it that way. Welcome to the Drift King contest!
The purpose of this contest is to enter the Cold Strike or Roughneck PvP map and attempt to make a video of the most spectacular drift you are capable of - you can use the Video and Stream tool available in the launcher!
Submit the video to the dedicated forum thread until December 16, 2016.
Top three submissions (selected by Community Managers) will be displayed in a dedicated thread and players will vote on who gets the first, second and third place.
The results will be published on December 19.
Our Tip: four-wheeled AFVs such as the FOX drift the best!
Prizes
Based on the voting, the winners will be awarded with the following rewards:
First Place: Any three vehicles from MERC, SHARK or WOLF edition of winner's choosing
Any three vehicles from MERC, SHARK or WOLF edition of winner's choosing Second Place: Any two vehicles from MERC, SHARK or WOLF edition of winner's choosing
Any two vehicles from MERC, SHARK or WOLF edition of winner's choosing Third Place: Any one vehicle from MERC, SHARK or WOLF edition of winner's choosing
Should a winner select a vehicle he or she already owns, he or she will receive half of its price in Gold instead. For first and second place, each selected vehicle has to be different.
Forum Voting Method
Only players with 5 or more forum posts are allowed to participate in Drift King voting, which will take place in a special forum thread. Each player can choose three submissions with a specific order, for example:
[1 place] – Nick1
[2 place] – Nick2
[3 place] – Nick3
Rules
Only submissions in the dedicated forum thread will be accepted
will be accepted Player's name has to be visible on the video at some point
The replay video then has to be uploaded on a video portal such as YouTube or Vimeo
You agree that your creation/content may be published and used by My.com B.V. for promotional purposes
You agree not to submit any content protected by copyright or already published on the Internet
You identify yourself as the author of the creation/content you are submitting, presenting your player name somewhere in the video
You agree that your creation/content does not contain any material that violates the Armored Warfare and/or My.com Terms of Service
My.com holds the right to disqualify participant who breaks the rules
We hope that you will enjoy the contest and will see you on the battlefield!DEWITT, N.Y. -- The Onondaga County Sheriff's Office made a drug-related arrest after two suspects opened fire on an unmarked detective's vehicle, but are still searching for the two gunmen.
Deputies were at the Springfield Garden Apartments Monday conducting an undercover drug investigation into 31-year-old Jose Marcano.
Sheriff detectives, working undercover in plain clothes and driving unmarked cars, were setting up surveillance while another undercover detective attempted to purchase heroin from Marcano. He now faces multiple drug charges.
"That transaction never happened because the incident involving the shooting at the car occurred before the transaction,” Onondaga County Sheriff Gene Conway said.
Conway said two people walked up to the driver's side of an unmarked vehicle and fired several shots.
"Whether they realized it was a law enforcement officer or not really is not relevant in this case. We had two people walk up to a vehicle that was occupied with the sole intent of harming or killing the person inside that vehicle,” Conway said. “That should be a cause for concern for all of us."
The detective was able to put his car in drive and escape any danger and radio for help, Conway said.
Authorities are investigating a motive and what connection if any this may have to other drug-related incidents at this location.
The detective who was in the car has not been identified, but the sheriff said he was the supervisor of the unit.
He was evaluated at the hospital and released.
"Based on the close proximity of shooters to the car, the number of rounds that were fired into the car, the fact that he did not see this coming, it was without warning, all add up to the fact that I think he's counting his blessings today,” Conway said.
The deputy did not fire his weapon.
Conway says management at the apartment complex was cooperative.
Authorities have responded to a number of calls there in recent months.
They are appealing to the public to help them with this investigation.
"We will not tolerate this kind of violence,” Conway said.
But it is a kind of violence not unfamiliar to the apartment complex.
Just last September, an international Syracuse University student was shot and killed in what detectives on that case have said was drug-related.
The Onondaga County Sheriff's Office says right now there's no connection between the two incidents.
"However, the fact that we've had such serious incidents occur up in that complex and up in that area over the last several months is certainly a cause for concern,” Conway said.
The shooting Monday night was not deadly, but for some residents, it was the last straw.
"It's something you don't think about until it happens, and it seems to be happening quite frequently,” said David Rupert, a resident at the complex.
Rupert said things have changed in the two years he's lived in this complex -- something Carol Mosher can agree with, who says the area has been on the decline.
"When I moved in here in 2013 it was not like this. I think this place over the years goes up and down,” she said.
And lately, she said, it's been on the decline.
“This is the last straw,” Mosher said. “I'm actually trying to move. The shooting with the SU student was right in broad daylight and luckily I wasn't home."
Police presence in the area continued on Tuesday, but residents said even after two incidents in a matter of months, they still haven't heard anything from property managers.
"It's kind of like business as usual. There's no letters, nothing. I kind of thought there should have been something," Mosher said.
A representative from the complex said they are speaking with people who have concerns.For the chromosome spreads RPE-1 and trisomic RPE −1 cells were maintained at 37°C with 5% CO 2 in DMEM GlutaMax (GIBCO) containing 10% fetal bovine serum (FBS), 100U penicillin and 100U streptomycin. The cells were grown to 70%–80% confluency before being treated with 50 ng/ml colchicine for 3-5 hr.
For measurements of relative protein levels at steady state in RPE-1 and RPE-1 trisomic cells fully Heavy SILAC labeled RPE-1 and Light labeled RPE-1 trisomic cells were grown to 70% confluency in 10 cm plates as described above. A label swap experiment was also performed.
For SILAC pulse-chase the mouse fibroblasts were grown to 80% confluency in 15 cm plates in Light SILAC DMEM. Cells were washed three times in PBS before being pulsed in Heavy SILAC DMEM for 4 hr (or as annotated in fig. S4 F-H). Cells were then washed in PBS before being trypsinated for 2 min at 37°C. Cells were resuspended in PBS before half of the cells were transferred to a 10 cm plate containing Medium-heavy SILAC DMEM and the other half spun down and pellet then frozen.
The AHA pulse-chase of mouse fibroblasts in combination with inhibitor treatments experiments were performed in a manner similar to the AHA p-c experiments. Methionine starved cells were pulsed with 1 mM AHA for 1 hr before being washed twice in pre-warmed PBS and then chased in Light or Medium-heavy SILAC. In these experiments different inhibitors or the vector control DMSO (Biomol) were added as follows. Proteasomes were blocked using 20 μM (S)-MG-132 (MG132, Cayman chemical) and inhibition of autophagy was secured by a combination of 250 nM Bafilomycin A1 (Invivogen) and 500 nM wortmannin (Calbiochem) both treatments were added only during the chase. In contrast, 100 nM Actinomycin D (Sigma-Aldrich) was added both during the pulse and chase.
For the AHA pulse-chase experiments mouse and human cells were cultured in either Light SILAC DMEM, Medium-heavy SILAC DMEM or Heavy SILAC DMEM until fully labeled. Experiments were started when cells reached ∼25% density. For the first two biological |
controlling for institutions and other factors expected to affect economic performance. A second question examined is whether the path by which generalized morality affects growth is direct or indirect through generalized trust. The findings reveal that generalized morality is moderately correlated with economic growth, but its effect appears to be manifested through generalized trust when economic institutions are weak.
I. Introduction There is an extensive literature documenting the importance of economic institutions in fostering economic growth and development (e.g., Acemoglu, Johnson and Robinson, 2001; Rodrik, Subramanian and Trebbi, 2004). Although there is debate as to which institutions matter most and how (Acemoglu and Johnson, 2005; Haggard and Tiede, 2011), the fact that ‘institutions matter,’ as North (1990, p. 12) succinctly states, is well‐established within the literature. Economic institutions are important to the extent they channel and coordinate the economic efforts of individuals toward activities that are socially productive rather destructive. The effectiveness of institutions must therefore account for the two primary reasons why people engage in socially destructive activities – either people intend to do well but they make mistakes or they intend ‘to mislead, distort, disguise, obfuscate, or otherwise confuse’ (Williamson, 1985, p. 47). An example of the latter is graft and corruption. Although some scholars argue that corruption often aids economic activity (Lui, 1985; Dreher and Gassebner, 2007), there is considerable evidence that bribery, graft, and corruption have detrimental effects on economic growth and development (Mauro, 1995; Pellegrini and Gerlagh, 2004; Méon and Sekkat, 2005). The example of corruption raises the question of how public or general morality of people and economic institutions are related and how they contribute to macroeconomic performance. Can economic institutions compensate for a general morality of people that is relatively low or does economic growth also require that people are generally moral? If the general morality of people in a society is relatively high, then are economic institutions that are designed to encourage socially productive rather than socially destructive activities also necessary? This paper presents an empirical examination of the relationship between the public morality of people and economic growth while controlling for institutions. In this context, morality does not refer to ‘culturally idiosyncratic rules about dress, diet, and deportment, especially sexual deportment’ (Stout, 2008, p. 162), nor does it refer to religious prescriptions or proscriptions about appropriate behavior. Rather, morality refers to norms about ‘other‐regarding’ attitudes and behaviors, particularly those that prohibit actions that benefit oneself but which also cause harm to others. In this sense, it is a generalized morality, as Platteau (2000) and Tabellini (2008) use the term, which encompasses the ethical attitudes and beliefs people have about how to interact with others beyond their immediate family, kinship or social group. Behaviors inconsistent with generalized morality might include telling lies, not keeping promises, taking advantage of others, stealing and misleading, distorting, disguising, obfuscating and confusing, particularly to achieve an advantage, even a small one, relative to others. The relationship between generalized morality and economic institutions is comparable to the relationship between social capital and institutions. There is an extensive literature showing the positive effect of social capital, particularly trust, on economic performance (Knack and Keefer, 1997; Zak and Knack, 2001; Beugelsdijk, de Groot, and van Schaik, 2004; Algan and Cahuc, 2010). The relationship between trust and institutions, however, is complicated. Fukuyama (1995) argues that trust is necessary for the development of large‐scale organizations and other supporting institutions that give rise to long‐term economic prosperity, but social capital also requires stable political systems as well as specific cultural traditions, social norms and other informal institutions that foster sociability, suggesting that trust and institutions are also complementary. However, Roth (2009) claims that economic growth is negatively related to trust, although the effect appears to be curvilinear – an increase in trust matters in countries with low trust but is detrimental to economic growth in countries with high levels of trust. Similarly, Ahlerup, Olsson, and Yanagizawa (2009) show that the effect of trust on economic growth is curvilinear with respect to institutions – trust has a stronger positive effect on growth when economic institutions are weak than when they are strong, suggesting that trust and institutions might be substitutes. There is a logical connection between generalized trust and the generalized morality of people, but these are distinct concepts. Whereas generalized trust is the belief that most people can be trusted, generalized morality reflects how trustworthy people actually are. Thus, a channel by which generalized morality affects economic growth might be through trust. For example, Rose (2011) argues that trust is built on a foundation of moral behavior, where morality, or what Rose calls ‘moral restraint,’ is the unwillingness to engage in opportunistic behavior. Morality also underscores Fukuyama's (1995) discussion of trust, where he uses the term ‘inherited ethical habit’ (p. 34). Whether generalized morality has an effect independent of generalized trust, however, has received relatively little attention in the literature. In this paper I use the World Values Survey to construct a measure of generalized morality in a sample of 81 countries for which data is available. Like Zak and Knack (2001) who show that generalized trust is correlated with economic growth, the purpose of this study is to determine whether generalized morality is correlated with economic growth between 1990 and 2010, controlling for other factors expected to affect growth, such as economic institutions, and to assess whether the path by which generalized morality affects economic performance is direct or indirect through generalized trust. This paper builds on the work of Ahlerup, Olsson and Yanagizawa (2009) and Aghion et al. (2010), who also link generalized trust to economic growth and show how trust (or distrust) is affected by economic institutions. However, instead of considering the effect of trust on economic growth and the extent to which trust is affected by the quality of formal institutions, I examine how the generalized morality of a nation correlates with economic growth. In this respect this paper mirrors that of Méon and Sekkat (2005). But instead of considering how perceptions of corruption interact with institutions to affect economic growth, I use a measure of generalized morality based on the attitudes and perspectives of citizens within each country about specific ethical activities. This paper is also similar to Knack and Keefer (1997), Letki (2006), and others who use the WVS to construct general measures of public morality. However, while Knack and Keefer's ‘civic cooperation’ and Letki's ‘civic morality’ identify cross‐country variations, neither attempts to disentangle empirically the relationship among generalized morality, generalized trust, institutions and economic growth. This paper is thus a first step in this process. The findings are that generalized morality is important, but its effect appears to be manifested through generalized trust, especially when the quality of economic institutions is poor. Thus, this paper contributes to the literature by reinforcing the importance of generalized trust as a factor affecting economic growth and by demonstrating empirically how generalized morality and economic institutions interact to increase the generalized trust and economic performance of societies.
II. Background 1. Formal and informal institutions Scholars have long been interested in the causes and impediments of economic growth. Classical economists, such as Smith and Ricardo, emphasized the role of exchange in improving the productive capacity of nations, while the neoclassical growth models of Solow and the endogenous growth models of Romer, Lucas and others identified the importance of physical and human capital accumulation. North's contribution explained the role of formal and informal institutions to economic growth. Accordingly, research has focused on the relative merits of different types and aspects of formal institutions, such as property rights, legal systems, governments, banking and other formal structures as necessary in promoting economic growth (see, for instance, La Porta, Lopez‐de‐Silanes, and Shleifer, 1998). In addition to the study of formal institutions, scholars have also examined how informal institutions, such as a country's culture (Guiso, Sapienza and Zingales, 2006; Tabellini, 2010), social norms (Platteau, 2000) and social capital (Zak and Knack, 2001; Sabatini, 2008) are related to economic growth and development. Disentangling the relationship between formal and informal economic institutions and their collective and interactive effects is an ongoing though complicated focus of research in the growth and development literatures (e.g., Pejovich, 1999; Helmke and Levitsky, 2004; Glaeser, La Porta, Lopez‐de‐Silanes, and Shleifer, 2004). Empirical research on the impact of informal institutions on economic performance is advancing. For example, Stulz and Williamson (2003) show that religious culture is an important predictor of creditor rights. Carden and James (2013) argue that countries require a significant amount of time to develop the social, mental and ideological norms necessary to support economic institutions and economic growth. Franke and Nadler (2008) show how national culture and income are correlated with cross‐country variations in ethical attitudes and demonstrate that countries with high per capita GDP appear to be more tolerant of unethical behavior than countries with low per capita income. Méon and Sekkat (2005) examine the question of whether corruption contributes to or impedes economic growth, finding corruption is negatively correlated with economic growth, particularly when compounded by weak institutions. 2. Public morality and economic performance An important direction of research on informal economic institutions is the role of general or public virtues and morality. The question of interest in this literature is what types of moral virtues matter and how they matter in affecting individual economic behavior and macro‐level economic performance (McCloskey, 2007). Although there is an extensive literature focusing on individual and firm‐level moral behavior (much of this can be found in the field of ‘business ethics’), there is very little research that ties directly measures of general or public morality to economic performance. Foss (2012, p. 6) states that there are ‘many reasons why we would expect prevailing ethical norms to influence economic growth.’ Examples include norms for stable and larger families, helping and other pro‐social behaviors that ‘can substitute for an often inefficient state apparatus.’ However, Foss notes that ‘these reasons may not (yet) be an integral part of the economics of growth,’ but he also observes that the importance of moral norms has been recognized within other disciplines. A contribution to this problem is Tabellini (2008), who develops a model showing that external enforcement of agreements among economic agents who are similar to each other (what he calls ‘local enforcement’) can be harmful to norms of morality, while enforcement of agreements among dissimilar agents can support the diffusion of appropriate moral values in society. In other words, economic institutions might increase or decrease generalized morality depending on their type or nature. He also shows that path dependence can result in two equilibrium states – one in which there is a positive interaction between institutions and norms of cooperation and another in which weak institutions degrade moral values and discourage cooperation over time. Specifically, he concludes that effective law enforcement strengthens the incentives to transmit sound values. [However] that quality of law enforcement is also endogenous, and reflects deliberate policy choices. A society with weak values, or where respect for the law and for others is lacking, is also more tolerant of lax law enforcement. As a result, otherwise identical societies may end up along very different paths if they start from different initial conditions (p. 938). Another attempt at modeling the relationship between indicators of general or public morality and economic performance is Balan and Knack (2012), who examine the interaction between a person's ability and his or her morality. They operationalize morality from the WVS question that asks respondents whether they place a high value on ‘doing an important job which gives you a sense of accomplishment.’ Balan and Knack find that the stronger the correlation is between individual ability and their morality, the larger the effect is on a country's per capita income. Knack and Keefer (1997) and Letki (2006) also use the WVS to construct general measures of public morality and link them to economic performance. They adopt similar approaches, drawing on a question in the WVS in which respondents were asked whether a series of behaviors could be justified or not justified and to rate their opinion on a 7‐point Likert scale. Knack and Keefer focus on five statements in their measure – ‘claiming government benefits which you are not entitled to,’ ‘avoiding a fare on public transport,’ ‘cheating on taxes if you have the chance,’ ‘keeping money that you have found,’ and ‘failing to report damage you've done accidentally to a parked vehicle’ – and use these in models of economic growth. In contrast, Letki uses three behaviors in her measure – claiming government benefits, avoiding public transport fare and cheating on taxes – and seeks to determine whether trust and growth explain morality. Knack and Keefer as well as Letki include measures of generalized or social trust in addition to controls for the quality of economic institutions. Their results are contradictory. Knack and Keefer show that both civic cooperation and trust have positive effects on macroeconomic performance, while Letki uses individual level data and finds that neither trust nor GDP per capita correlate with public morality, but higher quality of government is positively correlated with morality. In addition to empirical studies, a related conceptual question is what the path is that connects morality to economic performance. A number of scholars argue that the path is indirect through trust. Examples here include Rose (2011) and Hunt (2012), who argue that public morality forms the foundation of trust‐building activities. A common theme of these studies is that what underlies the moral foundation of trust is the expectation of trustworthiness of others. But even here there is a dearth of empirical evidence documenting the relationship among generalized morality, generalized trust and economic growth. 3. Summary Scholars recognize the importance of moral behavior in affecting general economic conditions and outcomes in societies. But the question of how and why general morality matters, especially given the recognized roles of economic institutions and generalized trust, is still in debate. Moreover, there is uncertainty about whether public morality can be generalized in the same way that scholars recognize the role of generalized trust and whether generalized morality has an effect on economic performance independent that of generalized trust. Therefore, this research fills these gaps by accomplishing three specific things. The first is to strengthen the argument that generalized morality can be operationalized through WVS questions that asks respondents to assess the appropriateness of specific unethical behaviors. The second is to examine whether generalized morality is correlated with economic growth, controlling for economic institutions and other factors expected to affect growth and to determine whether the effect of generalized morality is dependent on or independent of economic institutions. The third is to determine whether generalized morality works through generalized trust or whether its effect is independent of or co‐determinant with trust, economic institutions and other factors.
III. Conceptual Framework 1. Generalized morality Generalized morality is a concept designed to capture the degree to which members of a society adhere to ethical and moral norms of behavior. It is the general belief among people about the acceptability of unethical behavior. More specifically, it is derived from the belief of individuals that it is never justifiable to take opportunistic advantage of others, especially when the probability of detection is small or non‐existent. If a few people believe this way, then we say generalized morality is low. If many people believe this way, then we say generalized morality is high. As Rose (2011, p. xi) succinctly states, ‘what really matters is … how [people] think about morality.’ Generalized morality differs from individual or limited morality. For example, Platteau (2000, p. 301) defines generalized morality as a ‘concern for others or [an] ability to see things from another's viewpoint,’ where ‘others’ refers to a ‘large reference group,’ such as society generally, rather than members of one's limited or close network of connections. Similarly, Tabellini (2008, p. 907) articulates the distinction in this way: Norms of limited morality are applicable only to a narrow circle of friends or relatives; with others, cheating is allowed and regularly occurs. Generalized morality instead applies generally toward everyone, and entails respect for abstract individuals and their rights. Individuals who have internalized norms of generalized morality cooperate over a larger range of situations. Generalized morality matters in society because it enlarges the range of members with whom people are willing and able to cooperate and, more importantly, are willing and able to treat with fairness and respect once cooperative relationships are agreed upon. Societies grow when people work together in mutually‐beneficial economic activities. Such cooperation requires both an expectation of cooperation and actual cooperative behavior. Generalized morality is thus analogous to generalized trust (and hence limited or individual morality is analogous to particularized trust). Trust refers to expectations that others with whom someone cooperates will reciprocate and behave cooperatively. Trust matters because it promotes a willingness to enter into economic transactions with others, especially transactions that involve investments in which there is risk of exploitation. Trusting occurs when people have expectations that those with whom they trust will be trustworthy. Thus, a norm of trustworthiness ought to be an element of generalized morality. When generalized morality is high in a society – that is, when there is a large share of the population willing to keep their promises, for instance – then people will be more likely to trust others because they will expect trustworthy responses from those with whom they cooperate. But generalized morality is more than a mirror image of generalized trust. Once economic agents enter into cooperative agreements, the economic value of the relationship emerges only after both sides complete their respective agreements, and this requires that people in fact keep their promises and refrain from lying, cheating and stealing. A society with high generalized morality ought to be one in which people follow through with their economic commitments because they believe they ought to, even though there might be incentives to exploit cooperation or renege on promises in the short run. Thus, the correlation between generalized morality and generalized trust in societies ought to be high, but it is not expected to be identical. The kind of ‘follow‐through’ that matters need not be confined to cooperative agreements involving large investments and economic organizations. Even small things can matter and affect perceptions about the trustworthiness of others and what constitutes trustworthy behavior. Thus, generalized morality will include norms of telling a stranger that you scratched their car, paying one's taxes honestly or informing a cashier that she gave you too much change, as well as more general norms of truth telling and promise‐keeping. 2. Conceptual paths linking generalized morality and economic performance Because scholars have demonstrated that economic institutions matter, the fundamental question here is whether there is also a role for generalized morality if economic institutions can enforce the kinds of cooperative responses embodied by norms of generalized morality. Many scholars agree that formal institutions and external enforcement of cooperative agreements substitute for informal and ethical norms of cooperation. Some scholars also claim that external enforcement weakens ethical norms of behavior, in much the same what that external incentives can crowd out intrinsic motivation of behavior (e.g., Frey and Oberholzer‐Gee, 1997; Deci, Koestner, and Ryan, 1999; James, 2005). But does generalized morality have an independent effect on economic performance? What is the empirical relationship among generalized morality, economic institutions, and economic performance? Recognizing that there might be numerous paths, possibilities and permutations, this study attempts to distinguish empirically among five. One is that generalized morality does not matter at all. Economic performance is largely explained by economic institutions (as well as other controls), so that weak institutions correlate with low growth and strong institutions correlate with high growth and there is no empirical relationship between measures of generalized morality and economic growth. A second is that generalized morality has a direct and independent effect on economic performance even after controlling for economic institutions. It does this because economic activity at any level, regardless of institutions, requires that people follow through with their commitments, and societies in which such ‘follow‐through’ is high develop more rapidly than societies in which general ethical norms of cooperative behavior are low regardless of the overall quality of economic institutions. A third is that institutions and generalized morality are substitutes. This implies that generalized morality matters when economic institutions are weak, but once economic institutions are strong the effect of generalized morality is lost to the strength of institutions to ensure that cooperation occurs. One avenue explaining this path is from transaction cost theory. According to Williamson (1985), economic institutions arise to provide safeguards for opportunistic behavior of individuals. This is particularly true for the role of business firms. However, if all members of society kept their promises and followed through with their commitments, then ‘contracting would be ubiquitous in the face of nonopportunism’ (p. 66). In other words, the more moral people are, the less need there is for formal organizations to enforce and manage agreements. Formal institutions and external enforcement will be necessary when generalized morality is weak. A fourth possibility is that generalized morality and economic institutions are complements. Related is that generalized morality is a prerequisite for the formation and operation of formal institutions that are necessary for growth. A complementary relationship may mean that generalized morality and economic institutions develop endogenously or that they develop because of the effect of a third or external factor. Of course, a positive interaction between generalized morality and institutions could be the result of institutions affecting morality. As Bowles (1998, p. 76) states, ‘changes in economic organization may foster dramatic changes in value orientations.’ Therefore, there can be multiple explanations explaining a positive, complementary relationship between generalized morality and institutions. Finally, generalized morality might be important because it provides the foundation for generalized trust and trusting behavior of people within society, so that the path between morality and growth is indirect through trust. Trust depends on expectations of trustworthiness, which in turn is based on a moral restraint not to engage in opportunistic behavior. According to Rose (2011, p. 140), ‘a norm of unconditional trustworthiness made possible by a preponderance of people possessing an ethic of duty‐based moral restraint’ is the foundation upon which generalized trust and the development of large organizations rests. In other words, when the morality of a people is high and extensive so that people are not expected to behave opportunistically, then the stronger generalized trust will be, and a country with high generalized trust will develop more rapidly than a country with low generalized trust. In this context, institutions would likely play a supporting role to that of generalized trust. 3. Empirical expectations In this paper I examine the empirical relationship between generalized morality and economic institutions by estimating a simple growth model of average per capita GDP growth between 1990 and 2010, in which variables include measures of generalized morality, economic institutions, and other controls. The direct effect of generalized morality can be assessed by the coefficient on the generalized morality variable, particularly after controlling for economic institutions and other controls. The question of whether generalized morality and economic institutions are substitutes or complements can be assessed through an examination of coefficients on interaction variables. The question of whether generalized morality works independent of generalized trust or is manifested through trust can be assessed by examining the coefficients of generalized morality in a structural or path model in which generalized morality is hypothesized to have a direct and indirect through trust effect on economic growth.
IV. Methods and procedures In order to examine the effect of generalized morality on economic growth, I conduct a cross‐country regression analysis by estimating a simple reduced‐form linear model of average annual growth in per capita income between 1990 and 2010. Control variables are those typically used for such studies, such as measures for the initial level of per capita GDP and for physical and human capital productivity. See Table A1 in the appendix for data sources and descriptive statistics. Average annual per capita growth rate in GDP between 1990 and 2010 (in natural logs), the initial level of GDP per capita, and the average investment share of GDP per capita between 1990 and 2010 are taken from the Penn World Tables 7.1 (Heston, Summers and Aten, 2012). Adult literacy rates are taken from the World Bank's Task Force on Higher Education and Society (TFHES, 2000). In the few cases where data is missing, regional averages are used. Consistent with previous research, the coefficients on the investment and literacy variables should be positive while the coefficient on the initial per capita GDP variable should be negative. A country's generalized morality is constructed from data from the World Values Survey (2009). The World Values Survey (WVS) is a compilation of face‐to‐face interviews with adult citizens ages 18 and older conducted in many countries around the world. Interview subjects were selected randomly and stratified by region and degree of urbanization. All surveys were conducted in the respondent's native language. As part of the WVS survey, respondents were asked the following question: ‘Please tell me for each of the following statements whether you think it can always be justified, never be justified, or something in between.’ Respondents were then presented with a list of statements and were asked how they would qualify each one, using a scale ranging from 1 to 10, where 1 indicated ‘never justifiable’ and 10 indicated ‘always justifiable.’ Four of the statements presented to the respondents were the following: (1) ‘Claiming government benefits to which you are not entitled;’ (2) ‘Avoiding a fare on public transport;’ (3) ‘Cheating on taxes if you have a chance;’ and (4) ‘Someone accepting a bribe in the course of their duties.’ After reverse coding, so that a 9 or 10 indicates a belief that each ethical scenario is ‘never justifiable,’ I calculate the average response for the four ethical scenarios in each country, using data from the third (1995), fourth (1999) and fifth (2005) waves of the WVS. When countries had responses in two or three of these waves, I used the average of those years. The result is a sample size of 81 countries. Table A2 in the appendix gives raw scores for the sample. Cronbach alpha for the four indicators exceeds the customary minimum of 0.70 for most countries in the sample, suggesting that responses to these four indicators are a reliable composite indicator of a general construct. Admittedly, this measure of generalized morality is not ideal, because it does not reveal actual ethical behavior of people and reflects only a limited number of potential ethical dilemmas that people have to deal with in life. This could explain why the measure produces some odd results, such as high values for Bangladesh and Zimbabwe, countries that rank low on Transparency International's (2014) Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI). However, there are at least four reasons why the measure might be a reasonable proxy for a country's generalized morality. First, while the CPI measures perceived corruption within the public sector, the measure of generalized morality considered here assesses perceptions of ethics by a broad spectrum of citizens of countries. What citizens perceive as appropriate and inappropriate might not always correspond directly to the behavior of public sector officials. Second, Franke and Nadler (2008) show that the combination of these four indicators are an effective, though limited, indicator of ethical attitudes within a country. Third, various combinations of these indicators have been used by scholars in cross‐country studies of ethics (e.g., Knack and Keefer, 1997; Helliwell, 2003; Letki, 2006; Franke and Nadler, 2008; DeClercq and Dakhli, 2009; James, 2006, 2011). Fourth, since avoiding harm is widely regarded as a universal norm that applies to all human activities (Linklater, 2006), this measure captures how people think about the appropriateness of actions that either directly or indirectly result in harm to others (e.g., inappropriately claiming government benefits and cheating on taxes reduces public resources available to provide needed services to citizens). The variable for economic institutions is derived from the average of two indicators developed by Kaufmann, Kraay, and Mastruzzi (2010): Rule of law refers to ‘perceptions of the extent to which agents have confidence in and abide by the rules of society, and in particular the quality of contract enforcement, property rights, the police, and the courts, as well as the likelihood of crime and violence.’ Government effectiveness refers to ‘perceptions of the quality of public services, the quality of the civil service and the degree of its independence from political pressures, the quality of policy formulation and implementation, and the credibility of the government's commitment to such policies.’ For each indicator, the average of values between 1996 and 2010 is calculated for which data are available. Generalized trust is calculated as the percent of the population answering ‘most people can be trusted’ to the question ‘Generally speaking, would you say that most people can be trusted, or that you can't be too careful when dealing with others?’ Values are averaged across the three waves of the WVS when a country has data reported in more than one wave. This measure is the most commonly used indicator of generalized trust in cross‐country studies (see Algan and Cahuc, 2013).
V. Results Correlation scores among variables are presented in Table 1. The correlation between generalized morality and average annual growth rates in annual per capita GDP between 1990 and 2010 is positive though small and insignificant. Generalized morality is positively and significantly correlated with generalized trust, as expected, although the strength of the correlation is not as large as the correlation between generalized trust and the quality of economic institutions. Interestingly, generalized morality shows a negative correlation with adult literacy rate, suggesting that the more literate a population is, the lower is the population's generalized morality. Generalized trust is also positively correlated with the economic growth variable, but the correlation is small and insignificant. Unlike generalized morality, generalized trust is significantly correlated with all other variables. Thus, there appears to be a relationship between a country's generalized morality and generalized trust, but it is not identical. Table 1. Correlation coefficients among growth, generalized morality, institutions, generalized trust and other control variables Variable (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (1) Average growth rate 1.00 (2) Generalized morality 0.02 1.00 (3) Institutions −0.17 0.16 1.00 (4) Generalized trust 0.05 0.28* 0.52* 1.00 (5) 1990 GDP per capita (log) −0.31* −0.03 0.79* 0.39* 1.00 (6) Average investment share 0.19* 0.09 0.39* 0.32* 0.32* 1.00 (7) Adult literacy rate 0.02 −0.21* 0.46* 0.24* 0.67* 0.10 Table 2 presents average annual growth rates for different levels of generalized morality, institutions, and generalized trust. Countries with ‘high’ generalized morality – that is, average scores of at least 9 on the appropriateness of four ethical scenarios – have an average per capita GDP growth rate that is slightly higher than countries with ‘low’ generalized morality, although the difference is not statistically significant. Interestingly, in this sample, countries with strong institutions have lower average annual growth rates than countries with weak institution, although the difference is not statistically significant. Here ‘strong’ institutions are defined as an index score not less than zero. Countries with low generalized trust, where ‘low’ means generalized trust less than the average for the sample, have higher average annual growth rates than countries with high generalized trust, although this difference is also not statistically significant. In countries with weak institutions, high generalized morality is correlated with higher average annual growth rates than countries with low generalized morality. The difference is more than one percent, although because of the large variance in the sample the difference is not statistically significant. For countries with strong institutions, the effect of high generalized morality is just the opposite – countries with low generalized morality have average annual growth rates that are nearly one percent higher than countries with high generalized morality, a difference that is statistically significant in a two‐tailed difference of means test. Similar results are apparent when considering the effect of low and high generalized trust on growth rates for countries with weak and strong institutions. High trust matters when institutions are weak but appears to weaken growth when economic institutions are strong. Table 2. Average annual GDP per capita growth rates between 1990 and 2010 for countries in the sample, by different levels of generalized morality, economic institutions, and generalized trust Quality Indicator T‐stat Low High Generalized morality 2.76 2.82 0.12 Weak Institutions Strong Institutions Institutions 3.03 2.51 1.20 Low High Generalized trust 2.80 2.74 0.14 Low Generalized Morality High Generalized Morality Weak Institutions 2.68 3.89 1.23 Strong Institutions 2.85 1.91 2.38* T‐stat 0.36 2.07* Low Trust High Trust Weak Institutions 2.75 3.92 1.40 Strong Institutions 2.93 2.27 1.45 T‐stat 0.33 2.16* Low Generalized Morality High Generalized Morality Low Trust 2.81 2.80 0.01 High Trust 2.65 2.83 0.31 T‐stat 0.37 0.03 Figure 1 provides separate graphs for countries with weak and strong economic institutions and shows how generalized morality is correlated with average annual growth rates. Consistent with the evidence presented in Table 2, the figure shows a moderately positive relationship between average annual growth rates and increased generalized morality for countries with weak institutions. When economic institutions are strong, however, generalized morality appears to have a pronounced negative effect. Figures 2 and 3 reveal similar patterns for the relationship between institutions and generalized trust comparing countries with weak and strong economic institutions. For countries with weak institutions, an improvement in the quality of institutions or generalized trust increases average annual growth rates. However, when economic institutions are generally strong, increases in institutional quality appears to have a negative effect on annual growth rates. Figure 1 Open in figure viewerPowerPoint Relationship between generalized morality and economic growth, for countries with weak institutions (panel a) and strong institutions (panel b) Source: World Values Survey (2009) Figure 2 Open in figure viewerPowerPoint Relationship between economic institutions and economic growth, for countries with weak institutions (panel a) and strong institutions (panel b) Source: World Values Survey (2009) Figure 3 Open in figure viewerPowerPoint Relationship between generalized trust and economic growth, for countries with weak institutions (panel a) and strong institutions (panel b) Source: World Values Survey (2009) 1. Growth regressions Regression analyses of average annual growth rates between 1990 and 2010 are presented in Table 3. Regressions include the controls of initial period per capita GDP, the average investment share of GDP during the same time period, and the adult literacy rate in 1995. Significance is determined using robust standard errors in order to account for heteroskedasticity of the data common in cross‐country studies. Model 1 in the table establishes that the controls have the expected signs. In model 2, generalized morality is included as a regressor. The coefficient is positive but not significant. In models 3 and 4, the institutions variable is added, and the estimated coefficient is positive but also not significant. Model 5 tests for a possible interaction effect between institutions and generalized morality. The finding is that there is no interaction effect, at least when the full sample is evaluated. However, because Figure 1 suggests there is a difference in the effect of generalized morality on economic growth depending on whether countries have overall weak or strong institutions, Table 3 also includes separate regressions for both of these sub‐samples. The results for generalized morality and institutions are statistically significant in the case of countries with weak economic institutions. Generalized morality has a positive effect on average annual growth rates, and the interaction term is also positive, suggesting that the marginal effect of generalized morality differs depending on the quality of economic institutions. For countries with weak institutions, an improvement in economic institutions improves the positive effect of generalized morality on economic growth. The effect of generalized morality for countries with weak economic institutions is non‐trivial as well. Given that the average annual growth rate of per capita GDP in countries with weak institutions is 3.03 percent (see Table 2), a one standard deviation increase in the generalized morality of a country correlates with an increase in average annual growth by 50 percent. Table 3. Regression analysis of average annual growth rates of per capita GDP between 1990 and 2010, showing effects of generalized morality, economic institutions and control variables Variables (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) Weak Institutions Strong Institutions Constant 6.66*** 4.96* 8.36*** 7.07*** 7.09** −13.85 12.57* (1.64) (2.68) (2.54) (3.09) (3.14) (10.18) (6.39) 1990 GDP per capita (log) −1.24*** −1.26*** −1.45*** −1.43*** −1.45*** −1.65*** −1.48*** (0.31) (0.33) (0.39) (0.37) (0.36) (0.40) (0.50) Average investment share 0.11*** 0.11*** 0.11*** 0.11*** 0.11** 0.16*** 0.03 (0.04) (0.04) (0.04) (0.04) (0.04) (0.05) (0.04) Adult literacy rate 0.05*** 0.05*** 0.05*** 0.05*** 0.05*** 0.06*** 0.03 (0.02) (0.02) (0.02) (0.02) (0.02) (0.02) (0.04) Generalized morality 0.20 0.13 0.14 2.50** −0.01 (0.36) (0.35) (0.33) (1.10) (0.68) Institutions 0.32 0.29 −0.77 −35.22** 2.38 (0.29) (0.27) (3.96) (16.12) (6.18) Generalized |
9年7月28日（満38歳没）/乳癌
2010年代
◆田中好子（元キャンディーズ）/2011年4月21日（満55歳没）/乳がん
◆坂口良子/2013年3月27日（満57歳没）/横行結腸癌
2013年3月27日 午前3時40分、横行結腸癌および肺炎のため死去。 同月中旬には『週刊女性』が坂口の重病説を報道、これに対して坂口は自身のブログで、 前年末から 腸閉塞・肺炎・インフルエンザに罹患し、点滴治療を受けるなどして静養中であると説明していた。 坂口良子 - Wikipedia
◆島倉千代子/2013年11月8日（満75歳没）/肝臓癌
◆やしきたかじん/2014年1月3日（満64歳没）/食道癌
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◆蟹江敬三/2014年3月30日（満69歳没）/胃がん
◆渡辺淳一/2014年4月30日（満80歳没）/前立腺癌
◆高倉健/2014年11月10日（満83歳没）/悪性リンパ腫
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◆菅原文太/2014年11月28日（満81歳没）/肝がん
◆石井光三/2015年1月6日（満83歳没）/肝内胆管がん
2012年 ごろ に肝内胆管がんと診断されて在宅医療を受けて闘病を続けていたが、2015年1月6日に東京都世田谷区内の自宅にて死去。
石井光三 - Wikipedia
◆和田光司/2016年4月3日（満42歳）/上咽頭がん
2016年4月 3日 早朝、上咽頭がんにより死去。42歳没。 和田光司 - Wikipedia
◆山本功児（プロ野球選手）/2016年4月23日（満64歳）/肝臓がん
◆松智洋/2016年5月2日（満43歳）/肝臓癌
◆水谷優子/2016年5月17日（満51歳）/乳癌
2016年5月17日 、乳癌のため死去。51歳没。 2年ほど前 に乳癌の摘出手術を受けており、『ちびまる子ちゃん』のアフレコも5月22日・29日放送分を収録した4月22日まで参加していたが、5月に入って入院していたという。 水谷優子 - Wikipedia
◆今坂勝広（ボートレーサー）/2016年5月21日（満40歳）/胃癌
それから1か月経過後の 2015年7月12日 、7月場所初日に「内臓疾患により3週間の加療入院」の診断書を提出し、同場所を全休した。翌9月場所初日の復帰時に、初期の膵臓癌が発覚し手術を受けたことを公表した。2016年7月31日午後4時頃、東京大学附属病院で死去。61歳没。 千代の富士貢 - Wikipedia
◆川島道行/2016年10月9日（満47歳）/脳腫瘍
2016年10月20日 午前7時16分、京都市内の病院で死去。53歳だった。 病名などの死因については当初は遺族の意向によって非公表となっていたが、その後親族からの発表にて 前年秋 から胆管細胞がんの闘病中であったことが明らかになった。
平尾誠二 - Wikipedia 午前7時16分、京都市内の病院で死去。53歳だった。 病名などの死因については当初は遺族の意向によって非公表となっていたが、その後親族からの発表にてから胆管細胞がんの闘病中であったことが明らかになった。
◆黒沢健一（Ｌ⇔Ｒ）/2016年12月5日（満48歳）/脳腫瘍
◆松方弘樹/2017年1月21日（満74歳）/脳リンパ腫
2016年 （平成28年） 2月23日 、脳腫瘍の可能性があり、長期療養のため出演予定だった、3月1日から6月8日までの『夢コンサート』を降板し、6月からの舞台『遠山の金さんと女ねずみ』を中止すると発表した。3月2日、検査の結果「脳リンパ腫」との確定診断を受けたことが発表された。手術はせず、抗がん剤の投薬治療を行う。
松方弘樹 - Wikipedia 2017年（平成29年）1月21日午前11時26分、脳リンパ腫により死去。74歳没。
◆時天空慶晃/2017年1月31日（満37歳）/悪性リンパ腫
◆かまやつひろし/2017年3月1日（満78歳）/膵臓癌
◆渡瀬恒彦/2017年3月14日（72歳没）/胆嚢癌
◆一色徳保（つばき）/2017年5月9日（37歳没）/脳腫瘍
◆野際陽子
◆つかじ俊/2017年9月25日（満27歳）/大腸癌
つかじ俊は
平成29年9月25日に安らかに旅立ちました。
生前、作品を愛して下さいました皆様
又、お世話になりました先生、出版関係の皆様には深く感謝申し上げます。 — つかじ俊 (@tukazitter) 2017年10月1日
◆星野仙一/2018年1月4日（満70歳）/膵臓癌
◆つかじ俊/2017年9月25日（満27歳）/大腸癌◆星野仙一/2018年1月4日（満70歳）/膵臓癌
2016年 7月 に急性膵炎を発症した際に膵臓癌が発覚したが、星野の意向で病については一切公にされなかった。2017年11月28日と12月1日には自身の「野球殿堂入りを祝う会」に出席していたが、その後体調が悪化し、年が明けた2018年1月4日午前5時25分に死去した。 星野仙一 - Wikipedia
◆いときん（ET-KING）
◆有賀さつき
◆中尾翔太（FANTASTICS）/2018年7月6日（満22歳）/胃がん
今年3月に胃がん治療に専念するため活動を休止していたEXILE TRIBEの9人組パフォーマー集団・FANTASTICSのメンバー・中尾翔太さんが6日、亡くなった。22歳。 オリコン
◆さくらももこ/2018年8月15日（満53歳）/乳がん
◆亜利弥（女子プロレスラー）/2018年8月27日（満45歳）/乳がん
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◆山本“KID”徳郁/2018年9月18日（満41歳）
◆志水正義/2018年9月27日（満60歳）/すい臓がん
◆角替和枝/2018年10月27日/原発不明がん
◇小倉智昭
◇梅宮辰夫
◇渡利璃穏（女子レスリング選手）
◇だいたひかる
◇赤松真人（広島東洋カープ）
◇大島康徳
◇藤山直美
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◇大久保佳代子
◇矢方美紀
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◇三遊亭 円楽（6代目）
◇Nosuke（ドラマー）
◇河村隆一
◇原口文仁（プロ野球選手）
◇野口五郎
◇池江璃花子（競泳選手）
◇堀ちえみLike it, love it or hate it, it's decision time concerning what to do with the Skyway's future. Here's 9 reasons why the Skyway should be converted into a lightweight streetcar.
The JTA is currently conducting a Survey in which the public is being asked to select 1 of 5 options for the Skyway's (downtown's elevated train) future:
1. Refurbish vehicles and keep running for 20 years, with no expansion.
2. Replace vehicles and run for another 25 to 40 years, with no expansion to the system.
3. Replace vehicles, run for another 25 to 40 years, and expand the system.
4. Stop operating and tear down
5. Stop operating and convert to elevated multi-use path.
The Skyway's elevated support structure is designed to accommodate the loaded weight of a three-car Bombardier Vehicle (2-car version shown above). The unloaded design weight of the three-car vehicle is 33,100 lbs. The crush (fully loaded) vehicle weight is 53,260 lbs. This vehicle operates on a concrete center beam guideway. The dead load of the concrete guideway, which would have to be removed to accommodate a streetcar, is not included in this analysis.
What most may not understand is that the first three options are based on the concept of the Skyway remaining an elevated Automated People Mover (APM) with limited expansion potential outside of the downtown district.
The problem here is that a 6th option should be under serious consideration. That option should be:
Identify and replace with vehicles that can utilize both the existing elevated Skyway infrastructure, while also having the ability to operate at-grade (on ground and in streets).
Sometimes we make decisions that are less rewarding, more complicated and significantly more expensive than they have to be. Here are 9 reasons why something that's been around since the 19th century should be seriously considered as a potential solution to the Skyway's clouded future.
1. Utilize Existing Infrastructure
It's been determined that the existing guideway structure is unlikely to support a heavier streetcar system. No need to debate this. There is a logical reason for this. The load rating of the Skyway's existing elevated structure was designed to accommodate vehicles with a crush weight of 53,260 lbs. The Brookville liberty modern streetcar, one of the lightest modern streetcars in production, has a crush weight of 83,960 lbs.
With that in mind, here are three heritage streetcar vehicles in operation across the country with crush weights similar to existing Skyway vehicles (click on links for streetcar specifications):
Peter Witt Trolley - Weight (approximate): 33,000 lbs.
A Peter Witt Trolley car on San Francisco's Market & Wharves line.
Melbourne Trolley - Weight (approximate): 40,000 lbs.
A reconditioned Melbourne Trolley by Gomaco Trolley Company.
Presidents' Conference Committee (PCC) Streetcar:35,000 - 42,000 lbs.
San Diego's Silver Line began operations on August 27, 2011. The downtown loop utilizes five vintage PCC streetcars.
The existing Skyway system cost $184 million to construct and includes a double tracked bridge over the St. Johns River, connecting the North and South banks. The elevated structure also allows for efficient and reliable transit movement throughout the downtown core, which is critical in attracting and retaining riders. This invested cost is an asset that should be kept. The heritage vehicles mentioned and shown above preserve this unique Downtown transit amenity.Boeing engineer encourages Spring Branch students to explore careers in science
Boeing Space Exploration mechanical engineer and Rice University outreach program co-founder Tony Castilleja Jr. spoke to students and parents in the Spring Branch Independent School District to encourage middle and high school students to help build the next-generation of spacecraft.Boeing Space Exploration mechanical engineer and Rice University outreach program co-founder Tony Castilleja Jr. spoke to students and parents in the Spring Branch Independent School District to encourage middle and high school students to help build the next-generation of spacecraft. less Boeing Space Exploration mechanical engineer and Rice University outreach program co-founder Tony Castilleja Jr. spoke to students and parents in the Spring Branch Independent School District to encourage... more Photo: Spring Branch ISD Photo: Spring Branch ISD Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Boeing engineer encourages Spring Branch students to explore careers in science 1 / 1 Back to Gallery
Boeing Space Exploration mechanical engineer and Rice University outreach program co-founder Tony Castilleja Jr. encouraged hundreds of middle and high school students to help build the next-generation of spacecraft during appearances at three SBISD schools and in a community presentation.
Castilleja spoke about his own life journey and his passion for science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) during three campus talks. He spoke to 400 students at Westchester Academy for International Studies, 250 more engineering program students at Memorial High School and 200 Landrum Middle School sixth-graders. An evening public talk was also held at Spring Woods High.
The Dec. 4 program was sponsored through the district's Jason Project, an ongoing project that supports STEM-based learning. Chevron awards grants for the Jason Project.
While visiting in SBISD, Castilleja met and shared with three SBISD students who have traveled overseas and studied with Jason Project ocean research scientists and explorers.
The three students, known as Jason Argonauts, include Fredy Corrales, a junior, and Chase Gonsoulin, a sophomore, both of whom attend Northbrook High School; and Allie Eggert, a junior at Memorial High. Another student, Paloma June, is a sophomore at Westchester Academy for International Studies.
Born in Brownsville, Castilleja graduated from Baytown Sterling High, and then earned bachelor's and master's degrees in mechanical engineering from Rice University.
He joined Boeing in 2006 as an intern. Today he works as a systems engineer for business development for Boeing Space Exploration, which is based in Houston.
Boeing Space Exploration is involved in developing and marketing next generation spacecraft that will help establish a safe, innovative and transformational system to support human space exploration beyond Earth's gravity.
Earlier, Castilleja was a team member of Boeing's Commercial Crew Development Rotation Program. The program supports Boeing's CST-100 spacecraft designed to function as as a reliable transport vehicle in ferrying of U.S. astronauts to and from the International Space Station.SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Johnny Cueto made his first Cactus League start Saturday at a sold-out Scottsdale Stadium that included someone special in his life.
His father, Domingo, saw him pitch in person for the first time in a big-league uniform.
“I think today was the first time,” said the younger Cueto, adding the only previous games were on television in the Dominican Republic.
The elder Cueto, 71, had a mini-stroke in the Dominican and spent 10 days in a hospital, prompting his son’s late spring training arrival. They’re staying together in Arizona and will stay together in San Francisco.
In fact, Johnny received some fatherly advice Friday on the eve of his debut.
“Last night, he was giving me a pep talk,” Cueto said. “It’s 11 o’clock, and he’s telling me, ‘You’ve got to go to sleep. You’ve got to go pitch tomorrow.’”
Cueto, who pitched two innings, seems to be leaning against playing in the later rounds of the World Baseball Classic. Not just because he hasn’t worked his pitch count up, but because of his father’s health.
“I need to pitch more,” Cueto said. “I don’t want to go to out there and make a fool out of myself or embarrass myself. When you go to a tournament like that, you want to make sure not only you have a lot of energy but your arm feels OK and you have all your pitches.
“I might not be ready. For as much as I’d like to represent my country, I also have to make sure I’m ready to go out there and pitch.
“There’s a lot of things to consider. My dad, I have to consider that, too.”
Manager Bruce Bochy seems fine with Cueto skipping the WBC.
“I would be concerned for him, to be honest, at this stage,” Bochy said. “He’s missing time. He’s not quite ready. To ramp it up that quick and pitch with that intensity, I think you’re asking for trouble.”
Cueto pitched two innings against the Reds. His first, he surrendered three hits including an RBI double to Adam Duvall, and picked off Tony Renda at first base.
His second inning was perfect.
“I felt good, but at the same time it’s been a while since I got up on the mound, so I felt a little bit awkward,” Cueto said.
As for the pickoff — an area in which he’s one of the best in the business — he said it’s not something he practices.
“I think it is just like a natural instinct,” Cueto said. “I was up there and something told me, ‘Just go to first,’ and I did.”
First baseman Michael Morse said, “I couldn’t believe how fast that was. The guy wasn’t even far off the bag. That was pretty awesome. To get a guy out after he got a hit, how huge is that for a pitcher?”
Cueto threw his fastball and changeup, not his curve or cutter.
Nor did he display his shimmy or back-to-the-batter windup.
“Not yet,” he said. “Soon.”
John Shea is The San Francisco Chronicle’s national baseball writer.
Giants 9, Reds 7
Diamondbacks 5, Giants 1
Notable: At Scottsdale Stadium, Michael Morse hit two homers against Cincinnati’s Scott Feldman, including one that cleared the batter’s eye — the gigantic green wall about 30 feet high in center field. “One of the hardest balls I’ve ever seen hit,” Bruce Bochy said. “That was a 3-wood off the deck. I mean, he smoked it.” Bochy said he’ll play Morse in left field soon.... Jae-gyun Hwang hit his third homer, Conor Gillaspie his second.... Third baseman Eduardo Nuñez, who opened camp with a sore shoulder, played his second game defensively and went 1-for-3.... In the battle for the final rotation spot, Matt Cain gave up four runs in his first inning against the Reds (Adam Duvall hit a two-run homer) and one in the next two. Against the Diamondbacks, Ty Blach gave up two runs on five hits in 22/3 innings.
Quotable: “The first inning didn’t look very good, but I wasn’t missing by much, and that’s a good thing. When you’re all over the place, you get worried about things. There are a lot of things I can build off.”
— Cain on his fourth outing of spring training. He has a 9.58 ERA.
Sunday’s game: Giants vs. Diamondbacks at Scottsdale Stadium, 1:05 p.m.
— John SheaThis article is part of the Energy.gov series highlighting the “Top Things You Didn’t Know About…” Be sure to check back for more entries soon.
10. What are critical materials? Many clean energy technologies -- from wind turbines and energy-efficient lighting to electric vehicles and thin-film solar cells -- use materials with magnetic, catalytic and luminescent properties. These materials -- classified as critical by the Energy Department -- are essential to the clean energy economy (they have high demand and limited substitutes) and are at risk for supply disruptions.
9. Basic availability is not the only factor affecting a critical material’s overall supply risk. Other factors include political or regulatory risks in countries that are major producers of critical materials; lack of diversity in producers; and a competing technology demand -- many consumer electronics like mobile phones, computers and TVs use materials essential to clean energy technologies.
8. Critical materials include five rare earth elements -- dysprosium, terbium, europium, neodymium and yttrium. Other elements -- lithium and tellurium -- are projected by the Department to be “near critical” in the next 15 years.
7. In 1787, a Swedish chemist discovered a black mineral he named ytterbite after Ytterby, a village in Sweden. In 1794, a Finnish chemist isolated the first rare earth element -- yttrium -- from ytterbite.
6. Did you know rare earths are not really rare? More abundant than gold, rare earth elements can be found in mineral deposits widely distributed across the earth, including the United States, Canada and Australia. This map shows rare earth deposits around the world.
5. In total, there are 17 rare earth elements, which are highly dispersed in the earth’s geology. Their chemical similarities make them very difficult to economically recover and separate from each other.
4. Magnets that use the critical material neodymium are the most powerful known permanent magnets. These magnets are about 10 times more powerful than your average refrigerator magnet, and are used in some wind turbine generators and electric vehicle motors.
3. Dysprosium is used in permanent magnets -- adding a small percentage of dysprosium to a magnet made using the rare earth element neodymium can increase the magnet's ability to withstand high temperatures and helps reduce demagnetization.
2. The critical materials europium, terbium, and yttrium are used in fluorescent lights as well as flat screen TVs and computer screens. Those elements are responsible for the red, blue and green colors.
1. Recycling, reuse and more efficient use of critical materials could significantly lower world demand for newly extracted materials. Currently, only 1 percent of critical materials are recycled at the end of a product’s life. Among other things, the new Critical Materials Hub will focus on developing more feasible recycling processes.‘Icardi could stay at Inter forever’
By Football Italia staff
Mauro Icardi’s wife and agent, Wanda, says the striker could remain as Inter captain for the rest of his career.
The Argentinian international has six goals in six Serie A games this season, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll be leaving the club if a big offer comes in.
“Could Icardi remain as Inter captain forever?” Wanda considered, speaking at the launch of her new book.
“I’m an Interista, so I hope so. I hope Mauro will stay, he only has one thing on his mind. He’s stubborn, and he’ll achieve his dreams. He’s always said he wants to win with Inter.
“Is the dream the treble? We hope so, yes. When Inter lose Mauro doesn’t talk to me for half a day - sometimes more!”Fed Cites Global Concerns In Vote To Leave Interest Rates Unchanged
Citing concerns about developments overseas, the Federal Reserve voted to leave interest rates unchanged Thursday. Many had expected the Fed to raise the federal funds rate by a quarter-point.
AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:
A much anticipated Federal Reserve meeting ended today with the decision to leave interest rates unchanged. The Fed has kept short-term rates near zero for more than six years. Many people in the markets thought that era might end today. But as NPR's John Ydstie reports, developments in the global economy convinced Fed policymakers to hold off.
JOHN YDSTIE, BYLINE: Many forecasters had pointed to U.S. job growth that's averaged over 200,000-a-month for years and an unemployment rate close to 5 percent to make the case that the Fed should begin raising interest rates. But in the end, Fed officials looked beyond U.S. borders to make their decision. In a news conference, Fed Chair Janet Yellen said a continued slowdown in growth in China and other developing countries convinced Fed officials they should wait.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
JANET YELLEN: In light of the developments that we have seen and the impacts on financial markets, we want to take a little bit more time to evaluate the likely impacts on the United States.
YDSTIE: One of the biggest concerns for Fed officials is that those developments in foreign economies are pushing down inflation, which is already lower than the Fed believes is good for economic growth.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
YELLEN: We're, after all, way below our inflation target. But an important reason for that is that declines in import prices reflecting the appreciation of the dollar and declines in energy prices are holding down inflation well below our target and well below core inflation.
YDSTIE: Yellen said one important remedy for lower inflation is a tighter labor market with more people working and employers pushing up wages as they compete for workers.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
YELLEN: A tighter labor market, a labor market moving toward full unemployment, is one that historically has generated upward pressure on inflation.
YDSTIE: Yellen said the current low labor force participation rate means there are still lots of people on the sideline who would like to work. She said that probably means the current unemployment rate of 5.1 percent understates the real level of unemployment.
Yellen was also asked about one criticism from those who believe the Fed should be raising rates now. The critics argue low rates have benefited the wealthy by pushing stock prices higher and increased income inequality. She said she disagrees.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
YELLEN: To me, the main thing that an accommodative monetary policy does is put people back to work.
YDSTIE: And she said since unemployment is concentrated among the lowest-earning workers, putting people back to work is a force for reducing inequality.
Yellen was also asked whether a looming government shutdown that could come if Congress doesn't pass a budget by the end of the month had anything to do with the decision by Fed officials to hold off on a rate hike.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
YELLEN: It played absolutely no role in our decision. I believe it's the responsibility of Congress to pass a budget, to fund the government, to deal with the debt ceiling so that America pays its bills. We have a good recovery in place that's really making progress, and to see Congress take actions that would endanger that progress, I think that would be more than unfortunate.
YDSTIE: The stock market reacted positively immediately after the Fed said it would not raise rates but lost ground later in the day. The major index has ended mixed. Interest rates fell. John Ydstie, NPR News, Washington.
Copyright © 2015 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by Verb8tm, Inc., an NPR contractor, and produced using a proprietary transcription process developed with NPR. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.A student has taken advantage of the opportunity afforded by University of Michigan's new pronoun policy, which allows students to list their chosen pronouns on the official bios that are sent out to their teachers.
The student, Grant Stroble, has listed his pronoun as "His Majesty."
He is stunning and brave. Applaud his courage. Weep openly, if you must.
Are you finished? Still reading? It's quite a moving story, I know.
Stroble's heroism will no doubt be celebrated by the university, which recently gave students the option of selecting their own pronouns in order to foster "an environment of inclusiveness." According to the university:
Students can designate pronouns in Wolverine Access through the new Gender Identity tab within the Campus Personal Information section. This page can be used to enter, update or delete pronoun information. Designated pronouns will automatically populate on all class rosters accessed through Wolverine Access. Rosters pulled from other systems will not have designated pronouns listed. If a student does not designate a pronoun, none will be listed.
In other words, when professors receive the list of students enrolled in their classes, there will be a designated pronoun next to their names. Strobles's is "His Majesty."
Stroble—a conservative student and member of Young Americans for Freedom's Board of Governors—told The College Fix that he has no problem with students asking to be identified in the manner that makes them most comfortable. But he found the university's new policy to be absurd:
In an interview with The College Fix, Strobl said that "I have no problem with students asking to be identified a certain way, almost like someone named Richard who would like to be called Dick. It is respectful to make a reasonable effort to refer to students in the way that they prefer." However, he added that he does have a problem when the university institutionalizes the use of pronouns that are completely arbitrary and may possibly sanction people for referring to someone different than their preference. Strobl continued, "So, I henceforth shall be referred to as: His Majesty, Grant Strobl. I encourage all U-M students to go onto Wolverine Access, and insert the identity of their dreams."
If this isn't the feel-good story of the year, I don't know what is.Transcriber a tool for segmenting, labeling and transcribing speech
Presentation
Transcriber is a tool for assisting the manual annotation of speech signals. It provides a user-friendly graphical user interface for segmenting long duration speech recordings, transcribing them, and labeling speech turns, topic changes and acoustic conditions. It is more specifically designed for the annotation of broadcast news recordings, for creating corpora used in the development of automatic broadcast news transcription systems, but its features might be found useful in other areas of speech research.
Transcriber is developed with the scripting language Tcl/Tk and C extensions. It relies on the Snack sound extension, which allows support for most common audio formats, and on the tcLex lexer generator.
Transcriber is distributed as a free software under GNU General Public License. and has been built to support different platforms ( Windows XP/2k, Mac OS X and various Linux ).
Transcriber - Copyright (C) 1998-2008, DGA
http://trans.sourceforge.net/
Authors:
Karim Boudahmane, DGA/CEP
Mathieu Manta, DGA/CEP
Fabien Antoine, DGA/CEP
Sylvain Galliano, DGA/CEP
Claude Barras, CNRS/LIMSI
Coordinators:
Edouard Geoffrois, DGA/CEP/GIP
Mark Liberman & Zhibiao Wu, LDCSupporters of Senator Obama have every right to be upset at the guilt by association game being played by the hockey mom and that little guy she’s running with for president. Though there is no reason to get overly angry and certainly no reason to panic. Obama isn’t in a panic he’s taking McCain on the facts. Obama’s relationship to Bill Ayers is about the same as the one average Americans have with a fellow employee they know by name, but talk to for two minutes a year at the office holiday party. McCain-Palin want to play that game and declare that you are who you hang out with, then they are the ones that have some explaining to do. Despite attacks on media by McCain campaign, case studies show disparate coverage in McCain’s favor
….since The New York Times first reported on April 22 that McCain facilitated land deals that benefited major donors, these media outlets have mentioned those deals in only six additional reports, but news reports and editorial and opinion pieces by or in those media outlets have mentioned Obama’s ties to Rezko — who was convicted in June in a case in which Obama was never accused of any wrongdoing — 44 times during that same time period. Moreover, while these same media outlets have frequently mentioned Obama’s ties to Ayers — 69 mentions so far in 2008 — they have yet to mention McCain’s connections to Liddy, whom McCain has praised and repeatedly associated with in public and in campaign settings. In addition to serving more than four years in prison for his role in the Watergate break-in and the Daniel Ellsberg case, Liddy also admitted that he plotted to murder journalist Jack Anderson; plotted to murder fellow Republican operative E. Howard Hunt; and plotted to firebomb the Brookings Institution. Liddy also reportedly gave advice on how to shoot agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and reportedly admitted to naming shooting targets after the Clintons.
Liddy has been a McCain supporter for years and given money to the McCain campaign this year. Its almost laughable that Obama having repeatedly and publicaly condemned Bill Ayers, would let Ayers have any influence in his administration. Liddy on the other hand has a large media soapbox, enjoys influence as part of the Rightie noise machine and has made numerous inflammatory remarks about Obama while extolling the virtues of John McCain. Liddy and his followers have political influence, they are McCain and Palin’s base. Ayers is a marginal figure, even as the right-wing smear meisters try to blow him up larger then life. McCain has been associated with Phil Gramm for years and despite ‘officially” removing Gramm from his campaign is still rumored to be McCain top choice for Treasury Secretary. That would be the same Phil Gramm that is responsible for terrorizing America’s working class, McCain Defends ‘Enron Loophole’
Then, over the next year, Enron – with Gramm’s wife Wendy serving on its board of directors – worked to create false electricity shortages in California, bilking consumers out of an estimated $40 billion. [ ]..Gramm received more than $34,000 in campaign contributions from Enron and served as one of the company’s key legislative allies in Washington, including his help in 2000 removing federal oversight from energy trades on electronic platforms. also see Foreclosure Phil Who’s to blame for the biggest financial catastrophe of our time? There are plenty of culprits, but one candidate for lead perp is former Sen. Phil Gramm. Eight years ago, as part of a decades-long anti-regulatory crusade, Gramm pulled a sly legislative maneuver that greased the way to the multibillion-dollar subprime meltdown. [ ]..As Congress and the White House were hurriedly hammering out a $384-billion omnibus spending bill, Gramm slipped in a 262-page measure called the Commodity Futures Modernization Act. Written with the help of financial industry lobbyists and cosponsored by Senator Richard Lugar (R-Ind.), the chairman of the agriculture committee, the measure had been considered dead—even by Gramm. Few lawmakers had either the opportunity or inclination to read the version of the bill Gramm inserted. “Nobody in either chamber had any knowledge of what was going on or what was in it,” says a congressional aide familiar with the bill’s history. [ ]…But the Enron loophole was small potatoes compared to the devastation that unregulated swaps would unleash. Credit default swaps are essentially insurance policies covering the losses on securities in the event of a default. Financial institutions buy them to protect themselves if an investment they hold goes south. It’s like bookies trading bets, with banks and hedge funds gambling on whether an investment (say, a pile of subprime mortgages bundled into a security) will succeed or fail. Because of the swap-related provisions of Gramm’s bill—which were supported by Fed chairman Alan Greenspan and Treasury secretary Larry Summers—a $62 trillion market (nearly four times the size of the entire US stock market) remained utterly unregulated, meaning no one made sure the banks and hedge funds had the assets to cover the losses they guaranteed.
Obama has a nonassociation with a guy that committed his crimes when Obama was eight. McCain has on going relationships with people that are have committed crimes and passed legislation that every day working Americans will be paying for the foreseeable future. In fact McCain has an ongoing relationship with a rogues gallery of America’s most corrupt lobbyists, No Reformer – McCain Puts 170+ Lobbyists First While Americans Struggle (PDF file)
McCain campaign chairman Charlie Black has lobbied for corrupt dictators, despots, and corporations accused of mass murder over the course of a lobbying career that has spanned more than 30 years and seen Black pass through K St.’s revolving door to Republican presidential campaigns seven times. Black lobbied for US aid on behalf of foreign regimes notorious for human rights abuses, including Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos, Nigeria General Ibrahim Babangida, Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre, and Mobutu Sese Seko of Zaire, whose government was cited in a congressional report as guilty of numerous “incidents of banishment, torture and detention without charge or trial.” Black earned more than $1.8 million lobbying for Occidental Petroleum, accused of complicity in mass murder in Colombia. Not only has Black assisted regimes and corporations that commit crimes against citizens of other nations, Black has lobb |
that the State Department’s ethics official would be notified and given a chance to raise any concerns.
Clinton Foundation officials last month declined to confirm the Qatar donation. In response to additional questions, a foundation spokesman, Brian Cookstra, this week said that it accepted the $1 million gift from Qatar, but this did not amount to a “material increase” in the Gulf country’s support for the charity. Cookstra declined to say whether Qatari officials received their requested meeting with Bill Clinton.
Read the rest of the story at Reuters.com.In one of the few, delightful acts of game marketing in some time, you can now make propaganda for your XCOM 2: War of the Chosen campaign using Propaganda Center, a free program on Steam. It isn't exactly Photoshop, but the posters you create appear in-game, letting you lionize heroes, ridicule Advent, or simply spread memes across alien-occupied Earth.
In the day that this tool has been available, XCOM players, including ourselves, have created some variously effective, funny, and inspiring indoctrination material. Here's the best stuff we've found on /r/XCOM, Twitter, and elsewhere:
A bunch of Starship Troopers posters have popped up, but I love the perspective on this one by NeuroticNyx.
An MIT grad with experience in theoretical physics and exobiological combat. Where you at, Gordon? (One of mine.)
I love this series of portraits by hydrostatic_shock, who uses the filter tool to great effect to showcase his squad. Click for the full gallery.
SayuriUliana flips the propaganda center on its head by creating some mildly upsetting pro-Advent material.
Minimal and inspiring, Redditor nalerenn is basically the Don Draper of XCOM.
You know, if one of my 86 percent-to-hit rockets missed and slammed into this instead, I wouldn't even be mad.
Simple character propaganda with a good tagline. Nice one, deiah.
In this time of global war and occupation, where pornography is likely banned, PCG editor Bo Moore fans the flames of dissent.
Wolverine and Rita "The Angel of Verdun" Vratski are here to remind you that swords are sharp, and they don't require bullets.
Canadians get the job done.
This TF2 tribute could use a Spy, but at least it doesn't miss the opportunity to throw shade on BLU.
"Sometimes you need to appeal to the basic instincts," writes Redditor iR0cket.
Safety reminders are valuable in this time of conflict. Thanks, HeavyRedditGuy.
You're either with us or you're against us.
Some more Nexus Force posters made with the XCOM 2 Propaganda Center! It's definitely a fun little app to use, and it's free too! pic.twitter.com/ptLI9Uxoo4August 16, 2017
I'm pretty happy with this one. @SolomonJake @JWeinhoffer #XCOM2 pic.twitter.com/UKVyP49QrPAugust 15, 2017TORONTO — Former federal finance minister Joe Oliver has lost his bid to become a Progressive Conservative candidate in the next Ontario election — one of several former Tory MPs to be passed over by local party members.
Oliver was one of several former Conservative MPs who were defeated in 2015 and have been trying to secure provincial nominations, attempting to hitch their wagons to a party doing well in the polls, and one that is helmed by their former caucus colleague.
Though some have won their races, several high-profile Conservatives have not. Oliver, the former MP for Eglinton-Lawrence, was vying to become the PC candidate for York Centre ahead of the June 2018 Ontario election, but was defeated Sunday by lawyer Roman Baber.
Though his victory may have surprised political observers, Baber suggested it didn’t come as a huge shock to himself.
“I think it was generally known that we’ve been working very hard at this and made significant outreach efforts around York Centre, so we’re happy those efforts paid off,” he said.
Baber said before the nomination race the riding association had only about 100 members, and his campaign signed up 1,314 new members. He was told Oliver’s campaign signed up roughly 550 new members. Oliver did not respond to an interview request through a spokeswoman.
Baber said he employed the tactics that the party leader has espoused.
“I subscribe to Patrick Brown’s message that it’s incumbent on us to expand the Conservative base and welcome new Conservative voters to the party,” he said. “I modelled my campaign after that premise and reached out to the Filipino, the Russian, the Vietnamese, Tamil and Lebanese communities. Second of all, we made sure that no stone was unturned in terms of organization and thankfully were able to bring a good ground game to get us to win.”
Conservative strategist Will Stewart said Oliver’s loss shows that the nomination process is truly an open one, but that also means the party leader doesn’t necessarily end up with the team he wants.
“That is the risk, that you get people who are extremely good local organizers, but may not have the name recognition that will help convince voters that the Progressive Conservatives have a big team to govern with a lot of experience,” he said.
There has been grumbling about the nomination process in other ridings over the past few months, with some disqualified candidates saying they were treated unfairly.
Ex-Conservative MP Bob Dechert recently withdrew from his bid to be the Mississauga Erin-Mills candidate, complaining to the Toronto Sun about the nomination process. Reportedly among his concerns was the sale of new memberships, describing them to the Sun as “bogus and fraudulent instant members.” Media outlet iPolitics reported that Dechert was unlikely to win, having sold just 80 of the 2,100 memberships.
Another former Tory MP, and current president of the Ontario PC Party, Rick Dykstra, also failed to secure a nomination in the riding of Niagara West-Glanbrook, losing to a 19 year old who also won the riding in a byelection in November.
The same tactics Baber described helped Brown — who served as an MP in Stephen Harper’s government for nine years — to win the leadership in 2015 over Christine Elliott, who was seen as the establishment candidate, Stewart said.
“Good old-fashioned hustle actually makes a difference in a competitive situation,” he said. “Without casting aspersions on Dykstra or on Oliver, sometimes when you’ve been in politics a long time you tend to rest on your laurels a little bit more than a younger, hungrier person that is trying to break in.”
Former Conservative MPs Paul Calandra and Daryl Kramp both won their nomination battles.The transfer window has slammed shut and Arsenal have managed to sneak in a deal for Peter Crouch lookalike aka Spain international Nacho Monreal to the delight of some supporters. To the chagrin of others it seems that one was not enough and whilst I agree that the team needs further strengthening I have woken today with a renewed positivity.
I feel I have always been good at looking at the positive side of things, especially when it comes to Arsenal, whilst maintaining a reasonable degree of balance. I have never identified with any group or acronym that exist nor will I probably ever. I am an Arsenal supporter and my opinions are my own and not defined by others and I’d like to think the majority of Arsenal supporters would see themselves the same way.
I think we have the makings of a special team. The current squad I think are good enough to make the Champions League spots and good enough to win the FA Cup too but probably a few players away from title winners. The players that will “complete” our squad will hopefully arrive in the summer and I’m quite confident that hopefully is actually certainly.
Arsène said that he almost signed one more player and I wouldn’t want to speculate who but I think it would have been a big money move.
We were close to one more signature, it did not happen because of the desire of the clubs to sell or not sell. It is only linked with that. Arsène Wenger – 01/02/2013
The signing he did make I feel has really added to our squad despite being told yesterday that Monreal lacking a YouTube video means he is a bad player!!
I must admit that I haven’t seen much of Monreal but what I have seen I have been impressed with. I’ve watched Malaga this season because I heard we were scouting Isco but maybe it was really Monreal we were scouting… or both. Monreal looks reasonably solid as far as attacking full-backs go and his crossing ability is excellent so I’m banking on a few assists for Giroud and a quick adaptation period.
I think it’s fair in saying that collectively Gooners were hoping for a goalkeeper, a centre-back, a left-back, a defensive midfielder and a striker. We got the left-back and I’m sure we were trying hard for the others.
It’s not easy to buy a player in any window but it is especially hard in January. The teams you are buying from have a better idea of what their realistic target is for the season, for example ours was to win the league and now it is to finish in the top four. We can argue all day long about what our ambition was at the start of the season but I don’t think for one second it wasn’t to win the league. Our main ambition every season is to win the league; finishing in the top four is our minimum goal. So, the selling team know what their target is so selling a player could damage that so they’ll need a good reason to sell such as needing the money (Malaga) or the offer is too good to turn down (Anzhi for Samba) and they’ll need to be able to find a replacement or have the depth to cope without a replacement.
The sort of player I think we, the supporters, want Arsenal to buy are not the sorts of players that are easily replaced. The sorts of players that are available, the likes of which QPR and Newcastle signed, are not at the level of the players we want/need. I hear a lot about our squad not being top 3 quality etc yet only Ba has been signed by a top 3 club and that was only because he offers something different to what they have already.
If we signed Ba, as Wenger has said, we would just be signing another Giroud and based on contribution this season and factoring in experience of the league I think we have the better or at least more effective player.
I’m all for competition for spaces and strength in numbers but I am often told that we need to have different options to combat different opposition. So if we had Ba and Giroud we’d have two players competing for the same spot to offer similar styles in a finite number of games that will play to those strengths. Where does the run of games come to gain consistency? I’m not anti-Ba but I can see valid reasons for not buying him.
We’ve had a whole month to do business and some may think we didn’t try hard enough but I disagree. It’s not easy to do business in January and especially not if you are a top team or challenging for a top four spot. Who did City sign? Chelsea signed Ba but they sold Sturridge, they had two strikers and they still have two strikers. United signed Zaha but he won’t play for them this season so that doesn’t really count. Spurs signed Holtby but that was because Sandro is out for a few months otherwise he’d be signed in the summer. Arsenal signed Monreal early for similar reasons. Everton signed a young defender, John Stones, from Barnsley. Where is the top top quality? Where is the superstar?
Arsenal have worked incredibly hard I feel since the departure of Cesc to tie down important players to long-term contracts where possible and sign talented and experienced players.
We now have a team full of players on long-term contracts and going into the summer we only have one player of real significance entering his last year and that is Sagna and even then I could argue that despite his run of games he’s not really our no.1 right-back any more. Or least hasn’t been performance wise.
We probably could have done with another keeper because it seems that Szczesny is a little comfortable and lacks a challenger to his spot. We probably could have done with another striker to offer competition for places and a different option to Giroud but where was the quality? That said, I think we have an option, made possible by the signing of Monreal.
With Monreal and Vermaelen probably taking the left-back spot until Gibbs is fit enough to fight it out with Monreal I think we could push Santos higher up the pitch. His defending at times can be abysmal but he is not a fundamentally bad player. His attacking instincts are excellent and his defending in one-on-one’s is adequate when he concentrates. He has had some blinding games, or halves of games (Chelsea 5-3) and could be an asset to the club in an advanced position.
Other bloggers have written about it in more depth than I will but Santos could play the left-sided role, as backup, allowing Podolski to have a rest or potentially play more games through the middle. The signing of Monreal offers us better rotation in defence and attack and potentially more options through the middle.
We also could have had bought a centre-back but apart from depth I’m not so sure we need one. Vermaelen is getting back to his best after a rough start to the season but even with players out of form our defence has been much improved. Yes we are still conceding goals but we also still have the joint 4th best defence in the league. We can look at statistics all day long but the only one that truly counts in the goals conceded stat.
Mertesacker, Vermaelen, Koscielny, Gibbs and Sagna have all taken their share of flack this season but I still don’t think we have a bad defence. For me, not one of those players mentioned isn’t good enough for Arsenal. They are all very good defenders, each with their own strengths and each with their own weakness. Can they be blamed for other teams exploiting that effectively? Is any defender infallible?
Oddly enough, I don’t think another team has exploited individual weaknesses that much. I’m struggling to think of a time this season that Arsenal have conceded a good goal. As a unit they’ve played well but individual errors or a string of separate individual errors or sheer bad luck has been the cause of most goals conceded I feel.
Take Liverpool for example. The first goal was a slip, a horrendous mis-kick and then an unlucky deflection off of Ramsey that he had no chance of controlling. Who got the blame? Going by my timeline on Twitter it was 70% Ramsey’s fault (what isn’t?) and 30% Mertesacker’s fault. Sagna slipped, the ball was passed behind Mertesacker before he could get to the ball (even Theo wouldn’t have got to it) and Vermaelen mis-kicked it and it’s Per’s fault? Come off it.
The second goal started in midfield with too much space and not enough tracking of men and then it was poor defending by one player and another unlucky deflection off Ramsey into the path of Henderson. It was calamitous but credit should go to Henderson for persisting.
If we can cut out or reduce the individual errors then our defence is good enough. Sure we could still do with another centre-back but I’m not so sure we could have bought one in January. If we did they would have to be a superstar and as we’ve established it’s not easy to buy those in January or they would be backup. We could have bought back up but we have three good centre-backs competing for one spot and maybe Wenger doesn’t want more backup, maybe he wants someone of top quality. Squillaci hasn’t had a sniff this season and we haven’t heard from Miquel in literally a year (last mention of his first team exploits in an Arsenal.com article). Koscielny was probably our best defender last year and he’s hardly getting a look in. Why pay for something of similar or lesser quality than Koscielny to sit on the bench when you can wait for the summer and buy someone of better quality?
Wenger said a while back that we have two players for every position and I think in a sense he is right. We have enough bodies to put out two teams and overall I think we have enough quality in both XI’s to achieve fourth spot and the FA Cup.
We have quality and competition for places in all positions, or enough to see us through until June.
Arsenal have worked hard to reduce the squad size so we have quality over quantity and are setting us up so next season we finally have both.
For years we have been “a few players away” from winning the title and every time we have come close we’ve seen a player force their way out or refuse to sign a new contract and it has pegged us back. What is now some of our first choice quality could become our competition and backup to even more quality with summer signings. An experienced goalkeeper, a centre-back and a striker will complete our team but they have to be the right players and if that means waiting for the summer then so be it.
Next season will finally be different. We no longer have a need to sell. We have money in the bank. Our best players are on long-term contracts and none of our players have Barca-DNA or little boys inside them.
As long as we make the right signings and a good starting base we’ll do great things and it starts with getting behind the team as my friend Adi over at Positively Arsenal says.
Stay positive.
Thanks for reading! Please comment on this post, subscribe by email, share with friends and follow me on twitter (@thedanielcowan).
Advertise your business here! Click here for details.What was mispronounced? Optional: help us by adding the time
The price of oil
Demand for Opec crude
Opec: Organisational structure
Iraq: Conflict clouds the next decade of production
At a private dinner early in November a group of executives from one of the world’s largest commodity traders was asked to predict the price of oil in a year’s time. Without exception the forecasts, scribbled on place cards without consultation, were for Brent crude to fall well below the $100 a barrel level it has traded above for most of the past three years.
Those predictions reflect a growing consensus in the oil market. From US shale to an easing of sanctions on Iran, the coming years are expected to provide a huge boost to global output, inverting the structure of the oil market in which supplies have long been rationed by a handful of producers.
That is a concern for the Opec group of oil producers as its ministers prepare to meet in Vienna this week. The cartel of Middle Eastern, Latin American and African producers has had a strong run as prices have stayed high, allowing some members to pump as much oil as they can.
But many forecasters expect Opec to cut its production next year as supply rises from the US, Canada, Kazakhstan and other countries outside the cartel.
“Opec is still crucial to the market because of its ability to curtail production. The question is whether any member apart from Saudi Arabia is prepared to do that in the future in response to changing market conditions,” says Jason Bordoff, director of the Columbia University Center on Global Energy Policy, until recently an Obama administration official.
Talk of an oil supply revolution begins in the US. America is producing more crude than it is importing for the first time since the 1990s. Within a few years it is expected to be the world’s largest oil producer.
The country may also be weaning itself off its addiction to oil. This year consumption of petroleum products is running 10 per cent below its 2005 peak, while cheap and abundant shale gas is finding its way into train and truck engines, making inroads into oil’s monopoly as a transport fuel.
So far this has had little impact on oil prices, as civil war in Libya and sanctions against Iran have offset US production growth. Brent has averaged around $108.50 a barrel this year and Saudi Arabia has had to produce at record levels of more than 10m barrels per day. Output from other Gulf states, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates, is also close to, or at, record levels.
US imports from the Middle East have held up remarkably well, too, as sophisticated Texan refineries continue to rely on the region’s heavier crudes. But the US transformation has not gone unnoticed in the Gulf, particularly in Riyadh.
“The US is saying it will be the largest producer in the world, that it will become energy independent and that the world will depend less on imported oil. All of these messages are disturbing,” says Mohammad Al Sabban, a senior adviser to the Saudi oil minister from 1986 until last year.
Saudi observers are not worried so much by growing US production as by what they perceive to be a change in strategy by their oldest ally.
The deal with Iran on its nuclear programme last week and the US retreat from air strikes against Syria make Sunni Gulf monarchies nervous that the US is cosying up to their Shia rivals in the region. Industry officials past and present in the country are drawing a direct link between American foreign policy and the oil market.
“There is a clear perception that there is a lack of strategy and lack of thinking in major countries in the west, in particular the US,” says Sadad Al-Husseini, the former head of exploration at Aramco, the Saudi state oil company, who now runs a consultancy.
“They don’t appear to know what they want to do in foreign policy, or in economic policy, and that creates uncertainty for oil producers.”
Uncertainty about demand is reflected in investment decisions. Earlier this year Saudi Arabia said it no longer planned to increase oil capacity beyond its current level of around 12.5m b/d before 2040 because of the growth in supplies elsewhere.
The UAE has reportedly pushed back its target for increasing production capacity to 3.5m b/d from 2017 to 2020. In Kuwait the government is struggling against parliament to justify further investment in spare capacity.
Gulf states are certainly still spending – Saudi Arabia ploughed $17bn into developing the Manifa field, which started production this year. Output there is expected to reach 900,000 b/d, equal to current production in the Bakken or Eagle Ford shale formations, the leaders of the US shale revolution.
But investment is increasingly aimed at replacing declining production from mature fields, rather than increasing capacity.
“The cost of investing in spare capacity is very high, and I tell you there is huge pressure from the populations of the Gulf to allocate investment to something else,” says Mr Al Sabban.
But Gulf officials scoff at the idea that a growing diversity of supply poses a wider threat to demand for their crude.
Surging US oil production has obscured disappointing output in a number of other countries outside Opec, which were expected to emerge as counterweights to the cartel.
In Brazil, ultra-deepwater discoveries in 2007 and 2008 were meant to propel the country into the top ranks of oil producers. Instead output declined in 2012 and the International Energy Agency expects it to fall again this year as Petrobras, the state oil company, struggles to extract oil from beneath 4km of water, rock and salt.
In Kazakhstan the enormous Kashagan oilfield continues to bamboozle the combined talents of ExxonMobil, ENI, Royal Dutch Shell and Total with its leaks of deadly hydrogen sulphide gas and ice packs. After a decade of delays and $50bn of investment, production finally began in September only to be halted within weeks by another technical fault.
…
In each of the past three years the IEA, which formulates energy policy for industrialised countries, has underestimated demand for Opec crude at the start of the year. Now it is tempering its optimism on non-Opec supply growth.
At the release of its annual report on global energy markets last month, the Paris-based organisation characterised shale as merely a brief interregnum within the otherwise steady control of Opec over the oil market.
“I am really worried that we are giving the wrong signals to the Middle East, which may end up with us not having investment in a timely manner,” said Fatih Birol, the IEA’s chief economist. “The wait and see behaviour is definitely not in the interest of consumers or global oil markets because it may mean significantly higher prices in the future.”
The IEA expects US production of light, tight oil – the IEA’s term for shale oil – to peak in 2020 and decline thereafter. Outside the US, the IEA expects light tight oil production to contribute only 1.5m b/d of supplies by 2035 as countries such as Russia and China make limited progress toward unlocking their shale reserves.
Then there is cost of production. Even when it is produced on time and on budget, unconventional oil is expensive. The IEA estimates the cost of ultra-deepwater production at up to $100 a barrel compared with a maximum of just over $20 a barrel for conventional output in the Middle East. That means if oil does fall below $100 for a prolonged period, high-cost production from Canada’s oil sands to US shale fields might have to be halted, allowing prices to recover.
Perhaps the greatest threat to Opec – apart from an emerging markets crisis or a sharp slowdown in Chinese economic growth – comes from within: the potential for much cheaper oil to be produced by its own members.
A comprehensive deal on the Iranian nuclear programme could see Tehran increase production by 1m b/d within months. Iraq aims to increase production by about 500,000 b/d next year to 3.5m b/d as it continues to rebuild its oil industry following the US-led invasion.
Long shut out of the market by sanctions and war, Iran and Iraq are unlikely to heed the cartel’s production target of 30m b/d as they seek to regain market share.
Ed Morse, a veteran analyst at Citi, argues Opec will be forced to confront increasing production from within its ranks next year as growing US output erodes demand for Opec crude. He also thinks most forecasters are underestimating the potential for the US shale boom to be replicated in other countries, posing further long-term challenges to the cartel.
Others go further. “The time for Opec has passed,” says Fereidun Fesharaki, chairman of Facts Global Energy, a consultancy. “We are entering a new world with plenty of hydrocarbons and a diversity of supply. The direction is clear, it is just a matter of time.”
…
As prices have held steady above $100 a barrel, Opec has allowed its organisational structure to atrophy, raising questions over whether it can now impose discipline if required.
Opec stopped publishing individual country quotas five years ago. Since 2011 Saudi Arabia has largely ignored the group production target, instead tailoring output to customer demand. Every other member pumps as much oil as it can to take advantage of high prices.
“If Opec falls apart, it will be because the organisation lacks the ability to resist internal production growth, rather than US shale,” says Amrita Sen, head of the Energy Aspects consultancy.
As a rule Opec prefers to wait for shifts in supply or demand to filter through to oil prices before acting to raise or curb output.
The organisation is highly unlikely to confront production growth head on at this week’s meeting either. Iran and Iraq may create headlines with promises to step up production and insinuations of a price war with Saudi Arabia for market share.
But Ali Naimi, the Saudi oil minister, and Abdalla El-Badri, the Opec secretary-general, are likely to shrug their shoulders and counsel patience.
Should the anticipated supply surge materialise, the resulting fall in price would also increase the incentive for members to agree on production cuts.
During the financial crisis in 2008 Opec agreed to across-the-board cuts as Brent prices dropped by 75 per cent. The Asian financial crisis of the late 1990s provides a less promising precedent. Opec did eventually cut production but only after Brent fell to $9 a barrel, a fate today’s members would not want to repeat.
“Opec has historically always been more effective when prices are heading down than when they’re heading up,” says Bill Farren-Price, a long-time observer of the organisation at Petroleum Policy Intelligence. “I have no reason to believe that they would not be able to cut a deal this time.”
If the traders’ dinner predictions turn out to be correct, we will soon find out.
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Iraq: Conflict clouds the next decade of production
For the next decade in oil markets, much will depend on Iraq, writes Ajay Makan.
War and sanctions limited production from 1990 to 2008, leaving Iraq with plentiful reserves that are relatively cheap to exploit. Iraq has overtaken Iran as the second-largest Opec producer. The IEA expects output to double to 6m barrels a day by 2020.
But this year has been the bloodiest since 2008. Violence is spreading to the Shia-dominated south, Iraq’s main oil-producing region. Jitters swept the industry last month when Baker Hughes, a US oilfield services group, suspended operations and Shia protesters, angered by a religious slight, attacked a staff camp at Schlumberger, also a services provider.
Traders are beginning to scale back expectations for the country. “The industry almost accepts as a given that there will be security problems on an ongoing basis and that is a concern,” says David Fyfe, head of analysis at Gunvor, a commodity trader. “Instead of half a million barrels a day of extra exports, we might see only a fraction of that.”
A senior trader at a large energy company is even more downbeat: “It will be a challenge to avoid a major disruption to the industry. Export growth is not guaranteed.”
Apart from security problems, international oil companies say crumbling infrastructure is making it impossible for them to raise production to levels agreed with the government.
Iraq’s principal export terminal near Basra is vulnerable to disruption. In November exports were halted when bad weather prevented ships loading. That meant the Rumaila oilfield, Iraq’s largest with more than 1.3m b/d of production, had to be shut down for a few days, according to industry sources. “As soon as there is any problem further down the chain, you have to shut in production at a field and it takes weeks to restart because the equipment is old and rickety,” complains one oil company.
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Related topics
For more analysis, comment and news on the oil industry, visit www.ft.com/oilThe decline in the installed cost of solar should have slowed down two or more years ago, and the fact that it hasn't is surprising even the most experienced energy analysts.
After 2008, the cost of solar modules started falling precipitously, sending the installed cost of solar tumbling as well. When module prices started flattening out around 2012, many expected the installed cost to do the same. But that never happened.
The national average installed cost of residential solar fell 9% from 2013 to 2014, and 8% in the first half of 2015, a pace similar to price declines when module prices were also plummeting, according to "Tracking the Sun VIII," the annual survey of U.S. photovoltaic solar prices from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL).
“We have concluded that we are seeing the results of all the focus from the industry on soft costs,” explained LBNL Electricity Markets and Policy Group Research Scientist Galen Barbose.
The 2013 to 2014 drop in the residential system cost was almost entirely due to soft costs, which include “marketing and customer acquisition, system design, installation labor, permitting and inspection costs, and installer margins,” the paper reports.
Inverter and racking costs have declined, but “they are nowhere close to the total aggregate cost drop in system prices,” Barbose said.
“There are a lot of diffuse soft cost impacts that are hard to be precise about, but it is pretty easy to conclude the effort in the industry and in the Department of Energy (DOE) SunShot soft costs program is driving the cost drops,” Barbose added.
Downward pressure on soft costs was also key to a 10% drop in the small non-residential system installed cost and a 21% drop in the large (over 500 kW) non-residential system installed cost from 2013 to 2014. The pattern continued in the first half of 2015, with those costs dropping 13% and 6% compared to the same period the year before.
Led by SunShot grants, the solar industry has moved to bring all the soft costs on the list down. Information technology has helped with marketing, customer acquisition, and system design. Time motion studies have reduced installation labor time and helped reduce installer margins. Efforts to standardize permitting and inspection have had smaller, though some, impacts.
There are two broader, higher-level trends driving soft costs down, Barbose said. One is increases in system size. The other is increases in module efficiency.
“Bigger systems spread fixed, per-system soft costs over a larger number of kW,” he explained. “Increased module efficiency spreads area-related costs that can scale with physical dimensions, like installation labor, over a larger number of watts.”
Five things utilities ought to know
Though many utilities may think of the residential and non-residential sectors of the solar business as somewhat tangential to their concerns, they might want to think again, according to Solar Electric Power Association (SEPA) VP Bob Gibson.
As an increasingly dynamic expression of customer choice, the former NRECA executive explained, utilities can benefit from an awareness of trends in solar.
“Growth in customer-sited solar affects utility planning and operations,” he said. “Customers see their utilities as the energy experts, and expect to get informed answers to questions about electricity, including solar."
Five key points are particularly relevant as the Obama administration’s Clean Power Plan, increased state renewables mandates, and a rising opportunity in community shared arrays push utilities toward more solar.
There is no doubt about economies of scale. Median prices for residential systems between 8 kW and 10 kW were about 15% lower in cost in 2014 than those between 2 kW and 4 kW. Non-residential systems over 1,000 kW were about $2.70 per watt in 2014, 36% less costly than non-residential systems of less than 10 kW, which had a median price of $4.20 per watt. “Even greater economies of scale may arise when progressing to utility-scale systems,” the study reports.
“Larger systems cost less than smaller systems and nobody debates it,” Barbose said. “The only matter of debate is how the benefits compare. Those who advocate for policy support for smaller systems argue they offer greater benefits that compensate for the greater cost.”
Second, modules of over 18% efficiency cost a premium of $0.80 per watt in 2014, both in residential systems and non-residential systems of over 500 kW. Though solar researchers are urgently pursuing higher module efficiency, that premium is greater than balance of system (BOS) and array size savings.
Third, microinverters, which have captured a third of the residential market and a fifth of the below 500 kW non-residential market, similarly come with a premium that is greater than any soft cost savings they defray.
Fourth, racking that tracks the sun across the sky has captured about 20% of the large non-residential market. It boosts costs about 15%, or $0.40 per watt, over fixed-tilt, ground-mounted systems, and 19%, or $0.50 per watt, over roof-mounted projects. The data suggests that cost premium about matches the increased electricity generation.
Finally, incentives from states and utilities, in the form of upfront rebates for system expenditures or as returns for system performance, have also “fallen substantially since their peak a decade ago,” the paper reports. The incentives drop has tracked a “roughly 70% to 120%” installed cost drop.
Though incentives have supported the installed cost drop in solar, their decline is an indication of the success of policymakers’ deliberate strategy to use predictable, transparent incentive reductions to signal the industry of the need to keep downward pressure on soft costs. That pressure, Barbose said, “pushes the entire industry toward greater efficiencies and reduced margins.”
What does falling price variability mean?
“Our data reinforces the notion of tremendous variability in PV system pricing that is a reflection of many different underlying differences between systems, installers, geographies, data reporting conventions, and many other factors,” Barbose said.
“But," he noted, "the variability has narrowed over time.”
Since about 2010, the data shows a slow but steady narrowing in dispersion of prices, he said. “One interpretation is that markets are maturing.”
Customers are becoming more informed and installers are becoming more competitive, Barbose said. “These are things we would expect to see in a maturing market. But the data is not granular and specific enough to make that interpretation with certainty.”
LBNL researchers are working to better understand the drivers of price dispersion, he added.
The variability is not to be underestimated and is important to understand, Gibson said. California’s dominance of solar is shrinking as solar-supportive policies and incentives in a wider range of states help overcome solar resource limitations.
“Some of the most active markets have higher median prices,” Gibson noted, while “installed residential solar in states like Montana and Utah is below $3 per watt.”
To study variability more closely, LBNL focused on Arizona, California, Massachusetts, and New Jersey, the four biggest markets. It found huge installer level pricing variations in each state, Barbose said. But that variation had little to do with how active the installer was or whether the installer was doing third party-owned or customer-owned solar, he explained.
There is no escaping the variability, but the explanation for it is not clear, Barbose said. “The inability to find a relationship is not necessarily proof the relationship doesn’t exist. It may be washed out by other factors.”
One other version of variability was that LBNL’s 2014 national median installed prices were higher than prices found by other researchers.
LBNL’s findings came out at a $4.30 per watt cost for residential systems, $3.90 per watt for non-residential systems smaller than 500 kW, and $2.80 per watt for non-residential systems bigger than 500 kW.
Other nationally recognized price benchmarks surveyed by LBNL came out at $2.80 per watt to $4.50 per watt for residential systems and $1.70 per watt to $4.10 per watt for non-residential systems.
LBNL’s prices reflect a diversity of data and methods but “should not be taken as indicative of ‘typical’ pricing in all contexts, and should not be considered equivalent to the underlying costs faced by installers,” the report explains.
The one unequivocal thing in the data is that the installed cost of solar has not stopped going down.
“I would not have been surprised if the drop tapered off, given the flattening of module |
have been pointing at him in the shop window, but are yet to turn their tantalising glances into actual advances -- even though UEFA have also given them freedom from FFP -- but the French champions may now face competition from Bayern Munich.
German paper Bild reports that Pep Guardiola is sniffing around and, although Bayern are one of the best financially run clubs in the world, they are not afraid to spend big when they want to. Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery are not getting any younger and, even with the arrival of Douglas Costa, a deal could be close.
Van Gaal is a known admirer of Bastian Schweinsteiger, so don't rule out some kind of swap plus cash either. Pep might have said he's not interested, but we've heard that one before.
Liverpool look to move Fabio Borini on for Keita Balde Diao
At this rate there will be an entirely new team arriving at Anfield by the end of the transfer window. Liverpool have already snapped up the likes of James Milner, Danny Ings, Joe Gomez and Roberto Firmino, among others, but are also in dire need of a central striker.
Villa's Christian Benteke has been linked, but likely won't move for less than his £35m buyout clause, so they are turning their attentions elsewhere. And, according to his agent, 20-year-old Lazio striker Keita Balde Diao is on their list.
However, Lazio also want current Liverpool flop Fabio Borini and, according to Il Tempo, have launched a €5m bid for him. The Reds had £14m in their hands from Sunderland for the forward last summer but he rejected the move, so they won't be too happy if he does the same again and costs them a chance to land another striker as part of the deal.
Has Charlie Austin gotten too big for his britches? He says he's waiting for Chelsea, but he might be waiting a while.
Austin waiting for Chelsea to make a bid
He did well last season, but is Charlie Austin getting too big for his boots? The QPR striker bagged 18 goals as the Rs were relegated and Leicester even had a £12m bid rejected for him earlier this week.
Newcastle and West Ham are also waiting in the wings, but the Sunday People reports that Austin is hanging around until Jose Mourinho comes in for him. That seems unlikely what with Diego Costa, Loic Remy and now Falcao in the squad already. Plus, would Austin really want to be fourth choice?
Embolo tug-of-war between three clubs
The best name in today's TT surely goes to 18-year-old FC Basel striker Breel Embolo. The Cameroon-born forward has played over 50 times for his club already and is a senior international with Switzerland too.
All this means that the Premier League are going mad over the youngster with West Ham, West Brom and Tottenham all keen to secure his signature.
Tap-Ins
- It's no secret than Man City are planning to spend big now that UEFA has lifted their financial fair play (FFP) restrictions. We did report in TT on Friday that Man City would be splashing out £100m on new players. Now the Daily Star reckons that Kevin De Bruyne -- who would cost £50m on his own -- plus Raheem Sterling, Paul Pogba and Fabian Delph, that total is actually £191m. And it just keeps on rising.
- It's no secret that Newcastle need goals. Since the heady days of Alan Shearer, the Toon Army have been crying out for a natural goalscorer and new boss Steve McClaren has made a striker his top priority this summer. Sadly, for Newcastle fans, that extends to spending £10m on a 22-year-old Uruguayan who plays for Bordeaux: Diego Rolan. Sud Ouest report that he is on his way.
- West Ham are in need of some added bodies at the back and Slaven Bilic is apparently looking at Peru and Hoffenheim full back Luis Advincula. For his part, the defender told El Comercio that it is "nice" to be linked to the club. Bless.
- Sunderland have signed £5m Zenit St Petersburg defender Nicolas Lombaerts, according to The Sun.
- Burnley want £8m for Danny Ings' move to Liverpool according to The Daily Mirror. The club will press Liverpool to pay up before it has to go to a tribunal.President Trump announced his ninth wave of U.S. attorney nominations on Friday, tapping four individuals to serve as federal prosecutors in Nebraska, New Hampshire, Delaware and Oregon.
The president nominated Joseph Kelly, currently the district attorney for Lancaster County in Nebraska; Scott Murray, the district attorney for Merrimack County in New Hampshire; David Weiss, the acting U.S. attorney for Delaware; and Billy Williams, the court-appointed U.S. attorney for Oregon.
The latest slate of nominations comes weeks after Trump faced criticism for nominating a disproportionate number of male U.S. Attorneys (41) versus women (one).
"That is a striking gender gap for one of the most consequential law enforcement roles nationwide," Supreme Court biographer Joan Biskupic wrote in September.
White House officials have moved quickly to find candidates for vacant U.S. attorney slots across the U.S., with more than 50 nominations since the president removed dozens of Obama-appointed U.S. attorneys in March.Lost in the shuffle of a competitive playoff race last year was Denver, who were struck with major injuries and limped to the finish line. As impossible as it seems, the West could be even stronger, and Denver, healthier and with some new bodies, could push hard for a final playoff spot. They’ll be running another ensemble squad in the thin air in Colorado, and there’s a good chance they’ll have a winning season, luck (and health) permitting.
2014 in review
Following a 57 win season, analysts stated that it was rare for such a high win team to miss the playoffs the following year — but I was unconvinced. They lost Andre Iguodala, and this was a little before everyone realized how valuable he was, and Gallinari was going to miss extended time due to an ACL injury. They also no longer had George Karl, and for all his faults he’s at least great in the regular season at squeezing out extra wins. Consequently, they won 36 games, thanks to a flailing defense ranked 20th. Injuries killed them as Gallinari wasn’t supposed to miss the entire season and McGee played five total games, but Fournier was better than expected and McGee was hardly a positive force when he actually played. It was a disappointment given their franchise record in wins the previous seasons, but the signs were there, valuing players like Hickson and letting Iguodala go.
Changes
Exit: Evan Fournier, Aaron Brooks, Jordan Hamilton, Andre Miller, Anthony Randolph, Jan Vesely.
Enter: Danilo Gallinari (back from injury), Arron Afflalo, Jusuf Nurkic, Gary Harris.
Gallinari made his first appearance in over a year with a pre-season game, scoring 17 points in limited minutes. He’s actually going to be the biggest change on the team even though he never left. The Afflalo-Fournier swap seems like more of a headliner and a push for Denver to win now, but based on my analysis in the Orlando preview I would actually rate it as a slight downgrade for Denver. Nurkic is a bruising center from Bosnia who compares to Pekovic and DeMarcus Cousins. The other players Denver lost are all minor except for Andre Miller, but they had trouble fitting him in with Lawson.
Player spotlight
A stray piece in the giant Carmelo Anthony trade, Mozgov has established himself as a quality enter with size in a league that’s shifting to smaller skilled guys. The giant Russian scores fairly often for a player of his type, and he’s efficient thanks to a high foul rate. But he has all the behaviors of a traditional, plodding center: a tiny assist rate, a giant turnover rate, high offensive rebounding, he doesn’t touch the ball often, he never drives, and he only sporadically spots up, or pulls-up, for a jump shot. He’s prototypical in this way. However, he does have some range, and he shot 24 three-pointers last season.
Where Mozgov is useful is on defense. He rates high across the board in all categories with the exception of steals — he is the quintessence of a 7-foot big man, after all. His rim protection values are particularly intriguing because he’s compared to only big men in those two categories. And with his huge frame, it’s difficult to score against him in the paint.
Mozgov’s shot chart is pretty rudimentary. He takes most of his shots inside, and he’s only an infrequent jump shooter. He’s not an above average shooter in the paint, but it doesn’t show his foul rate. You can also see the bleeding edge of his experimental three-point weapon, which only resulted in three makes. But his jumper is inefficient and he doesn’t garner the respect to draw defenders away from the basket.
You can see Mozgov’s shotblocking skills in videos below (link’s also here) against the Golden State Warriors. Three different players — Klay Thompson, Draymond Green,and Speights — are all denied at the rim. Klay was driving on a semi-fast break and Mozgov comes in from the weakside with two hands, a move too few players use, to block him. Draymond Green was another victim of help defense when Mozgov came in from the weakside. Speights charged the rim, and Timofey showed a good use of verticality. He’s not a player who steps out and stops plays, but he’s a very good defender inside.
Mozgov’s offensive game is shown in the videos below against San Antonio. In the first clip he scores off of an offensive rebound, but he displays a nice hook shot in the process. You see another offensive rebound and then a put-back in the fourth. In the second you get to see a rare made three-pointer, which he takes mainly flat-footed. He uses his strength in the third video as he gets deep post position and scores right under the rim. Finally, Mozgov scores in the pick-and-roll in the last two videos with a lay-up and a nice but slow spin move.
And just for fun, here’s an attempt at a game-winning three versus Memphis:
The Russian big man was coveted by Cleveland over the summer, and it’s apparent why. He’s a good defensive player and a mountain of a guy inside, useful as a big body to throw at centers like Al Jefferson or Howard. He’s extremely limited on offense, but he’s more active than others of his type and he experimented with a three-point shot. His fight for the starting spot against McGee will be key to watch because McGee, known for his mental mistakes, could be the anchor that drags the team down and under a winning record.
2015 projected
Denver will be a better team than last season, but the extent will depend on how the frontcourt rotation is managed: Faried just signed a big contract and his role is the only set in stone; Hickson started last season and played nearly 2000 minutes; JaVale McGee was supposed to be their center of the future and is coming off an injury; the aforementioned Mozgov had a good season and started half the games; Darrell Arthur hit 1100 minutes; Nurkic appears to be deserving of playing time already; and then there are the smallball options, like Wilson Chandler or Gallinari at power forward. It’ll be up to Denver to find the right pecking order, which alone will be the driving force of a handful of their wins or losses.
The player whose minutes they should reduce first is undoubtedly Hickson. Portland replaced him with Robin Lopez and outperformed almost every prediction, improving by 21 wins. He is a poor defender, doesn’t box-out for rebounds, is too small for a center, and gums up the works of an offense. In comparing lineups with the same four guys, the Nuggets were 10 points per 100 possessions worse overall when Hickson was on the court versus Mozgov and 3 points worse versus Faried. If he loses a spot in the main rotation entirely, the team could hit a mid-40’s win total.
One guy who could get the short end of the stick is rookie Jusuf Nurkic, who has already displayed his rebounding prowess, grabbing one every two minutes in pre-season games. He has a long way to climb up in the depth chart, but his translated stats suggest he’s one of the most talented in his draft class, ranking third overall in Kevin Pelton’s ratings. He’s a good low-post player and a pick-and-roll threat, and he’s obviously a proficient rebounder.
Faried is here to stay with Denver due to a 60 million dollar extension and he’ll be following a gold medal run as a starter in the world FIBA championships, but his ceiling is still limited by his defense and his skill-level on offense. I wouldn’t say a working post-game, detailed by Zach Lowe, is what he’ll use to propel the team to the playoffs. He’ll need more discipline on defense and, like he showed with Thibodeau in the summer, his athleticism would need to be harnessed for stopping plays. He’s fairly old for a fourth year guy and undersized power forwards of his type age poorly; he’ll need to improve now.
Coming off of a stress fracture, JaVale McGee is making over ten million a year and will command heavy playing time. The value of that playing time will depend on a host of factors, including whether or not he’s lost any quickness and if his defensive awareness has improved.
The best news, however, is Gallinari’s return. Even a partial season from Gallinari will be a boon for Denver because he provides a mix of skills without taking anything away. This is the centerpiece of the Denver team that outperformed Carmelo’s New York team after the big mid-season trade. He’s a good outside shooter, but he’s at his best driving to the rim where he can get to the line. His defense is surprisingly good too, possibly because of his huge frame — the team will be one of the largest in the league, as long as Nate Robinson isn’t in the game. But he’s been injury-prone and plagued by back problems, which don’t improve as you age.
Finally, there’s the backcourt. As I discussed during the Magic preview, Afflalo is actually a net negative. He was the leading scorer, sure, but at only 18 points a game on one of the worst offenses in the league. His usage was only a couple points above average, and on a better offense it may not even be better than average. His defense is particularly overrated. Denver could get burned by using him as a “stopper,” but with a small backcourt he’ll be thrust into that role anyway.
The team is still Lawson’s, and anyone thinking Afflalo is the new offensive star is misguided. In a fairer league, Lawson would be mentioned as a possible all-star, but in the deep western conference he has to fight the second-tier stars like Dragic and Conley for a spot. He has breathtaking speed, but he’s a skilled player too and if you blink, he’ll hit a three or drive to the rim. Lawson and Gallinari will be the two best players, and they’re just good enough to fight for an 8th-seed.
Summary
Denver has a rotation to pin down and will hope for a healthier season, but they definitely have the talent to finish with a winning record. They’ve been forgotten in the west, even though they’re one year removed from 57 wins, but they’ve had a lot of changes and there’s skepticism. If they overachieve, it won’t be because of Afflalo, but it’ll likely be because of a healthy Gallinari and a strong frontcourt that properly uses Mozgov and reduces Hickson’s minutes. Denver historically has beaten predictions pretty well, maybe due to the inherent advantage of their altitude, and that could happen again this season.
Wins: 41
Losses: 41
Conference rank: 10th
League offense rank: 11th
League defense rank: 20th
Edited 10/27/2014The Pittsburgh Steelers now have three weeks from today to get guard David DeCastro signed to a long-term extension and while I think that will ultimately happen, it doesn’t sound like a deal will get done prior to the team’s third preseason game against the New Orleans Saints Friday night.
On Monday, DeCastro was asked about how contract extension talks are going currently with the Steelers.
“No, no, nothing. Not at all,” DeCastro said, according to Chris Bradford of The Beaver County Times.
Obligatory update on DeCastro contract talks: "No, no, nothing. Not at all." — Chris Bradford (@PghBradford) August 22, 2016
DeCastro, who is currently slated to earn $8.070 million in 2016 after having his fifth-year option picked up by the Steelers well over a year ago, is probably looking to become the league’s second-highest paid guard between now and the start of the regular-season. Currently, Oakland Raiders guard Kelechi Osemele leads the way when it comes to highest-paid interior linemen thanks to the five year, $58.5 million free agent contract he signed this past March.
DeCastro’s extension, should he ultimately get one over the course of the next three weeks, figures to have a new money yearly average of well more than $9 million. Should the two sides ultimately fail to come to some kind of an agreement before the start of the 2016 regular season, DeCastro would then become a candidate for the franchise tag next offseason.
An extension with DeCastro now would obviously help out the Steelers in 2016 from a salary cap perspective as it would figure to lower his charge this year by several million dollars. As of Monday, the NFLPA has the Steelers listed with $2,779,333 in available salary cap space. However, a portion of that will likely need to go towards two final roster spots in addition to a 10-man practice squad needing to be accommodated.On the 2nd defensive play of the 2014 season, safety Harrison Smith blitzed off the left side of the St. Louis Rams offensive line. With his athleticism, Smith was able to force Rams quarterback Shaun Hill to check down to Tavon Austin behind the line of scrimmage.
Although Early into the season, this play was indicative to the style of defense Mike Zimmer was going to run. A defense that, at times, will show exotic formations and different coverage and blitzing schemes. Zimmer is able to run such a defense due in part to Smith, who’s versatility and nose for the football allows the Vikings to be creative and dare I say, fun to watch?
As a heads up, this is pretty video heavy, but oh so worth it.
Smith has been spending time all over the field since training camp. It is not entirely uncommon to see him on the line of scrimmage, something we rarely saw in the infamous Tampa 2 the Vikings ran previously. In this play however, Smith blitzes from 5 yards out and nearly gets to the quarterback.
The blitz against the Rams is just one of the many ways the Vikings are using Smith, who is really starting to come into his own in his 3rd year out of Notre Dame. Smith was the catalyst of an ‘improved’ secondary as a rookie, showing confidence in his run defense, but also helping secure a secondary that was admittedly poor in coverage.
Smith has already shown improvement this season and in my opinion, helps set the tone of aggressiveness in the secondary.
When the Rams game was all but wrapped up, Smith picked off 3rd string quarterback Austin Davis by baiting Davis into making a poor throw across the middle. It was easy pickings for Smith, who was shielded by Everson Griffen as he returned the interception for a touchdown.
Sure, it’s a 3rd string quarterback (oh, wait, he intercepted Matt Ryan as well), but this is the type of development you’d like to see from a 1st round safety in his third year. A nuance that shows growth in a player who is going to anchor your secondary for years to come.
Speaking of a defensive anchor, how about a safety who continues to make 3rd down stops for your defense? Smith has really been one of the only players who show up on 3rd down for the Vikings in 2014. Imagine how bad our defense would be on 3rd down without Smith. We’d never get off the field. I’ll let the plays below do the talking:
In each of the 3 plays above, you see all of the facets of Smith’s game. His ability to add pressure to the quarterback. His ability to aggressively meet ball carriers before the first down marker to force a punt. Finally, his ability to help in coverage using his athleticism to rove large areas of field.
All on 3rd down. All to get the defense off the field. For a team who currently ranks 31st in the NFL in opposing teams 3rd down conversion rates, Smith is the lone bright spot. Who ranks 32nd, you might be wondering? The Green Bay Packers.
Although Smith is looking like he is taking a big step towards a pro bowl season, he is not without faults. He will need to continue to improve in man coverage. When Saints quarterback Drew Brees connected with tight end Josh Hill for a 34 yard touchdown, Smith was fooled by Brees’ shifty eyes and let Hill slip behind him. Let’s be honest, though, Brees’ has down that to almost every safety he’s played.
We’ve noted the flexibility Smith is giving the Vikings defense and below is yet another example. Again on 3rd down, Zimmer draws up a nice play for Smith and Xavier Rhodes to double Falcons’ Juilo Jones. At first glance, quarterback Matt Ryan should recognize Smith at the line of scrimmage. He’s likely seen plenty of this during film review, but seeing Smith drop back to double Jones probably caught him a bit off guard.
Not only does this shut down Jones’ play making ability, it might also bait the quarterback into making a quick throw due to the space Rhodes was giving Jones. If Ryan decides to make that throw, Smith takes the ball to the house. None the less, the Vikings defense forces an early 3 and out.
After spending half the season on the sideline due to injuries, Smith will have to find a way to stay healthy. If able to do so, Smith has the potential to be one of the top safeties in the NFL and the Vikings will only continue to get better on defense.President Obama signs an Executive Order on greenhouse gas emissions in the Oval Office on March 19, 2015. (Photo: Ron Sachs, Getty Images (Pool photo))
WASHINGTON — President Obama, often criticized by Republicans for constitutional overreach for his use of executive orders to get around Congress, signed the 254th executive order of his presidency Friday — allowing the Peace Corps to change its logo.
In his seven years in office, he's also used executive orders to change the name of the National Security Staff to the National Security Council staff, to allow the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports to also consider the role of nutrition, and to prohibit government employees from texting while driving.
And, showing that executive orders can attend to even the smallest details, Obama signed an executive order in 2014 to correct a typographical error in a previous executive order — which governed the format of executive orders.
Executive orders are often thought of as the most muscular form of presidential authority. And in some cases, they are. Executive orders can declare national emergencies, impose sanctions on other countries, set federal purchasing policies, and dictate the working conditions for 3 million federal employees.
But more often than not, they deal with more mundane matters of bureaucracy.
"Particularly since Bush, this notion that every executive order constitutes an imperial power grab by the president — it just doesn’t match up with the facts on the ground," said William Howell, a University of Chicago professor and author of Politics Without Persuasion: The Politics of Direct Presidential Action.
"It’s not all power grabs. A lot of it is clearly trivial stuff," he said.
That's one reason why simply counting the number of executive orders issued by a president is a poor measure of how sweeping his use of executive power is. So while President Obama has noted that he's issuing fewer executive orders than any president in 100 years, it's debatable how many of those executive orders encroach on the power of Congress.
"It is not so much the number of executive orders but executive orders that are in direct violation or in opposition to the intent of the Congress," said Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., in a debate over the closure of the Guantanamo Bay prison last year.
To figure out how many executive orders are truly significant. Howell has looked at mentions of executive orders on the front page of The New York Times, in court decisions and the congressional record. He estimates that only 10% to 15% of executive orders have significant public policy implications — a proportion that's increasing over time as presidents issue fewer executive orders overall.
And most executive orders — perhaps 60%, according to a study by Bowdoin College professor Andrew Rudalevige — aren't even written by the White House.
“A lot of these orders are formulated in a department or in an inter-agency process, and they make their way up rather than down,” Rudalevige said. “Often the departments are ordered to do things that they’ve asked to be ordered to do.”
The Peace Corps logo. (Photo: Peace Corps)
That appears to be the case with the executive order Obama signed Friday. Under a 1979 executive order by President Carter, the president alone has the authority "to adopt and alter an official seal or emblem of the Peace Corps." So unless Obama wanted to personally sign off on the new design, the Peace Corps needed to ask for the legal authority to do it themselves.
In a report to Congress Friday, the White House said the Peace Corps executive order would allow "more robust brand protection as the agency pursues communications and volunteer recruitment campaigns and future strategic partnerships." Peace Corps Press Director Erin Durney said the agency was looking forward to making changes in the emblem in the future.
Presidents use executive orders to make minor changes in policy only because the previous policy was set by executive order.
Of marginal importance
One extreme example comes from the executive orders governing executive orders themselves. In 1961, President Kennedy signed Executive Order 11030, which governed the process for writing and approving executive orders. He dictated that the left margin on executive orders be from 1½ inches.
When President George W. Bush updated that order in 2006, he reduced the margin to 1 inch, but left "inches" plural.
And so when Obama updated the procedure again in 2014, the first thing he did was to change "1 inches" to "1 inch."
Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/1S4LVftAt this point, Drake‘s love affair with London is well-known. Now it appears that his connection to the city will only be fortified. According to the folks at the U.K.’s Daily Mirror, the More Life artist is all set to star in Top Boy, a TV show based in London.
Drizzy bought the rights to the drama series after it was dropped last year, and now the show’s producers are developing a major role for him in the series. While Drake had seemingly left the life of an actor behind after he completed his run on Degrassi, there was always at least a decent chance that he’d return to his roots.
Speaking with the Daily Mirror, Top Boy star Ashley Walters suggested it wasn’t too surprising to see Drizzy appear on the show. “He loves acting, of course he wanted a part,” said Walters, who plays the role of Dushane on the show. “He’s going to be really hands on and is getting stuck into it.”
Walters also offered up a few words on his experiences working with the Toronto rapper. He was surprised by Drizzy’s humility.
“He is such a down to earth, nice guy,” he explained. “He’s so famous you would expect him to be this crazy character but he’s actually quite boring, in a good way.
Drake’s good friend Skepta also has a starring role on the show, and will star alongside Drizzy when Top Boy season three premieres on Netflix in 2018. Stay tuned.The moment line began to scream and rip off the reel last Sunday, Zach Zorn, Seth DuBois and Joseph Aunders could in no way fathom the adventure in bloom, so many fathoms down.
Understandable, really, when the thing on the other end of the line is the size of Chargers inside linebacker Denzel Perryman. Understandable, too, when the fish muscling into the fight is determined to drag your 22-foot bay boat nearly 15 miles over the next eight-and-a-half hours — or roughly the distance from Petco Park to La Jolla Cove.
This bluefin tuna was … a brute.
“We were thinking two or three hours,” said Zorn, of Carlsbad. “Four max.”
The trio of friends — 21-year-old Zorn and the 18-year-olds from Orange — hooked into an unforgettable tuna tussle near a spot known as “The 43,” a bank about 50 miles west of San Diego.
Two days earlier, Zorn and DuBois boated a 136-pounder in the same area after more than three and a half hours. This time, the deep-blue scuffle carried into the night, flirted with the size of California’s state record and pulled in the Coast Guard for good storytelling measure.
“Exhausted is the right word,” DuBois said. “But also excited out of our minds. To get it into the boat was a triumph, more than anything.”
The tuna chomped a slow-trolled mackerel on 80-pound line, a 130-pound fluorocarbon leader and a triple strength circle hook. The head-shaking part: They landed the fish — which ultimately weighed in at 240.2 pounds — in a boat with no railing for leverage, no back brace, no harness.
The catch amounted to a group of buddies, handing off the rod in shifts, hour after hour after hour.
“That boat’s meant to be used for bass in the bay or along the shore on kelp beds,” Zorn said. “They’re not designed to go 50 miles off shore and catch a couple-hundred-pounds fish.
“You have to basically peel your fingers off the rod to hand it to the next guy because you’re holding on so tight.”
The boat returned to the Balboa Angling Club in Newport Beach at 11:30 p.m., long after it had closed. The gassed guys were forced to wait until Monday morning to discover the fish’s weight.
Mindy Martin, Balboa’s secretary who verified the tuna, pulled out a one-liner from her days fishing on the East Coast.
“I said, ‘Did you guys go on a Nantucket Sleigh Ride?’ ” Martin joked. “They were so happy and so tired.”
This isn’t a story of young guys putting themselves in a dangerous, irresponsible situation. Quite the opposite, in fact. They stayed in contact with many boats, including the Pacific Pioneer.
When the tuna hit the deck, they contacted the Coast Guard before motoring back — agreeing to a plan of 30-minute radio checks until reaching the harbor.
“It’s insane,” said Kyle Dickerson, captain of Newport Beach’s Pacific Pioneer, which bobbed about 200 yards away when the guys hooked up around noon. “At their age, I don’t think I’d do what they were doing. It’s impressive to watch.
“To tell you how good these kids are, they called the Coast Guard to let them know their situation. Most kids would say screw it. If there were more out there like them, our fishing future would be in a great shape.”
The behemoth neared the state record of 243 pounds, 11 ounces caught in 1990, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Experts estimated the gaffs and stay in an iced-down “kill bag” likely cost the tuna 15 or more pounds overnight.
So, the big one was even bigger the night before. The fish could not be considered a record, though, because it was boated by more than one angler.
Steve Crooke, a retired 38-year veteran of the state's fish and wildlife department, said he recalled a fisherman bringing a bluefin that topped more than 360 pounds to Balboa in 1983. Some records simply fail to reach the books.
“There are a lot of world records that have been eaten,” said Crooke, with a chuckle. “Sometimes people don’t turn them in. That’s quite a fish, though. That’s a great memory for those guys.”
The tuna was landed on a rod manufactured by Cousins Tackle, founded in 2012 in Huntington Beach. Will Derrick, a company spokesman, said the bluefin is the biggest recorded on one of their rods in U.S. waters.
No matter how you measure it, the guys grunted and strained their way to the story of a lifetime. They planned to return this weekend, though. After all, ambitious minds reasoned, the big one’s waiting.
Scratch that. The next big one.
On Twitter: @Bryce_A_MillerMACON, Ga. -- Bond was denied Tuesday for a Macon woman accused of shooting a teen in the head in January.
Authorities say Elisabeth Cannon shot a 15-year-old boy outside of her home on Bloomfield Drive. Cannon contends that the victim and other teens were harassing her and throwing rocks at her home so she was protecting herself.
Shortly after the shooting, Cannon was arrested and charged with aggravated assault. She was later released on bond.
After an, Cannon was indicted in March on two counts of aggravated assault and one count of aggravated battery in connection to the shooting. The stated that Cannon shot the boy with a.38 revolver, "depriving him of the use of his legs and his ability to talk."
Sheriff's office records show that in the seven months leading up to the shooting, Cannon had called 911 34 times to report suspicious activity, vandalism and disorderly conduct around her home.
In a January interview with WGXA, Cannon said that she felt like a prisoner in her own home.
On Tuesday, Judge Howard Simms denied bond for Cannon on the aggravated battery charge. She remains in the Bibb County Law Enforcement Center.A "cruel" nurse who falsely accused her grandfather of rape in a bid to claim inheritance money has been jailed.
Natalie Mortimer, 25, sparked a police investigation when she claimed she had been sexually abused by Gordon Ritchie.
She had believed she would get more money if he had been sent to prison, but later admitted she had made it up.
Mortimer was jailed for 22 months at Aberdeen Sheriff Court for wasting police time.
Her grandfather was a former foster carer, and children who had been under his care were questioned as part of the inquiry.
'Horrendous crime'
Defence lawyer Lynne Freeland said: "She is deeply ashamed and is embarrassed by her actions and has described it as greedy, selfish and cruel.
"Sadly time can't go back and she can't turn back time on this horrendous crime.
"She understands that this will have torn lives apart."
Sheriff Graeme Buchanan told her: "False allegations of rape and other sexual offences are very serious because they put doubts in the minds of jurors in genuine cases and they subject innocent people such as Mr Ritchie to a terrifying ordeal of suspicion and investigation by police.
"What you did to Mr Ritchie was truly evil and despicable and there is only one appropriate sentence for this behaviour and that is imprisonment."It was early April and Cam Russell was enjoying the QMJHL awards banquet when he bumped into an NHL scout with a confession of sorts.
Certainly no team ever wants to lose, but this scout couldn't help but think of Nico Hischier up for grabs and out of reach.
Russell, the general manager of Hischier's junior club, the Halifax Mooseheads, understood the feeling.
"He was wishing his team had dropped down in the standings, because he was talking about Nico — he said, 'Honestly, he has no holes in his game,'" Russell recalled last week in a phone interview with CSNPhilly.com. "And he really doesn't."
Hischier is that highly regarded — and he very well could be destined for the Flyers.
Oh, the beauty of luck.
At the June 23-24 NHL entry draft, only one or maybe two teams will have a chance to pluck the 18-year-old Swiss center. The Devils own the No. 1 pick, while the Flyers are slotted at No. 2 after cashing in at the NHL draft lottery, improbably moving up from the 13th selection to just about front and center.
Hischier is in a two-horse race with Canadian center Nolan Patrick to be the first overall pick. Some believe Patrick is a favorite to go No. 1, leaving Hischier right there for the Flyers.
Russell, who watched Hischier become the QMJHL Rookie of the Year and win the Michael Bossy Trophy (league's best pro prospect), believes that would be a victory for the Flyers.
"You're getting a star and you're getting a star for a long time," Russell said. "You're not getting a second-line center. You're getting a first-line center that's going to lead your team and play lots of minutes and bring you lots of fans in your building because he's just going to be a treat to watch — he's going to be exciting.
"If you look at the big games that he's played, that's when he's played his best hockey. He's a competitor, he's a gamer and he'll definitely be a star in the NHL."
Hischier racked up 86 points on 38 goals and 48 assists in 57 games with Halifax. He was a plus-20 and added seven points (three goals, four assists) in six playoff games.
Russell first saw Hischier play two years ago at under-18s competition.
"He was playing as an underage there, double underage," Russell said. "I was speaking with an agent as we were looking for a European, and he just kind of made a comment and said, 'Look, I don't have this player here, but this is a guy that you want to keep an eye on down the road.' So almost a couple of years ago he caught my eye."
The Mooseheads were happy he did and made him the |
thoroughly revised in 1994, purports to describe and classify the full range of mental disorders, it was not designed to capture preschool conditions. To help practitioners recognize problems earlier, the research organization Zero to Three published its own manual, the Diagnostic Classification of Mental Health and Developmental Disorders of Infancy and Early Childhood, most recently in 2005. But its methods of review aren’t as rigorous as those in the D.S.M., and many await the imprimatur of the updated D.S.M., due in 2013, which is expected to account for developmental stages of disorder across the lifespan.
Luby is one of the first researchers to systematically investigate the criteria for preschool depression, primarily through a longitudinal study that initially evaluated children between ages 3 and 5 for depression and was financed by the N.I.M.H. These children, who are now between 9 and 12, come into a lab every year for assessments. Offshoot studies have looked at everything from the role of tantrums in depressed children to how depressed preschoolers perform on cognitive tasks. Luby’s file cabinets teem with DVDs of each of her study participants’ periodic assessments. I watched one recording in which a 5-year-old squirmed in her chair while her parents answered questions. “She cries at the drop of a hat.” “She realizes that something’s different about her, and she’s bothered by her irritability and sadness.” “At times she’ll accept comfort; other times, nothing will console her.”
Through interviews like this, Luby is trying to identify preschool depression’s characteristics; according to her research, they look a lot like those in older people. In adults, for instance, anhedonia, the inability to derive pleasure in normally enjoyable activities, can be signaled by the absence of libido; in preschoolers, it means finding little joy in toys. Other symptoms, including restlessness and irritability, are similarly downsized. These kids whine and cry. They don’t want to play. Rather than voice suicidal ideation, they may orchestrate scenarios around violence or death.
The most obvious and pervasive symptom, not surprisingly, is sadness. But it’s not “I didn’t get the toy I wanted at Target; now I’m really sad,” cautions Helen Egger, a Duke University child psychiatrist and epidemiologist. The misery needs to persist across time, in different settings, with different people. Nor is it enough just to be sad; after all, sadness in the face of unachieved goals or a loss of well-being is normal. But the depressed child apparently has such difficulty resolving the sadness that it becomes pervasive and inhibits his functioning. “You can watch two kids try to put on shoes, and as soon as something gets stuck, one child pulls it off and throws it across the room,” says Tamar Chansky, who treats preschoolers who are depressed or are at risk for depression in her clinic. “He hits himself, throws objects and says things like ‘I did this wrong; I’m stupid.’ ”
Unfortunately there is little that young children can tell us directly about what they are going through. Preschoolers not only lack the linguistic sophistication to describe the experience, but they’re also still learning what emotions are. To get a sense of what a young child is feeling, Luby’s team uses a technique called the Berkeley Puppet Interview, which was developed to help children articulate how they perceive themselves and process their emotions. I watched as a wiry, blond 5-year-old boy responded to a therapist’s dog-faced puppets.
“My parents care a lot about me,” the first puppet said in an upbeat tone. “My parents don’t care a lot about me,” the second said in an equally cheerful voice. “How about you?”
“Sometimes they care about me,” the boy replied, and then paused. “They don’t care a lot about me,” he added with emphasis.
“When I do something wrong, I feel bad,” the first puppet said.
“When I do something wrong, I don’t feel bad,” the second said. “How about you?”
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“When I do something wrong, I do feel bad,” the boy responded.
Later he told the puppets that he didn’t like to be alone. He worried that other kids didn’t like him, and he wished he had more friends. His insecurity, low self-image and, in particular, his sense of guilt and shame mark him as a possible depressive: it’s not only that I did this thing wrong, it’s I’m a bad boy.
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But generally speaking, preschool depression, unlike autism, O.D.D. and A.D.H.D., which have clear symptoms, is not a disorder that is readily apparent to the casual observer or even to the concerned parent. Depressed preschoolers are usually not morbidly, vegetatively depressed. Though they are frequently viewed as not doing particularly well socially or emotionally, teachers rarely grasp the depth of the problem. Sometimes the kids zone out in circle time, and it’s mistaken for A.D.H.D., “because they’re just staring,” explains Melissa Nishawala, the child psychiatrist at N.Y.U. “But inside, they’re worrying or thinking negative thoughts.” More often, they are simply overlooked. “These are often the good kids who tend to be timid and withdrawn,” says Sylvana Côté, a researcher at the University of Montreal who studies childhood mood and behavioral disorders. “It’s because they’re not the oppositional, aggressive children who disrupt everyone in class that their problems go undernoticed.”
Many researchers, particularly those with medical training, are eager to identify some kind of a “biologic marker” to make diagnosis scientifically conclusive. Recent studies have looked at the activity of cortisol, a hormone the body produces in response to stress. In preschoolers who have had a diagnosis of depression, as in depressed adults, cortisol levels escalate under stressful circumstances and then fail to recover with the same buoyancy as in typical children.
But in adults, cortisol reactivity can be an indication of anxiety. Other research has found that in young children, anxiety and depression are likewise intertwined. At Duke, Egger found that children who were depressed as preschoolers were more than four times as likely to have an anxiety disorder at school age. “Are these two distinct but strongly related syndromes?” asks Daniel Pine of the N.I.M.H. “Are they just slightly different-appearing clinical manifestations of the same underlying problem? Do the relationships vary at different ages? There are no definitive answers.”
Further complicating the picture is the extent to which depressed children have other ailments. In Egger’s epidemiological sample, three-fourths of depressed children had some additional disorder. In Luby’s study, about 40 percent also had A.D.H.D. or O.D.D., disruptive problems that tend to drown out signs of depression. Though it looks as if only the children with depression experience anhedonia, other symptoms like irritability and sadness are shared across several disorders.
Classifying symptoms into discrete diagnostic categories may not always be possible at this age, which leads to a reluctance among clinicians to pinpoint disorders. “There is a tension in child psychiatry about the degree to which disorders that are fairly clear in older individuals, adolescents and even school-age kids are apparent in young children, and if they are, whether they manifest in different ways,” warns Charles Zeanah, a professor of child and adolescent psychiatry at Tulane and part of the work group charged with updating the D.S.M. to reflect developmental stages. Post-traumatic stress syndrome, for example, can manifest itself differently in 4-year-olds than it does in 40-year-olds. Certain disorders like separation anxiety and selective mutism are exclusively the province of children but either disappear or evolve into anxiety or depression by adulthood. Thus far, however, depression, like obsessive-compulsive disorder, seems to be consistent across the lifespan.
But, in part to avoid stigmatizing young children, two catch-all diagnoses — adjustment disorder with depressed mood, as well as depressive disorder not otherwise specified (N.O.S.) — are frequently applied. There are benefits to such diffuse diagnoses: they spare parents the crushing word “depression” and avoid the prospect of prematurely labeling a child. They also allow for the possibility that a child may grow out of it. “We don’t like to diagnose depression in a preschooler,” says Mary O’Connor, from U.C.L.A. “These kids are still forming, so we’re more likely to call it a mood disorder N.O.S. That’s just the way we think of it here.”
But this way of thinking frustrates Luby and Egger, who say they fear that if a depressed child isn’t given the proper diagnosis, he can’t get appropriate treatment. You wouldn’t use the vague term “heart condition,” they argue, to describe a specific form of cardiac arrhythmia. “Why do we call depression in older children a ‘disorder,’ but with young children we just call it a ‘risk factor’ or ‘phase’?” Egger asks. Is it right that rather than treat children for depression, clinicians wait and see what might happen three or four years down the road?
THEIR TENDERNESS OF age may render preschoolers especially vulnerable to depression’s consequences. Young children are acutely sensitive but lack the skill, experience and self-sufficiency to deal with strong feelings. In general, early exposure to negative experiences — separation from a caregiver, abuse, casual neglect — can have intense and long-term effects on development, even on the neural, cardiovascular and endocrine processes that underlie and support emotional functioning. Preliminary brain scans of Luby’s depressed preschoolers show changes in the shape and size of the hippocampus, an important emotion center in the brain, and in the functional connectivity between different brain regions, similar to changes found in the brains of depressed adults. In a longitudinal study of risk factors for depression, Daniel Klein and his team found that children who were categorized as “temperamentally low in exuberance and enthusiasm” at age 3 had trouble at age 7 summoning positive words that described themselves. By 10, they were more likely to exhibit depressive symptoms. And multiple studies have already linked depression in school-age children to adult depression.
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Studies of children with other disorders that began in preschool and continued into adolescence have shown that early-onset issues don’t disappear on their own; current research suggests the same is true for depression. Among the preschoolers in Luby’s longitudinal study, those diagnosed with depression at the beginning of the study were four times as likely to be found depressed two years later than those in the control group. Egger found that children who met her depression criteria as preschoolers were seven times as likely to experience depression four years down the road.
But recent successes in treating autism have also shown that in many cases, the earlier the detection and intervention of a disorder, the greater chance for significant results. One principal argument for diagnosing depression early is that even with a genetic predisposition, depression isn’t cemented into the psyche; the very fluidity of preschoolers’ mental states seems to make them more treatable. This window is especially tantalizing because of the brain’s neuroplasticity during the early years. The brain literally changes course when you prod it in a given direction. “Nobody knows exactly why, but treatment seems to affect children’s brains more powerfully,” Luby says, pointing out that language acquisition, for example, is easier at younger ages. Ballet, violin, swim lessons — we begin all kinds of training at age 4.
For a diagnosis of preschool depression to have any meaningful impact, an appropriate treatment must be found. Talk therapy isn’t practical for children who don’t have the verbal or intellectual sophistication to express and untangle their emotions. Play therapy, a favorite of preschool counselors, has yet to be proved effective.
But there may be treatments, Luby says, that could help prevent depression from interfering with a child’s development, ensuring that she functions socially, cognitively and emotionally, alongside her peers. According to epidemiological studies conducted by Egger, from 1 to 3 percent of children between 2 and 5 have depression, a rate that seems to increase over the preschool years. Altogether, she and other researchers say, 84,000 of America’s 6 million preschoolers may be clinically depressed. Intervention could potentially forestall, minimize or even prevent depression from becoming a lifelong condition. At a minimum, it could teach them ways to better manage future bouts. If we wait, their only options may be medication and ongoing talk therapy, forever rehashing the hurts Mom and Dad inflicted 20 years earlier.
And while practitioners quibble over what to label depression, most agree that for any mood disorder, children this age should not be treated in isolation. “Psychotherapy for depressed preschoolers should always involve the caregiver,” Luby says. “Not because the caregiver is necessarily bad or doing anything wrong, but because the caregiver is an essential part of the child’s psychological apparatus. The child is not an independent entity at this age.”
One established method is called Parent-Child Interaction Therapy, or P.C.I.T. Originally developed in the 1970s to treat disruptive disorders — which typically include violent or aggressive behavior in preschoolers — P.C.I.T. is generally a short-term program, usually 10 to 16 weeks under the supervision of a trained therapist, with ongoing follow-up in the home. Luby adapted the program for depression and began using it in 2007 in an ongoing study on a potential treatment. During each weekly hourlong session, parents are taught to encourage their children to acquire emotion regulation, stress management, guilt reparation and other coping skills. The hope is that children will learn to handle depressive symptoms and parents will reinforce those lessons.
I observed one session in which a therapist deliberately invoked feelings of guilt in the same blond 5-year-old who told the puppets “When bad things happen, I do feel bad.” Seated at a table with his mother, he turned to greet a therapist carrying a tray with two teacups, one elaborately painted. She told him that they were to have a tea party, pointing out her favorite teacup and describing the time it took to decorate it. “I’ll let you use my favorite today,” she beamed. As he gingerly took the rigged cup, its handle snapped off. His face darkened. The therapist lamented the break, ostensibly distraught, and excused herself from the room. The boy’s mother, guided via earset by a therapist watching through a two-way mirror, helped her child work through and resolve his feelings.
“Do you feel like you’re a bad boy?” his mother asked. Most parents want to distract their kids from negative emotions rather than let them process the feelings. “They want to wipe it away and move on,” Luby says. In this session, the mother was instead encouraged to draw the child out.
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The boy nodded tearfully. “I feel like I’m going to go into the trash can,” he said.
“Who would put you in the trash can?” his mother asked.
“You would,” he replied in an accusatory voice.
“I would never do that,” she said. “I love you. Accidents happen.” The boy seemed to recover, and they chatted about her earrings, which he flicked playfully with a forefinger. Then his face drooped again.
“Are you mad at me?” he asked, and then added, almost angrily, “I never want to do this activity again.”
“You’re not a bad boy,” she consoled him. Often, parents don’t realize that their children experience guilt or shame, Luby says. “In response to transgression, they tend to punish rather than reassure.”
“I am a bad boy,” the boy said, ducking under the table. “I don’t think you love me now.” He started to moan from the floor, whimpering: “I’m so sad. I’m so sad.”
SUCCESS WITH P.C.I.T. rests heavily on parents, who are essentially tasked with reprogramming their child’s brain to form new, more adaptive habits. Not all parents are equipped to handle the vigilance, the consistency, the sensitivity. But early results look promising. Though her data is preliminary, Luby and her team have documented considerable decreases in depression severity and impairment following treatment.
Could we somehow nip adult depression in the bud? We may never get a definitive answer, even if we do begin to systematically diagnose and treat preschool depression. “The promise of early-childhood mental health is that if you intervene early enough to change negative conditions, rather than perpetuate negative behaviors, you really are preventing the development of a full-fledged diagnosis,” says Alicia Lieberman at U.C.S.F. “Of course, you would never then know if the child would have become a depressed adult.”
This doesn’t leave parents with a very clear road map. “We don’t know if Kiran will be at risk of depression as an adult,” Raghu told me when I spoke to him by phone in January. In the study that Kiran participated in, because he was part of the control group, he did not get to go through P.C.I.T. Nevertheless, Raghu and Elizabeth found the general parent training they received as part of the control helpful. And in the months following the study, Kiran’s mood seemed to improve. A trip to his grandparents’ farm last summer was particularly beneficial. But by this past winter, he seemed to be slipping and prone to bouts of anger and frustration; depression, it was explained to them at Luby’s lab, tends to be episodic. “We worry that it’s a lifelong thing,” Elizabeth told me.
Recently, Elizabeth asked Kiran what the happiest time in his life had been. He told her about the trip they took to Spain when he was 8 months old. Elizabeth asked if he remembered going. “No,” he said. “But I looked really happy in the picture.” She pressed him for another answer, a time that he could actually remember. He thought hard. “I haven’t had my happiest time yet,” he said.The situation happened at FCA's Toledo North Assembly Plant, and at the Jefferson North Assembly Plant. The former builds the Cherokee, while the Grand Cherokee is made at the latter.Workers of the Fiat Chrysler Automobiles Factory in Toledo were asked to stay home Thursday morning, and a shift was also shortened on Tuesday because of insufficient steering wheels.Meanwhile, at the Jefferson North facility, employees involved in manufacturing were sent home early Wednesday, but production was resumed on Thursday morning.
Automotive News found out about the amusing shortage in steering wheel supply and contacted Fiat Chrysler Automobiles representatives to inquire on the topic. FCA replied through its spokesperson, who confirmed the situation.However, FCA's representative did not explain why this problem appeared, and refused to name their supplier of steering wheels. It is relevant to remark that the Jeep representative declined to identify the supplier responsible for the issue, so do not point the finger at Key Safety Systems.According to the report, Jeep uses steering wheels manufactured in Mexico by Key Safety Systems, a company headquartered in Sterling Heights, Michigan. Automotive News contacted the company, but they did not return the calls made by the journalists.Fiat Chrysler Automobiles will respond to the matter by adjusting production on a shift-by-shift basis. As some of you know, modern automotive factories do not keep large stocks of parts in storage, as they count on a long supply chain to bring everything they need just in time.In turn, the assembly line relies on a complicated system to have things ready in sequence and for each vehicle variant at a time. While extremely efficient and cost-effective, these strategies encounter problems once in awhile, often because of suppliers located across the world.Customers interested in Cherokee and Grand Cherokee models need not worry, as Fiat Chrysler Automobiles says its Jeep branch has a “cushion” supply of both models.Why don’t we have an arsenal of fast-acting cures for tuberculosis, malaria, and pneumonia? In part it’s because scientists can’t fully understand what they can’t observe: Namely, the way the pathogens that cause diseases and infections live within the human body. The real homes of pathogens—in the blood and tissues of a host organism—are impossible to replicate, so researchers learn what they can by studying these microscopic organisms in petri dishes and test tubes.
These artificial homes for bacteria have been around since the late 19th century, when biologist Robert Koch grew colonies of the bacteria that causes tuberculosis, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, in glass test tubes. These vials, and later, glass plates, filled with a gelatinous mix of agar and nutrients, soon filled microbiology labs. “It allowed scientists to identify what bacteria were causing awful, awful diseases like tuberculosis because you could isolate colonies,” says Jason Shear, a chemist at The University of Texas, Austin, “but for the most part the technologies haven’t dramatically advanced.” The technical term for this kind of experimental environment is in vitro, a Latin phrase that translates as “in glass.”
Much of what microbiologists know about bacteria comes from in vitro experiments, but sometimes the results say more about how pathogens live in the lab than in people. The pharmaceutical company Novartis learned this lesson the hard way in 2009, when they invested heavily in a drug that annihilated M. tuberculosis in the lab before they found that it could not save mice with the disease. One year later, they realized the drug killed M. tuberculosis by turning glycerol in the test tubes toxic, but because glycerol is not abundant inside bodies, the drug had no effect on the pathogen in real infections. Just as a person’s vulnerability to attack changes depending on where they live—in a fortress surrounded by hundreds of other people or camped alone on a hill—a pathogen’s vulnerability to attack depends on where it makes its home.
In reality, M. tuberculosis constructs its abode inside cells. Shortly after a person breathes the microbe in, it infects one of their immune cells, where it can wait, protected by a waxy coating, for years, even decades, until the time is ripe for replication. When its victim’s immune system weakens, the microbe multiplies and its progeny burst out of the immune cell, infecting other cells. As the infected cells die, M. tuberculosis builds a fortress out of greyish cell carcasses, forming lumps in a person’s lung and causing them to gasp for air.
Scientists can’t fully understand what they can’t observe: Namely, the way the pathogens that cause diseases and infections live within the human body. Also in Health The Trouble with Milk By Madeline Gressel Most people will remember the clever Got Milk ads, which slapped milk mustaches on celebrities in an effort to get Americans drinking dairy. Milk is sold as something healthy and wholesome—after all, isn’t drinking milk the most natural thing in...READ MORE
Researchers studying M. tuberculosis in vitro have not found drugs that can efficiently penetrate the lumps the microbe builds in human lungs, because these structures can’t be replicated in the lab. “So much of the way we culture bacteria in vitro is completely artificial,” says Clifton Barry, chief of the Tuberculosis Research Section at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in Bethesda, Md. “It has nothing to do with what it looks like in humans.” As a result, the most effective treatment for tuberculosis is a grueling six-month course of chemotherapy.
Bacterial homes can be defined in multiple ways. In addition to the physical barriers they create within living tissues, homes can also be built out of bacterial communities. Matthew Parsek, a microbiologist at the University of Washington, studies the ways in which some bacteria rely on their neighbors to fight medicines and the human immune system.1 One common member of these communities is Pseudomonas aeruginosa. It often lodges itself in layers of mucus within the lungs of people with cystic fibrosis—a genetic condition that prevents cilia in the lungs from removing infectious microbes. P. aeruginosa manufactures chains of sugar molecules that help it cling to nearby bacteria, such as Staphylococcus aureus. Certain strains of S. aureus, lumped together under the acronym MRSA, resist several antibiotics and kill roughly 11,000 people in the United States each year. Together, P. aeruginosa and S. aureus are extremely difficult to kill because they combine their individual abilities to fend off antibiotics.
Models by Aaron Trocola
Parsek likens the arrangement between the microbes to living in an apartment. “If you have one roommate that’ll do a certain job and you do another job, it might be a pretty darn favorable arrangement,” he says. Inside the tissues they infect, P. aeruginosa and S. aureus form small, dense colonies of only a few hundred or thousand microbes. In infected wounds, colonies are spaced regularly and spread deep into the tissue. The bacteria “talk” with one another through chemical messages, but their ability to communicate is affected by their proximity to one another and by the porousness of the tissues they infect. However, the details of their interactions are poorly understood because researchers cannot control how the bacteria grow in petri dishes and test tubes. Scientists are only beginning to understand how chemical messages between bacteria work, and Parsek suspects that the ways bacteria arrange themselves in three dimensions affects the way they communicate and defend themselves.
Certain strains of S. aureus, lumped together under the acronym MRSA, resist several antibiotics and kill roughly 11,000 people in the United States each year.
The intricacies of the bacterial home have resisted the reach of science for more than a century. But this may finally be changing. In October, Shear and co-investigator Marvin Whiteley, a microbiologist at The University of Texas, Austin, reported on a new way to make more natural abodes for bacterial communities. They took a cue from 3D printing, which is an additive fabrication process that pieces together a series of 2D cross-sections to build an object of arbitrary shape. Shear and Whiteley used a related subtractive process that began with mixing bacteria and a laser-absorbing dye into the main ingredient in Jell-O brand desserts: gelatin. The mixture hardens when struck by a laser beam. By moving a beam through the material, the team sculpted three-dimensional chambers that hold volumes smaller than a picoliter, or one millionth of a millionth of a liter. These chambers provide precisely measured spaces for colonies of as few as a hundred or so individual bacteria, allowing bacterial density to be measured and controlled. In the October report that debuted their 3D homes, Shear and Whiteley demonstrated that tightly packed colonies of P. aeruginosa are more resistant to antibiotics than looser groupings.2
The gelatin-walled chambers have another advantage: They are chemically permeable, which allows bacteria to communicate with nearby communities. While the bacteria remain trapped inside their chambers, nutrients and chemical messages from bacteria in other chambers can filter through the hardened gelatin as they do through infected tissues. This allows experimenters to arrange the chambers in three-dimensional patterns like the bacterial colonies in an infection and test new ideas about how bacteria communicate and resist antibiotics.
Researchers look forward to seeing what Shear and Whiteley find with their 3D creations. “They’ve been able to develop this new system that allows them to ask questions that most microbiologists can’t,” Parsek says. Whiteley plans to use this technology to recreate the way that bacteria arrange themselves within diabetic patients’ wounds, which often become badly infected. Other researchers may sculpt the gelatin into whatever shape mimics their favorite pathogen’s home in a person’s lungs, skin, or any other organ. Barry believes that the technique could be beneficial to tuberculosis research. “A lot of treating the disease involves many assumptions about what the bacteria experience at the time that you are treating them,” he says. “We could benefit from looking at bacteria in a more confined space and under more physiologic conditions.”
Whiteley and Shear may have engineered a new petri dish for the 21st century. And in doing so, they have affirmed for bacteria what we already know for ourselves: home matters.
Zach Zorich is a freelance science journalist and contributing editor at Archaeology magazine.
References
1. Hibbing, M.E., Fuqua, C., Parsek, M.R., Peterson, S.B. Bacterial competition: Surviving and thriving in the microbial jungle. Nature Reviews Microbiology. 8(1), 15-25 (2010).
2. Connell, J.L., Ritschdorff, E.T., Whiteley, M., & Shear, J.B. 3D Printing of microscopic bacterial communities. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 110, 18,380-18,385 (2013).As many as fifteen Japanese firms would sign agreements to invest in Gujarat during Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's visit, while the state would also get cheaper loan for infrastructure development from Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the government announced on Tuesday.
According to Gujarat Chief Secretary, JN Singh, 15 Japanese companies are keen to invest in Gujarat and will be signing agreements with the state government during the 12th Indo-Japanese annual summit in Gandhinagar on Thursday.
The summit will be held in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Japanese counterpart Abe, who will begin his two-day state visit from tomorrow.
Some of these companies include Moresco, Toyoda Gosei, Topre and Murakami.
"These firms will invest in Gujarat during the next one month, for which MoUs will be signed during the summit," Singh told reporters here today.
According to D Thara, vice-president and managing director of the Gujarat Industrial Development Corporation (GIDC), total 17-18 agreements to be signed during the summit, 15 will be between Japanese firms and the GIDC.
"Fifteen Japanese companies have already committed to invest in Gujarat, for which they've started the process of purchasing land from GIDC. These 15 companies will sign MoUs with GIDC during the summit," Thara told PTI.
She further said the quantum of investment by these firms will be disclosed later.
A day after the two-day visit ends, a high level delegation with the representatives from 55 other Japanese firms would visit several industrial clusters in the state.
"Officials of 55 Japanese companies will visit the industrial clusters at Mandal and Sanand talukas of Ahmedabad, as they want to have a first-hand information about the infrastructure before deciding to invest," she added.
Singh said that apart from these agreements, a memorandum of cooperation will be signed between Gujarat government and JICA for the development of infrastructure sector in the state, including the development of Alang shipyard in Bhavnagar.
"JICA is offering loan to the state government at cheaper rate for the development of infrastructure. This loan would also be utilised for the development of Alang shipyard. We will sign a memorandum of cooperation with JICA during the summit in this regard," said Singh.
Both Modi and Abe are expected to land at Ahmedabad tomorrow. They are scheduled to take part in the Indo-Japanese Annual Summit in Gandhinagar the next day after laying the foundation stone for the Ahmedabad-Mumbai Bullet Train project.Apple CFO Luca Maestri warned that a "border tax" on imports could hurt American consumers and stall the economy.
It is "very hard for us to imagine that a border tax would be good for the US economy, because it would burden the consumer and the dollar would appreciate versus where it is today, which is already too strong," he told an audience of investors at the Goldman Sachs Technology and Internet Conference in San Francisco on Tuesday. "It doesn't yield a positive outcome."
President Trump and his team have floated various tariff plans since his election, such as a 35% tax on German cars imported into the U.S., and a 20% tax on Mexican imports to help pay for a border wall.
Republicans in Congress have also floated the idea of a more general border adjustment tax, which would eliminate taxes on U.S. exports and add a blanket tariff on all imports.
No formal bill has been introduced, and any actual taxes may be much lower than originally proposed.
Supporters believe these tariffs would encourage companies to manufacture more products in the U.S., leading to more high-paying factory jobs. But critics like Maestri have pointed out that the tax would raise prices for consumers, slowing consumption and decreasing demand.
Apple has a particular interest in the subject because most of its products, including the iPhone, which accounts for over half its sales and profits, are manufactured outside the U.S. and may be subject to any passed tariffs.
Maestri noted that even if Apple assembled more of its products in the U.S., huge parts of the supply chain are located overseas. It would be extremely costly for Apple and all its suppliers to relocate the bulk of their manufacturing to the U.S.
He said that Apple has created more than "2 million jobs" over the last 10 years including positions in its retail stories, at its suppliers, and among developers who build apps for its products.
See also: Apple explains why its R&D spending is on the riseJust before 9pm police discovered up to 10 men fighting on a main street in Lakemba, Sydney. Witnesses claim the violence broke out after members of an anti-islamist group insulted locals. Courtesy: TODAY
THREE men will face court after a brawl in the Sydney suburb of Lakemba where anti-Islamic insults were allegedly made.
At least two of the arrested men are believed to be members of the anti-Muslim group Australia Defence League (ADL).
Police were called to defuse the brawl — involving up to 10 men — about 8.30pm. Two of the men received minor injuries and were treated at Canterbury Hospital before being taken into custody.
A police officer received a fractured left shoulder and is still in hospital.
Two of the men were understood to have made “derogatory” remarks about people attending a mosque.
A Twitter page named ADL SOLDIERS tweeted “ADL is going to Lakemba now” about two hours before the brawl but it isn’t known if the page was linked to the three men arrested.
3 men charged over a fight at Lakemba overnight, allegedly sparked by racist taunts: http://t.co/bvv6p6H7VY #TenNews pic.twitter.com/01L7GPiuGQ — TEN News Sydney (@TenNewsSydney) December 22, 2014
Brawl that took place in Lakemba last night has been linked to anti-Islamic activists: http://t.co/L8wliPssk7 #9News pic.twitter.com/pxcPaqIWlN — Nine News Sydney (@9NewsSyd) December 22, 2014
Superintendent Michael McLean told reporters today two men arrived at Haldon St last night “with a direct intention to cause unrest” — and he was “bitterly disappointed” about that.
“They did make religiously motivated comments towards those in the community,” Supt McLean said.
“Not the unrest but certainly the displeasure of the people in the community was warranted. The police won’t tolerate those comments that incite violence in the community.”
One of them charged is known to police and was involved in at least other previous incident in Halden St.
Supt McLean said social media sites that incite racial violence were being monitored by police.
A witness told the ABC one man was deliberately upsetting locals.
“There was a guy here, he had the flag and stuff and was just chanting out racist comments. He was being a goose. And I think it was the same guy I saw in footage from the city last week. It was not a scene you want to be around.”
The man was insulting their religion, he said.
“Don’t come in here and provoke us and insult us and insult our prophet,” he said,” the ABC reported.
Two of the men, aged 19 and 36, will appear in the Parramatta Local Court today on charges of affray and behaving in an offensive manner in/near public place/school. The third man, 43, has been granted conditional bail and will appear in court next month.Did Arkansas take advantage of the bye week or what?
Another impressive post-bye performance lifted Arkansas to a 31-10 win over Florida (6-2, 4-2 SEC), a pretty good team that had feasted on a diet of mostly cupcakes.
The coaches used the bye week to install fixes for the offensive and defensive lines, which have been dominated in several games this season. Saturday, it was Arkansas’ lines doing the dominating, out-rushing Florida 223-12 and winning the sack battle three to one.
On the offensive line, the coaches benched struggling right guard Jake Raulerson in favor of 344-pound Johnny Gibson, a walk-on from Dumas. Raulerson has been out-muscled too many times this season, so the coaches hoped Gibson would at least be a rock out there, even if his fundamentals weren’t as good. The plan paid off nicely, and it looks like one major issue up front has been solved. The Hogs lost starting left guard Hjalte Froholdt to injury in the third quarter, so Gibson slid to left guard and Raulerson stepped back into his old position.
The less-noticeable change up front came in the blocking scheme. The Hogs used a lot more quick-hitting outside runs designed to get the back into space quickly. It was actually reminiscent of early-years Houston Nutt, who used to put his fullback really close behind the quarterback in the I-formation so he could get into the hole quicker. The Hogs didn’t quite do that (they actually didn’t use a fullback all that often), and instead decided to have blockers bypass backside defensive linemen and target Florida’s excellent linebackers Jarrad Davis and Alex Anzalone. By leaving backside linemen unblocked, all of Arkansas’ blockers could concentrate on attacking one small area of the line.
The results were brutal. The scheme was probably better suited to Rawleigh Williams’ more physical downhill run style (he reminded me a bit of Chrys Chukwuma, who had success in Nutt’s similar schemes in 1998 and 1999) and he had a huge game against what was supposed to be an elite run defense. Davis left the game twice with injuries and could be out for a while. Anzalone broke his arm and is out for the season. Backup linebacker Kylan Johnson was also injured. The hits weren’t dirty, but Arkansas’ front certainly beat these linebackers up. Florida’s defensive linemen weren’t quick enough to make plays against the quick-hitting runs, so the Gator secondary had to make all the tackles.
Not only did the new scheme open up holes, we also saw the Arkansas |
, a food truck turned brick and mortar, opened late summer 2015. Click here to read more about the concept, featured in the Great Food Truck Race
Naugles, the once defunct Mexican fast food chain, has returned. The new owners have brought back the brand which is operating under temporary hours in Fountain Valley. Click here to read more
Sweet Lady Jane opened in early September in Corona del Mar. Click here to read more about the popular Los Angeles bakery here.
One of the much-anticipated restaurants at Union Market Tustin is finally opening. The Kroft, which has suffered numerous construction setbacks at the food hall, said it will open Friday. The fast-casual eatery specializes in Canadian-style poutine dishes and gourmet sandwiches. The first Kroft opened last year at the Anaheim Packing House. It opens 11 a.m. Friday.
Jason’s by the Circle opened Aug. 17 in Orange. Read full story: Jason’s brings global comfort food to Old Towne Orange.
Pandor Artisan Boulangerie & Cafe and Urbana are now open at the Anaheim Packing House. Pandor is open at 9 a.m. for breakfast, which is served all day.
Harbor Prime opened in Fullerton. It replaced the closed Tony Roma’s on Harbor Bouelvard this summer.
California Pizza Kitchen (CPK) is opening one of its “Next Chapter” locations in Irvine on Aug. 26. This will be the first remodel built from the ground up in Orange County. The reinvented restaurants emphasize hand-tossed pizzas, hand-shaken cocktails, seasonal entree dishes, a wider variety of lunch combos, flexible seating and decor that reflects the local community. The “next chapter” look and menus are complete at restaurants in Huntington Beach, Newport Beach and Brea. Earlier this year, CPK said locations in Anaheim, Seal Beach, Santa Ana, Laguna Hills, Tustin and the Irvine Spectrum were also slated for a food and decor makeover. The Irvine restaurant opening next week is at 5465 Alton Pkwy (formerly El Cholo).
Chez Vu Bakery & Cafe opened recently on Balboa Boulevard. The Vietnamese bakery sells baguette sandwiches and boba drinks. It replaced the Sliding Door cafe at 704 E. Balboa Blvd.
The Trough sandwich shop plans to have a grand opening Aug. 20. However, if you stop by this weekend, you might see the chef-driven sandwich shop open for limited hours. Read more: Trough to open second unit in Newport
Mexican pizza chain Pizza Del Perro Negro opened in early 2015. The deep dish style pizza offers ingredients or flavors commonly found in a traditional Mexican restaurant such as a pizza topped with carnitas and chile rellanos. But it also offers some wacky comfort food pizzas such as Mac & Cheese and hamburger pizzas. The restaurant is 2233 W. Balboa Blvd.
Shakeaway — a milkshake bar company — will open Friday, (May 8) at 5th Street and Pacific Coast Highway. The company has 50 stores around the world, including San Diego.Shakeaway, founded 16 years ago in England, features more than 180 ingredients that customers can choose from to build their own shake. Ingredients are hand-blended to order. Read more here
Sessions West Coast Deli in Newport Beach is opening a second location in downtown Huntington Beach. It opens in early summer. Read more here
Jimmy’s John’s is on a hot streak. The Champaign, Ill.-based sandwich chain is slated to open iths 9th location in Orange County later in San Clemente. “Southern California has been a growing market for us since our first store opened in late 2013. We are always looking for where we can go next – you’re definitely going to see more of us,” said Nathan Louer, a company spokesman. The San Clemente restaurant, on El Camino Real between Avenida del Mar and Avenida Granada, should open later this spring, he said. The first Jimmy John’s opened in 1983 in Illinois. The company primarily grows through franchising, with sub shops focused on low-prices and speedy service. The other local restaurants are in Orange, Fountain Valley, Stanton, Fullerton, Santa Ana, Costa Mesa, Irvine and Huntington Beach.
Los Angelesbased tea shop The American Tea Room will be opening its first Orange County location in November. The shop offers an array of high-quality loose leaf teas including matcha, whimsical rooibos blends, certified organic teas, and Earl Grey blends. The shop also sells customized tea gift sets, teacups and teapots. The flagship store in Beverly Hills opened in 2003. They are expanding to Orange County because the shop’s largest customer base outside of Los Angeles was in Newport Beach. The American Tea Room will be opening in Fashion Island, with construction set to begin this July.
Sushi Roku will be opening its first Orange County location in June. This will be the sixth addition to the popular Japanese restaurant chain since its debut in 1997. The seafood-oriented menu offers Japanese cuisine with contemporary ingredients such as jalapenos, French black truffles and Italian cheeses. The full service restaurant also offers an extensive sake list and unique specialty cocktails such as Fuji apple martini, hot chocolate sake and lemon drop martini. The restaurant offers fusion dishes like salmon sashimi carpaccio, kimchi cucumber sunomono, filet mignon with ginger teriyaki sauce and an extensive sushi and sashimi list. Sushi Roku will be debuting at Fashion Island in Newport Beach this June.
Bronx Sandwich Co. is opening its second location later this month in April. This store is larger the Tustin, which opened earlier this year. It has a rustic Bronx feel with a brick wall, exposed rafters and polished concrete floors. The menu is identical to the Tustin location with less Rice Bowls. Address: 949 S. Euclid St. Anaheim, CA 92802
Anaheim-based The Pizza Press, by entrepreneur Dara Maleki, has finally revealed the opening date of his next restaurant. The Old Towne Orange location is opening Saturday, March 28 at noon. Like other assembly-line pizza players, Pizza Press lets diners create their own 10-inch pizza from unlimited toppings. The first restaurant opened in the summer of 2012 across the street from Disneyland on Harbor Avenue. Because it is a resort area, the pizzas cost $10. In Old Towne Orange, Maleki said he plans to add more seasonal toppings in Orange and will lower the price to $8, which is in line with rival concepts. Pizza Press, he added, sets itself apart from the competition with its wide selection of craft beers on tap. In Orange, the restaurant plans to offer about 20 taps. Maleki said he’s targeting Chapman University students at the 2,900-square-foot eatery, which will have plenty of USB plug-ins for students “cramming” for tests. The Pizza Press plans to accelerate its growth through franchising this year.
Bruster’s Real Ice Cream, a scoop shop sensation East of the Mississippi, is opening its first West Coast location next month in Cypress. The Pittsburgh-based premium ice cream chain (think 12 percent butterfat) makes fresh batches and waffle cones in every shop. Unlike other ice cream parlors, Bruster’s is a walk-up concept, where orders are taken from windows. The Cypress Bruster’s is at 9963 Walker St. at Ball Road. Read full story: Bruster’s enters SoCal
Pie Dog, a steak and sausage house, is opening Friday in Fullerton. The full-service concept by Grace Wu and Donny Gaudiano features 24 rotating craft beer taps, house ground steak burgers and sausages. At one point, the owner of Mick’s Karma Bar was involved. But PR reps for Pie Dog say the steak burger meister is no longer part of the project. Leonard Chan, who runs a string of hipster restaurants in Orange County, is acting as a menu consultant. Price: $7-$9. Address: 229 E. Commonwealth Ave., Fullerton.
The Irvine Co. must have a sweet tooth, as many of its shopping centers are welcoming a slew of dessert shops. The latest includes Cookie Connection at Crossroads Shopping Center. The menu includes a range of classic cookies, as well as its signature crackle cookie — a soft chocolate brownie rolled in powdered sugar. The shop also sells ice cream cookie sandwiches made with ice cream from Cool Haus, a popular Los Angeles food truck. Address: 3972I Barranca Parkway, Irvine. Later this year, the Irvine Spectrum Center is opening Cream, which makes gourmet ice cream cookie sandwiches. Coming in June. Yogurtland is also opening a location at Irvine Spectrum Center in April, the Irvine Co. said. Scoops N Scoops, a liquid nitrogen scoop shop, is opening later this year at Walnut Village Center on Culver Drive, the same Irvine shopping center where Trader Joe’s and Burntzilla operate.
Irvine-based Ritual Wellness is merging with the San Francisco’s Project Juice, both companies announced Thursday. As part of the merger, the three Ritual Wellness shops in Orange County will be rebranded as Project Juice effective Thursday, the company said. The combined company has nine stores in California. “The business merger immediately multiplies Project Juice’s purchasing power, enabling the company to work directly with more California farms,” the company said in a statement. Ritual Wellness founders Marra St. Clair and Lori Kenyon Farley developed the organic, cold-pressed juices as an online business in 2010. They opened their first shop in 2012 at The Camp in Costa Mesa. They will continue to make their juices and cleanses at their Irvine-based commissary. St. Clair and Kenyon Farley will remain with the company, working B with Project Juice founders Rachel and Greg Malsin and Devon Briger.
Texas premium burger chain, Mooyah Burgers, Fries & Shakes, opened its first Southern California location Monday, March 9 in Irvine. The better burger concept, known for its fresh-cut fries and in-house baked buns, has two locations in Northern California. Newport Beach franchisee Jim Melby, who runs his own accounting firm, is opening his first Mooyah burger in Irvine. The restaurant is replacing a bagel shop in the Alton Square Shopping Center in Irvine. Melby’s son-in-law, who has family experience running La Salsa restaurants in Las Vegas, will be helping him run the restaurants. Melby has plans to open at least five restaurants in the Orange County area. He is scouting locations in Hungtington Beach, Tustin, Newport Beach, Corona del Mar and Costa Mesa. Address: 5365 A-2 Alton Parkway, Irvine.
When my daughter started high school in downtown Santa Ana last year, I started roaming the historic Civic Center area for a quick cup of coffee in the morning. All I could find was Starbucks. Later, someone told me Gypsy Den served coffee for java fans on the run. Now, in just a few short weeks, there’s suddenly a bevy of specialty coffee options in the area. In late February, well-known Orange County barista Truman Severson, formerly of Portola Coffee Lab, has launched a pop-up coffee bar in downtown Santa Ana. Severson’s Hopper & Burr is set up each morning at Little Sparrow on Main and Third. His simple menu includes brewed filtered coffee, espresso, lattes, cappuccinos and mochas ranging in price from $2 to $5. His “white” options include whole milk, and almond milk. The latter is housemade by Andrew Ogden, who also worked at Portola. Hopper & Burr is open daily from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sparrow isn’t open for breakfast or lunch, making the quaint European-bistro setting a perfect fit for his morning experiment. Severson said he’ll keep the pop-up going as he looks for a permanent location — hopefully somewhere in Santa Ana — for his cafe. Next door to Little Sparrow/Hopper & Burr is Paninoteca Maggio. The sandwich shop is open Monday through Saturday for breakfast and serves espresso drinks. With Portola Coffee Lab opening its third Orange County cafe at 4th Street Market last month, Santa Ana is suddenly full of solid options for java junkies. “It’s awesome. Santa Ana went from having no coffee to being a coffee destination,” said Severson. The small businessman doesn’t mind the competition. “High tides make all ships rise,” he said.
Kona Grill, an American grill and sushi bar from Scottsdale, is opening its first California location in Orange County. The Irvine Spectrum Center location is one of 12 restaurants planned for the chain, whose menu offers a wide-range of Asian-inspired dishes, sandwiches, sushi, flatbread, saladds, soups and pastas.
Pour Vida Latin Flavor by Chef Jimmy Martinez is opening soon in downtown Anaheim. The classically trained chef will be using his French and Italian cooking influences for his hand-crafted taco menu, which include sous vide chicken and 24-hour marinated pork. The seafood tacos are served in squid-ink tortillas, according to the website menu. Martinez has worked for Wolfgang Puck, helped develop the menu at Mastro’s in Costa Mesa and ran the kitchen of Dolce Steakhouse in Newport Beach. Address: 185 W. Center Street Promenade, Anaheim.
Andrea and Russell Young, under controversy for their work at Union Market Tustin, have been tapped to open a second Union Market at Kaleidoscope in Mission Viejo. “It will be a great addition to the center and will be embraced by South County residents,” Colby Durnin, chief executive of Sentinel Development, told the Register. Food tenants include: Portola Coffee Lab, Milk Box, Hummus Bowl, Oyu Shabu, Poke Shack, The Kroft, Central Bar, Anchor Hitch, Noodle Bar, Youngstone Cheese Shop, and Market 2 Plate. Retailers include Bambu Earth and Miel.
The Dirty Cookie is the latest new food shop expected to open at Union Market Tustin. The landlords for the food and retail complex have come under scrutiny in recent weeks for not getting the main restaurants open in a timely fashion. Amid the exiting of a few shops, The Dirty Cookie has announced plans to grab a space at the center. The shop will offer cookie shots. What does that mean? Truong Kim, one of the partners, said the shop serves milk inside cookies molded into the shape of a shot glass. The inside of the “cookie glass” is coated with chocolate creating a leak-proof lining, he said. It’s unclear when the dessert shop will open. Union Market Tustin is at The District shopping center, off Barranca and Jamboree.
Centro, a wood-fired pizza eatery and brewery, is coming soon to Old Town Tustin. The brewery-restaurant is owned by Pozzuoli Vineyard & Winery in Paso Robles. Pozzuoli, known for its tradition-defying blends, opened a tasting room more than two years ago in Tustin, off Red Hill. The Main Street location is an extension Pozzuoli‘s winery, as well as home base for “brewing our own Archaic craft beer,” said owner Enrico Pozzuoli. “The food will be Italian including wood fired pizza, panini sandwiches, salads and cheese plates.” Address: 140 E. Main St., Tustin (next to Quinn’s Old Town Grill)
San Diego’s Broken Yolk Cafe, which serves a wide-range of home-style breakfast dishes, opened its second Orange County location Monday., Feb. 23. The Mission Viejo restaurant is part of the renovated Avery Center on Marguerite Parkway. The menu includes standard egg dishes, pancakes, crepes, breakfast burritos and tacos, and espresso drinks. The restaurant is open for breakfast and lunch from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily. It’s other O.C. location is in Orange on Chapman Avenue. Broken Yolk address: 28621 Marguerite Parkway.
Also coming to the Avery Center in Mission Viejo: Jimmy John’s. Stay tuned for more information.
Oggi’s Pizza Express, a new build your own pizza concept by the owners of Oggi’s, opened in late February at the Village in Orange. Two locations have opened in San Diego. It replaces the old full-service Oggi’s in the same mall.
Ugly Pie Co., another build-your-own pizza concept, is opening in April in Irvine. Address: 3939 Portola Pkwy.
AFTERS Ice Cream in Fountain Valley, which celebrated its one year anniversary Feb. 15, is expanding. The home of the Milky Bun, or doughnut stuffed with ice cream, recently opened a second location in Chino Hills. Co-founder Andy Nguyen said plans are underway for a third and fourth ice cream shop. The third shop, he tells the Register, will be in Tustin. He did not reveal the location, so stay tuned for more details. Also coming soon: expanding evening hours in Fountain Valley.
Paninoteca Maggio, home to a killer selection of Italian sandwiches and paninis, has finally revealed the opening date of its relocated restaurant. Cordon Bleu graduate of Chef Sharron Barshishat opened the eatery at The City Place in Santa Ana more than two years ago. That location shutdown as he prepared to relocate to downtown Santa Ana. The larger space, which will be open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, opens Feb. 19. Address: 304 N Main St., Santa Ana (next to Little Sparrow)
Assembly-line pizza chain Blaze Pizza has confirmed plans to move into the prime retail space once occupied by Radio Shack in Old Towne Orange. The “corner” storefront, facing the city’s famous downtown roundabout, will be the second fast-casual pizza restaurant to enter the area. Pizza Press, another build your own pizza concept, is opening soon on Glassell Street across the street from Zito’s Pizza. Zito’s is a tradtional family-style pizza eatery. Like Pizza Press, the Blaze Pizza in Orange is expected to have beer on tap.
Coming to the old Ways & Means space in Orange: Jason’s by the Circle. The company is tied to Jason’s Catered Events, based in Santa Ana. This information is based on the alcohol and beverage permit sign posted in the restaurant’s window. Stay tuned for more details.
Raising Cane’s, a fast-food chicken fingers chain from Louisiana, is expected to enter the Orange County market this year. Restaurants are in the works for Laguna Hills, Costa Mesa and Aliso Viejo, according to the chain’s website. The company, whose limited menu features fried chicken tenders, crinkle cut fries, coleslaw and a fried chicken tender sandwich, said it is expanding to Southern California later this year.
The Market Place in Irvine is set to open TAPS Fish House & Brewery, Famous Dave’s BBQ, Starbucks and Urban Plates. The Starbucks will have a drive through.
On the Tustin side of The Market Place: Mizu Sushi Bar & Grill, at 1228 El Camino Real, opened Jan. 8. Coming in May: Piadina Italian Market Sandwich and Miguel’s Jr. The Flame Broiler is coming in June, while Wokcano is slated for December.
Monterey Park-based Wokcano is opening a restaurant at the MainPlace The Santa Ana mall is also adding a 10,000-square-foot Lucille’s Smokehouse Bar-B-Que. Lucille’s and Wokcano, scheduled to open in the fall, are on Level 2 of the old Macy’s men’s furniture wing next to Ashley Furniture, the mall said.
Wokcano’s parent company is M2K Group, whose other brands include Le Ka Restaurant, The Backhouse, EMC Seafood & Raw Bar, and The Big Catch Seafood. M2K is also planning to open an EMC Seafood in Irvine, a Big Catch in Huntington Beach and a Backhouse at Pacific City in Huntington Beach, according to the its website.
Creamistry, a liquid nitrogen scoop shop founded in Orange County, has announced plans to expand the concept to Costa Mesa and Rowland Heights. This will be the chain’s fifth and sixth store locations. Yorba Linda resident Jay Yim opened the original scoop in Irvine in 2013. The brand is among several molecular-driven scoop shops popping up in Los Angeles, Denver and San Francisco. Yim is taking the trend seriously, expanding via franchising. Other locations have opened in Cerritos, Corona and Long Beach.
4th Street Market in downtown Santa Ana has revealed its opening date after months of anticipation. The culinary food hall on 4th Street near Jason Quinn’s Playground is opening Feb. 16, the property owner announced Sunday. The public will have a chance to preview the food-centric marketplace during the second Savor Santa Ana food event on Feb 12. (Ticket: www.downtown-santaana.com.) Tenants coming to the 4th Street Market include: Electric City Butcher (a European-style butcher shop by Michael Puglisi);The butcher shop is inside Jason Quinn’s Honor Roll, a large “pantry” of artisan foods and ingredients for grocery shoppers; Quinn is also opening a bar dubbed Recess and three food stands: Noodle Tramp (Thai), PFC (Playground fried chicken) and Wagyu Chuck (house-ground Double-Double-inspired burgers). He’s also moving his recently opened Dough Exchange bakery to Honor Roll; Ink Waffles (“flavor” infused waffles by the operators of Anepalco’s); Radical Botanicals (juice bar); Portola Coffee Lab; Front Porch Pops; The Stockyard Sandwich Company, Torch S’more Co.; MAR (a modern quick-serve mariscos restaurant) and two food trucks: Chunk -N- Chip (ice cream sandwiches) and Dos Chinos.
Los Angeles-based Golden Road Brewing, known for canning its craft beer, is expanding its operation to Anaheim. Golden Road co-founder Meg Gill said the brewery has a huge fan following in Orange County, where they plan to brew specialty limited edition beers. Victor Novak, former head brewer at TAPS Fish House & Brewery in Brea, will be one of the brew masters in Anaheim. Like the Golden Road in Los Angeles, Anaheim will have a tasting room and a restaurant. Golden Road distributes to 4,000 clients in California, including Anaheim Stadium, Honda Center, Whole Foods Market, Costco, Ralphs and Trader Joe’s. The Anaheim brewery, tasting room, and restaurant are expected to open later this year (2015). Address: 2220 East Orangewood Ave., Anaheim
Bronx Sandwich Co. has opened in Tustin, serving piled high hoagies made with Dietz & Watson meats and cheeses. Prices range from $8 to $10. Also, there’s only one size – 10 inches long with up to 10 ounces of meat in between. That’s the New York way,” said Sal Othman, who is using custom breads from OC Baking Company in Orange. Bronx will be adding fresh pre-made salads and sandwiches for takeout. Othman, who operates Bronx Burgers & Street Fries in Los Angeles, plans to open a second Bronx deli in Anaheim in late February at 949 S. Euclid St. The Tustin shop is at 13041 Newport Ave. (formerly Creations Pizzeria near Lost Bean organic cafe.)
Cream, a family-run ice cream sandwich chain founded in Berkeley, announced plans to open 11 Cream shops in Southern California, including 10 in Orange County and one at USC. The local shops will be operated by Orange County franchisee partners Kyle Olson and Hector Haget, who run a string of Jersey Mike’s restaurants in Orange County. The first shop will open in March in Aliso Viejo at 26841 Aliso Creek Rd. The second is slated for the Irvine Spectrum Center. Cream, founded in 2010, is like Stax Cookie Bar in Irvine. But while Stax outsources its ice cream, Cream uses a proprietary family recipe. Cream’s menu features 20 ice cream flavors and 20 cookie flavors.Love camping but hate the horrible tents? Well try the new see through bubble tent that gives you a clear view of the nature around you. Check out the bubble tent –
These tents are not anything close to your traditional “uncomfortable” tents. They are decked out with wardrobes, shelves and electric lights, the bubbles look more like a movable hotel room than a regular tent.
Currently they can be hired out at sites across France for around £400 pounds a night.
These bubble tents are designed by French designer Pierre Stephane Dumas who calls them his ‘BubbleTree’ creations – ‘unusual huts for unusual nights’.
He explained: ‘Having a night under the stars or seeing the sun rise and set is not something that many people experience anymore. ‘A normal tent or camper van means people miss out on these things. ‘So I designed this eccentric shelter with the aim of offering an unusual experience under the stars while keeping all the comfort of a bedroom suite. ‘The ceiling of the bubble has the Milky Way, guests will be able to enjoy this as well as the extraordinary light variation of the sunset and sunrise.’ Source: www.dailymail.co.uk
More Pictures –Regular readers of this site recognize that the 10th amendment is forgotten (or ignored) in US government far more often then it’s invoked.
That’s why the Tenth Amendment Center applauds the Oklahoma State House of Representatives, who recently declared “sovereignty” under the principles of the 10th.
In their resolution, which easily passed by a 92-3 margin, they recognized not only that the Tenth Amendment exists, but that it grants only specific powers to the federal government – the rest being left to the “States or to the People.”
According to the language of the resolution, Oklahoma is “serving notice to the federal government to cease and desist certain mandates.”
Although this is the most strongly-worded commitment from a legislature to the principles of states rights in a long time, it will remain to be seen if Oklahoma will actually begin resisting some of the many, many encroachments that the federal government engages in on a daily basis.
Robert Bright has an interesting perspective on his blog:
The list of things that the Fed Gov is doing but does not have authority to do because of the 10th Amendment is staggering. The reason federal politicians ignore the 10th is that they would have little to do if the 10th were applied as intended by the Founding Fathers … … it’s a very nice gesture. If several states would do the same thing, we could actually see some real change – as opposed to the “change†to an even larger Federal Government as proposed by Obama, Clinton and McCain.
A resolution is clearly not the same thing as outright resistance, but this seems to have awoken a number of people to the realization that a potentially good way to reduce the power of the federal government is through their local communities.
This will happen much quicker once we realize that federal funding that’s dished out for all kinds of unconstitutional mandates are little more than a way to keep us dependent – bribes.
A commenter at PoliticalInquirer.net sums it up pretty well:
Here, here; the most-ignored amendment of all needs a major revival. However, to do that, the states would have to wean themselves off of federal dollars for state-specific purposes and I don’t expect any state has the political intestinal fortitude to do that. More importantly, the US Supreme Court needs to start recognizing the existence of that Amendment and start ruling based on it. They’ve been operating like there were only nine original Amendments since Roe v Wade (a clear 10th Amendment issue).
Here, Here.Even as he allowed an anti-Israel resolution to pass at the UN Security Council, President Barack Obama wished Jews a “Happy Hanukkah” on Friday.
“As night falls over each of the next eight days, Jews in the United States, Israel and around the world will gather to light their Hanukkah menorahs, display them proudly in the window and recall the miracles of both ancient times and the present day,” the president said in a statement, as reported by The Hill.
He continued: “For more than two millennia, the story of Hanukkah has reminded the world of the Jewish people’s perseverance and the persistence of faith, even against daunting odds.”
Obama’s statement emphasized religious freedom — and downplayed Hanukkah’s themes of political independence.
The holiday (also transliterated as “Chanukah”) commemorates the successful revolt of the Jewish community of ancient Israel against the Seleucid dynasty in 165 B.C., led by the Maccabees.
It is among the most nationalistic holidays in the Jewish calendar, turning Obama’s greeting into something of an ironic insult.
The UN Security Council resolution calls for an end to Israeli settlements in the West Bank and declares them illegal under international law. Israel argues that the settlements are not illegal, since there is no prior legitimate sovereign in the territory, and argues — referring to precedent and existing peace agreements — that the matter is a subject for bilateral negotiation.
Prior to the vote at the UN Security Council, a senior Israeli official told Breitbart News that President Obama had pushed the anti-Israel resolution “behind Israel’s back”:
President Obama and Secretary Kerry are behind this shameful move against Israel at the UN. The US administration secretly cooked up with the Palestinians an extreme anti Israeli resolution behind Israel’s back which would be a tailwind for terror and boycotts and effectively make the Western Wall occupied Palestinian territory. President Obama could declare his willingness to veto this resolution in an instant but instead is pushing it. This is an abandonment of Israel which breaks decades of US policy of protecting Israel at the UN and undermines the prospects of working with the next administration of advancing peace.
The Maccabees’ revolt was also against the repression of the Jewish faith, and the desecration of the Holy Temple. When the Maccabees recaptured the Temple, they found only enough oil to light the sacred menorah lamp for one night, but it lasted miraculously for eight days and nights — hence the tradition of lighting candles during the holiday in commemoration.
Israel’s UN Ambassador, Danny Danon, referred to Hanukkah and the ancient revolt in his defiant statement against the resolution at the UN Security Council, concluding: “Who gave you the right to such a decree denying our eternal rights in Jerusalem? … We overcame those decrees during the times of the Maccabees, and we will overcome this evil decree today.”
Photo: file
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News. He was named one of the “most influential” people in news media in 2016. His new book, See No Evil: 19 Hard Truths the Left Can’t Handle, is available from Regnery through Amazon. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.Moments ago, the Texas Freedom Network posted to its Web site a study conducted by Dr. Raymond Eve, a professor of sociology and anthropology at the University of Texas at Arlington, titled Evolution, Creationism & Public Schools: Surveying What Texas Scientists Think about Educating Our Kids in the 21st Century. It reveals the results of a survey sent to biology and "biological anthropology" faculty members from "all 35 public universities plus the 15 largest private institutions in Texas," in which they were asked to take the following taste test: evolution or intelligent design? As Eve writes in the introduction, the reason for the survey was simple:
"In the spring of 2009, the Texas State Board of Education will vote to adopt new curriculum standards for the teaching of science in grades K – 12 in Texas public schools. (These guidelines are formally known as the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills, or TEKS.) Many observers, both within Texas and around the country, anticipate a vigorous push by certain interest groups to make the debate over the Texas science curriculum the latest front in the running battle over evolution."
So Eve, and the TFN, wanted to see where educators stood on the issue. Oof the 1,019 faculty members to whom the surveys were sent, 464 responded -- and fewer than 1 percent checked off the box marked, “Modern evolutionary biology is mostly wrong. Life arose through multiple creation events by an intelligent designer, although evolution by natural selection played a limited role.” In other words: Do the evolution. Now might be a good time to re-read Jesse Hyde's March 2008 cover story on the subject. --Robert Wilonsky– C.J. Anderson might be going from breakout to heartbreak.
The Denver Broncos were bracing for bad news on their starting running back, who they sent for a second opinion on his ailing right knee Wednesday.
Anderson hurt it on an 11-yard run on the final play of the first quarter Monday night against Houston but returned to the game and ran 14 more times for 84 yards to spark Denver’s 27-9 win.
His 107-yard performance on 16 carries marked his first career 100-yard game before Halloween. Combined with rookie Devontae Booker’s big night, the Broncos (5-2) finally snapped out of an offensive funk by rushing for nearly 190 yards.
They left the stadium feeling really good about their new 1-2 punch in the backfield, but Anderson showed up sore Tuesday. They’ll know Thursday how much time he’ll miss.
“We’re just really trying to evaluate it more than anything,” coach Gary Kubiak said. “He played with it. He did it early in the game. He played through it, he played really well. Actually, he was our offensive MVP. He came in really sore the day after. So, we’re trying to evaluate where he’s at right now.”
With Anderson down, the Broncos would start Booker on Sunday against San Diego and Colorado State star Kapri Bibbs would back him up.
“It’s kind of up to Book, how much can he handle, what kind of load can he handle? But I think he played really well the other night,” Kubiak said. “Kapri’s been chomping. So, we’ll see where C.J.’s at.”
Anderson’s injury could thwart the momentum they found in their ground game, which opened up passing lanes for their wide receivers by game’s end as Houston was forced to bring a safety closer to the line of scrimmage to help against the run.
Booker, who ran for 83 yards and his first career TD on 17 carries against the Texans, said he’s ready for a bigger role if Anderson’s sidelined.
Quarterback Trevor Siemian said he’s comfortable with Booker, too.
“Book is a stud and he’s been running really well for us the last couple of weeks,” Siemian said. “Hopefully we get C.J. back again because you would like to have two that are playing really well. But I have a lot of confidence in Book, Kapri and whoever else is back there.”
Also Wednesday, tight end A.J. Derby, acquired from New England for a 2017 fifth-round draft pick, practiced with his new teammates for the first time.
“We think he has a chance to help us really quickly,” Kubiak said.
Kubiak acknowledged a fifth-rounder was a steep price to pay for a backup this deep into a season, but said injuries to Virgil Green and Jeff Heuerman have stymied the Broncos and “we think this kid’s got a bright future.” He added, “I’d be very comfortable” playing him Sunday against the Chargers.
Playing behind Rob Gronkowski and Martellus Bennett, Derby played just 36 snaps. But his preseason production – 15 receptions for 189 yards and a TD – is roughly what the Broncos’ tight ends have managed this season.
“Obviously they have a good room back in New England. It was fun to learn from them,” Derby said. “… We have a good room here, as well. I’m just excited to compete with those guys.”
Notes: C Matt Paradis (hip), MLB Brandon Marshall (left hamstring) and NT Sylvester Williams (ankle) also missed practice as did backup C James Ferentz (non-injury). … Marshall said he hasn’t had a pulled hamstring this bad since 2008.
– By ARNIE STAPLETON, AP Sports Writer
(© Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)Taken together, these findings reveal that repeated alcohol exposure during adolescence results in enduring structural and functional abnormalities in the hippocampus. These synaptic changes in the hippocampal circuits may help to explain learning‐related behavioral changes in adult animals preexposed to AIE.
We found that AIE‐pretreated adult rats manifest robust long‐term potentiation, induced at stimulus intensities lower than those required in controls, suggesting a state of enhanced synaptic plasticity. Moreover, AIE resulted in an increased number of dendritic spines with characteristics typical of immaturity. Immunohistochemistry‐based analysis of synaptic structures indicated a significant decrease in the number of co‐localized pre‐ and postsynaptic puncta. This decrease is driven by an overall decrease in 2 postsynaptic density proteins, PSD‐95 and SAP102.
We specifically focused on hippocampal area CA1, a brain region associated with learning and memory. Using electrophysiological, immunohistochemical, and neuroanatomical approaches, we measured post‐AIE changes in synaptic plasticity, dendritic spine morphology, and synaptic structure in adulthood.
Human adolescence is a crucial stage of neurological development during which ethanol (EtOH) consumption is often at its highest. Alcohol abuse during adolescence may render individuals at heightened risk for subsequent alcohol abuse disorders, cognitive dysfunction, or other neurological impairments by irreversibly altering long‐term brain function. To test this possibility, we modeled adolescent alcohol abuse (i.e., intermittent EtOH exposure during adolescence [AIE]) in rats to determine whether adolescent exposure to alcohol leads to long‐term structural and functional changes that are manifested in adult neuronal circuitry.
Adolescence is a critical period for cognitive, emotional, and social maturation (Choudhury et al., 2006) that is accompanied by the pruning of synapses, refinement of neural circuitry, and changes in receptor expression and sensitivity (Kilb, 2012). These processes contribute to the normal maturation of cognitive processes crucial for successful adult function, including planning, inhibitory control, and working memory (Paus, 2005). Adolescence is also a period during which alcohol consumption is often initiated and sustained at high levels (Squeglia et al., 2012). While it has become clear that adolescents respond differently than adults to the acute effects of ethanol (EtOH) on learning, sedation, and motor function (Little et al., 1996; Markwiese et al., 1998; Spear, 2000), the enduring consequences of repeated EtOH exposure during this developmental period have only recently begun to be addressed. In humans, chronic excessive alcohol use during adolescence has been associated with cognitive deficits manifesting in adulthood, particularly in the domain of memory function (Brown et al., 2000 |
Benghazi testimony:
https://foia.state.gov/searchapp/DOCUMENTS/Litigation_F-2016-07895_8/F-2016-07895/DOC_0C06134860/C06134860.pdf
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https://jtpr.com/team_members/rick-jasculca/
Obama nearly killed NATO:
https://foia.state.gov/searchapp/DOCUMENTS/Litigation_F-2016-07895_9/F-2016-07895/DOC_0C06136601/C06136601.pdf
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These people are too dumb to use iPads:
https://foia.state.gov/searchapp/DOCUMENTS/Litigation_F-2016-07895_8/F-2016-07895/DOC_0C06134919/C06134919.pdf
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Swamp Beast Undersecretary
Hillary underling swamp rat who PRAISED her testimony on Benghazi is still serving at State as Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs. What the fuck is Rex doing?
https://foia.state.gov/searchapp/DOCUMENTS/Litigation_F-2016-07895_7/Litigation_F-2016-07895/DOC_0C06134172/C06134172.pdf
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https://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/biog/55306.htm
Admiral Kirby (Heather before Heather) gets pissy about Trump's "Putin pls gib emails" shitpost:
https://foia.state.gov/searchapp/DOCUMENTS/Litigation_Feb2017/F-2016-08550/DOC_0C06219231/C06219231.pdf
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Obama's incompetence in 2009, leading to humiliating "reset":
https://foia.state.gov/searchapp/DOCUMENTS/Litigation_F-2016-07895/F-2016-07895/DOC_0C06130719/C06130719.pdf
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https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/fact-sheet-moscow-summit-july-6-8
Cry More
Hillary was so butthurt about losing the 2008 primary she read books on how Obama fucked up the surge:
https://foia.state.gov/searchapp/DOCUMENTS/Litigation_F-2016-07895_4/F-2016-07895/DOC_0C06134079/C06134079.pdf
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Trying to tie Petraeus to Putin in 2010, in order to sabotage his GOP prospects:
https://foia.state.gov/searchapp/DOCUMENTS/Litigation_F-2016-07895_10/F-2016-07895/DOC_0C06135065/C06135065.pdf
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"Provision of Public Services in Post-Conflict States":
aka "let the NGOs do it, goyim, pls donate"
https://foia.state.gov/searchapp/DOCUMENTS/Litigation_F-2016-07895_12/F-2016-07895/DOC_0C06136639/C06136639.pdf
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Hillary and Pelosi colluding for a piece in Time Magazine
https://foia.state.gov/searchapp/DOCUMENTS/Litigation_F-2016-07895_7/Litigation_F-2016-07895/DOC_0C06136470/C06136470.pdf
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https://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1984685_1984864_1985438,00.html
https://archive.is/ZL56S
Hillary wanted the Copenhagen climate deal to be "politically binding":
This was the prelude to the Paris Accord that Trump thankfully pulled our asses out of.
https://foia.state.gov/searchapp/DOCUMENTS/Litigation_F-2016-07895_9/F-2016-07895/DOC_0C06136562/C06136562.pdf
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2010 email on right wing boogeymen
Orban, Le Pen, Wilders already on Hillary's radar.
https://foia.state.gov/searchapp/DOCUMENTS/Nov03_2016/F-2016-07895_1-15A/DOC_0C06131217/C06131217.pdf
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MSNBC asking Hillary's lackeys for questions to ask Hillary
Shades of the debates, eh?
https://foia.state.gov/searchapp/DOCUMENTS/Litigation_F-2016-07895_18/F-2016-07895/DOC_0C06177550/C06177550.pdf#page=2&zoom=auto,-15,223
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David Axelrod on how technology gets used to collect opinions and advertise to us
https://foia.state.gov/searchapp/DOCUMENTS/Litigation_F-2016-07895_18/F-2016-07895/DOC_0C06177549/C06177549.pdf#page=1&zoom=auto,-15,567
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Chelsea Clinton breaks character as Diane Reynolds
https://foia.state.gov/searchapp/DOCUMENTS/Litigation_F-2016-07895_18/F-2016-07895/DOC_0C06177622/C06177622.pdf#page=2&zoom=auto,-15,540
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Facebook and Silicon Valley in the tank for Hillary
https://foia.state.gov/searchapp/DOCUMENTS/Litigation_F-2016-07895_18/F-2016-07895/DOC_0C06177540/C06177540.pdf#page=2&zoom=auto,-15,690
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OLD AS SHIT AND PROBABLY UNRELATED, BUT STILL COOL
State Dept.'s view on German unification from 1990:
https://foia.state.gov/searchapp/DOCUMENTS/FOIA_Jul2017/F-2015-10831/DOC_0C06265654/C06265654.pdf
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GENERAL KIKERY
Oy Vey.
https://foia.state.gov/searchapp/DOCUMENTS/HRCEmail_Feb13thWeb/O-2015-08625HCE11_FEB13/DOC_0C05767983/C05767983.pdf
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ARCHIVES
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back to topPRESIDENT PRANAB Mukherjee said on Saturday that “pluralism and tolerance” are the “hallmark of our civilisation”, and India’s diversity is a “fact” which cannot be turned into “fiction” because of the “whims and caprices of few individuals”. He also warned that communal harmony, at times, will be put to test by “vested interests”, and Indians must “remain alert to communal tension rearing its ugly head anywhere”.
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“Pluralism and tolerance have been the hallmark of our civilisation. This is a core philosophy that must continue undeterred. For, India’s strength lies in her diversity,” said Mukherjee, speaking at the first Arjun Singh memorial lecture.
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“Diversity of our country is a fact. This cannot be turned into fiction due to the whims and caprices of few individuals. Plurality of our society has come about through assimilation of ideas over centuries. The multiplicity in culture, faith and language is what makes India special. We derive our strength from tolerance. It has been part of our collective consciousness for centuries. It has worked well for us and it is the only way it will work for us. There are divergent strands in public discourse. We may argue. We may not agree. But we cannot deny the essential prevalence of multiplicity of opinion. Otherwise, a fundamental character of our thought process will wither away,” he said.
Quoting Mahatma Gandhi, he said, “Religion is a force for unity; we cannot make it a cause of conflict”. “At times, communal harmony will be put to test by vested interests. We must, therefore, remain alert to communal tension rearing its ugly head anywhere. Rule of Law must form the sole basis for dealing with any challenging situation. It is our democratic underpinning that must prevail at all times,” he said.
Emphasising that democracy is “not all about numbers but also calls for consensus building”, Mukherjee said a phenomenon seen in recent times is the way the common man is engaged with affairs of the nation. “While we must wield no space to anarchy, efficient democratic machinery must have the means and wherewithal to absorb public opinion for formulation of sound policies,” he said.
Mukherjee, who lauded Singh’s eight-year stint as the HRD minister, also spoke on the quality of education. “Unfortunately, the quality of education in most of our institutes is below par… Many meritorious Indian students pursue their higher studies from foreign universities… Since 1930, no scholar from an Indian university has won the Nobel Prize.”
He said the role of educational institutions goes beyond classrooms. “It is incumbent on them to mould students into responsible human beings. They have to instill in the students the civilisational values of love for motherland; performance of duty; compassion for all; tolerance for pluralism; respect for women; honesty in life; self-restraint in conduct; responsibility in action; and discipline,” he said.
Congress president Sonia Gandhi, who also spoke on the occasion, said secularism and a democratic India was Arjun Singh’s “core belief”. “He passed away five years ago, and during this period, the country’s politics has changed rapidly. What is happening in society these days, I think sometimes that we need people like Arjun Singh more now,” she said.
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Among the senior party leaders who attended the lecture was former Prime Minister Manomohan Singh.German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron have responded to North Korea's claims it has successfully tested a powerful hydrogen bomb.
Merkel and Macron condemned the latest nuclear test, stating it is a “new dimension of provocation”.
The German government said in a statement that Merkel and Macron agreed North Korea was violating international law and that the international community must react decisively.
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.
“In addition to the United Nations Security Council, the European Union also has to act now. The Chancellor and the President expressed their support for a tightening of EU sanctions against North Korea,” the statement said.
Pyongyang said it had tested a hydrogen bomb, a device much more powerful than an atomic bomb that could be loaded on to a long-range missile, hours after seismologists detected an earth tremor.
In an announcement on state TV, North Korea said it had developed an advanced weapon of “great destructive power”.
The tremors caused were at least ten times more powerful than the last time North Korea detonated an atomic bomb one year ago, Japan’s meteorological agency said.
A 6.3-magnitude earthquake was detected in the country shortly before 7am BST on Sunday, 75km (45 miles) north-northwest of Kimchaek, the location of previous tests.
The test represents a challenge to US President Donald Trump, who spoke to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe hours earlier about the nuclear crisis in the region.
“It is absolutely unacceptable if North Korea did force another nuclear test, and we must protest strongly,” Mr Abe said.
Analysts fear the test signifies a significant step forward in the state’s quest for a nuclear missile capable of striking the US.
South Korea’s President will chair a National Security Council meeting. It said North Korea’s latest nuclear test should be met with the “strongest possible” response, including UN security council sanctions to “isolate” the country.
Shape Created with Sketch. Kim Jong-un inspects weapon North Korea says is powerful hydrogen bomb Show all 6 left Created with Sketch. right Created with Sketch. Shape Created with Sketch. Kim Jong-un inspects weapon North Korea says is powerful hydrogen bomb 1/6 Photos released by North Korea show Kim Jong-un talking to subordinates next to a device thought to be the new thermonuclear weapon. There is no way of independently verifying the pictures STR/AFP/Getty Images 2/6 North Korea claims it has successfully tested an advanced hydrogen bomb which could be loaded onto an intercontinental ballistic missile AFP/Getty 3/6 A diagram on the wall behind Mr Kim shows a bomb mounted inside a cone STR/AFP/Getty Images 4/6 North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un (C) attending a photo session with participants of the fourth conference of active secretaries of primary organisations of the youth league of the Korean People's Army (KPA) in Pyongyang STR/AFP/Getty Images 5/6 A new stamp issued in commemoration of the successful second test launch of the "Hwasong-14" intercontinental ballistic missile KCNA via Reuters 6/6 A new stamp issued in commemoration of the successful second test launch of the "Hwasong-14" intercontinental ballistic missile KCNA via Reuters 1/6 Photos released by North Korea show Kim Jong-un talking to subordinates next to a device thought to be the new thermonuclear weapon. There is no way of independently verifying the pictures STR/AFP/Getty Images 2/6 North Korea claims it has successfully tested an advanced hydrogen bomb which could be loaded onto an intercontinental ballistic missile AFP/Getty 3/6 A diagram on the wall behind Mr Kim shows a bomb mounted inside a cone STR/AFP/Getty Images 4/6 North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un (C) attending a photo session with participants of the fourth conference of active secretaries of primary organisations of the youth league of the Korean People's Army (KPA) in Pyongyang STR/AFP/Getty Images 5/6 A new stamp issued in commemoration of the successful second test launch of the "Hwasong-14" intercontinental ballistic missile KCNA via Reuters 6/6 A new stamp issued in commemoration of the successful second test launch of the "Hwasong-14" intercontinental ballistic missile KCNA via Reuters
Earlier this year, the state tested two intercontinental ballistic missiles in July. Last month, it fired a missile believed to be a Hwasong-12 over northern Japan.
Earlier on Sunday, the North Korea government released photos showing Kim Jong-un looking at a silver device that was allegedly the hydrogen bomb, although this has not been verified.
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 nowSliske’s back with a very large bang. A giant scoreboard, parodying Guthix’s Sword of Edicts, has smashed into the Grand Exchange’s fountain! What is that menacing Mahjarrat up to?
Sliske’s Scoreboard | Gather Sliskelion Pieces and Earn XP Lamps
Earn XP lamps from Sliske’s Scoreboard by collecting Sliskelion pieces. You can find these by skilling and killing around Gielinor just like strange rocks. Teleport to the scoreboard at the Grand Exchange after collecting 50 pieces to claim your XP lamp. You can do this once a week and it resets at 00:00 UTC every Wednesday. Speaking to the scoreboard will give you the option to opt-out of the event.
This event is for free-to-play, members’, and Ironman accounts.
What else is the God Scoreboard for? | Upcoming Quests
Sliske’s Scoreboard will be around for a while yet. It seems that Sliske is using it to track which god is in the lead in a sadistic and marvellous game.
Upcoming quests in the Sliske’s Endgame series will have an effect on the Scoreboard, so you’ll have to keep an eye on what’s going on in Gielinor during 2016 to see what happens.
You may wish to play the quests The World Wakes and Missing, Presumed Death for some narrative context on Sliske and the storyline surrounding his scoreboard. Or check out last Friday's BTS for Mod Osborne’s recap.
Check out the full patch notes on the forum thread.
This week’s live streams
Each week we stream developer Q&As, in-game events and more. Watch our streams and find a full streaming schedule over on our Twitch channel. Check our YouTube channel, too, for recap videos of streams you may have missed, including last week’s Invention streams and loads more!
Tuesday, February 9th | 17:00 UTC (Game Time? | Developer Q&A - Nomad's Elegy and Sliske's Endgame
Our Sliske's Endgame quest series comes to close in 2016 with 4 epic quests. The first of these features Nomad, and is set to be released later this month! In this stream, we'll be taking your questions about this quest, and about the rest of the Sliske's Endgame canon.
Ask your questions on the forums, Reddit, or by using #RSDevQA on Twitter!
Tuesday, February 9th - 21:00 UTC (Game Time) | JMod Shenanigans with Mod Shauny!
Mod Shauny is back! And this time, he'll be trying to make the longest Zodiac Dragon he can. Don't miss it!
The RuneScape TeamSchools began the new academic year on Monday amidst escalated debates on the reactionary regulations the Turkey's Islamic-rooted AKP government imposed on the curriculum
Schools began the new academic year on Monday amidst escalated debates on the reactionary regulations the Turkey's Islamic-rooted AKP government imposed on the curriculum of first, fifth, and ninth graders. The government reshaped the education system along Sunni Islamic lines.
The controversial curriculum leaves out the theory of evolution and brings in the concept of jihad, defines obedience to husbands as "a religious service" for wives, and teaches Islamic criminal law. Ruling AKP party encourages teenagers to marry, and makes value judgments about engagements, weddings, and spousal duties, ignoring the Code of Civil Law. According to the Ministry of National Education (MEB), marrying atheists and non-Muslims is "unacceptable", and there is no age limit on child marriage.
A textbook defines women's "obedience" to men as a form of "worship". "Allah says it, not me. Should I correct him, or what?" said the head of Board of Education, Alpaslan Durmuş.
Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım had attended a school opening on Sept. 18 and clarified the changes, saying: "Some people are asking 'Why did you change the curriculum?' Of course, we will change it. We change it because young people’s needs change. You will get to work with this new curriculum. Enjoy it." The Minister of Education İsmet Yılmaz had stated that these changes were made with a pluralist approach when he had announced the new curriculum on July 18.
The new so-called "pluralist" curriculum caused controversy, leading Turkish citizens to gather in a demonstration in İstanbul on September 17. Citizens protested the unscientific curriculum in defence of the right to "secular, scientific and free education". The Communist Party of Turkey (TKP) also attended the demonstration.
According to the MEB's statistics, student attendance in primary schools has decreased while students attending Islamic schools have increased across the country. The 2016-2017 academic year witnessed student attendance to primary school at its lowest for the past 10 years. The government had removed compulsory 8-year education system, paving the way for Islamic middle schools.
While 4 million 972 thousand 430 hundred students were receiving education, 482 thousand 188 students did not attend primary school last year.
The number of students attending Islamic schools compared to last year increased by 75 thousand 767 students. There have been a series of incentives to encourage attendance at vocational schools -including Islamic imam-hatip schools- over the year, such as scholarships and privileges in entering military-police schools.
The AKP government has been converting a large number of schools into Sunni Islamic imam-hatip schools, and promoted Erdoğan’s professed goal of raising a "pious generation" of Turks.
Under a scheme introduced by the government in 2014, about 40,000 pupils have forcibly enrolled in imam-hatip schools. In some districts, Islamic schools became overnight the only option for parents who could not afford private schools.
According to the MEB’s earlier statistics, before the introduction of the "4+4+4" system in the place of the contentious compulsory 8-year education system, students attending open plan schools had been numbered barely a million.
In 2012, the government introduced the "4+4+4" system with four-year phases of primary, middle, and high school, paving the way for Islamic middle schools. Following the transformation, the number of open plan school attendees rose to one million 287 thousand 249 students.
The story of retirement home worker Derek Noakes will continue
Ricky Gervais‘ new sitcom Derek has been handed a full series by Channel 4.
The pilot episode, following a “group of outsiders” who work in a retirement home, garnered an impressive 2.3 million viewers and the channel will now air a full series in 2013.
Gervais plays Derek Noakes, a “tender, innocent man” with a passion for YouTube and Deal Or No Deal, starring alongside Karl Pilkington in his first acting role as Dougie, the home’s manager. After the pilot was broadcast, Gervais was forced to deny accusations that the Derek character made fun of the disabled, saying: “If I say I don’t mean him to be disabled then that’s it. A fictional doctor can’t come along and prove me wrong. He’s different. But then so are a lot of people.”
Gervais said of the commission: “David Brent was an egotistical, failed musician and the most annoying man in the world. Derek is a 50-year-old man with bad hair and clothes, whose best friend is a whinging Manc twonk. Where do I get my ideas from?”
Shane Allen, head of comedy at Channel 4 commented: “Ricky is a leading voice in British comedy and through Derek he captures and reflects something of the spirit of modern society. A kindhearted character in a world which TV normally shies away from, it feels like a perfect new direction for Ricky.”
“The pilot triggered an amazing response and Derek’s story had only just begun, so it’s brilliant that we can explore this world and its beautifully-drawn characters across a series.”MOBO Award-winning songwriter, DJ, producer, visual artist and actor Goldie (MBE) will release a new double album The Journey Man on June 16, 2017. The album comprises two parts – 16 brand new tracks in total, all written and produced by Goldie. It also features a host of collaborators handpicked by Goldie to help realize his vision for the album. The Journey Man will be released through Cooking Vinyl and Goldie’s own record label, Metalheadz.
22 years ago saw the release of Goldie’s debut album Timeless which truly changed the face of electronic dance music specifically drum’n’bass, hardcore and jungle. The seminal record featured the iconic track “Inner City Life” – the vocals for which were performed by the late Diane Charlemagne. In 2011, The Guardian described the release of Timeless as one of the “50 key events in the history of dance music”.
♫♫ CBR 192 kbit SAT MP3, recorded with the best sound card out there "RME HDSPe MADI FX" ♫♫Charles Pickett Jr. appeared in Kalamazoo County District Court Wednesday, June 22 in front of Robert Kropf.
KALAMAZOO, MI -- The suspect in the June 7 crash that killed five bicyclists and injured four others faces new charges of operating while intoxicated.
Charles Pickett Jr. is accused of five charges of operating while intoxicated causing death, on top of the original five counts of second-degree murder.
Pickett also faces four charges of operating while intoxicated causing serious injury. Those charges replace the reckless driving charges he had faced.
The intoxication charges allege Pickett had a controlled substance in his system at the time of the crash, said Kalamazoo County Prosecutor Jeff Getting.
Getting declined to say whether Pickett had taken a legal drug, an illegal drug or a combination of both. He also declined to say what levels of the drugs were in his system.
The new charges Pickett faces result from receiving all of the test results from the Michigan State Police laboratory, Getting said.
During a pre-examination conference held Wednesday, Pickett's attorney Alan Koenig requested Pickett undergo a competency evaluation. Pickett appeared in Kalamazoo County District Court Wednesday, June 22 in front of Robert Kropf.
The competency evaluation is to determine whether Pickett is capable of understanding the nature of the charges against him and whether he's able to assist his attorney, Getting said.
The state's Center for Forensic Psychiatry has 60 days to complete the evaluation.
Police say Pickett crashed his pickup truck into the nine bicyclists who were out for a June 7 ride as part of the "Chain Gang" bicycle group.
He could face up to life in prison if convicted of second-degree murder.
A new court date is scheduled for Aug. 31 as an internal review to make sure the competency evaluation has been started. Getting said Pickett's preliminary examination will be scheduled within five days of receiving the completed competency evaluation.
At that probable cause hearing, evidence against Pickett will be presented and the judge will decide whether it is sufficient to send the case to circuit court for trial.
Pickett has the option to waive the preliminary hearing.
Killed in the crash Tuesday, June 7, on North Westnedge Avenue north of Kalamazoo were Debra Ann Bradley, 53, of Augusta; Melissa Ann Fevig Hughes, 42, of Augusta; Fred Anton "Tony" Nelson, 73, of Kalamazoo; Lorenz John "Larry" Paulik, 74, of Kalamazoo and Suzanne Joan Sippel, 56, of Augusta.
The four seriously injured were Paul Douglas Gobble, 47 of Richland, Sheila Diane Jeske, 53, of Richland, Jennifer Lynn Johnson, 40 of Kalamazoo and Paul Lewis Runnels, 65, of Richland.
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash.Two men who plied a pair of 14-year-old girls with alcohol and amphetamines before having sex with them at a party have been spared jail because it was 'consensual'.
Lee Pollard and Mark Allen, both 26, were given suspended sentences after being convicted of sexual activity with two girls under the age of 16.
The trial at Exeter Crown Court heard how the girls had lied to their parents about having a sleepover and instead gone to a friend's sister's flat on the Dawlish seafront in Devon.
After a large amount of drinking and'messing around in bikinis', Pollard and Allen turned up at midnight with cans of lager and amphetamines, when the party descended into an 'orgy'.
They also sent out for condoms before engaging in sex acts with both teenagers.
A trial at Exeter Crown Court heard how two 14-year-old girls had lied to their parents about having a sleepover and instead gone to a friend's sister's flat on the Dawlish seafront (pictured) in Devon. It was there that Lee Pollard and Mark Allen, both 26, plied them with drink and drugs before having sex with them
But the judge said the girls'must accept a degree of responsibility' because the sex was 'consensual' and they were 'almost naked' when the men arrived.
Sentencing them, Judge Graham Cottle said: 'By the time you arrived they were, if not completely naked, then almost.
'And there followed consensual sexual activity between the two girls and the two of you.'
But you should never have been in that position. You should have turned around and walked out and not got involved in what turned into something of an orgy.
'You knew they were only 14. I have read their victim impact statements.
'They clearly are remorseful for what happened that night and feel ashamed of the way they behaved. It has had a great effect on their young lives.
'They must accept a degree, an I underline the word degree, of responsibility for how this evening worked out.
'It would be quite wrong to see these sentences as any sort of criticism of the girls or condoning of your actions.'
But one of the victim's mothers has been left 'horrified' at the judgement.
She said: 'I'm horrified to be honest.
'My daughter went out expecting to be in the company of females, she had no idea these men would turn up.
'I very much doubt she would have gone if she thought that was the case.
'She was not in a fit state to consent to anything and I'm appalled that the judge has deemed this to be possible.'
But the judge sitting at Exeter Crown Court (pictured) said the girls'must accept a degree of responsibility' because the sex was 'consensual' and they were 'almost naked' when the men arrived. The offenders were spared jail
Pollard, of Torquay and Allen, of Chudleigh Knighton, were described as 'baseball cap and gold chain wearing chavvy types' by one of the victims' fathers.
They were given 15-month prison sentences, suspended for two years and were ordered to go on a sex offenders' rehabilitation course.
Allen will have to carry out 125 hours of unpaid community work.
Nicholas Fridd, defending Pollard said the matter was 'water under the bridge' due to the amount of time it had taken to come to court.
Rupert Taylor, defending Allen described him as a'simple soul'.
But the victim's mother replied: 'What kind of'simple soul' feeds drugs and alcohol to a child?
'The 'water under the bridge' has for us been two long years with this case looming.
'My still teenage daughter has found the whole thing extremely difficult to deal with and has suffered mental health problems as a result, which has impacted our whole family.
'I thought that a custodial sentence was a given, the judge at the trial said as much.
'Why he has chosen to lesser their punishment is beyond belief. My daughter found the trial extremely distressing.
'I can only hope that the judge's apparent disregard for that, and his opinion that children can have consensual sexual with adults, does not prevent other children from coming forward in the future.'With its newest Monopoly release, Hasbro seems to be willing to do something that our elected officials are not: Regulate the banking system and make it harder for unscrupulous individuals to cheat. For its upcoming Monopoly Ultimate Banking, a modernized version of the classic real estate and free market-themed board game, the toy company has eliminated Monopoly’s colorful wads of cash. Instead, players will scan personal credit cards with a small battery-operated ATM, which will automatically keep track of their cash on hand.
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The tiny electronic bookkeeper will also be used to purchase properties, pay debts for landing on opponents’ properties, and exchange money for Chance drawings through the use of scannable bar codes on each of the cards. To use it, players swipe their credit cards, followed by the corresponding property or play card, and the machine deducts or pays off money in accordance with the rules. No more shady back-room accords. No more of the highly contentious Free Parking house rules that have driven wedges through friendships and familial relations. No more palming a 50 when your little sister’s back is turned. Just meticulously accounted, officially sanctioned maneuvers. So much fun!
In an apparent effort to throw a little more chaos into the game, game designers are also adding a new kind of Chance cards called “Life Events.” These can cause financial game-changers like fluctuating rents, which the ATM will be able to easily track. But will it be able to account for the inevitable flipping of the board when one player lands on another player’s Boardwalk hotel for the third time?
[via Gizmodo]On Saturday Brixton became the centre of the fight against the sell-off of London’s communities and culture reports Dick Pennifold
As property developers peel off London’s communities borough by borough, discontent and resistance to evictions are reaching fever pitch. But beyond the broken glass and tear gas of this most recent demonstration which the media are so keen to focus on, an alliance of market forces and local and government social engineering are working away, removing London’s poorer communities in the name of profit.
A Community Affair
The day before the announcement that Britain’s 1,000 richest families have doubled their wealth since 2009, now possessing more than the collective wealth of the poorest 40% of the population, Brixton once again became the focal point of London’s ongoing battle for affordable housing and opposition to so called gentrification, as families and business owners took to the streets to bare their teeth at soaring rents and widespread evictions that have already seen one of London’s most culturally vital and diverse neighbourhoods dramatically transformed.
The highly anticipated demonstration organised by Reclaim Brixton was to begin at 12 noon in Windrush Square. “Brixton”, reads the event page,
“is widely known for its vibrancy, which is another word for social & cultural diversity. But Brixton’s vibrancy now has a question mark on it. Will Brixton turn into a living museum or will it live?”
From the outset it was a community event that incorporated a broad range of people and concerns from long-term residents, housing activists and market traders. Banners, bands and good vibes filled the streets from the Brixton railway arches – recently the subject of intense local distress after the mandatory eviction of dozens of independent businesses, some of whom have been trading for decades, and huge rent hikes were announced by landlords Network Rail – where traders joined hands to make a ring around the entire block,and artists spray painted community artworks on their closed shutters; to Windrush square where a marquee and live music and a diversity of local food stalls inspired upward of 1,000 participants to join in solidarity with the community, with banner making, face painting and marches up and down the high street.
The atmosphere was one of community fun, engagement and diversity, not dissimilar to the yearly Brixton Splash festival – a sort of downscale Notting Hill Carnival that’s a bit less hectic, underpinned by an air of serious discontent, which was initiated by a lively morning demonstration by London Black Revs under the banner “Black Lives Matter” in Granville Arcade – recently rebranded Brixton Village, where trendy cafés and foody spots to be seen in are now ten a penny.
In Windrush square, community groups put on a variety of demonstrations and performances, the Black Cultural Archive hosted speakers, and the Ritzy cinema’s billboard read ‘Resist Evictions’ (though they still weren’t keen on letting their community members use their loos, and nobody mention a living wage!)
As the day progressed marches intensified, the town hall was occupied, the high street’s much-loathed Foxton’s was – once again – targeted for its pernicious role in London’s housing gold rush, and antagonism between protesters and police erupted, culminating in the use of tear gas to halt an attempt to storm Brixton police station. One window was smashed and “YUPPIES OUT” written across the other at Foxtons, which seems to have bothered no one – even the Evening Standard didn’t call it unjustified. Sadly the Bardnardos charity shop opposite the police station’s window was also smashed during the confrontation there.
Whilst yuppies justifiably attract the ire of affected communities – given that they are part of a process to replace them, and often have a tendency to be particularly obnoxious and either too wrapped up in their own self interest or just indifferent or the plight of the communities they colonise – they are not directly responsible; and their presence in Brixton and London’s outer centre is just a knock on effect of the soaring rents in central areas where buying up housing has become a lucrative business for overseas investors (as well as wealthy British ones).
The regeneration myth
Social cleansing is just the most recent term being used to describe London’s gentrification, which is by no means isolated to Brixton. Although the adoption of this phrase is a typically British hyperbole, demeaning the millions of deaths associated with this phenomenon in the developing world, it is not entirely inappropriate, as successive ‘regeneration’ programs can now be seen to operate on a simple formula: improve transport and public services in neglected areas; bring in property developers and estate agents; remove crime and poverty – i.e. the working class – from the neighbourhood; and sell it all off for as much as possible.
Whilst it may not always happen in this order, the end |
coalition to carry her to the general election.
Mrs. Clinton’s team breathed a sigh of relief as the results of the often-unpredictable campaign made clear that she had rebounded after her crushing defeat in the New Hampshire primary. At a caucus at the famed Caesars Palace, blackjack dealers, pit bosses, cooks and housekeepers excitedly declared their support for the former secretary of state.
Voters in many predominantly Hispanic and black neighborhoods backed Mrs. Clinton after she worked hard to connect with them, most notably when she comforted a tearful young Latina who feared her parents would be deported. That moment was turned into a powerful ad here for Mrs. Clinton, whose message of solidarity with minority voters stood in contrast to Mr. Sanders’s more esoteric attacks on Wall Street and the campaign finance system.
With votes from 92 percent of caucus precincts counted, Mrs. Clinton had won 52.6 percent, while Mr. Sanders had drawn 47.3 percent in relatively modest turnout. Mrs. Clinton had been far ahead in the polls until recently, when Mr. Sanders became better known here and struck fear into the Clinton campaign that he might prevail in Nevada and deal her a serious setback.A liberation story to share… it shows the eternal spirit of Guru Devotion and the unparallelled blessings of Guru Rinpoche. Please enjoy!
Before the year 2000, there was a Mahasiddha in the Namdroling monastery of the Nyingma Palyul tradition established by the lineage holder His Holiness Penor Rinpoche. He mainly recited the ‘Seven Line Prayer to Guru Rinpoche’. This accomplished master had white hair and a hunched back; he went about everywhere on bare feet and his name was Yama Gonpo.
Yama Gonpo was illiterate and had absolutely no idea about writing or reading the scriptures because he had not been taught in school. From his youth until he was old, he had been Penor Rinpoche’s layperson attendant. In his late years, he started wearing monk’s robes and became ordained. He did not know how to recite any scripture or prayer apart from some short mantras, thus, the only practice he was familiar with was the ‘Seven Lines Prayer to Guru Rinpoche’.
About 40 years ago, when the Tibetans fled to India, he followed His Holiness Penor Rinpoche out of Tibet and became Penor Rinpoche’s attendant and guard. It was after much life-threatening dangers that they arrived in India. For his entire life, he was Penor Rinpoche’s unwavering and devoted disciple, serving his Guru like a servant.
After following Penor Rinpoche to South India, because they were beginning to build Namdroling monastery, Yama Gonpo participated in the work of building the monastery. He endured long hours of toilsome labor. For instance, about 40 years ago, there was a large river flowing between the site of the monastery and the neigbouring town of Gusakar. The Indian workers, in order to save time, forced their cows to cross the river but there was no bridge at that time and it was extremely difficult for the cows who were bearing a large load to cross the river. Their Indian owners lashed their whips at these cows, often cutting deeply into the flesh on their backs. Penor Rinpoche decided that, in order to help the cows and everyone involved, it was necessary for him to spend his own money to build a mud bridge over the river although it was extremely expensive by the standards of that time. Yama Gonpo, by a single order of His Holiness, spent three years accompanying the workers to construct this bridge. By night, he slept alone in a grass hut at the construction site as it was his responsibility to watch over the building materials. At that time, his hut was located near the forests and grasslands where many wild animals lurked.
As narrated above, Yama Gonpo’s entire life was that of following the instructions of his Guru, Penor Rinpoche. In his late years, he received the Dzogchen essential pith instructions from Penor Rinpoche personally. From then on, he did not lie down to sleep but always remain sitting, whether during the day or night, becoming an extremely assiduous meditator. His level of realisation was very high and profound, his meditation was liberated and free, he was able to communicate directly with Guru Rinpoche (Padmasambhava) or the Dharma Protectors.
However, externally, he seemed to be just a weak and ordinary old monk…
In his late years, he stayed outside Penor Rinpoche’s special protector hall, in a very simple hut made from mud. This hut was so small that most people could not stand up straight within it. There was an extremely simple altar inside – so simple that the only way to describe it would be ‘unbearably old and broken-down’. It consisted of several pieces of aged, hole-ridden pieces of Buddha images that had turned yellow.
Yama Gonpo personally had few belongings. It consisted of one strand of prayer beads and several pieces of cushions that looked like pieces of rubbish. There was also one small coffee-coloured fat-bellied bottle that had been abandoned by someone. And this was the ‘precious vase’ which Yama Gonpo used to contain his blessed pills mixed with water.
Yama Gonpo had infinite faith in His Holiness Penor Rinpoche and Guru Rinpoche (Padmasambhava) and kept doing his practice without making a display of it. At first, no-one realised that this hunched-back old man was a great practitioner until something happened. Once, when they were setting up the first Buddhist college in the Namdroling monastery (reenacting the tradition of Buddhist studies in the Nyingma tradition for the first time in India), many students were painting the main hall. At that time, Yama Gonpo’s hunched figure appeared in the vicinity despite the fact that he had not been asked to come. Gonpo told the students in a kind and yet serious tone, “Last night, Guru Rinpoche said that the students who are painting the college have an obstacle coming, it would be better to temporarily stop painting tomorrow.
The college students thought that the old Yama Gonpo was mentally unhinged and merely pretended to agree with him with a smile. Then they invited him politely to leave. Before he left, Gonpo said again, “If you are not willing to stop work tomorrow, then please remember to recite the Seven Lines Prayer to Guru Rinpoche or his heart mantra or Tara’s mantra!”
On the second day, one of the students was reciting Tara’s mantra in a half-believing manner while standing with other students on the high structures for painting. In the end, there was an accident. All of a sudden, the high structure collapsed. Everyone was hurt when they fell on the ground. The only person who went unscathed was the student who had been reciting Tara’s mantra. From then on, many people started to ask Yama Gonpo about matters of the future and Gonpo never failed to help them. The future invariably worked out just as he predicted. There was even one situation where someone came to ask about some matter in the future and Yama Gonpo replied him saying, “Please, there is no need for you to ask me about any future problems, because you will soon die in seven days.” When this person heard his prediction, he was very nervous, but he was also half-doubting it. Finally, the prediction came true and he died in seven days.
This matter caused everyone to wake up and many people praised Yama Gonpo for his ability to accurately foresee the future. But somehow, His Holiness Penor Rinpoche was appraised of this matter and became extremely displeased. He simply said one sentence to Yama Gonpo, “Why are you saying so much?” Thereupon, Yama Gonpo kept silent for about one year and refused to reply to anyone’s enquiry.
It was until much later when His Holiness Penor Rinpoche left the monastery to spread the Dharma that the sangha were unable to find anyone to help them when they had particular difficulties that they petitioned Penor Rinpoche to allow Yama Gonpo to help everyone with clearing their doubts and answering their questions with his special abilities. Under His Holiness’s permission, Yama Gonpo started to speak to help the masses.
Before Yama Gonpo answered anyone’s question, he will always meditate for a moment with his eyes open and then he will see the answer without need to recourse to any divination tools or any special preparations. The writer of this article once had the fortune of witnessing the way Yama Gonpo answered questions beside the eight great stupas of Namdroling monastery. It was truly rare and astounding!
Once, Namdroling monastery had a huge case in its hands. An Indian was murdered and his corpse was discovered beside the monastery. One of the monastery’s monk was suspected by the police of being the culprit and apprehended. At that time, Penor Rinpoche was away overseas and could not immediately return to solve this problem. Therefore, in a telephone call, he instructed that the monastery immediately begin to practice the Dharma protector rituals. The next day, Yama Gonpo told everyone, “Last night the Dharma Protector appeared to me and told me, ‘The real murderer has been caught, he is an Indian. Now the Dharma Protector has possessed the murderer and caught hold of his heart and mind, he will be leading the real murderer back to the area of the monastery. As the distance is far, he can only reach the monastery in 3 days.’”
Eventually, after 3 days, the true murderer was really caught. He was an Indian who had performed the killing act in the spur of a moment because of a mere 50 rupees. When the murderer returned to the monastery, his entire being was confused and dazed, and he turned himself in by confessing that the murder was done by him. Of course, he was not spared a beating by the people around him there and then when they heard his confession.
Everyone now knew that Yama Gonpo was an authentic Druptop (realised master). They liked to come by and ask him many questions. But his main reply was, “Recite the Seven Lines Prayer, then there would be no obstacles.” This was often his advice to people.
Although he was so accomplished, he continued his previous style of living, notwithstanding others’ respect and trust in him. He continued staying in his dilapidated hut, his living conditions did not improve, and all day and all night long, he continued to supplicate the Guru Triple Gems. Anyone who saw him felt that he was truly a very diligent practitioner who never had a respite. When anyone offered him money, he would ask the benefactor to offer this money directly to Penor Rinpoche. Even if he took the money to allow the benefactor to accumulate merits, he would still unstintingly offer the whole amount to His Holiness Penor Rinpoche. About 2 or 3 years before he left this world, he often said, “Human life and samsara is simply too much suffering… when the Lord of Refuge Penor Rinpoche has completed the building of the Guru Padmasambhava Hall, I will depart from this world.”
In the remaining days, he continued to behave like his role as an attendant and guard to Penor Rinpoche, he surreptitiously watched over the entire process of building the large hall whether it was a large or minute task. Once, he told some monks who were close to him, “For His Holiness Penor Rinpoche’s project of building the hall to be smooth and successful, countless Dharma Protectors have surrounded the boundaries of the hall in the space and on the ground to prevent any large obstacle from occuring.” Everyday, he would circumambulate the monastery bare-footed at least once. Everyone said that Yama Gonpo had not wavered in the slightest from his past role as the protector and guard, and used all his utmost strength to protect the beneficial activities of his Guru, Penor Rinpoche, in a quiet manner.
When the Guru Padmasambhava Hall in Namdroling monastery was completed. It was said that on one day, during the puja, Yama Gonpo was accidentally pushed to the floor by some young lama. He never recovered from that fall and finally, in the year of 2000, he demonstrated entry into parinirvana. Several days before his parinirvana, his body was thin and weak, and he was lying in bed but his mind was still extremely clear. After his parinirvana, His Holiness indicated that Gonpo was to be buried in the earth and that his body was to be placed in the vicinity of Namdroling, behind the nunnery. Penor Rinpoche also snipped a lock of white hair from Gonpo and kept it for memory sake.
The author (of this article), for fear of forgetting all that has been seen, heard or remembered with the passage of time, decided to pen down everything concerning Yama Gonpo diligently. Afterall, the author has had the karmic affinity of meeting Gonpo several times and had even held his hands while walking together around Namdroling monastery. We stood where would be behind the present elementary school for Namdroling, and enjoyed the scenery of Namdroling monastery from afar in the soft breeze of that afternoon… now that the Venerable one is no longer here, the author, in order to remember him and encourage others to do the practice of Guru Rinpoche, decided to write these notes on 23 August 2007 in Taipei, Taiwan.
(Notes by translator: The names, when translated from Chinese, may not be accurate in spelling. Some very tiny amendments had been made to enable the story to flow better. But nothing factual has been affected. By this merit, may all sentient beings attain enlightenment. )
Seven Lines Prayer by Guru Rinpoche
HUNG ORGYEN YUL GYI NUB JANG TSAM
Hung! On the northwest border of the country of Oddiyana
PADMA GESAR DONG PO LA
In the pollen heart of the lotus,
YA TSHAN CHOG GI NGO DRUB NYE
Marvellous in the perfection of your attainment
PADMA JUNG NAY ZHE SU DRAG
You are known as the Lotus Born
KHOR DU KHA DRO MANG PO KOR
And are surrounded by your circle of many dakinis
KHYED KYI JE SU DAG DRUB KYI
By following in your footsteps
JIN GYI LOB CHIR SHEG SU SOL
I pray that you will come and confer your blessings
GURU PADMA SIDDHI HUNG
(For the second last line, JIN GYI LAB CHIR SHEG SU SOL would also be accurate. Different texts/termas have different versions. One can do either version.)
[Guru Rinpoche picture courtesy of Karma Dongag Ling website]
AdvertisementsRoss Douthat makes a fair point:
But just because the G.O.P. looks like it could spend a generation in the wilderness doesn’t meant that it actually will. National parties exist to win national elections, and that incentive alone often suffices to drive changes that the party’s interest groups and ideological enforcers dislike.
There’s no question that Republican leaders are willing to change certain things about the party, at least superficially, in order to win the White House and the Senate. A remarkable insta-consensus has formed among several movement conservative pundits and some Republican politicians that backing some version of immigration amnesty is a necessary and even desirable thing that the party must do. It’s a bad response as a matter of policy, and it is one that won’t even yield the desired electoral benefits. It is telling that the first big policy proposal that a leading Republican would make after the 2012 defeat is to revive one of the most unpopular pieces of the Bush administration’s domestic agenda. If this is “saving” the GOP, what would wrecking it even more look like? It is reasonably safe to assume that the GOP will remain in the political wilderness for several more years, because most of its leaders still don’t understand how they got there in the first place. Even fewer have a good idea for how to get out.
The problem for the GOP, as it is for all defeated, flailing parties, is that its leaders are sometimes oblivious to the party’s most serious weaknesses, or else they mistake those weaknesses for strengths. Hard-line foreign policy is one example of a clear liability for the party that its leaders believe to be one of their great advantages, which is one reason why it never even occurs to them that they are losing current and possible future supporters by hanging on to failed policy ideas. (Another is that they can’t or won’t acknowledge that the policies failed.) Far more politically damaging for Republicans are the national party’s lack of any relevant economic policy agenda and its cynical, selective interest in fiscal responsibility. This is the “pro-growth” party that presided over wage stagnation and anemic job growth in the 2000s, and this is the party supposedly horrified by deficit spending while being historically far worse at running up deficits when in power.
The weaknesses don’t stop there. The GOP wants to be perceived as the party of limited, constitutional government, but it just went through the better part of a decade expanding the size and intrusiveness of government, and it supported practices of illegal detention and illegal surveillance to boot. With depressingly few exceptions, the party hasn’t repudiated any of the latter, and there appears to be no urgency in reversing or undoing any of the damage done by these things. Having trashed almost everything that their party was supposed to represent, many Republican leaders act as if the worst thing that ever happened during the Bush years was a profusion of earmarks. Until they stop kidding or lying to themselves about what happened the last time there was unified Republican government, it’s doubtful that the public will be willing to entrust them with that much power.A seven-mile bicycle ride to raise awareness for cycling safety will be held Saturday in Covington to memorialize 16-year-old Justin Addison, a biking enthusiast killed last week in an accident on the Tammany Trace. The event will begin at 10:30 a.m. at LaSalle Hall on the St. Paul's School campus at the corner of Jefferson and 11th avenues.
Justin Addison, 16, died last week from injuries he received after his bicycle collided with an SUV at the intersection of Josephine Street and the St. Tammany Trace Monday afternoon.
Following a brief prayer reflection for Addison, a police escort will lead riders through downtown Covington to the Tammany Trace. Bikers will ride to the site of the accident on the Trace, located at the intersection of Josephine St. After a blessing of the site and a moment of reflection, police will escort riders back to St. Paul's. Participants are asked to wear a helmet for the ride.
Addison was a junior at St. Paul's and founder of the Holy Rollers, a campus cycling organization. He died January 22 from injuries sustained the previous day when he collided with an SUV while riding on the Trace between Covington and Abita Springs. His death was ruled accidental. Investigators determined that the SUV's driver, a Covington resident, was not at fault and was not cited, authorities said.
St. Paul's cycling team tee shirts designed by Addison will be sold with proceeds benefitting various charities. To place an order or for more information, email: justinaddisonride@gmail.com.Following the conclusion of Sky Blue FC’s home season Saturday night, team personnel lingered at Yurcak Field discussion the necessary permutations that would allow the team to host a playoff game. If that does not materialize, Sky Blue could be a very different team when they next host a game, presumably next April.
The Equalizer has learned that Sky Blue will be entering talks with the New York Red Bulls in hopes of developing a working arrangement beginning in 2014. The extent of the relationship has not been determined, but it could go as far as Red Bull taking an ownership stake in the club. Should that happen, Sky Blue FC would almost certainly play their home games at Red Bull Arena next season.
A decision and announcement, should there be one, would come by the end of September.
Sky Blue has languished near the bottom of the attendance table since joining WPS in 2009. They entered the weekend 7th of 8 in that category, ahead of only the Chicago Red Stars. A move to Red Bull Arena and a partnership with the MLS club could lead to some spillover from Red Bull ticket holders and would represent a massive upgrade in amenities over the quaint but basic Yurcak Field at Rutgers University. On the other hand, even if they doubled attendance it would mean playing in front of some 20,000 empty seats most games, a scenario that plays poorly to the eye and saps atmosphere.
Red Bull bought the MetroStars ahead of the 2006 MLS season and promptly changed the club’s name to the New York Red Bulls.
UPDATE (8/6/13):
Red Bull general manager Jerome de Bontin provided the following statement about discussions with Sky Blue:
“As a club, the New York Red Bulls are present throughout the youth, college, amateur and professional ranks of soccer in the tri-state area and embrace all aspects of the sport. We believe that women’s soccer has an equal part to play in the development of the sports in the USA. In my career, I have been very supportive of women’s soccer at all levels. As Chairman of Rush Soccer, I also oversee over 20,000 young women playing the sport and have played a role in helping some female American players find clubs to play for in Europe. Most recently, I helped Rush Product and U.S. International Lindsey Horan sign with Paris Saint Germain.
“I have enjoyed a long standing relationship with the owners of Sky Blue FC and can confirm that conversations, not negotiations, are on-going over the future of the franchise and the potential for the team to play at Red Bull Arena in the future. If those conversations are fruitful, we could potentially share the plans with the public after the completion of the present season.”A New York City man accused of molesting a 6-year-old boy -- during the child's birthday party -- tried to escape the apartment where it took place, but instead plunged to his death Thursday.
Parents throwing a birthday party at the apartment of Edgar Collaguazo, 44, locked him in his bedroom of his Queens apartment after he allegedly was caught inappropriately touching the boy, The New York Post reported.
A drunk Collaguazo tried to escape out a window of his fourth-floor apartment, and fell to his death around 1 a.m. Thursday, according to reports.
OREGON SEX OFFENDER GROPED AND EXPOSED HIMSELF TO YOUNG CHILDREN, POLICE SAY
The 6-year-old reportedly lived inside Collaguazo’s apartment with his parents who rented a room from him. The boy was one of two other children who Collaguazo invited into his bedroom to watch a movie, the Post added.
One of the children, a 5-year-old girl, came out of the room looking “different,” the boy’s mother told the New York Daily News.
The girl’s mother looked inside the room and saw the birthday boy on Collaguazo’s lap, with the adult's hand down the child's pants, the Post reported.
The children’s fathers then started to beat Collaguazo while the victim’s mother called police -- and locked Collaguazo in his room while they waited for cops to arrive.
A witness said he saw Collaguazo trying to climb over security bars but let go and landed on an iron fence before falling over to the ground.
ELMO IMPERSONATOR ACCUSED OF SEXUALLY ABUSING YOUNG BOYS
Collaguazo was rushed to a hospital, but doctors couldn’t save him. He reportedly had five prior arrests.
The 6-year-old’s mother told the Post her son and Collaguazo were close but noted she didn’t know of previous inappropriate touching.
“I never imagined he was able to do something like that,” the victim’s mother said.The Secret
Why is it that, every year, the average American spends almost an entire work week and more than a week’s pay stuck in traffic?
Why are we wasting so much time, money, and gas making our daily rounds? Is there a better way of doing things? We all know that better public transportation and more fuel-efficient cars would help. But, to focus solely on better transportation is to ignore the elephant in the room. Instead of focusing on how to get from A to B faster, we ought to ask how to make the distance from A to B shorter.
How can we create walkable cities with affordable housing, a strong sense of community, more parks, the means to innovate, explore, create art, enjoy nature, and all of the other things that make communities thrive? What’s the secret?
Remix Everything
You’ve just moved into a new apartment. The mattress is in the middle of the floor, your dresser is blocking the doorway, random piles of clothes, a suitcase, etc make it impossible to walk around. Your new roommate asks if you’d like some more furniture. Things already feel cramped. You might not think there’s enough space, but if you were to simply organize your stuff, you could add a great deal more, while simultaneously making it feel more spacious. Push the bed and dresser against the wall, slide those suitcases under the bed, sort the random mounds of clothes with stacking containers. Presto, you can actually walk.
We can make similar use of space in cities. Everybody can have affordable housing near job opportunities, parks, public transportation, and nature. However, many vacant and underused sites make this impossible, dividing neighborhoods, forcing people to sprawl to outlying areas, increasing demand for oil (war?), and causing a great deal of ecological damage in the process. Car culture ensues; walk-ability and the social nature of space decays.
Summary
Increasing commercial and housing units within a city center can accommodate more people from outlying areas. Taxing land value (not buildings) encourages such development. This is because land owners require a higher return to cover the land value tax and still make a profit. City centers have the highest land values, land value taxes, and thus the strongest incentives to develop vacant and underused sites. Done properly, as the main or only tax, the land value tax (Cet par) increases the housing supply and lowers rent in and near city centers. As such, it can reverse sprawl in the long term.
Up & In vs Down & Out
Our modern sprawled-out reality has taken a long time to get as bad as it is, lots of resources have been invested in building those ridiculous big-box stores, McMansions, etc. It stands to reason that the effects of the remedy outlined in this article would be gradual as well. A high land value tax, uniformly applied, can gradually reverse sprawl, putting vacant and underused land to its highest and best use. There are many other positive social, environmental, and economic effects of land value taxation. However, many of these other positive effects can only be understood by first understanding the spatial effects. Under such conditions, cities develop up and in toward the city center, instead of down and out, away from the city center (see Image 2 below).
Comparing “Land Value Taxation” with “Current Sprawl”
See Image 2 above showing a cross section of a typical city’s skyline. Compare the top image “Current Sprawl” to the lower image “Land Value Taxation.” There are many areas in the city with nothing but vacant lots (red X marks). This forces the total surface area used for buildings, asphalt, roads, etc to be greater than the land value tax city, meaning less space for buildings and parks.
In the land value tax city, all of the space in the central business district has either been built upon or converted to park area and other forms of public space. More than just filling in the vacant land though, buildings are consistently higher closer to the central business district. More people have the opportunity to live and work closer to the urban core, if they choose to.
With the land value tax, much of the wild areas destroyed by current sprawl (Image 2.) are reoccupied by trees and other natural features, though some people choose to remain far from the city. Farms, also represented by green, are closer to the city. Thus, while more land is available for nature, more farming takes place closer to where it needs to be transported. The land value taxation city also has a great deal of green on buildings, indicating that it incentivizes ecological architecture in the form of vertical, rooftop, and green wall farming.
How Land Value Taxation Improves Density
Use it or lose it.
See “Current Sprawl” (Image 2.) where the red X marks appear. These represent vacant lots, ground level parking -barren and paved areas that are left unused for long periods of time. Consider the X furthest to the left. This is an extremely valuable piece of land in the central business district. If a tax is applied to the value of land here, a land value tax, the total tax paid will be drastically higher relative to land further to the right.
Imagine that you are the owner of that vacant lot. Will you continue to leave it unused if the tax bill is high? Without land value taxation, you may have left the land vacant because you did not want to take a financial risk to build anything. You were simply waiting for the land value to rise. However, that rising value is taxed away under land value taxation. Thus, you start to view owning the land as more of a burden than a passive investment.
You will decide to either start generating income on the land to pay the tax, or sell it to someone who will. Similarly, if you own a short building among tall buildings, you will be incentivized to build higher, to generate more income in order to pay the tax and keep what is left over. Take this McDonald’s in Manhattan for example (Image 6). The landowner here would be incentivized to add residential and commercial units above it in order to pay the tax.
Use it or lose it, as the saying goes. While there would be no law that said the land must be used for a particular purpose, people would want to use the land well out of financial self-interest. Yet, they would inadvertently be doing what is in the best interest of everyone.
Cumulative Spatial Effect
Under land value taxation, all landlords are faced with the same incentive, meet the market demand for space in the area, by building more apartments, offices, vertical farms, etc (where they are demanded) or sell to someone who will. When many landlords respond this way, it means that more of the demand to use central locations is satisfied and there is less demand to use outlying areas.
The areas with the highest land values pay the highest land value taxes. Thus, these high value areas also have the strongest incentive to build high, while those areas that are lower in value have less incentive to develop. Incidentally, it also means using all available constructed space efficiently. Many centrally located places that would otherwise close early in the day or on the weekend could be used 24/7. For example, a coffee shop by day can be a bar or restaurant at night. Rooftops, and other unused areas, can be used for growing food. The possibilities are endless.
As explained in the sections below, the incentive to build high exponentially decreases moving away from the city center. That is why Image 2’s land value tax scenario has so many tall buildings in the center of the city and so few buildings as one moves further away.
Boost to Urban Farming
Farming can use very little land and still produce a lot of food. The video below shows a man who produced a million pounds of food in one year on only 3 acres. His permaculture farming techniques could be stacked closer the urban core and spread out moving away from the city on community farms. Necessity is the mother of invention and practices could be widespread with the proper economic incentives in place. Such an operation requires a lot of labor but little land. Therefore, if taxes are shifted off wages and onto land, these activities become more feasible, practical, and profitable.
Too Dense?
There are many people who prefer to be more or less secluded in nature, to not hear jack hammers and honking cars. There is nothing about land value taxation that forces those that want their space to live in dense areas. Under the current system of sprawl, however, those who venture out into nature to escape the hustle & bustle soon find that others have followed them. Since land value taxation accommodates those that want to live in dense areas, it means that those who do not can enjoy more peace and quiet. Individuals who prefer a balance can enjoy nature without having to travel long distances, deal with traffic, etc to reach the city center. This is because activities move up and in toward the city center under a land value tax. There are other important checks on density under land value taxation as well.
More Idyllic Farming Communities Nearby
Environmentally destructive farming practices, such as widespread use of pesticides, only make financial sense when land is cheap relative to labor, but the equation is reversed when taxes were moved off of laborers and on to land. Though cities would welcome more people, it would also make living and working in outlying areas much more affordable too. This is because the cost to buy or rent rural land would decrease and wages for rural workers would increase.
Those wishing to live more traditional rural lifestyles would not be under the compensatory power of a sprawling economic system to live and work in cities. This ultimately would give people greater freedom with respect to where and how they lived. Today’s huge monoculture plantations would be broken up, and would employ more labor. An increased demand for such labor would further increase wages. For all of these reasons, cities could develop much less “up and in” than that shown in Image 2, but it would not be because people were forced to live far away. They would not need to commute as frequently as those who live in the center of the city. When they did commute however, it would not take as long, considering that such farming communities would be closer to cities.
“
More Public Parks
Image 7. Parks raise the value of land and are thus encouraged under land value taxation. Properties near central park are vastly more valuable than those even a few blocks away.
Parks raise the value of land. Despite the already astronomically high land values in Manhattan, those locations with views overlooking Central Park (Image 7) are vastly more expensive than those only a few blocks away. Land value taxation is often thought of as a “single tax” or “central tax.” Thus, if implemented in this way, governments are required to obtain most or all of their revenue from land value taxation. Any increase in tax revenue must come from increases in land value.
To raise annual revenue, governments must construct parks, public spaces, infrastructure, etc that raise land values. This pushes landowners to build higher (in central locations), accommodating more renters, as explained before, but it also means that government has an incentive to create and properly maintain such spaces if they want to have the necessary revenue to fund new activities.
People have to actually like the spaces in order for government to be able to increase revenue. If people don’t like the public space, they won’t pay more to live next to it, which in turn means that land values do not increase. Thus, the land value tax will not bring in more revenue. Similarly, if the area feels too dense for prospective tenants and buyers. that will lower land values (revenue) too. The nature of government intervention in building codes for safety, sunlight, wind, etc will likely better reflect people’s needs rather than poor bureaucratic approximations of those needs. This concept applies to roads, sidewalks, and many other public works.
One anomaly of the urban environment is the privately owned public space (POPS/POPOS). These are sometimes on upper-floor terraces of luxury buildings, rather than street level. From the sidewalk, they often implicitly communicate [no trespassing, keep out] despite their nominal public status. Even the street level POPS have such an exhaustive set of rules that they serve almost no purpose other than sitting (but not on the ground). With a uniformly levied land value tax, such areas will probably become much more useful or revert to regular public spaces. This is because land owners will not want to hold such spaces vacant for speculative purposes, nor will government want to pass up an opportunity for more revenue by exempting such spaces, as they would have little incentive to be used in a manner that increases land value (revenue).
If government spends money efficiently, in line with people’s needs, tax revenue will also increase vis a vis land value. For more information on this, see the Henry George Theorem. The theorem, supported by Nobelists Joseph Stiglitz, Willam Vickery, and others describes how governments can sustainably fund all activities, solely using a land value tax, through the creation and maintenance of public works. For an example, watch the video above.
Using land value as the central or sole source of revenue aligns the government’s interest with that of the general public in many ways. Though it would improve government incentives in many ways, land value tax would not render zoning completely unnecessary. There are many legitimate and illegitimate zoning restrictions, and these do not disappear ipso facto a land value tax.
Skyscrapers Everywhere? No.
Some people become confused when thinking about a land value tax, believing it would cause tall buildings to be constructed in the middle of the Amazon rain forest, the Saharan desert, Antarctica, everywhere perhaps. This faulty understanding stems from thinking that the incentive to use land intensively applies to areas with low land values.
If the land value is high, the tax bill for the owner is high too. To cover the tax and make a profit, the owner must find ways to generate more income than they would have needed in the absence of the tax. This is often accomplished by constructing taller buildings, more units to collect rent from. However, if the land value is low, the incentive to build is low as well. This will be reflected in the height of the building, or the lack of a building altogether in areas further from the city center.
Incidentally, even if the land value tax paid by a particular owner is low, there is still an incentive to not own enormous tracks of land for mere speculation. This means that it is easier for small scale farmers to get started, instead of the current tax system which favors large tract monoculture agribusiness.
Who pays and where?
Financial Districts
A progressive income tax is said to be pro-poor because those with more income pay more than than those with little. In theory, this is a proxy for taxing all wealth progressively, but it is not so in practice. Land value taxation is progressive in a spatial sense. Those who own the best locations pay |
problem. They can’t make use of a toilet in a decent manner.
How did growing up during and after World War II in Germany affect who you are today?
The situation during and after the war—‘46, ‘47, ‘48—those were very difficult years. I don’t know only the word hunger, I know what hunger means. We weren’t biting our fingernails but we had a very difficult situation in my town; everyone was in the same boat.
Money was tight and even people who had money, there was nothing to buy, nothing in the markets until June 1948—until that time it was very, very difficult for everyone.
What did your father do for a living?
My father was a chemical engineer and a higher-level government official.
That was during the war or after?
Before the war, during the war, and then after the war.
So was your family comfortable or not?
The situation was very difficult. Money was available, but you couldn’t get anything. The diet was American cigarettes—Lucky Strikes and Camels.
You grew up with the war but had no hesitation to go to Iraq, North Korea, Sudan, Somalia?
Somalia, no. It wasn’t possible at that time, we were near there in ’93, ’94, during the unrest there. There was no way. We can’t go there now either; it’s like Russian roulette.
Sudan is OK; the northern half of Sudan is no problem. They are the friendliest people in Africa in northern Sudan and Eritrea. Sudan is a perfect country, but they have a negative image. Iran and Sudan have a negative image, but are great places for travelers. Very friendly people.
What about Iraq?
I could only travel in northern Iraq, Kurdistan; there was no problem there. I wanted to go to Baghdad too, but the Americans wouldn’t allow it. On the end of this tour, we may try it again. This was four years ago.
You also traveled to North Korea?
Otto was the first-ever foreign vehicle to enter North Korea. It was a special arrangement from the late Kim Jong Il, the so-called Great Leader. That was together with my son last year. We were official, paying guests of the government. We paid heavily. Even the German foreign ministry couldn’t believe it happened.
How did you set it up?
A few years of preparations. The German ambassador to North Korea filed an application with the government for us. After many months, they responded positively.
Did you have to travel with a government minder in your car?
Even up to toilet visits, everything was pre-planned and scheduled. There was an escort car, and I had an escort in my car and my son was in the escort car. It was 100 percent controlled. Even the watchdogs had their own watchdogs to watch them; nothing was left to chance. No one trusts anyone there—typical of all communist countries.
Was North Korea the only country to restrict your movements?
China did also. You needed an escort to drive in a foreign vehicle. We were lucky to get into Tibet; now it’s closed for foreigners. And now we hope to be able to enter Burma as the first foreign vehicle, but the escort is very expensive. When you drive through North Korea it’s different than being a passenger on a bus. Driving your own car, you get a different perspective. I could very openly talk to these escorts. They were fluent in German—they were high-level people in the foreign ministry. We had very open talks. But you can’t talk about the military.
In even the most remote corner of earth, you don’t see poverty like there is in North Korea. It’s difficult to describe. You cannot compare it to Africa. People are poor in Africa, but the climate is good; North Korea has winter weather. They are not free, even neighbors are afraid of each other because the neighbor might be a spy. The poverty is beyond imagination.
The government has everyone on the shortest possible reins. They are totally blocked off from the outside world. Even the high-level escorts we met, they know hardly anything about the world, even China. They have no ability to get information about the outside world.
Do you care if Guinness and others recognize you as the greatest traveler, or do you not care?
I travel for myself, nothing else. I don’t care about communicating with the world and I don’t do anything to please the world. It’s a private undertaking and that’s it. Many travelers, backpackers especially, they undergo all this stress and strain to find an Internet connection. And they sit there for hours typing stories about what they ate for breakfast or whether the customs officer smiled at them or not. Who cares about reading things like that? That’s their world, but it’s not mine.
Do you think you are the world’s greatest traveler?
No. It would be correct to say that the car, Otto, is the most traveled vehicle on earth. Otto has been to more countries than any other car in automotive history. But there are many people who have traveled more than me.
Like who?
I don’t know their names. A lot of people try to travel everywhere. Every little island, every dependent territory. But they don’t have a car that has been where Otto has been.
Some travelers, though, just want to tick off the box that they went to a country. Every country that we’ve been to, we traveled through it, toured, and spent time.
When you finish this final tour, will you continue to travel?
No, I won’t continue traveling like this. I’ll go back to Argentina and Uruguay, Australia. I’ll go there in the winter but I’ll be very happy to spend time here at home enjoying nature. I don’t want to repeat what I’ve done.
How do you want to be remembered?
It’s not about me being remembered. I want Otto to be remembered, and so would my late wife. The car belongs in a museum. The car will continue to live—that’s what I want to see. It’s not me that is special; it’s the car. This car has been in so many countries all around the planet.
Do you hope that your example will inspire people?
Hopefully people will try to look behind the curtain. Don’t just get your information from TV and the Internet. Do it on your own. And that doesn’t mean going from one air-conditioned hotel to the next. If you go from the Hilton to the Sheraton and so on, you won’t understand anything. The point is to look behind the curtain and see the real country, the real life.
Would the world be a better place if more people traveled in this way?
There would be more understanding for sure. In America, some people don’t even leave their state, let alone their country. And then some people travel, but they have to wait until they get back home and look at their photos to see where they were.
People will read this story and say they want to do what you did.
Most people are tied down by their jobs. I met so many people who said they want to do what we did, but when we discuss details, they say: "I need my bread rolls and hot coffee in the morning and a private shower and my newspaper." We weren’t tourists; we had to bear down and restrict ourselves. Sometimes we lived in very miserable conditions. It requires a hell of a lot of patience.Image copyright AFP Image caption It is not clear whether small businesses are ready for the tax
India has replaced its numerous federal and state taxes with the Goods and Services Tax (GST), designed to unify the country into a single market.
The historic overhaul of the existing tax legislation was carried out at a special midnight session of parliament.
India says introducing GST will cut red tape and increase tax revenues, fuelling economic growth.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley says the reform will help the economy grow by 2%.
But businesses have been asking for more time to implement changes, worried that they are not ready for the move to the new system.
Many do not even have a computer to register on the GST network.
Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Explaining India's new Goods and Services Tax
"No country of comparable size and complexity has attempted a tax reform of this scale," Harishankar Subramanian, of Ernst and Young previously told the BBC.
Under the new system, goods and services will be taxed under four basic rates - 5%, 12% 18% and 28%.
Some items like vegetables and milk have been exempted from GST, but will still be subject to existing taxes.
The price of most goods and services are expected to increase in the immediate aftermath of the tax.
Analysts expect economic growth to slow down over the next few months, but say it should pick up after the tax is fully implemented.A consensus theory of truth is the process of taking statements to be true simply because people generally agree upon them.
Varieties of consensus [ edit ]
Consensus gentium [ edit ]
An ancient criterion of truth, the consensus gentium (Latin for agreement of the people), states "that which is universal among men carries the weight of truth" (Ferm, 64). A number of consensus theories of truth are based on variations of this principle. In some criteria the notion of universal consent is taken strictly, while others qualify the terms of consensus in various ways. There are versions of consensus theory in which the specific population weighing in on a given question, the proportion of the population required for consent, and the period of time needed to declare consensus vary from the classical norm.
Consensus as a regulative ideal [ edit ]
A descriptive theory is one that tells how things are, while a normative theory tells how things ought to be. Expressed in practical terms, a normative theory, more properly called a policy, tells agents how they ought to act. A policy can be an absolute imperative, telling agents how they ought to act in any case, or it can be a contingent directive, telling agents how they ought to act if they want to achieve a particular goal. A policy is frequently stated in the form of a piece of advice called a heuristic, a maxim, a norm, a rule, a slogan, and so on. Other names for a policy are a recommendation and a regulative principle.
A regulative ideal can be expressed in the form of a description, but what it describes is an ideal state of affairs, a condition of being that constitutes its aim, end, goal, intention, or objective. It is not the usual case for the actual case to be the ideal case, or else there would hardly be much call for a policy aimed at achieving an ideal.
Corresponding to the distinction between actual conditions and ideal conditions there is a distinction between actual consensus and ideal consensus. A theory of truth founded on a notion of actual consensus is a very different thing from a theory of truth founded on a notion of ideal consensus. Moreover, an ideal consensus may be ideal in several different ways. The state of consensus may be ideal in its own nature, conceived in the matrix of actual experience by way of intellectual operations like abstraction, extrapolation, and limit formation. Or the conditions under which the consensus is conceived to be possible may be formulated as idealizations of actual conditions. A very common type of ideal consensus theory refers to a community that is an idealization of actual communities in one or more respects.
Critiques [ edit ]
It is very difficult to find any philosopher of note who asserts a bare, naive, or pure consensus theory of truth, in other words, a treatment of truth that is based on actual consensus in an actual community without further qualification. One obvious critique is that not everyone agrees to consensus theory, implying that it may not be true by its own criteria. Another problem is defining how we know that consensus is achieved without falling prey to an infinite regress. Even if everyone agrees to a particular proposition, we may not know that it is true until everyone agrees that everyone agrees to it. Bare consensus theories are frequent topics of discussion, however, evidently because they serve the function of reference points for the discussion of alternative theories.
If consensus equals truth, then truth can be made by forcing or organizing a consensus, rather than being discovered through experiment or observation, or existing separately from consensus. The principles of mathematics also do not hold under consensus truth because mathematical propositions build on each other. If the consensus declared 2+2=5 it would render the practice of mathematics where 2+2=4 impossible.
See also [ edit ]
Related topics [ edit ]Printer-friendly Version
Jim Solomon's Astrophotography Cookbook
(v0.5, Last Updated: 5/5/05)
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Introduction
I believe my astrophotography technique is now producing results that are at the limit of what's possible with my rather modest equipment. I therefore offer this "How To" guide to other astrophotographers who are attempting to climb the learning curve, and who would like to get the most out of similar equipment. I hope such folks will find this useful.
This is exclusively a "How To" for long-exposure astrophotography of Deep Space Objects (DSOs); i.e., anything requiring a very long, tracked, exposure to adequately capture. This is therefore specifically NOT a "How To" for planetary photography, mostly because I don't consider myself very good at it, and also because the technique is so radically different from DSO photography that it needs its own treatment elsewhere.
Note also that this document does not delve very deeply into the theoretical underpinnings of digital astrophotography, or even the "basics" of astrophotography. As such, it is assumed that the reader is already familiar with and understands the following concepts:
How to couple a camera to a specific telescope.
The need for a mount to "track" the apparent movement of the stars over the duration of the exposure.
The need for many entry-level mounts, and even some high-end mounts, to be "guided" to correct, in real time, tiny errors in those mounts' tracking ability.
The need to polar align the mount fairly accurately.
The basic (digital) technique of taking many relatively short sub-exposures, and then stacking them to yield a much longer effective exposure time.
them to yield a much longer effective exposure time. The need to shoot in "RAW Mode" in your Digital SLR, as opposed to Large/Medium/Small JPG mode.
See some of the excellent Introductions to digital astrophotography available on the 'net for more info. on these topics.
The sections below are broken down as follows. First, I give a brief synopsis of my equipment. Then describe the three phases of my astrophotography technique in detail; namely, planning, acquisition, and processing.
Here are a few terms used throughout this guide, which I define here to make sure we're all in agreement on what they mean:
Frame (noun) -- synonym for exposure. E.g., if I take 15 exposures at 4min each of my target, I speak of having acquired "15 Light Frames at 4min each".
(noun) -- synonym for exposure. E.g., if I take 15 exposures at 4min each of my target, I speak of having acquired "15 Light at 4min each". Frame (verb) -- the process of centering the target object in the imaging camera.
(verb) -- the process of centering the target object in the imaging camera. Lights -- frames taken with the imaging camera through the imaging scope, with the dust cap off. I.e., these are the actual exposures of the target object.
-- frames taken with the imaging camera through the imaging scope, with the dust cap. I.e., these are the actual exposures of the target object. Darks -- frames taken at the same ISO, exposure time, and temperature as the Lights, but with the camera's body cap in place. Darks and Offsets are used to mitigate the effects of various noise sources in the camera.
-- frames taken at the same ISO, exposure time, and temperature as the, but with the camera's body cap in place. Darks and Offsets are used to mitigate the effects of various noise sources in the camera. Offsets (aka Bias ) -- frames taken at the same ISO and temperature as the Lights, but with as short an exposure time as the camera allows (1/4000'th of a second in the case of the 300D) and with the camera's body cap in place.
(aka ) -- frames taken at the same ISO and temperature as the, but with as short an exposure time as the camera allows (1/4000'th of a second in the case of the 300D) and with the camera's body cap in place. Flats -- frames taken of an evenly illuminated target, typically the sky just after sundown. These are used to correct for vignetting in the optical path of the imaging scope, and should be taken with the lowest ISO setting the camera allows.
-- frames taken of an evenly illuminated target, typically the sky just after sundown. These are used to correct for vignetting in the optical path of the imaging scope, and should be taken with the lowest ISO setting the camera allows. Target -- the DSO you are setting out to photograph.
-- the DSO you are setting out to photograph. Clipping (aka Saturating) -- the act of overloading a digital sensor to the point where it reports its maximum intensity value. A clipped/saturated frame is one taken with an ISO setting that is too high; an exposure time that is too long; or both. Clipping causes a loss of information that can never be recovered.
Many newcomers to digital astrophotography are confused by the notion of Lights, Darks, Offsets, and Flats, so here I'll give a very brief background on these concepts. The CMOS or CCD imaging chip in most Digital SLRS will very faithfully and linearly collect light from the object you're trying to image. Unfortunately, the "signal" collected from the target object will get degraded by thermal noise and other noise sources. Darks and Offsets are the means by which we try to characterize and mitigate the effects of these noise sources. Also, the telescope/lens optical train may not fully illuminate the imaging chip, depending on its size, resulting in a phenomenon called vignetting. Flats are the means by which we try to characterize and mitigate the effects of this vignetting, and further the means by which we mitigate the effects of dust that might have settled on the imaging chip in the camera.
The formula that relates these physical phenomenon, and the actual frames we'll collect over a night of imaging, are as follows:
(1) Light = (Signal * Flat Signal) + Dark + Offset
where Signal is the image of the target object we wish we could collect under ideal circumstances, and Light is the image we actually captured. Rearranging the terms, we have:
(2) Signal = (Light - Dark - Offset) / Flat Signal
But realize that the Flats we capture with the camera will, in turn, be "polluted" by Darks and Offsets in their own right, and so we must subtract Flat Darks and Flat Offsets from the Flat Lights as follows:
(3) Flat Signal = Flat Light - Flat Dark - Flat Offset
So, plugging equation (3) into equation (2), yields the final result:
Light - Dark - Offset (4) Signal = ------------------------------------ Flat Light - Flat Dark - Flat Offset
Thus, the basic digital astrophotography technique involves capturing all of the frame types listed on the right-hand side of Equation 4, and using them in an image-processing program to produce the "Signal" term on the left. This process of subtracting Darks and Offsets, and dividing by Flats, is called "calibration" of the Lights. Note, finally, that a Dark as captured in an exposure actually contains the Offset, and, so, in processing, we will often just subtract this Dark from the Light, without explicitly subracting an Offset. But, as stated, that captured Dark actually contains the Offset, and subtracting that captured Dark has the effect of removing the Offset as well.
Almost all of my DSO astrophotos (from herein I'll drop the adjective "DSO", since this entire document deals with DSOs) are acquired with a Canon Digital Rebel at Prime Focus of my Celestron 8" f/5 Newtonian. Here's the list of equipment that comes into play in this configuration:
As will become evidently clear, my setup and acquisition are quite involved and, therefore, time consuming. So I like to have as much work done "up front" as possible before going out for the night. The better the planning, the better things will go when shooting. The activities in this stage are as follows:
Pick a target. Use charting software or the many available catalogs to pick a suitable target. In particular, I try to pick large objects that fill the camera's Field of View; bright objects that have a reasonably high mean surface brightness; and objects that are well placed. Pay particular attention to when the object transits and on which side of the Meridian you'll be shooting it.
Choose a camera orientation. Determine if the object has greater extent in the East-West direction or the North-South direction, and be sure to orient the long dimension of the camera's sensor in that direction when attaching it to the imaging scope. I prefer to orient the camera in the "North is up" direction in all cases, unless the object begs for a "North is left" orientation. Examples of the latter include M81/M82, M42, and others.
Pick a candidate Guide Star. It will speed the process of Guide Star acquisition to have a rough idea of which Guide Star you're going to use and knowing how far, and in which direction, that Guide Star lies from the target. Also, the further the Guide Star from the center of the target, the more accurate your Polar Alignment will need to be. See the section on Polar Alignment to learn why this is the case.
Devise a plan to find the target. Do you have a GoTo mount with scary-good accuracy? Do you have Digital Setting Circles? Are you a Star-Hopping Demon? In any case, you'll need to figure out a way of centering the target in your imaging camera without removing the camera. (Why? -- because you're not allowed to remove the camera between taking your first Flat Frame and your last Light Frame.) My favorite method is to use a home-brewed spreadsheet that serves a similar function to the Precise GoTo function in my mount. I home-brewed this because the AS-GT's Precise GoTo does not allow me to pick the reference object, and sometimes it, sigh, picks reference objects on the wrong side of the Meridian. Or, just as bad, it picks stars you've never heard of and can't locate. I prefer to use an unmistakable object as the reference object, center it, and then use the spreadsheet to compute the RA and DEC offsets to the actual target from the reading on the Hand Controller's "Get RA/DEC" function.
Take an educated guess at ISO and exposure time. This can generally be done "in the field", but if you have the time, it never hurts to research what other folks have used to shoot the same target. Or to look through your own portfolio and see what seems to work and what doesn't. I tend to lean toward 4min sub-exposures @ ISO 400, as that leaves a very large dynamic range (lack of clipping of bright objects), and 4min is usually long enough to capture a decent amount of detail in each sub-exposure. Also, at 4min, if an airplane flies through and ruins a frame, like, so what?, it's only 4min. Dimmer targets will require longer exposures and/or higher ISOs. You'll need to experiment with this to see what works best for you.
My acquisition process consists of the following distinct phases:
The setup phase can and should be done during the daytime. Basic setup of your mount, scope, laptop, etc., is way beyond the scope of this document, so I'll focus on the astrophotography-specific aspects of the setup:
0. Verify the collimation of the optics.
This isn't really specific to astrophotography, but collimation is essential to good results, particularly with the fast optics of a Newtonian. I like to orient the scope in the rough direction I'll be shooting before verifying the primary's and secondary's tilt with a laser collimator.
1. Setup and Configure the Imaging Camera and Imaging Scope:
Attach the 300D to the T-Ring, the T-Ring to the MPCC, and pop the MPCC into the Newtonian's (2") focuser.
Focus the 300D as accurately as possible on a distant target.
Align the imaging scope's finder to the center focusing dot in the 300D's viewfinder, again using a distant target.
Align the camera North-South or East-West. The easiest way to verify the orientation is to slew the mount in RA or DEC, and to make sure the object moves along the focusing dots in the viewfinder in a way consistent with your chosen camera orientation. Rotate the camera until this is as exact as possible.
in a way consistent with your chosen camera orientation. Rotate the camera until this is as exact as possible. Lock the focuser and make sure the tensioning knobs that hold the MPCC in the focuser are tight.
2. Setup and configure the Guiding Camera and Guide Scope:
Pop the webcam into the 2x Barlow, the 2x Barlow into the 1-1/4" diameter extension tube, and the extension tube into the ST80's focuser.
Focus the webcam! Accurately focusing the webcam during the daytime will save you a tremendous amount of grief at night, when you're trying to figure out whether a potential guide star is really off-chip or whether the focus is so bad that it wouldn't appear on the screen even if it the star was on-chip.
off-chip or whether the focus is so bad that it wouldn't appear on the screen even if it the star on-chip. Align the ST80's finder with the center of the field of view of the webcam. Again, Guide Star acquisition will be inordinately simpler with an accurately aligned finder.
"Roughly" align the ST80 with the Newtonian by adjusting the thumbscrews in the Guide Scope rings. Not doing so can cause you to miss a potential Guide Star, or to seek a Guide Star that is really beyond the range of adjustment of your Guide Scope. It's best to start with a rough alignment. You can do this by making sure the finders of the two, respective, scopes are centered on the same distant target.
3. Balance the scopes in the mount:
Mount, align, and focus the cameras as per #1 and #2 above.
Remove (and replace!) any dust covers that will be off (or on) during the actual image acquisition. You want the weight distribution to be identical to how it will ultimately be when you're shooting.
Swing/slew the mount to the approximate location of the target.
Balance the scope in DEC, with a slight imbalance in the direction that opposes the motion resulting from pressing the Up arrow on the Hand Controller.
Balance the scope in RA, with a slight imbalance to the East.
Here's a little more background on why I intentionally misbalance the scope ever-so-slightly in RA and DEC. The AS-GT mount always approaches a target in a consistent direction to minimize the impact of backlash. For the Northern Hemisphere, that direction is the same as the direction the mount moves when pressing the "Up" and "Right" arrows. So, I intentionally misbalance in DEC ever-so-slightly, such that the misbalanced weight is acting in opposition to the action of the Up arrow. So, for example, if I'm shooting an object West of the Meridian, the scope will be on the East side of the mount, and the Up arrow will move the scope South. Therefore, I like the extra weight to be on the North side of the mount in DEC, so that the Up arrow is pushing against that weight. Similar arguments apply in RA, but the directions are more straightforward. Since the mount is always tracking the movement of the stars in the Westward direction, the East side of the mount should be ever-so-slightly heavier in RA in order for the gears to be pulling against that weight.
When I first started taking astrophotos, I assumed I could "blow off" Flat Fields, Dark Frames, etc. I was wrong. You are too. Just do it. You'll thank me. My process for acquiring flats is evolving, so I'll describe the process I'm currently using.
First, some background. The purpose of Flats is to characterize the optical train as accurately as possible, so that later, in processing, you can correct for things like vignetting (uneven illumination of the optics, particularly a darkening at the edges of the camera's field). A good set of Flats will also correct for dust spots on the camera's sensor. The ideal Flat is taken of a (perfectly) uniformly illuminated target. In practice, the twilight sky makes a reasonable approximation to this ideal, and, in particular, the twilight sky a few hours East of Zenith makes for an excellent approximation.
Thus, I use the twilight sky (just after civilian sundown) as my "uniformly illuminated target". Others use different methods and they may be getting better results than I am. As I said, my procedure is evolving. In any case, here's what I do:
Do a Quick Align in the mount so you can slew to a desired RA/DEC.
Slew the scope to a DEC equal to your Latitude, and an RA that is 2 Hours East of the Meridian. I saved a User Object for this for convenience. Note that this User Object must be a "Land Object", not a "Sky Object", because, if you think about it, you want the scope to point to the exact same part of the sky regardless of the current time or date.
of the Meridian. I saved a User Object for this for convenience. Note that this User Object must be a "Land Object", not a "Sky Object", because, if you think about it, you want the scope to point to the exact same part of the sky of the current time or date. Take your exposures. Definitely use ISO 100 and "RAW" Quality mode. Exposure time is something I'm currently playing around with, but I believe exposures in the 1/8 to 1 second range (at f/5) are appropriate. Begin snapping right around sundown, as soon as the histogram on the 300D's LCD begins to move off of the saturation side of the graph, and just keep on snapping until the histogram is rather far to the left. Later you can figure out which of these frames you'll use to compute your Master Flat Frame. Right now we just want to capture a boatload of them to allow flexibility later on in processing.
Important : Make sure to move the scope East between each exposure, to ensure that any stars that are recorded can be eliminated later in processing. I move by "30 RA seconds" between each frame, which is equivalent to an angular movement of roughly 6 arc-minutes at my Latitude (remember, we set the mount's DEC to our Latitude).
: Make sure to move the scope East between each exposure, to ensure that any stars that are recorded can be eliminated later in processing. I move by "30 RA seconds" between each frame, which is equivalent to an angular movement of roughly 6 arc-minutes at my Latitude (remember, we set the mount's DEC to our Latitude). When finished capturing the Lights, very carefully remove the camera from the T-ring, without moving/rotating the T-Ring, MPCC, or focuser, put the body cap over the bayonet, and capture 15 Darks at the exact same settings you used to capture the Lights (e.g., 1 second exposures at ISO 100).
remove the camera from the T-ring, without moving/rotating the T-Ring, MPCC, or focuser, put the body cap over the bayonet, and capture 15 Darks at the exact same settings you used to capture the Lights (e.g., 1 second exposures at ISO 100). With the cover still in place, take 15 Offsets at the same ISO (hopefully ISO 100) and at the fastest exposure your camera allows, which is 1/4000'th of a second for the 300D.
At this point I usually remove the flash card from the camera and copy the Flats (Lights, Darks, and Offsets) to my PC... just to make sure I don't accidentally delete them.
Remove the body cap from the camera and carefully pop the camera back onto the T-ring.
In a guided system, one need not worry about RA or DEC drift, especially if the guiding software is guiding the mount in both RA and DEC. However, Polar Misalignment causes Field Rotation in addition to RA and DEC drift, and it is this rotation that is problematic. In general, field rotation gets worse as the Polar Alignment error gets larger. It also gets worse for objects close to the poles (i.e., DECs near +90° or -90°). And it becomes more problematic the further the Guide Star is from the center of the imaging camera's field. The latter is so because the field will appear to rotate around the Guide Star, and the further it is away from the center of the imaging camera's field, the more that field will tend to "slide off the imaging camera" over the course of the night's image acquisition.
So, how accurate must the polar alignment be? Well, accurate enough for the task at hand. Certainly it must be accurate enough so that no discernible field rotation occurs over the duration of a single exposure. And it must be accurate enough to prevent the field from rotating over the course of the night to the point where there's very little intersection among all of the night's Light frames.
Generally, I like to Drift Align to the point where I see no discernible drift over a span of 4 to 5 minutes. Many people will see this to be overkill and they're probably right. But, hey, this is my astrophotography cookbook! <grin> I've drilled indentations into the pavement so I can replace the mount's tripod legs in the exact same position each time I set up. On most nights, this gets me "close enough" that I don't even bother to Drift Align at all. Of course, I did a "scary accurate" Drift Align before I drilled those indentations in the first place. On nights where I'm shooting close to the pole (M81, for example), or on nights that I need to wait for the target to transit, I'll spend the intervening time honing my Polar Alignment with a Drift Alignment.
Drift Alignment isn't really as scary as most people think it is. You should learn how to do it. My current method involves using the webcam with GuideDog software running (but not guiding!) so I can view a star on my laptop's screen. (Remember, it's illegal to remove the imaging camera from the imaging scope between the acquisition of Flats and acquisition of Lights.) I turn on GuideDog's cool "double reticle" which makes it very clear if the star is drifting. Be absolutely sure to align the webcam North-South and East-West if using this method. Be accurate! Slew the mount in RA and DEC and make sure the star follows the reticle; otherwise, the camera orientation is off. Also, be sure you know "which way is North" when looking at the laptop's screen. One of my favorite tutorials on Drift Alignment can be found at Andy's Shotglass (click on the Drift Alignment link).
There are wonderful tools available to DSLR users to help them focus, and DSLRfocus is one such tool that I use for focusing. Spend some time at this stage to focus as accurately as possible. You'll be glad you did. Take an extra 5min to really nail the focus -- I assure you that N perfectly focused frames will give you a better result than N+1 poorly focused ones! Here's my procedure:
Shut down GuideDog if using it to Drift Align and disconnect the USB cable leading to the webcam.
Connect the 300D to the laptop via the supplied USB cable.
Run DSLRfocus in "focus mode", turn the camera on, and connect to the camera.
Center a star in the "dead center" of the field of the DSLR.
Use ISO 100 and an exposure in the range of 1 to 4 seconds. You want the star to be as bright as possible but without clipping!
Use Medium/Normal image quality at first. Then hone in and verify with Large/Fine quality.
Use mirror lockup if your camera supports it. 300D users can use the Wasia Hacked firmware if they're brave.
When you think you've got the focus nailed, engage the focus lock on your scope's focuser and then take another shot "just to make sure". If the focus isn't perfect, repeat until it is.
There are many ways to find and center the target in the field of the imaging camera. For really bright objects, I just center them using the imaging camera's viewfinder. M42 is an example of one such target.
For more illusive targets, I use my Precise GoTo Spreadsheet to compute the RA and DEC offsets (deltas) between the Target Object and some bright, nearby, easy-to-find, unmistakable, Reference Object. The Reference Object is almost always a nearby bright star or planet. I then center the Reference Object in the imaging camera's field and then pull up "Get RA/DEC" in the mount's Hand Controller. Then I subtract the offsets from my spreadsheet, and slew the mount to the resulting coordinates. In all cases, the slews must finish with the Up and Right arrow keys, in order to deal with any backlash in a consistent fashion. In my experience, this method is amazingly accurate and easy to execute.
In any case, here's the procedure I use to acquire (and verify) my target:
Use the "Precise GoTo" spreadsheet as described above to get the target centered.
Still using DSLRfocus in "focus mode", take a test exposure (ISO 1600, 30 seconds, Small/Normal quality) and inspect the result. Even fairly dim targets will reveal themselves at these exposure settings. If the target is not centered correctly, slew the mount in the appropriate direction and repeat this process until it is.
Using the mount's Hand Controller, store a "User Object" (Save Sky Object) at the current coordinates, so you can easily return to this location if you accidentally hit a slew button or you accidentally change the RA or DEC when removing/replacing dust caps.
In DSL |
process of continuous adjustments, refinements and redesigns as you find new skills or face new challenges. It also strikes a nice balance between commitment to a decision and freedom to experiment in that you can’t un-spend ability points but you can unlearn skills to make way for trying out others.
The two main characters in my current playthrough are: Drewiepops, a Rogue-Witch who likes turning invisible, stabbing people in the back, leeching their life and generally cursing and hexing them. And Piento, an Air and Water Mage who also uses a claymore. She likes tricking people into thinking she’s a mage so that she can claymore them in half when they get close.
You can pick up companions as you make your way through the game (up to a maximum party size of four) or, a little later on, design your own companions to fill a specific gap.
Burn them all
The combat in Divinity is just lovely. The varied and flexible skills, interesting and diverse enemies, the tactical importance of positioning and use of terrain and the turn based nature would make for great combat on their own. What pushes things beyond great into exquisite is the elemental anarchy and that systemic approach I mentioned earlier.
This gets a little involved so I’ll just spill it out:
A rain spell will cause, as you’d expect, rain. Rain will make puddles in dips in the land or, where they already exist, cause them to expand. Lighting will electrify puddles (of any conductive liquid — blood as well as water), potentially stunning anyone who stands or walks in them. Ice magic will freeze puddles, people who walk on ice are very likely to fall over. Fire will melt ice and cause water to turn to clouds of steam. Steam clouds can be electrified with lightning. Rain also causes anyone caught in it to become wet. Wet people are more susceptible to both freezing and stunning. Earth mages can place down oil which slows people who walk through it. Fire will cause oil to burn. Warm characters are more susceptible to burning. Water puts out fire. Poison, in both liquid or cloud form, will explode when hit with fire.
Enemies with an affinity for a particular element are often healed by that element’s effects.
The elemental effects are not only for mages, there are elemental arrows and grenades (and water balloons) too. Barrels of various elemental liquids are also scattered around (oil, water and poison) and will burst quite easily when hit, whether intentionally or by accident.
You can move (if your character is strong or telekinetic enough) objects such as barrels, crates, bails and so on around in the world to, for example, create barriers in order to funnel enemies.
What this all results in, early in the game, is utter chaos. That meadow you started fighting in will look, after the battle, like a post-apocalyptic wasteland. What makes Divinity’s combat great is learning to control the chaos and use it to your advantage. To work out a good way to approach a particular enemy with the tools at hand. To come up with and execute a plan.
When I was playing co-op, large battles would usually be preceded by lengthy strategic discussion wherein we weighed up our various options and tried to select the best from all the many branching possibilities. It doesn’t always go right, of course, it’s complex enough that there’ll often be something you didn’t take into account or simply didn’t know, but coping with that is a good part of the fun. It’s about making a plan and then adjusting it on the fly as things change. Weighing up which character would be best doing which thing, how best to use the party’s resources. It’s extremely enjoyable in single player but in co-op it’s outstanding.
Combat in party RPGs can sometimes be tedious. After a while you’ve learned what the effective skills are and how to position your party, and battles become routine — slight variations on tune. Divinity doesn’t completely avoid this — I think it’s an almost inevitable pitfall of the genre — but it puts it off until much later. For the vast majority of the game no two battles will play out quite alike as the enemies, terrain, your characters’ abilities and the available elemental madness vary.
High praise
I love Divinity. It’s the most enjoyable RPG I’ve played since Morrowind.
It’s a big, beautiful game. I spent around 200 hours playing the pre-Enhanced version (in Wine). That represents one complete co-op playthrough and one almost complete single player game. I’ve been playing the Enhanced Edition for about 50 hours split fairly equally between separate single player and co-op games. From what I’ve seen so far the Enhanced Edition is an improvement on an already superb game, all of the additions and tweaks so far have been for the better.
If you like playing with systems, exploring interesting locations in a self-directed way and strategic combat then I can’t recommend this game highly enough, especially if you intend to play in co-op. If you play games like this mainly for the story and want a rich, deep narrative with a labyrinthine plot, reams of lore and character development that occurs explicitly in the game rather than in your imagination then you may want to look elsewhere. You’d still probably like it though, just not as much as Pillars of Eternity.
Divinity: Original Sin - Enhanced Edition: The Return of the Philosopher’s Goblet of Fire - Part II: The Wrath of Khan is available on Steam and GOG.Waves welcomes new CMO
Gleb Kostarev Blocked Unblock Follow Following Jul 10, 2017
Alexandra Pestretsova has extensive experience of marketing in the digital and gaming industries.
This week, the Waves team welcomes a new Chief Marketing Officer. Alexandra Pestretsova is a veteran of the digital and gaming industries, with 15 years of professional experience — including eight as a marketing director.
She has promoted her businesses across international markets, raising audiences to 200 million from a standing start and moving from zero to $120 million in revenues. Alexandra has a wealth of experience in marketing, from media buying and product analytics to brand management, communications and community management.
Her most recent position was Director of Marketing for My.com, a subsidiary of the Mail.ru Group, and she was previously Vice President of Marketing at Game Insight.
‘I am so excited about my new job,’ says Alexandra. ‘It’s so inspiring to do things that have never been done before — by anyone in the whole world. To make something huge, stable and reliable out of something very young, something remarkably powerful and extremely innovative, created by one of the strongest IT visionaries in the world, is a real privilege. The Waves platform isn’t some curiosity or a toy for crypto specialists — it’s bringing blockchain technology to ordinary people and enabling them to do totally new things and that’s truly worthwhile.’
‘Alexandra is a fantastic addition to the Waves team,’ says CEO Sasha Ivanov. ‘As someone with extensive experience in the gaming industry, she understands what it takes to appeal to popular audiences and I know that under her guidance this is going to be a remarkable new era for the Waves platform.’Norway’s parliament is expected to pass an anti-begging law on Friday.
Proposed by members of the right-wing government with support from an opposition party, the bill is said to be aimed at addressing the capital city of Oslo’s pickpocketing problem. According to Agence France-Presse, Oslo's pickpocket rates are reportedly as high as Berlin's, while the capital has one-seventh of the population of the German city.
Under the proposed ban, those caught begging on the street would face fines and up to three months in prison.
If the law passes, it will take effect in 2015 nationwide. Local municipalities will be allowed to ban begging as early as this summer.
Some say this ban specifically targets Romanian immigrants, who make up a majority of Oslo's beggars. Out of the 194 beggars the justice ministry identified in Oslo in 2012, 187 were Romanian citizens, per AFP.
Himanshu Gulati, state secretary at the justice ministry and a member of the populist Progress party, told The Financial Times that begging is often linked to criminal activity and said this type of legislation could help improve crime rates.
“In the past few years we have seen an increase in beggars in many cities and towns in Norway and we have a deep concern for the association between the flow of beggars from outside Norway and organized criminality,” Gulati said.
Critics of the measure say it could cause more problems than it solves. "If they can no longer (beg), they will be obliged to turn even more to crime," Arild Knutsen, head of a national drug addicts association, told Norwegian television, per Agence France-Presse.
Others think the proposed legislation is downright oppressive.
"I find it remarkable that the Centre Party is ensuring the government's majority for a municipal ban," the Christian Democrat's Kjell Ingolf Ropstad told Norwegian media outlet NRK, per The Local. "Poor people in Norway and Europe are asking other people for help as a last resort. It is very strange that we are now making this illegal."
A similar anti-begging ban was overturned back in 2005.
Correction: Due to an editing error an earlier version of this story indicated that the bill was proposed by the Center Party and described the party as right-wing. In fact, the ban was proposed by members of the right-wing government, with the support of the opposition Center Party, and the party does not identify as either left or right wing.Patna: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has hired 10 trains to ferry its supporters here for the 27 October rally of its prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, a senior leader said on Thursday.
Since last month, BJP leaders have been busy touring different parts of state to mobilise supporters for the rally. Several buses have also been hired for the rally.
"The party has booked 10 special trains, with 18 bogies each, for the rally," senior BJP leader Nand Kishore Yadav said, adding that the trains will run from different parts of the state to Patna.
The special trains will run from Kishanganj, Purnea, Araria, Bhagalpur, Saharsa, Bettiah, Bagha and Samastipur, among other cities.
Yadav, the leader of opposition in the state assembly, said the BJP's district units will also ferry people by buses. "We are planning to hire buses from Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand, as there are not enough buses available in the state," he said.
Senior BJP leader and former deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi claimed that the number of peoplea attending the rally would break all previous records.
"If lakhs of people can turn up to hear Narendra Modi in Tamil Nadu, Hyderabad and Rewari (in Haryana), where the party has few legislators, one can only imagine the biggest ever turnout in Patna," Sushil Modi said, adding that Narendra Modi's presence would be a big draw.
After Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar broke the Janata Dal-United alliance with the BJP in June over the projection of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi as the saffron party's prime ministerial candidate, the Oct 27 rally will be the first show of strength by the BJP in Bihar.
An East Central Railway (ECR) official said an action plan was drawn up by the railways to run special trains Oct 26-27. "We have made elaborate arrangements for smooth running of passenger trains as well as long-distance trains," he said.
The ECR has borrowed coaches from different zones because of shortage of coaches in view of several Puja special trains running throughout the country.
Several senior railway officials have been deputed to supervise the arrangement of special trains for the rally. Hundreds of railway officials, including travelling ticket examiners (TTEs), station masters and traffic inspectors, would be deployed to manage the smooth running of these specials.
In Bihar, political parties have in the past too hired trains for rallies.
Lalu Prasad's Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) hired 13 special trains from various parts of Bihar and Jharkhand to ferry supporters to a rally in May this year.
When Lalu Prasad was railway minister in 2007, the RJD booked 35 trains for his Chetawani (warning) Rally in Patna.
Last year, Bihar's ruling Janata Dal-United hired half a dozen special trains for Nitish Kumar's Adhikar (rights) Rally in Patna.
IANS
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Sep. 21, 2016, 5:52 PM GMT / Updated Sep. 22, 2016, 12:56 AM GMT By Maggie Fox
Anne Miller showed the world what a miracle drug looks like.
The 33-year old nurse had been sick for a month after suffering a miscarriage in 1942. Her temperature spiked to as high as 107 degrees as she lay dying from childbed fever, once a major killer of young women.
A lab dish carrying a sample of bacteria carrying the mcr-1 "superbug" gene, found at Walter Reed Army Institute for Research earlier this year. Another lab just found another one, dating back to 2015. Maggie Fox / NBC News
“By an incredible stroke of luck, her doctor gained access to one of the first tiny batches of penicillin, which was not even commercially available yet,” Dr. Martin Blaser writes in his book, “Missing Microbes: How the Overuse of Antibiotics Is Fueling Our Modern Plagues”.
“Her recovery began within hours. The fever broke, the delirium ended, she could eat, and within a month she had recovered. It was the scientific equivalent of a miracle.”
Blaser learned the details of Miller’s case during a 1992 symposium at Yale. What happened next gave him chills, he says.
“In the third row, a small-boned, elegant, elderly woman with short white hair stood up and, with bright eyes, looked out across the room. She was Anne Miller, then in her 80s, given 50 more years of life by the miracle of penicillin,” he recounts.
This is what doctors and patients alike have in mind when they think of antibiotics, says Blaser, a New York University microbiologist who chairs the Presidential Advisory Council on Combating Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria.
“We are running out of time.”
And while antibiotics can be miracle drugs, they’ve been abused and overused so much that they are often useless against bacteria that evolve much, much faster than humanity can invent new weapons.
On Wednesday, the United Nations General Assembly voted to take "a broad, coordinated approach" to go after antimicrobial resistance. "This is only the fourth time a health issue has been taken up by the U.N. General Assembly (the others were HIV, noncommunicable diseases, and Ebola)," the U.N. said.
Today, penicillin almost certainly would not help an Anne Miller. She’d at the least need an improved version of penicillin such as ampicillin, which has extra compounds added to counteract the tricks that bacteria have evolved to survive a round of antibiotic treatment.
Related: 'Nightmare Bacteria' Found in U.S.
Drug-resistant “superbugs” are now found virtually everywhere. They’ve developed as people pop antibiotics to treat colds, the flu, ear infections and various other ills caused by viruses and fungi that are not affected by the drugs. They grow in farm animals fed antibiotics not to treat disease, but to make them grow fatter and faster.
They’re found in city sewer systems and in hospital sinks. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says in the U.S. alone, more than two million people are infected by drug-resistant germs each year, and 23,000 die of their infections. Globally, these antibiotic-resistant microbes kill 700,000 people a year.
The drug pipeline is not keeping up.
The last really new class of antibiotics was invented in 1984, according to the Pew Charitable Trusts. Every new antibiotic to hit the market since then – and there have not been many – is a variation on a decades-old design.
“If antibiotics were telephones, we would still be calling each other using clunky rotary dials and copper lines."
“If antibiotics were telephones, we would still be calling each other using clunky rotary dials and copper lines,” says Stefano Bertuzzi, CEO of the American Society for Microbiology.
“Antimicrobial resistance poses a fundamental threat to human health, development and security,” Dr. Margaret Chan, director-general of the U.N.' s World Health Organization, said Wednesday.
“We are running out of time,” she added.
Related: Inside the Lab Searching for the Next Superbug
The World Bank Group predicted this week that the economic damage wrought by antibiotic resistant infections will wipe between 1 percent and 3.8 percent off global domestic product by 2050.
“The scale and nature of this economic threat could wipe out hard-fought development gains and take us away from our goals of ending extreme poverty,” said World Bank president Jim Yong Kim. “We must urgently change course to avert this potential crisis.”
It’s not a new issue. Public health experts, infectious disease doctors, patients and advocates have all been warning about the problem for two decades. But antibiotic overuse persists, and the superbugs continue to pop up.
The most recent is the mcr-1 gene, found on a little clip of DNA called a plasmid that various species of bacteria can pass around and share like an internet meme. It gives them resistance to a last-resort antibiotic called colistin.
Related: What's so Super About Superbugs
The U.N. plans to lead a global effort to help countries fight the threat. While some are struggling just to provide clean water to their populations, others, like the United States, are fighting epidemics that reach into flagship hospitals and that don’t discriminate between rich and poor.
Vaccines can help, as can better hygiene, safe water and better use of antibiotics.
On-the-spot tests that indicate right away whether a patient has a bacterial infection or a virus can help doctors fight back against demands for a prescription, and can help an anxious patient feel confident that drugs really won’t help their wailing child’s ear infection, says American Society for Microbiology President Susan Sharp.
Experts also say the wholesale use of antibiotics in farm animals has to stop. Eighty percent of the world’s antibiotics now go into animal feed, and these animals are pooping out superbugs that have evolved in their guts. The mcr-1 gene has been found in slaughterhouses and pet stores.
The White House has embraced the issue, and the U.N. wants to press countries around the world to do the same — especially since germs don’t respect borders.
Related: Here's Why Superbugs Scare Doctors
Report after report has done little to stop the clamor for antibiotics and even doctors are failing to heed the warnings. A third of antibiotic prescriptions written in the U.S. are for viral infections, the CDC says.
“We clearly aren’t moving the needle,” Sharp says. She says it will take an education campaign on the scale of the ongoing effort to let people know about the dangers of tobacco.
“Patients are not aware that there are side effects,” she said. ‘Even when you do need them, there are side effects.” Those effects range from diarrhea to antibiotic resistance.
“I want people to wake up and realize that this isn't something that happens to other people.”
Every time someone uses an antibiotic, the bacteria in their body begin to evolve. It's impossible to wipe out every single bacterium in the body, so those that survive are stronger, and can not only re-infect the patient, but can be passed to others.
That means the antibiotic doesn't work as well the next time.
Related: Antibiotic Resistance Hurts Healthy Kids
The outcome can be tragic. Just ask Everly Macario, whose baby son, Simon, died in 2004 from a methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection.
“Simon woke up not acting like himself and my husband was really worried, so he actually decided to take him to the emergency room,” Macario told NBC News.
The previously bright, healthy year-and-a-half-old baby was dead within a day.
“It's a parent's worst nightmare,” said Macario, who has now become an advocate for the Infectious Diseases Society of America.
“I'm a few blocks away from the best hospital, smartest, most brilliant doctors with all the technology,” added Macario, who lives in Chicago. She said Simon was fully vaccinated, breast-fed and had no serious health problems.
“I want people to wake up and realize that this isn't something that happens to other people.”Edward Carl Gaedel (June 8, 1925 – June 18, 1961) was an American midget who became famous for participating in a Major League Baseball game.[1]
Gaedel (some sources say the family name may actually have been Gaedele, which is the name seen on his gravestone)[2] gained recognition in the second game of a St. Louis Browns doubleheader on August 19, 1951.[3] Weighing 65 pounds (29 kg) and standing 3 feet 7 inches (1.09 m) tall, he became the shortest player in the history of the Major Leagues. Gaedel made a single plate appearance and was walked with four consecutive balls before being replaced by a pinch-runner at first base. His jersey, bearing the uniform number "1⁄ 8 ", is displayed in the St. Louis Cardinals Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.
St. Louis Browns owner Bill Veeck, in his 1962 autobiography Veeck – As in Wreck, said of Gaedel, "He was, by golly, the best darn midget who ever played big-league ball. He was also the only one."[4]
Appearance [ edit ]
Due to his size, Gaedel had worked as a riveter during World War II, and was able to crawl inside the wings of airplanes.[5] He was a professional performer, belonging to the American Guild of Variety Artists (AGVA). After the war, Gaedel was hired in 1946 by Mercury Records as a mascot to portray the "Mercury Man." He sported a winged hat similar to the record label's logo, to promote Mercury recordings.[6][7][8] Some early Mercury recordings featured a caricature of him as its logo.[9][10]
Browns' owner Bill Veeck, a showman who enjoyed staging publicity stunts, found Gaedel through a booking agency. Secretly signed by the Browns, he was added to the team roster and put in uniform (with the number "1/8" on the back). The uniform was that of current St. Louis Cardinals managing partner and chairman William DeWitt, Jr. who was a 9-year-old batboy for the Browns at the time.
Gaedel came out of a papier-mache cake between games of a doubleheader at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis to celebrate the American League's 50th anniversary.[11] The stunt was also billed as a Falstaff Brewery promotion. Falstaff, and the fans, had been promised a "festival of surprises" by Veeck. Before the second game got underway, the press agreed that the "midget-in-a-cake" appearance had not been up to Veeck's usual promotional standard. Falstaff personnel, who had been promised national publicity for their participation, were particularly dissatisfied. Keeping the surprise he had in store for the second game to himself, Veeck just meekly apologized.
Although Veeck denied the stunt was directly inspired by it, the appearance of Gaedel was unmistakably similar to the plot of "You Could Look It Up," a 1941 short story by James Thurber. Veeck later insisted he got the idea from listening to the conversations of Giants manager John McGraw decades earlier when Veeck was a child.[12]
At the plate [ edit ]
Gaedel entered the second half of the doubleheader between the Browns and Detroit Tigers in the bottom of the first inning as a pinch-hitter for leadoff batter Frank Saucier. Immediately, umpire Ed Hurley called for Browns manager Zack Taylor. Veeck and Taylor had the foresight to have a copy of Gaedel's contract on hand,[13] as well as a copy of the Browns' active roster, which had room for Gaedel's addition.
The contract had been filed late in the day on Friday, August 17. Veeck knew the league office would summarily approve the contract upon receipt, and that it would not be scrutinized until Monday, August 20. Upon reading the contract, Hurley motioned for Gaedel to take his place in the batter's box. (As a result of Gaedel's appearance, all contracts must now be approved by the Commissioner of Baseball before a player can appear in a game.) The change to that day's St. Louis Browns scorecard, listing Gaedel and his uniform number, had gone unnoticed by everyone except Harry Mitauer, a writer for the St. Louis Globe-Democrat. The Browns' publicity man shunted Mitauer's inquiry aside.[12]
Gaedel was under strict orders not to attempt to move the bat off his shoulder. When Veeck got the impression that Gaedel might be tempted to swing at a pitch, the owner warned Gaedel that he had taken out a $1 million insurance policy on his life, and that he would be standing on the roof of the stadium with a rifle prepared to kill Gaedel if he even looked like he was going to swing.[12] Veeck had carefully trained Gaedel to assume a tight crouch at the plate; he had measured Gaedel's strike zone in that stance and claimed it was just one and a half inches high.[12] However, when Gaedel came to the plate, he abandoned the crouch he had been taught for a pose that Veeck described as "a fair approximation of Joe DiMaggio's classic style,"[12] leading Veeck to fear he was going to swing. (In the Thurber story, the player with dwarfism cannot resist swinging at a 3-0 pitch, grounds out, and the team loses the game.)
With Bob Cain on the mound—laughing at the absurdity that he actually had to pitch to Gaedel[12]—and catcher Bob Swift catching on his knees, Gaedel took his stance.[1] The Tigers catcher offered his pitcher a piece of strategy: "Keep it low." Cain delivered four consecutive balls, all high (the first two pitches were legitimate attempts at strikes; the last two were half-speed tosses). Gaedel took his base (stopping twice during his trot to bow to the crowd) and was replaced by pinch-runner Jim Delsing. The 18,369 fans gave Gaedel a standing ovation.
Baseball reaction [ edit ]
Veeck had hoped that Delsing would go on to score in a one-run Browns victory, but he ended up stranded at third base and the Tigers went on to win the game 6–2.[14] American League president Will Harridge, saying Veeck was making a mockery of the game, voided Gaedel's contract the next day. In response, Veeck threatened to request an official ruling on whether Yankees shortstop and reigning American League MVP Phil Rizzuto, who stood 5 feet 6 inches (1.68 m), was a short ballplayer or a tall dwarf.
Initially, Major League Baseball struck Gaedel from its record book, as if he had not been in the game. He was relisted a year later, as a right-handed batter and left-handed thrower (although he did not play the field).[15] Eddie Gaedel finished his major league career with an on-base percentage of 1.000. His total earnings as a pro athlete were $100, the scale price for an AGVA appearance. However, he was able to parlay his baseball fame into more than $17,000 by appearing on several television shows.
Later life [ edit ]
Gaedel's major league career lasted just the one plate appearance, but Veeck continued to employ Gaedel in non-playing promotions over the years: in 1959, Gaedel and three other dwarfs dressed as spacemen were seen presenting "ray guns" to White Sox players Nellie Fox and Luis Aparicio at Comiskey Park. (Gaedel reportedly said, "I don't want to be taken to your leader. I've already met him.") In 1961, Veeck (who by that time had become owner of the White Sox) hired several dwarfs and midgets, including Gaedel, as vendors, so as not to "block the fans' view" of the game.
Death [ edit ]
On June 18, 1961, the unemployed Gaedel, who had just turned 36, was at a bowling alley in Chicago, his birthplace and hometown. Gaedel was followed home and beaten. His mother discovered Eddie lying dead in his bed. He had bruises about his knees and on the left side of his face. A coroner's inquest determined that he also had suffered a heart attack. Bob Cain, who'd pitched to Gaedel, was the only Major League Baseball figure to attend the funeral. Gaedel was interred at St. Mary Catholic Cemetery and Mausoleum in Cook County, Illinois (plot: section G, gravestone number X-363B).[16]
Legacy [ edit ]
Gaedel is one of only five Major League players who drew a walk in their only plate appearance and never played the field. The first three all played in the 1910s: Dutch Schirick (Sep 17, 1914 with the Browns), Bill Batsch (Sep 9, 1916 with Pittsburgh) and Joe Cobb (April 25, 1918 with Detroit; although recent research shows that Cobb may have actually struck out in his only plate appearance). On June 24, 2007, Kevin Melillo of the Oakland Athletics, became the first player in over half a century to walk in his only plate appearance without taking the field, against the New York Mets. Other than Gaedel, the other four players pinch-hit for pitchers; all five appeared in games their teams ultimately lost.
Gaedel's one-day career has been the subject of programs on ESPN and the Baseball Network. He was mentioned by name in the lyrics of Terry Cashman's homage to 1950s baseball, "Talkin' Baseball (Willie, Mickey, and the Duke)." His at-bat was the No. 1 choice on a 1999 list of "Unusual and Unforgettable Moments" in baseball history published by the Sporting News.[17]
In 1994, Veeck's son Mike Veeck owned the minor league St. Paul Saints team. He brought the then 69-year-old Bob Cain to the park to "reenact" the at-bat, by pitching to the 10-year-old son of the Saints manager.[18]
Due to its scarcity, Gaedel's autograph now sells for more than Babe Ruth's.[6]
Gaedel's grandnephew, Kyle Gaedele, was drafted in the 32nd round by the Tampa Bay Rays in 2008 out of high school.[19] He chose instead to attend Valparaiso University; he was selected in the June 2011 MLB Draft by the San Diego Padres and he played minor league baseball as high as the Double-A level.[20] He was released by the Missions in 2015 and last played with independent AA team the Chicago Dogs in 2018.
There is a bar, named "Tiny Bar", in downtown St. Louis that makes multiple references to Gaedel and his lone plate appearance.[citation needed]If you’re a regular viewer of CNN’s State of the Union, you may have noticed that in both episodes since inauguration, Jake Tapper has informed viewers of the following:
We asked the Trump WH to provide a guest to explain the order & clear up any confusion (even within its own govt).
They declined. #CNNSOTU — Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) January 29, 2017
Yes, for two weekends in a row no one from the Trump administration has gone on Tapper’s show, even though the CNN anchor is considered a fair-minded journalist by some prominent conservative voices.
But according to Politico, this may be part of a deliberate strategy to “ice out” CNN:
The White House has refused to send its spokespeople or surrogates onto CNN shows, effectively icing out the network from on-air administration voices. “We’re sending surrogates to places where we think it makes sense to promote our agenda,” said a White House official, acknowledging that CNN is not such a place, but adding that the ban is not permanent.
One CNN reporter anonymously told Politico, “They’re trying to cull CNN from the herd.”
Trump administration officials appeared on other Sunday shows this week, they’ve been on Fox News, and Stephen Miller was even on MSNBC with Greta Van Susteren yesterday. But per Politico:
The last time an administration official was on CNN’s Sunday public affairs show “State of the Union” was Conway on January 8. She also appeared on CNN the following Wednesday with Anderson Cooper, the same day as then President-elect Trump’s press conference where he derided CNN for publishing a report that intelligence officials had briefed both Trump and former President Barack Obama that the Russians may have negative information about Trump.
The report says the administration is still answering questions from CNN reporters (Jim Acosta asked Sean Spicer during the first official presser last week), but Spicer has continued to publicly express frustrations with the tone of CNN’s coverage.
[featured image via CNN]
— —
Follow Josh Feldman on Twitter: @feldmaniac
Have a tip we should know? tips@mediaite.comFeatured image: Better be careful US President Donald Trump warns Iran president Rouhani (Source: Voice of People Today)
VISIT MY NEW WEB SITE: stephenlendman.org (Home – Stephen Lendman). Contact at [email protected].
According to London’s Guardian, “US intelligence officials are under pressure from the White House to produce a justification to declare Iran in violation of a 2015 nuclear agreement” – despite no evidence suggesting it.
The IAEA declared Tehran in compliance multiple times. The White House wants intelligence cooked to show otherwise, giving Trump a pretext to renege on the deal – an international treaty strongly supported by other P5+1 countries.
Collapse of the deal won’t “trigger a new crisis over nuclear proliferation,” as the Guardian suggests. It would further heighten tensions between Washington and Tehran – already strained because of longstanding US aims for regime change by color revolution or war.
According to the Guardian,
CIA “(i)ntelligence analysts, chastened by the experience of the 2003 Iraq war, launched by the Bush administration on the basis of phony evidence of weapons of mass destruction, are said to be resisting the pressure to come up with evidence of Iranian violations.”
Former CIA analyst Ned Price said current agency operatives told him
there’s “a sense of revulsion. There was a sense of deja vu. There was a sense of ‘we’ve seen this movie before.’ “
Former deputy CIA director David Cohen called it “disconcerting” for Trump to conclude Iran is in noncompliance without credible evidence proving it.
“It stands the intelligence process on its head,” he said. “If our intelligence is degraded because it is politicized in the way that it looks like the president wants to do here, that undermines the utility of that intelligence all across the board.”
Langley was never shy about rigging intelligence for political purposes. Nor was Colin Powell as Bush/Cheney’s secretary of state – lying to Congress about nonexistent Iraqi WMDs, infamously claiming:
“(F)acts and Iraq’s behavior show that Saddam Hussein and his regime are concealing their efforts to produce more weapons of mass destruction.”
False!
“(E)very statement I make today is backed up by sources, solid sources. These are not assertions. What we’re giving you are the facts and conclusions based on solid intelligence.”
False!
“The gravity of this moment is matched by the gravity of the threat that Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction pose to the world.”
False again. None existed and Powell knew it. War was waged against a nation threatening no one, raping and destroying it, massacring its people, endless conflict continuing.
Does Trump have something similar in mind for Iran? Would he wage war on a country able to hit back hard regionally?
The Guardian:
“(T)here is now a general consensus among US intelligence and foreign intelligence agencies, the state department, the IAEA and the other five countries that signed the JCPOA, as well as the European Union, that there is no significant evidence that Iran has violated its obligations under the deal.”
Trump appears hellbent on reneging Washington’s treaty obligation anyway. He, administration and congressional neocons, along with Israel alone will be pleased if he acts irresponsibly.
On Monday, EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini strongly supported the nuclear deal, saying it “was not an agreement between two countries. I have repeated it time and again, and I have the impression that we will need to repeat it time and again in the months to come,” adding:
The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) is “a commitment undertaken by the entire international community on one side and Iran on the other, supported by a resolution of the UN Security Council, and certified regularly by the International Atomic Energy Agency.” “(C)ompliance with the deal is certified by the IAEA and by the Joint Commission I chair…not by one single individual country,” a clear reference to Trump’s likely intention to pull out.
America will be more of an international outlaw than already if he unilaterally decertifies the deal – what appears likely at this time around mid-October.
VISIT MY NEW WEB SITE: stephenlendman.org (Home – Stephen Lendman). Contact at [email protected].
My newest book as editor and contributor is titled “Flashpoint in Ukraine: How the US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III.”
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.There’s a budget tomorrow, and as we reported recently, some energy companies have been putting pressure on the chancellor to increase the carbon price floor, the UK’s carbon tax, currently set at £18 per tonne, which has helped us reduce the proportion |
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