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Mauricio Pochettino told his Tottenham players to use this evening’s thumping of Chelsea as an “example for the future”, and that if they do so then “all is possible” for them.
Spurs started the biggest week of their season in a perfect way, beating Chelsea 3-1 at Wembley in a game they should have won by far more. Now they host Inter Milan on Wednesday night, needing a win to keep their Champions League hopes alive. Then they travel to Arsenal on Sunday for the first north London derby of the season.
Speaking in his post-match press conference this evening Pochettino did not want to say that this was Spurs’ best performance of the season, even though most observers believed that it was. But he was thrilled with the application and mental approach of his players, and now he hopes that they maintain it for the rest of the week.
“The attitude and desire, a lot of the time we miss it in many important games,” Pochettino said.
Mauricio Pochettino wants Spurs to build on this win (Getty)
“But to compete in this way, the tactics and system are not important, but the attitude and the will were fantastic. Now the challenge for us is to keep the level of competition. And to use as an example for the future. We have in a few days another final, and then Arsenal. With this attitude, all is possible.”
There have been times this season when Pochettino was not happy with his players’ performances but here he was delighted with how they approached the game. Spurs played with more ambition and desire than they have shown all year, especially against a top opponent. Pochettino wants this to continue.
“One thing we need to realise is that with attitude we can compete in this level,” he said. “When we struggle to show the real quality, we show a lack of aggressivity, will or attitude, and in that moment it is difficult to perform in the way that we performed today.”
Pochettino pointed to the example of Juan Foyth, who has come from nowhere to be one of Spurs’ best performers this month, to show that the whole squad are important and that Spurs are not just about their big names. “The confidence we have in him and the trust, that is why we put him in to play,” Pochettino said. | 1,100 |
Thousands of people in northern Cambodia have been evacuated after the collapse of the dam in neighbouring Laos caused the rivers to flood to dangerous levels.
Laos dam collapse: 3,000 in need of rescue as death toll rises to 26 Read more
Authorities in Stung Treng province scrambled to carry out an emergency evacuation of 1,200 families after five billion cubic metres of water gushed into the rivers and surrounding landscape when the Xe-Namnoy hydropower dam in south-eastern Laos, on the border with Cambodia, broke under pressure on Tuesday night.
The collapse of the dam has reportedly led to the deaths of at least 26 people, though the prime minister said on Wednesday that only one person had died so far, and displaced more than 6,000 families in the Attapeu area of Laos. With 3,000 still in need of rescue, clinging to treetops and sitting on roofs, and 131 still officially reported missing, the death toll is expected to rise.
Villages along the Sekong River in Cambodia, which is downstream from the same Xepian-Xe Nam Noy river system which fed the dam in Laos, fell victim to the rising water levels caused by the collapse. Water levels continued to rise into Wednesday, reaching as high as 11.5 metres in some areas and leaving entire homes underwater.
Play Video 0:35 Laos villages submerged after dam collapse – video
Men Kong, a spokesman for the provincial government, said families from 17 villages across four communes had now been evacuated, and that 700 soldiers, police and rescuers had been sent to help the operation.
In Laos, a notoriously secretive Communist state, information about the extent of the devastation trickled out slowly as rescuers made their way to the remote site. Most of the 6,000 displaces people took shelter in villages in neighbouring areas, coming to terms with their realisation that their homes and all their possessions had been washed away or destroyed.
Play Video 0:42 Baby rescued after Laos dam collapse - video
Brian Eyler, director of the Stimson Center’s south-east Asia program said that “beyond any doubt, this was a man-made disaster”.
“It is very unlikely the Cambodian villages were notified of any incoming floodwater,” he said. “Since this is a tributary system of the Mekong river, there is no built-in warning system for flood or disaster management between Laos and Cambodia.” | 1,101 |
At the Chiyo-St. Live 2017 –Genesis- event today, Mages. had a lot to announce for fans of the Science Adventure series starting with Steins;Gate Elite, a “majorly updated” Steins;Gate with new elements. Anonymous;Code was also announced for Switch to go with the PS4 and PS Vita versions, as well as a release date for Occultic;Nine, and a message about more games headed to Steam. Here are some of the highlight announcements from the event.
The million-seller series, Steins;Gate, which also had its own anime, is getting a new version called Steins;Gate Elite, is getting a “majorly updated” version that’ll come with brand new elements. Release date, platform, and more information will be revealed on a later date.
Anonymous;Code, which tells a story about a group of hackers and their crusade, was initially announced for a 2017 release for PS4 and PS Vita. Mages. announced today that it is headed to Nintendo Switch as well. This makes it the very first Science Visual Novel title from Chiyomaru Shikura’s studio to release on a Nintendo platform. It currently doesn’t have a release date or window.
A game adaptation of the light novel series Occultic;Nine was announced back in March 2015 as a 2017 release, and the company announced that it is headed to PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, and Xbox One in Japan on September 28, 2017. The third volume of the light novel (pictured above) releases in Summer 2017.
Robotics;Notes released as a visual novel title in June 2012 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in Japan, which followed by an anime later that year and an updated version on PlayStation Vita in June 2014. Mages. announced the long-awaited true sequel as Robotics;Notes DaSH. We’ll learn more details about its story and the meaning behind “DaSH” on a later date.
Chaos;Child got its iOS version in January this year, and its Android version released today in Japan. To mark the occasion, it’ll be available for 2,000 yen until June 11. Afterwards, it’ll go for 4,800 yen.
And finally, Mages. announced that more Science Adventure titles from Chiyomaru Studio will be headed to Steam. Specific titles weren’t announced, but we’ll likely hear something in the near future. | 1,102 |
returning 90 percent of its defense means 4.6.
Experience in the secondary is worth more than experience in the front seven. And it appears that the skill of being able to either pick off or bat down passes is far more difficult to replace than other skills.
Do you have Ohio State and Stanford in your top 10?
Because if so... well... consider this a red flag. The Cardinal are under the 50 percent bar, and Buckeyes are one of five teams projected to return less than 40 percent of their production. That meant doom across the board last year, and while both of these programs could fall a couple of notches and still be quite good, you might not want to expect too much. That might serve as an alarm bell to many far-too-early prognosticators.
Two other teams on the wrong side: Cal and Arizona State.
Cal's easy to figure out -- the Golden Bears are a pass-first team that must replace their quarterback (soon to become a high draft pick) and top six receiving targets. And as we see above, quarterback and receiver experience are worth far more than running back or offensive line experience. (Losing two starters in the defensive backfield doesn't help.)
Arizona State is coming off of a terribly disappointing 6-7 campaign, and head coach Todd Graham has been tasked with replacing longtime offensive coordinator Mike Norvell (who took the Memphis head coaching job), tight ends coach Chip Long (who followed Norvell), and defensive line coach Jackie Shipp (who left for the same position at Missouri). The Sun Devils must now replace their quarterback, their top two receivers, and four of their top five defensive backs. Yikes.
Approaching returning talent like this is exciting. It has already led to projections more strongly correlated to improvement and regression, and there are still further matters to tackle -- how to handle offensive line experience, for instance. I feel comfortable enough with this data to use them in the upcoming projections and previews, but hopefully I'll get a little bit further with this by the next round of projections.
What stands out to you in the table above?
(Note: This post was updated to account for some roster errors. Michigan, Notre Dame, and Stanford do not list redshirts, so some of the players listed as seniors are juniors, juniors are sophomores, etc. It's annoying, and it manages to trip me up every damn year. Granted, that's partially on me. But I will still complain about it.) | 1,103 |
When Daily Record reporters knocked on the door of Thomson’s detached home in Edinburgh’s Blackhall, she answered the door with an apprehensive smile on her face.
We simply asked if she was able to explain why she was involved in back-to-back mortgage deals.
Launching into what was clearly a well-prepared response, she said: “The statement that went out from my lawyer, and of course you would have received that as well.
“So basically it makes it quite clear that I’m making no further comment at this stage. And that is on the advice of my solicitor and you can reference that, you can see it on Twitter and so on.”
The door was then shut quietly but firmly behind her.
Thomson’s husband Peter arrived home shortly after 5pm on Wednesday.
He brought in the wheelie bins then nipped inside to change from his smart suit into jeans before taking the family dog for a walk.
As he walked back to
the house, he repeatedly glanced towards our car. Our reporter then buzzed the doorbell in the hope we could ask him to explain why his wife had got involved in back-to-back mortgages.
He has been dragged into the scandal as his name was found on some of the mortgage documents.
But he refused to answer the door.
We also approached Michelle’s business partner, former journalist Frank Gilbride.
Gilbride previously ran a news agency but now has a portfolio of buy-to-let properties.
As a co-owner of M&F Properties alongside Thomson, we hoped he would be able to give a reasonable explanation for the firm’s back-to-back mortgage deals.
The first buzz of the doorbell went unanswered but after a firm second push, Gilbride answered the front door of his massive Dunblane home.
We explained we were from the Daily Record and had a few questions to ask him.
He asked what it’s all about – as if the mortgage scandal has just washed over him.
When we ask for a simple explanation for the mortgages, he tried to buy time by picking up his post. Then he insisted he and Thomson acted “perfectly within the law”.
He revealed he plans to consult a lawyer and added: “I’ll speak when I’m ready.” | 1,104 |
Hold onto your roast beef —vegetarians get their due on Feb. 29 when Arby's introduces a one-day-only vegetarian menu to each of its 3,400 outlets nationwide.
This comes from the restaurant behind the term "Meatcraft."
Crispy onions, cheese and nary a slice of beef in sight. Image: arby's
The menu, which is in honor of leap year, is comprised of items on the fast-food chain's standard menu, sans meat. The prices for the sandwiches will not change. And don't worry: Meat-filled sandwiches remain on the bill of fare.
"We’re proud of our meats and haven’t been shy about promoting them, so we wanted to show vegetarians that with a little creativity, Arby’s can fit into their diet as well," Arby's told Mashable.
Diners will be able to choose from options like the Reuben Sandwich, the Smokehouse Brisket Sandwich and the Beef 'n' Cheddar classic sandwich that are all lacking their eponymous ingredient. Vegetables, condiments and cheese reign supreme as the featured sandwich-stuffers.
The (vegetarian) Loaded Italian Sandwich Image: Arby's
In a press release, Chief Marketing Officer and Brand President Rob Lynch said, “If it goes well, we’ll likely bring back the vegetarian menu on Feb. 29 each year.”
We know you're thinking: Wait, I can get those sandwiches sans meat any time of year just by ordering them that way.
You can also drink eggnog any time of year. You can whip up a batch of matzo brei in the middle of the winter. You certainly don't have to wait for Oct. 31 to gorge yourself on your kids' candy stash while they sleep — you are an adult now, you can buy your own candy, remember?
But you probably don't do those things. You savor those foods on their specific holidays because the hubbub and excitement surrounding the day and food is part of the joy.
That's exactly why ordering a vegetarian sandwich from a roast beef emporium on a day that only comes around once every four years makes so much sense.
That and the fact that you can finally take your carnivorous spouse on a lunch date that won't involve crying about how tofu is the devil.
Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments. | 1,105 |
Korea
Rubens's Interpretation of Korean Costume Scholars of Korean costume associate Rubens's portrayal of luxurious silk garments and transparent headdress with the attire worn by high-ranking individuals of Joseon dynasty (1392–1910) Korea. It cannot be presumed, however, that the 17th-century Flemish artist's alluring depiction is mere documentation. Entirely removed from the culture to which the novel costume and headdress belonged, Rubens fashioned the foreign attire to his own liking. The artist's interpretation is noticeably different from traditional Korean clothing.
This robe is identified as a cheollik (pronounced chul-leek), a coat with long sleeves worn bunched up and a Y-shaped collar that tucks deeply underneath the arm at the left. The bodice and skirt of the cheollik are separate pieces sewn together at the waist, producing a uniform distribution of folds. In the Getty drawing, the inner coat bosts a hem of a uniformly wavy pattern and an underskirt indicative of a cheollik.
See
Modello for Miracles of Saint Francis Xavier, about 1617, Peter Paul Rubens. Kunsthistorisches Museum, Gemäldegalerie, ViennaSee Rubens's finished altarpiece celebrating the work of Saint Francis Xavier, Kunsthistorisches Museum, Gemäldegalerie, Vienna (opens in new browser window). The Role of Exotic Costume in Rubens's Miracles of Saint Francis Xavier In 1617 the Jesuits in Antwerp commissioned Rubens to execute a monumental altarpiece promoting the miracles performed by missionary Saint Francis Xavier (1506–1552) in Goa (in present-day India). The artist first presented a smaller oil sketch modello (preparatory study) illustrating his compositional ideas. The modello shows a pagan priest wearing a Turkish turban and a caftan. In the altarpiece, Rubens replaced Turkish costume with a variety of exotic attire, including silk robes and a transparent headdress similar to those depicted in the Getty drawing. While Rubens was glorifying the Jesuit mission in Goa, he paused to consider the Asian "idolators" on the other side of the globe: Who were these people the Jesuits were trying to convert to Catholicism and what did they look like? How did what they wear differ from what the Jesuit missionaries wore? Rubens's imaginative turn seems to have been inspired by a firsthand encounter with Korean costume and headdress. | 1,106 |
Widow of slain Polish mayor blames killing on state TV The widow of the slain Gdansk mayor blames his death on the government-controlled Television station TVP and the negative light in which it presented the mayor who was critical of the right-wing ruling team
WARSAW, Poland -- The widow of Poland's slain mayor has blamed his death on "hate speech" used against him on government-controlled television.
Magdalena Adamowicz said in an interview published late Tuesday on Onet.pl portal that TVP has "responsibility" for the death of Gdansk mayor Pawel Adamowicz.
Adamowicz, who had been critical of the right-wing ruling party, died Jan. 14 after being stabbed the night before onstage at a public charity event in the northern Polish city. The arrested suspect is an ex-convict who publicly voiced a grudge against Civic Platform, an opposition party that Adamowicz once belonged to.
"My husband was killed by words," the mayor's widow said. "This is TVP's responsibility. I think so. The hate speech, the way they were showing him, had an influence on the killer's choice of Pawel for his victim."
Government critics have said the violence could be partly traced to hostility built against Adamowicz under the ruling Law and Justice party that was carried on state TV news programs, as well as threats by right-wing extremist groups.
Protesters have called for the dismissal of TVP head Jacek Kurski following a program that TVP aired on the day of Adamowicz's death that put all blame for aggression in the country's public sphere on Civic Platform officials.
Kurski insists TVP has observed all necessary standards and says the station will sue anyone suggesting that its programs have contributed to the death.
"Let them sue me," said Magdalena Adamowicz, a lawyer. She also blamed the ruling Law and Justice party for failing to condemn and prosecute hate speech and threats against politicians, including her husband.
The attacker's mother has apologized and begged forgiveness from Adamowicz's family and said her son has been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia.
In a gesture of respect for Adamowicz, who was helping raise funds for a charity when he was stabbed, an online collection was called on the day of his death to add to some 5,000 zlotys ($1,300; 1,200 euros) that he had raised. In just over a week, some $4.2 million have been raised. | 1,107 |
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| 1,108 |
Turning to nature for inspiration is the key to constructing a lot of things, from very tall buildings, shaped after bamboo, to, apparently, sunscreen, which now researchers believe can be successfully made from hippo sweat. While this may disgust some, it could, indeed, prove to be the best protection anyone could hope for. The bulky animals seldom stay in the shadow, and spend most of their day submerged in water or in mud, but with their backs exposed to the Sun.
If their skin had been as soft as ours and without any secretions, then their backs would have looked like burgers within a matter of hours. Yet, they have managed to spend not one day, but many years with the same life style, an accomplishment that has made researchers wonder as to how the animal does it. The answer has been found in a reddish glandular secretion, which seems to contain a compound capable of scattering light in all directions, thus keeping the hefty animal's skin absolutely intact.
Christopher Viney, University of California in Merced (UCM) School of Engineering professor and the co-author of a new study detailing the interesting find, told Discovery News that the sweat of the hippopotamus could also be “scavenged” for other useful compounds as well. “It would be nice to also try and replicate the antiseptic and insect-repellent characteristics of the sweat, to obtain a four-in-one product: sunscreen, sunblock, antiseptic, [and] insect repellent. Just so long as the stuff doesn't smell like hippo,” he added.
After analyzing the hippo sweat under a microscope, the researcher found that there were two types of crystaline structures in it – banded and non-banded. He pinpointed that the banded ones were “characterized by concentric dark rings,” which seemed to be the key to the liquid's amazing properties. “The rings are the result of a structural periodicity that occurs on a scale comparable to the wavelengths of visible light. This means that the sweat is an effective scatterer of light, so that it combines both sun-blocking and sun-screening properties,” Viney stated.
This find only goes to show again the true extent of nature's power, as well as the perfection of evolution, which has endowed this animal with the unique abilities it needs in order to survive in its relatively-sedentary and Sun-exposed life style, over millions of years. | 1,109 |
but it is not FIFA or Playstation. We have to do these kind of changes. If we have the opportunity, we will do it. We have to see who we can use, especially in these three days between two games, so Wednesday-Saturday is always a massive challenge. We have to be sensible and sensitive in the same moment with the decision-making about the line-up.”
Southampton
Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl says he must have a look at the starting XI ahead of their trip to Newcastle:
“We had a few issues after the last game, it was very intense, so third game in a week, we must have a look at what is the starting XI.”
Midfielder Stuart Armstrong remains sidelined by a hamstring injury suffered against Arsenal last month.
Everton
Former Everton striker Duncan Ferguson has been placed in temporary charge of the first team ahead of Saturday’s game against Chelsea after the sacking of Marco Silva.
Ferguson will be assisted by John Ebbrell, Francis Jeffers and Alan Kelly until a permanent manager is announced. Speaking exclusively to Sky Sports News this morning,
Ferguson said:
“It’s an honour for me to be taking the role. I’m proud to be asked and hopefully we can give the fans something to smile about again.”
Onto injuries and Ferguson confirms he’ll be without Seamus Coleman, Fabian Delph and the longer-term injuries whilst Yerry Mina is being assessed:
“Seamus, no, Delph, no, and the long-term injuries, no. [Yerry Mina] is being assessed, he’s a doubt. But he’s done a wee bit of training this morning so we’re confident.”
Cuca Martina (knee), Andre Gomes (ankle) and Jean-Philippe Gbamin (thigh) remain out for the Toffees.
Arsenal
A report from Arsenal’s medical staff on Dani Ceballos who remains out:
Ljungberg on Aubameyang coming off temporarily last night:
“I actually don’t know [why] but he ran off and then he came back three minutes later. Maybe you should ask him about it but if you feel bad, you feel bad, there’s nothing we can change.” | 1,110 |
Jean Catuffe/Getty Images
Juventus could make a €10 million bid for Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Adrien Rabiot in January.
According to Corriere dello Sport (h/t Football Italia), the Bianconeri could launch the bid to beat Barcelona to his signature.
Rabiot's contract is up next summer, so he will be available on a free transfer at the end of the season if he does not sign a new deal or leave in January, which will be PSG's last opportunity to bring in a fee for him.
It is said PSG would prefer to part with him early in order for them to get something for him, though given the size of the fee in question, it would perhaps make relatively little difference to them.
Football writer Andrew Gaffney would love to see Tottenham Hotspur snap him up if they do sell Rabiot this winter:
If the Parisians are willing to sell him in January, Juve or Spurs would still need to convince him to join them ahead of Barca.
According to Mundo Deportivo (h/t Sport Witness' Naveen Ullal), Rabiot has already given the Catalan giants an informal "yes," though nothing is concrete because a pre-contract agreement can't be struck until the new year.
With both Sami Khedira and Blaise Matuidi turning 32 in April, the Bianconeri could use another youthful and more mobile option in the centre alongside the likes of Emre Can and Rodrigo Bentancur.
Rabiot, 23, would fit that bill. He's an active and efficient ball-winner when PSG are out of possession, and when they have the ball, he looks to spray it about with his impressive passing range:
He's not only composed when picking a pass, but he also has the technical ability to beat players in the centre of the park and advance the team forward.
With his ability, he could be a useful addition to Juve. Like Barcelona, the Italian outfit can also offer much in the way of silverware to tempt him too. They have won Serie A seven years running, the past four Coppas Italia and reached the UEFA Champions League final in 2015 and 2017.
Ultimately, it will come down to the player's personal preference. If his heart is already set on Barca, Juve could still make an offer to test his resolve but may need to look elsewhere. | 1,111 |
okesh, appeared in a YouTube video, breaking DC's strict gun law by loading a shotgun blocks from the White House July 4th morning.
Tonight, a swarm of police cars surrounded the home where the 31-year-old Iraq war veteran turned anti-government activist is in.
His producer Darrell Young says, "Could be in the house could already be taken out I don't' know they didn't give me access to the house yet."
Young says he's he's not worried. He says, "Adam's a strong guy, when you take out one person out this revolution you'll have 2...3 more step up."
Kokesh has not been arrested as yet. However, carrying a gun outside in D.C. is a felony that brings with it up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $5,000.
From NBC Washington:
A search warrant was being executed Tuesday by U.S. Park Police at Kokesh's home in Herndon, Va. Police officers were reportedly searching for the shotgun Kokesh displayed last week, according to Kokesh's producer and roommate Darrell Young.
"We were expecting this," Young said. "We were expecting the Government to raid our house."
Kokesh, an Iraq war veteran, told News4 Monday that his actions were intentional. It doesn't make sense that he can have a gun on one side of the river and not the other, he said.
"I was ready to stand by my word, and I was ready to commit the civil disobedience that I had committed to," he said.
[...]Kokesh said he believes he is the legal owner of the gun shown in the video, but declined to say where -- or if -- it was registered.
"I was here, and I loaded a shotgun on Independence Day, but I didn't kill anybody. I didn't drone any children," he said Monday. "I didn't steal any children's future. I didn't sell this country into debt. I didn't do any of the crimes that the man two blocks over at the White House is responsible for."
Here's an interview Adam Kokesh gave to Alex Jones just hours before the raid:
_
Chris runs the website InformationLiberation.com, you can read more of his writings here. Follow infolib on twitter here.
| 1,112 |
While Phillies fans are not completely aware of the out-of-the-ordinary talent in their midst, these two moundsmen are successful: one with control and the other with a specialized pitch.
Rarities:
For the Philadelphia Phillies or any major league franchise, accomplishing a higher degree of accuracy is worthy of notice and appreciation. Yes, both hurlers have surprised the faithful in one case and detractors in the other situation due to expected mediocrity.
IN OTHER WORDS: “By concentrating on precision, one arrives at technique, but by concentrating on technique one does not arrive at precision.” – Bruno Walter
Misunderstanding any front office decision is easy: Fans perceive a mistake because they missed one important piece of information. And many Phils faithful cloud their judgement with emotional considerations no organization factors into their determinations. Basically, facts reign supreme.
Over time, these beliefs harden, and those fans unwittingly prefer like-minded thinking to justify their perceptions. Normally, they read or listen to those who reinforce their own view rather than making an uncomfortable comparison. But even logic is not always successful against strong resistance.
Keep in mind, only the stars’ traits here are equal, and the stats are in no way equivalent now or in the future. Therefore, this is a comparison of two starters with above-average control and two relievers with a bread-and-butter pitch in common.
For the Phils, Aaron Nola‘s dominance is due to his control of four pitches. On the other hand, Greg Maddux was mostly a sinker-ball hurler with two other counted-on offerings. And, so, Nola only has the potential to achieve Maddux’s heights.
As for the split-finger fastball, most locals wouldn’t even consider Hector Neris in any category with Bruce Sutter. However, Neris has a rare deceptiveness with his splitter, and Sutter was effective for years with his. Similar or different? Yes, the comparison ends there because Neris won’t have enough remaining 162s.
Having a specific receiver makes a huge difference to some studs because the backstop adds the hitter’s reactions and the pitcher’s effectiveness that day to the game plan. Plus a top-tier catcher mostly reduces the ace’s need to rely on a specific batterymate. Of course, J.T. Realmuto is a standout receiver. | 1,113 |
Converting Used Motor Oil to Diesel Fuel Processor
Converting used motor oil to diesel fuel processor can convert used motor oil to diesel fuel. This new way of processing used motor oil not only solves the hidden danger to the environment caused by used motor oil, but also realizes the reuse of motor oil resources.
Converting used motor oil to diesel fuel processor realizes the reuse of motor oil resources
Vehicles and ships replace countless motor oils every year all over the world. What do people do with used oil? Most of these used motor oils were directly dumped or directly burned, which caused serious pollution to the environment and wasted motor oil resources at the same time. For oil-deficient countries, improper handling of used motor oil is also a very big consumption, resulting in high oil price, resource shortage and a series of environmental problems.
Converting used motor oil to diesel fuel processor model diagram
These used motor oils are also recyclable, like used tires and waste plastic. Converting used motor oil to diesel fuel processor can convert waste motor oil, lubricating oil, oil products into diesel, and get the 85% diesel, 10% asphalt and 5% water.
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2. Distillation of used motor oil, and the distillation will produce oil gas;
3. Cool oil gas into liquid oil;
4. Purify liquid oil and get clean and bright diesel oil;
5. Diesel oil is collected by storage tanks.
Main working process of converting used motor oil to diesel fuel processor
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Converting used motor oil to diesel fuel procssor installed
We believe that the converting used motor oil to diesel fuel processor will play an important role in recycling used motor oil in the future.
| 1,114 |
Artificial platelets that help with clot formation have been created in the past, but they’ve been limited in their ability to gather around the site where the coagulation cascade is taking place. Instead they tend to begin promoting the clotting process randomly, potentially creating dangerous blood clots. Moreover, these artificial platelets don’t contract the clot like naturally occurring ones do, probably because of their rigid nature. Now researchers at Georgia Tech and Chapman University in California have developed platelet-like particles (PLPs) that seem to overcome previous limitations, being able to move toward sites where clotting is occurring and contracting the clots much like natural platelets do.
The PLPs are made out of a gel coated with bits of antibodies, particles that have been discovered to grab onto fibrin that is produced around clots, but not fibrinogen, its precursor. Because these platelet-like particles only gather where clotting is already in progress, the researchers hope that PLPs could one day be injected into soldiers about to go into battle, helping to treat wounds as soon as they happen. In addition to gathering and promoting clotting, the PLPs are also soft enough to mimic clot contractions that naturally occur in healthy subjects.
The researchers tested the new particles within a microfluidic device that simulates intravascular environments, as well as on laboratory animals with traumatic injury.
From the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, a sponsor of the research:
In the microfluidic chamber, PLPs that were added to platelet-deficient plasma successfully restored clotting function. In addition, PLPs restored diminished clotting function in platelet-deficient plasma samples taken from newborns who had recently undergone bypass to fix heart abnormalities. Upon examination of PLP-induced clots, it was noted that PLPs spread significantly within the fibrin clot matrix to levels seen with natural platelets. Additional experiments also demonstrated that PLPs induce clot collapse within 24-48 hours. While the overall degree of this collapse was similar to that found with platelet-rich plasma, it occurred at a slower rate. Finally, the researchers injected rats with PLPs five minutes prior to injury of a large blood vessel in the leg. The bleeding times of rats who had received the PLPs were significantly reduced, and this reduction was more significant than in rats who had received a 100-fold platelet infusion.
Source: Platelet-like Particles Boost Clotting, Slow Bleeding… | 1,115 |
Cairo (CNN) -- Hosni Mubarak, the onetime Egyptian strongman who was toppled by a popular uprising in February, has regained consciousness after lapsing into a coma Sunday, a top hospital official said.
The 83-year-old ex-ruler fell into a coma around noon (6 a.m. ET), Mubarak lawyer Farid El Deeb told CNN. Hospital officials later confirmed the report. But Mohamed Fathalla, the head of the Sharm el-Sheikh facility, told CNN that Mubarak had recovered by Sunday evening.
"He is now stable after suffering a coma that did not last long," Fathalla told CNN.
The former president faces trial in August on charges of ordering police to kill anti-government protesters during the uprising that forced him from office in February. He faces a possible death sentence if convicted.
Egyptian prosecutors have said Mubarak has suffered from depression, fatigue, repeated irregular heartbeats, low blood pressure that could lead to fainting and an increased risk of heart attack. He was hospitalized after suffering heart palpitations in April and has been struggling with complications from stomach cancer, his lawyer said.
El Deeb announced in June that Mubarak underwent cancer surgery in June 2010 at a German hospital. Parts of Mubarak's pancreas, gall bladder and a growth on his small intestines were removed during the procedure, which was kept secret even from top aides.
His doctor recommended that Mubarak receive a comprehensive follow-up every four months for two years after the operation, "But the follow-up was completely ignored," El Deeb said.
Mubarak, a longtime U.S. ally, stepped down February 11 after an 18-day uprising during which pro-democracy protesters demanded reform and a new government. Egypt is now ruled by a military council and a caretaker cabinet, which has promised reform and new elections.
The human rights group Amnesty International has estimated at least 840 people were killed and more than 6,000 wounded during the revolution, many of them suffering gunshot wounds to the head and chest. In addition, there were numerous cases of protesters being tortured following their arrests, the group reported.
El Deeb has said Mubarak is "very sad and sorry" about the allegations against him, but denies giving any kind of authorization to fire on demonstrators. In addition to charges against the former president, Mubarak's sons, Gama and Alaa, also face corruption charges.
Journalist Mohamed Fadel Fahmy contributed to this report. | 1,116 |
WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court on Friday declined for now to stop a lawsuit filed by young activists who say the government isn't doing enough to prevent climate change. But the high court told the Trump administration that the government can still petition a lower court to dismiss the case as the government had asked the high court to do.
Trial in the case had been scheduled to begin earlier this week in Eugene, Oregon, but the Supreme Court temporarily halted the trial earlier this month. On Friday evening, the high court declined to extend the temporary halt to the case. The court said in a three-page, unsigned order that ordinarily the request the government made to the justices for the case to be dismissed has to be made to a lower court first. The high court said "adequate relief may be available" from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit. That court has previously declined requests to dismiss the case at earlier stages.
The Supreme Court also didn't rule out bringing the case back to the justices after the appeals court rules. Justice Clarence Thomas and Justice Neil Gorsuch said they would have extended the halt to the case.
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One of the lawyers for the young people bringing the case, Julia Olson, said in a statement Friday night that they have asked for an immediate status conference to get the case "back on track for trial in the next week."
The case against the government was brought by 21 young people, ages 11 to 22, who argue that government officials have known for more than 50 years that carbon pollution from fossil fuels was causing climate change and that policies on oil and gas deprive them of life, liberty and property.
The young people also say the government has failed to protect natural resources as a "public trust" for future generations. The lawsuit wants a court to order the government to take action to quickly phase out carbon dioxide emissions to a certain level by 2100 and develop a national climate recovery plan.
The federal government under the Obama and Trump administrations has tried repeatedly to get the case dismissed since it was filed in 2015 but have so far been unsuccessful. Trump administration lawyers had argued that the lawsuit is an attempt to "redirect federal environmental and energy policies through the courts rather than through the political process, by asserting a new and unsupported fundamental due process right to certain climate conditions." A Justice Department spokeswoman, Kerri Kupec, declined comment on the Supreme Court's action Friday.
Watch special election coverage live on CBSN on fuboTV. Start a free trial | 1,117 |
Miles Kane won’t rule out a Last Shadow Puppets reunion with Alex Turner.
The musician – who recently released his third solo album – said he would “never say never” to another output with fellow musician Alex Turner.
Speaking to The Metro, Kane says his last run of shows with Turner in 2016 were fun and he’s not ruling out returning as the Shadow Puppets again.
Kane said, “The Last Shadow Puppets was good, I had great fun with that.”
When asked whether fans could ever expect another revival, Kane said, “Bring them back? Who knows, yeah! Never say never.”
The musician, who served as front man of The Rascals before branching out with solo material, also said it’s “inevitable” that he would be compared to Alex Turner.
He added: “I used to feel the comparison when I was younger, but I don’t really care now, you know, you think what you think.”
The Last Shadow Puppets released ‘Everything You’ve Come to Expect’ in 2016 and their debut album, ‘The Age of Understatement’, in 2008. Both records reached number 1 in the UK album charts.
Kane, who worked with Lana Del Rey and Jamie T on his latest album ‘Coup de Grace’, recently surprised fans at a gig in Paris by bringing Alex Turner onto the stage.
The pair treated fans to a rendition of The Last Shadow Puppets’ 2008 single ‘Standing Next to Me.’
Kane also recently appeared with Arctic Monkeys on stage in London – helping out on guitar for a rendition of ‘505’ at the Monkey’s huge show at The O2.
Kane is currently promoting ‘Coup De Grace’, his third record as a solo artist. In his three-star review, NME’s Mark Beaumont said that the record is “fitfully inspired” but “isn’t quite the killer blow he hoped for”.
In July, Kane released a brutal video for single ‘Cry On My Guitar’, which featured WWE wrestler Finn Bálor in gruesome hand-to-hand combat.
The single followed on from Lana Del Ray and Jamie T collaboration ‘Loaded’. | 1,118 |
An elderly man was killed by the outlawed PKK in Turkey’s southeastern Sirnak province on Sunday after he refused to give his home to the terrorist group.According to reports, the 70 year-old man identified as Selahattin Bozkurt, was home alone when the PKK terrorists showed up at his doorstep, and wanted to use his home as an emplacement in the Cizre district.When Bozkurt refused, the terrorist group opened fire and killed him.Over the last 4 days, Turkey has started an extensive internal security operation in order to scatter the network of the PKK groups in Turkey’s southeastern provinces.A curfew was imposed in Turkey’s Cizre and Silopi districts on Monday. Many citizens are reported to have left the region before the curfew, including Bozkurt's relatives.The elderly man’s family said that he strongly opposed the terrorists wreckful behaviour by saying “you turned the region into ruins, I won't let you take over my home."Bozkurt's relatives condemned allegations that he was killed by the police, and said that it was false propaganda made up by the PKK terrorists,and in fact it is them who killed him.Local sources have reported that a total of 110 PKK terrorists have been killed in the ongoing anti-terror operations in Turkey’s southeastern province.Clashes broke out during the operations in Turkey’s Diyarbakir and Sirnak, where two soldiers also lost their lives.Deputy Prime Mİnister Numan Kurtulmus said earlier in the week that the Justice and Development Party (AK Party)-led Turkish government www.trtworld.com/turkey/turkey-says-it-will-not-surrender-to organisation which has placed a heavy burden on civilians living in Turkey’s southeast and eastern regions.PKK terror attacks have killed more than 180 security officials and over 30 civilians in Turkey since the group’s umbrella organisation, the KCK, unilaterally ended a two and a half year-long ceasefire with the government on July 11 and threatened Turkey with attacks.Turkish security forces are seen during an anti- terror operation PKK terrorists in Turkey’s Silopi district on December 18, 2015.PKK terrorists set the roof of Resha Medical Vocational high school on fire during an anti-terror operation in the Cizre district of Sirnak, southeastern province of Turkey, on December 17, 2015.Source:TRTWorld and agencies | 1,119 |
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Approximately 130 million litres of raw sewage is pumped into the Strait of Juan de Fuca every day because the area doesn’t have a treatment plant, but Victoria has finally decided on a place to build one.
After decades of debate, the Capital Regional District (CRD) decided upon McLoughlin Point in Esquimalt. The location was rejected by Esquimalt two years ago, but a new design and plan now has the mayor’s blessing.
“Although it’s the same site, it’s a smaller footprint, the design is much nicer,” Mayor Barbara Desjardins said.
Desjardins, who also chairs the CRD Board, added the project was better than previous attempts.
“It includes a higher level of treatment for less cost, it considers community feedback with regards to set backs and public access, and looks at climate change mitigation strategies and sea level rise. With all of this taken into consideration the CRD Board felt that this is the right and responsible proposal to move forward with.”
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The project was also running out of time. Ottawa gave CRD until 2020 for a plan to be in place before it revoked funding. It will now receive half a billion dollars in federal and provincial funding.
Some scientists say the ocean currents in the area act as an effective treatment and question the need for anything to be built, but the perception of raw sewage draining into the ocean didn’t please everyone.
A Seattle newspaper also floated the idea of a tourism boycott if Victoria didn’t clean up their sewage problem.
It was a rekindling of a circa-1993 boycott that resulted in a government decision to build a plant by 2002. That never happened.
Over a decade later, a $765-million plant will now be built at McLoughlin Point and Hartland landfill in Saanich.
While the majority of funding will come from federal and provincial governments, homeowners in the region will still be on the hook for their fair share.
Fees will be as high as $344 a year to homeowners in Oak Bay, $296 in Victoria, $258 in Esquimalt, $248 in View Royal, $239 in Langford, $208 in Saanich, and $146 in Colwood.
The bill will also pay for local infrastructure upgrades.
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the threat of poverty and homelessness as a work incentive,” said Widerquist. “That’s monstrous.”
But making this pitch in a country that has long equated value with work is no easy task. Yang is running for president on a platform of providing everyone $1,000 per month. He frames the payments as a “dividend” and says that helps to sell the idea, but it’s difficult to break the association many Americans have that wealth is directly tied to work.
Still, he thinks it’s the only logical outcome for the economy. As the market moves toward machines, artificial intelligence, and software, Yang says there’s going to need to be a non-market way to value people’s time.
Basic income trials have been tried in places like Kenya, Canada, and Finland. While there’s still a lack of conclusive data, the Finnish study found the payments improved the quality of life of participants and reduced their stress. They found no impact on whether people sought or found employment.
Another group that wants to see Democrats take on universal basic income is Republicans. In talks with GOP lawmakers they described the issue as a political minefield for Democrats, and said pursuing it would be a complete misread of the electorate. Plus the attacks all but write themselves. “If Democrats get everybody in the country who doesn’t want to work, and we get everybody who goes to work every day, we’re going to win a lot of elections,” said Rep. Matt Gaetz.
For now, most Democrats are heeding this advice and staying far away from universal basic income. While some will speak about it positively, there’s no expectation that it’s going to be pursued any time in the next few years — or even the next few decades.
It’s just not a realistic pitch to the American public right now, said Sen. Chris Murphy. But he added that universal basic income, or something like it, is something Democrats should start talking about now because it’s going to be necessary within 50 years.
“My sense is the public’s not ready for that conversation yet, so we have to be careful,” he said. “You’ve got to do a lot of work with the public before they’re ready to wrap their arms around something like that. I think it’s decades.” | 1,121 |
Washington (CNN) An Air Force reconnaissance airplane caught fire in April, endangering the lives of 27 airmen aboard the plane -- all because a retaining nut connecting oxygen tubing was not tightened properly, accident investigators have determined. The report blamed a private defense contracting company for the accident.
"Failure by L-3 Communications depot maintenance personnel to tighten a retaining nut connecting a metal oxygen tube to a junction fitting above the galley properly caused an oxygen leak. This leak created a highly flammable oxygen-rich environment that ignited," U.S. Air Force investigators wrote in report published August 3
Investigators determined the ensuing fire caused $62.4 millon in damage to the RC-135V, which electronically snoops on adversaries and relays gathered intelligence to commanders.
L-3 Communications spokesman Bruce Rogowski declined comment and referred questions to the Air Force.
The plane, which was about to take off on a training mission from Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska on April 30, instead skidded to a stop on the runway. All 27 crew members made it off safely, The Omaha World-Herald reported
The World-Herald first obtained the report through a Freedom of Information Act request.
The Air Force report said the jet hit about 51 mph when the pilot aborted takeoff, well below its takeoff speed.
A former pilot contacted by the World-Herald estimated that had the plane taken off, all 27 crew members could have died in an ensuing crash.
"This event could have easily been that catastrophic, because of the intensity of the fire," Robert Hopkins III told the paper. "Had they taken off, it could easily have been fatal."
The Air Force has 17 RC-135V/Ws in its fleet. One of them was intercepted by a Russian SU-27 jet over the Baltic Sea earlier this year in an incident that drew strong criticism from the Pentagon.
The U.S. crew believed the Russian pilot's actions were "unsafe and unprofessional due to the aggressive maneuvers it performed in close proximity to their aircraft and its high rate of speed," Pentagon spokesman Mark Wright said in April.
That was not the first time the U.S. has complained about an incident involving a RC-135 and a SU-27. A year earlier, a Russian jet flew within 100 feet of a RC-135 over the Sea of Okhotsk in the western Pacific, according to U.S. officials who called it "one of the most dangerous close passes in decades." | 1,122 |
Luis Carlos Lopez
El Paso Times
Memorial services for the motorcycle officer who died after a chain-reaction crash last week will be Thursday. His burial will be Friday.
A viewing and rosary service for fallen Officer David Ortiz will be Thursday at Sunset Funeral Home, 9521 North Loop Drive. Services will be from 4 to 9 p.m. A rosary will be recited at 7 p.m.
Police officials said Ortiz will be memorialized in a Mass that will be celebrated beginning at 11:30 a.m. Friday at Saints Peter and Paul Church, 673 Old Hueco Tanks Road. After the Mass, an escort will lead mourners to Mount Carmel Cemetery, 401 S. Zaragoza Road.
The tentative funeral procession route could lead to several street closures between 12:30 and 2 p.m. in the Lower Valley, police officials said.
After leaving the church, the funeral procession will go west on North Loop Drive, south on Yarbrough Drive and then east on Alameda Avenue. The procession will pass by Ortiz's alma mater of Ysleta High School on Alameda Avenue.
The procession will then go south on Zaragoza Road to Mount Carmel Cemetery.
El Paso police officer dies after accident
Ortiz, 45, had been with the El Paso Police Department for nine years and was a traffic officer assigned to the Pebble Hills Regional Command.
Ortiz had been hospitalized since the afternoon of March 10 when he was hit from behind by a car while he was stopped at a red light on Lee Treviño Drive at Vista Del Sol Drive. He died Monday.
Police said the public is invited to attend the services but said there will be limited parking.
Ortiz was hit by a Kia Optima driven by a 45-year-old man, who was also hospitalized after the crash. The man's name has not been released.
The accident still is under investigation, and no one has been charged.
The Police Department said in a news release that Ortiz is the 31st El Paso police officer to die in the line of duty. He is the second El Paso police officer to die in a motorcycle accident in less than a year.
Luis Carlos Lopez may be reached at 546-6381; [email protected]; @lclopez4 on Twitter.
Staff writer Daniel Borunda contributed to this report. | 1,123 |
Swiss Regulator Issues Guidance on Libra and Stablecoins
According to a notification issued by FINMA, the regulator has confirmed that stablecoins will be treated just like any other blockchain-based token in Switzerland, September 11, 2019. The Libra Association requested FINMA to disclose how the network would be treated, and the regulator has stated that Libra will be classified as financial infrastructure.
Technology Neutral Regulation
After witnessing the reaction of different countries to both Libra and cryptocurrencies in general, Switzerland’s approach to regulating Libra is incredibly refreshing. Seeing a major country harness the power of technological innovation and not shun it based on inconsistent agendas is truly noble.
The Swiss financial market regulator classifying stablecoins on par with other blockchain tokens is not surprising. They come with a lot of the same risks and do not have a peg that is 100 percent certain to survive. In the notification, they clearly mention that the regulation applying to each stablecoin might differ based on what asset is backing it.
This means that USDC, which is backed by USD, and DAI, which is backed by nothing, might fall into different categories of supervision.
A query from the Libra Association ended with a little more clarity as to how this could all go down. Libra has been classified as financial infrastructure by FINMA and will require a payments license before commencing operations.
By default, Libra will be categorized as a payment system and subjected to anti-money laundering (AML) guidelines. Any new features will require regulatory approval before being rolled out, and as a payment system issuing a native token, there will be additional regulatory measures that Libra will have to abide by.
Positive Outlook for Libra?
After a couple of months of being roughed by American regulators, Libra seems to have chosen their country of incorporation wisely. Switzerland has become a prime destination for blockchain and cryptocurrency businesses. They were one of the first countries to issue formal guidance for security tokens.
Libra caught flak from the United States Treasury once again, with Secretary of Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, Sigal Mandelker, stating that Libra will only be allowed to launch if they introduce robust AML procedures.
Mandelker urged Switzerland to hold Libra accountable for money laundering and impose regulations on them. Switzerland’s classification of Libra is reasonable, and requiring them to implement AML precautions was expected. Things are finally looking slightly positive for Facebook and the Libra Association. | 1,124 |
Over the next month, the world will experience three eclipses: two partial solar eclipses a month apart and one total lunar eclipse exactly in between, and it all starts with a so-called "midnight" eclipse of the sun.
A solar eclipse at midnight? How is such a thing possible?
It can happen near midsummer in the high Arctic, the land of the midnight sun. And it will happen this week on June 1 and 2, visible in the northernmost reaches of North America, Europe, and Asia.
These two solar eclipse sky maps available here detail what observers could see during some of the upcoming eclipses of the sun and moon in June.
'Midnight' solar eclipse of June 2
The eclipse begins on Thursday, June 2, at dawn in northern China and Siberia, then moves across the Arctic, crossing the International Date Line and ending in the early evening of Wednesday, June 1, in northeastern Canada.
That’s right: The eclipse begins on Thursday and ends on Wednesday because of the International Date Line. Because observers in northern Russia and Scandinavia will be observing it over the North Pole, they will actually see it in what is, for them, the middle of the night of June 1 and 2.
Solar eclipse no one will see on July 1
Exactly a month later, on Friday, July 1, an equally bizarre eclipse will occur in the Antarctic.
Because this is the southern winter, the sun will be below the horizon for almost all of Antarctica, except for a small uninhabited stretch of coast due south of Madagascar. The only place the eclipse will clear the horizon will be in a small area of the Southern Ocean, far to the south of South Africa.
Chances are that this eclipse will be witnessed only by penguins and sea birds.
Lunar Eclipse of June 15
Exactly halfway in between these two partial solar eclipses, there will be a total eclipse of the moon on Wednesday, June 15.
The eclipse will be visible for millions of people in Africa, the Middle East and southwestern Asia. It will be visible as the moon rises in the early evening in South America and Europe, and as the moon sets before dawn in eastern Asia and Australia.
Unfortunately, it will not be visible anywhere at all in North America.
This article was provided to SPACE.com by Starry Night Education, the leader in space science curriculum solutions. Follow Starry Night on Twitter @StarryNightEdu. | 1,125 |
Stronger than human artificial intelligence would be dangerous to humanity. It is vital any such intelligence’s goals are aligned with humanity's goals. Maximizing the chance that this happens is a difficult, important and under-studied problem.
To encourage more and better work on this important problem, we (Zvi Mowshowitz and Vladimir Slepnev) are announcing a $5000 prize for publicly posted work advancing understanding of AI alignment, funded by Paul Christiano.
This prize will be awarded based on entries gathered over the next two months. If the prize is successful, we will award further prizes in the future.
The prize is not backed by or affiliated with any organization.
Rules
Your entry must be published online for the first time between November 3 and December 31, 2017, and contain novel ideas about AI alignment. Entries have no minimum or maximum size. Important ideas can be short!
Your entry must be written by you, and submitted before 9pm Pacific Time on December 31, 2017. Submit your entries either as links in the comments to this post, or by email to [email protected]. We may provide feedback on early entries to allow improvement.
We will award $5000 to between one and five winners. The first place winner will get at least $2500. The second place winner will get at least $1000. Other winners will get at least $500.
Entries will be judged subjectively. Final judgment will be by Paul Christiano. Prizes will be awarded on or before January 15, 2018.
What kind of work are we looking for?
AI Alignment focuses on ways to ensure that future smarter than human intelligence will have goals aligned with the goals of humanity. Many approaches to AI Alignment deserve attention. This includes technical and philosophical topics, as well as strategic research about related social, economic or political issues. A non-exhaustive list of technical and other topics can be found here.
We are not interested in research dealing with the dangers of existing machine learning systems commonly called AI that do not have smarter than human intelligence. These concerns are also understudied, but are not the subject of this prize except in the context of future smarter than human intelligence. We are also not interested in general AI research. We care about AI alignment, which may or may not also advance the cause of general AI research.
(Addendum: the results of the prize and the rules for the next round have now been announced.) | 1,126 |
Goswami was lauded later for the act
Goswami, who was reportedly in a Maruti Swift Dzire, saw the driver of the high-speed car driving dangerously on the Bandra-Worli Sealink, and immediately contacted the police. He was later lauded on the social media as a'model citizen' after the Times of India clarified the incident in a report.
A great opportunity for Goswami to bounce back in public memory
Whether this incident proved the man to be a model citizen at once is debatable but it has certainly helped him recover his image that was badly hit after he took on the Indian cricket team after their World Cup semifinal loss against Australia in Sydney on March 26.
Goswami faced a backlash for questioning Indian cricket team's commitment in WC
Goswami had questioned the commitment and accountability of the Indian players and his channel termed the loss as an "abject surrender". [Dear Arnab Goswami, you are a pathetic pseudo-nationalist]
Super proud of our editor Arnab Goswami for reporting an over-speeding Lamborghini driver to cops on Worli Sea Link. pic.twitter.com/Tm6Q66SDYG — Aditya Raj Kaul (@AdityaRajKaul) March 31, 2015
This was done after India won seven of their eight matches in the World Cup. The verdict passed was counter-slammed for being rude and naive.
The Lamborghini incident gave the editor an excellent chance to repair his image
But the Lamborghini driver gave India's custodian-in-chief a tremendous opportunity to regain his popularity, specially on the social media which is always in an unstable mode.
Goswami should take satisfaction from the fact that action matters more than words
But Goswami should also take satisfaction from the fact that work on the ground matters more than shouting blatantly on the TV sets as he does every evening on issues that he feel to address (even if they don't require).
We look forward to such responsible action in TV studio as well
A journalist is as socially responsible as any other human being and his job also includes a reckless driver on the road to prevent a probable disaster. Goswami was perfect in executing the citizen's responsibility on the streets.
It will be better if the same model is followed in the studio, dear journalist. We will wait to see that day. | 1,127 |
news, and he knew what was coming next.
"I saw that Vitor broke his hand, and I knew right away, the UFC is probably going to call and see if I will fill in for this," he said. And sure enough he was right. The very next night, the call came through. How about changing opponents and dates? How about changing continents?
"At first I thought, I’m all the way over here in Singapore training specifically for Cung, so this is really a difficult change to make," Franklin said. "But then, as I got to thinking about it, I believe that this is a winnable fight for me, and hey, the UFC needed someone to step in for them. Characteristically, I’ve been that guy. So here I am."
Moving the bout up two weeks meant less time to cut down to 185 pounds, hence the catchweight provision. But then, the last time he fought Silva it was also at a catchweight. That worked out well enough. Franklin got the decision victory and a Fight of the Night bonus. This time he’s really doing the UFC a favor. This time he has every reason to expect even more bonus appreciation, although, he insisted, that’s not the only reason why he’s been the very definition of the company man all these years.
"I guess I like being the guy that helps out. I’m a team player. I told the UFC that from day one. I said, I’m the kind of guy that, if I feel like you have my back, I’ll have yours."
And he has. In fact, in the last few years of his career, it’s become his defining characteristic. Franklin is the guy who will help out when the UFC needs him. Franklin is the guy who doesn’t say no.
In return, he keeps getting big fights against big names, despite the fact that his title-chasing days are almost certainly over. He wins some and loses some, but still gets the chance to do the only thing he really wants to do. He gives the UFC what it wants, and it gives the same thing right back. At least for now, neither of them has to think about what comes next, about what life will look like when there is no more Rich Franklin in the UFC. Maybe that’s as fair a trade as either can hope for. | 1,128 |
Today at BoingBoing, Maggie Koerth-Baker has a fascinating Q&A with communications engineer and entrepreneur Brough Turner about how mobile-phone networks respond to sudden spikes in call volume, as occurred April 15 in the aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombings. Mobile phones are everywhere, but beyond spotting the odd cell tower here and there, few of us understand how they connect up to the rest of the world, and the Turner Q&A does a nice job of breaking down the complex infrastructure in simple terms.
Things have changed a lot since the days when you could see a wire running from your house to a telephone pole—and from there into a visible, tangible network—but many of the same kinds of bottlenecks still exist. In a situation where cell networks are flooded, Turner explains, it’s often easier to communicate with friends or family by text messaging, or SMS (short message service), than via a voice call. Besides, sometimes “I’m OK” is all you need to say. As Turner says:
“Yes. It's much better. The SMS messages have a relatively light footprint, first of all. The second thing is that they're asynchronous. If they can't get through this instant, they keep trying. If it gets over the radio to the cell site, it will get through. Even if it's delayed for 30 seconds or something. With voice you're either connected or you're not, and when you are that means that the traffic channel is tied up until you're done talking. More likely, it means you never get connected because traffic channels are already saturated.”
Turner also notes that cell companies transmit SMS messages on a so-called control channel set aside for network operations rather than on one of the channels designated for voice traffic. The control channel is the wireless channel used to set up and disengage a call, so a text message might make it through even when a network’s voice channels are too overloaded to handle additional calls. It’s a bit like being able to drive on the shoulder when the freeway is jammed with traffic.
Initially I wondered if this text benefit applied to iPhones, which use Apple’s iMessage system rather than regular SMS. It appears that it does: according to Apple, iPhones will revert to SMS or MMS (multimedia messaging service) when iMessage is not available. But iPhone users must ensure that the “Send as SMS” setting on their device has not been disabled. | 1,129 |
breeding facility operated by a company called SoFlo Ag at a closed-door meeting, in contravention of the state’s so-called sunshine law.
In May the group amended the suit to add the name of the Mauritius-registered company Bioculture, which it alleged was also the beneficiary of secret approval to expand on to land owned by a company called Panther Tracts that already houses Primate Products and more than 3,000 monkeys.
The ALDF, which wants both permits revoked, says the farms pose a significant health risk to the local community because monkeys can carry the Ebola virus, tuberculosis and herpes B.
“Escaped exotic monkeys and the waste produced by thousands more animals on the Panther Tracts property could also damage the fragile ecosystem of the Big Cypress National Preserve, which is already struggling with an invasion of non-native Burmese pythons,” said ALDF spokeswoman Megan Backus.
Peta’s video investigation of Primate Products in Hendry County, Florida. Some viewers may find this content disturbing.
Jeff Rowell, the president of Primate Products, said he expected a fine following the USDA inspection and that his company was taking measures to fix the violations.
“I can’t just sit on my hands,” he said in an interview with the News-Press. “I’m accountable to clients, I’m accountable to the county and I’m accountable to the public.
“The biggest consequence is losing public trust. This is much harder to recover, but we are determined to try.”
Rowell admitted he was “shocked” by the treatment of some of the monkeys in the Peta video but claimed some of the other scenes were unfair.
“They film at 7.30 in the morning, then they claim the animals are living in filthy conditions,” he said. “Of course the cage looks its worst at 7.30 in the morning. Trust me, those cages are cleaned every day. It’s all about the context.”
To Doran, though, the video captured exactly the kind of issues the protesters are complaining about.
“It’s telling that he didn’t deny any of it,” she said. “We wish the USDA would come and confiscate all the monkeys. What’s going on here is obscene.” | 1,130 |
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One of the various questions that has emerged in the aftermath of the Dolphins naming Mike Tannenbaum the Executive V.P. of Football Operations relates to whether the team complied with the Rooney Rule in filling the position.
The Dolphins apparently didn’t. And the NFL says they didn’t have to.
“We have discussed the hiring of Mike Tannenbaum for a senior football position with Dolphins owner Steve Ross. Mr. Ross has confirmed that General Manager Dennis Hickey retains all of his prior authority over the draft and other personnel matters, and that Mr. Hickey will continue to report directly to Mr. Ross on these matters,” the league office said in a statement. “Any public statement to the contrary is erroneous and does not accurately reflect the reporting structure at the Dolphins.”
So where did the erroneous public statement to the contrary come from? The official announcement made by the team.
“General Manager Dennis Hickey will report directly to Tannenbaum and will continue to lead the personnel and scouting departments and have control of the 53-man roster,” the team said.
In other words, the Dolphins were wrong when the Dolphins said that Hickey will report to Tannenbaum. What they meant to say is that the General Manager will report to Tannenbaum only on issues unrelated to his prior authority over the draft and other personnel matters.
Which, given Hickey’s job duties, doesn’t leave many things on which he’ll report to Tannenbaum.
The more accurate explanation may be that the Dolphins didn’t realize that Tannenbaum’s job falls within the Rooney Rule, as expanded in 2009, and that the Dolphins simply moved the line on the organizational chart in order to avoid a hefty fine and the stigma of failing to adhere to the mandates of diversity in a job search.”
It is now appropriate to require any club filling a vacant position for that club’s senior football operations position (whether described as General Manager, EVP-Football Operations, or otherwise) to interview at least one minority candidate as part of the hiring process,” the league announced when making the Rooney Rule applicable beyond coaching jobs.
Officially, then, Tannenbaum is not the senior football operations employee in Miami, even if his title — Executive V.P. of Football Operations — and the press release announcing the hire suggests that he is. | 1,131 |
like Tyler, who will be the first to point out that he’s not a misogynist, the company he keeps and the names he adds to his albums tends to consistently prove otherwise.
The Kali Uchis-featuring “See You Again” showcases what we’re supposed to believe is the softer side of Tyler, but it’s just so damn hard to believe anything as being genuine on this entire thing. Across the board, the stink mentioned at the top of this review is turning out to be horse shit. The lines “You don’t understand me, what the fuck do you mean/ It’s them rose to the cheeks, yeah it’s them dirt-colored eyes/ Sugar honey iced tea, bumblebee on the scene/ Yeah, I’d give up my bakery to have a piece of your pie/ Yugh!” are hollow apart from the “Yugh,” which is said like a puke noise and is the only bit that rings at all sincere.
“Garden Shed”, featuring Estelle, is dynamic in its cacophony, mixing fast, deep beats with strumming guitars and piano. The poetic quality of Estelle’s delivery layers nicely with the grumble bumble of Tyler’s signature voice, but still, lyrics like “Truth is, since a youth kid, thought it was a phase/ Thought it’d be like the Frank; poof, gone/ But, it’s still goin’ on” remind us that this is all phony bologna, albeit somewhat enjoyable phony bologna, which is status quo.
Flyover songs like “911/Mr. Lonely”, which can’t even be saved by a Frank Ocean verse, “Droppin’ Seeds”, featuring Lil Wayne, which is great but only a head-scratching minute long, and “Glitter”, which seems like an actual joke, don’t raise the average much here, but now’s as good a time as any to reveal that this is a positive album review. No really. It is. We love this album and would never call it a “bitch” or a “hoe” in real life. Ask anyone.
Essential Tracks: “I Ain’t Got Time”, “Garden Shed” | 1,132 |
Crude Oil Price Fundamental Forecast: Neutral
Q3 2019 Oil Forecast and Top Trading Opportunities
Oil Will Struggle Against an Unfriendly Backdrop
Oil’s mini-revival came to a shuddering halt Thursday after US President Donald Trump ramped up the
trade dispute with China by announcing that he will impose a 10% tariff on $300 billion of Chinese
imports on top of the 25% tariff already in place on $250 billion worth of Chinese goods. China has already
said that it would retaliate, further adding to the trade war that is damaging global growth prospects.
And China may not be the only one in Trump’s crosshairs with the President expected to make an announcement later today regarding trade with the European Union with tariffs on European (German) auto-makers mooted. This would come at a bad time for the EU with recent data showing the economy continuing to slow down, with the manufacturing sector the worst affected. President Trump would have seen today’s trade balance figures (-$55.2b a five-month wide) as a vindication of his tough protectionist policy. Next week’s calendar has trade balance figures from both China (Thursday) and Germany (Friday) which may see further Trump tweets hit the screen.
Markets Brace for Trump Announcement
Against this harsh background, oil is unlikely to push significantly higher in the near-term. While Thursday plunge is being partially trimmed, the price of oil will struggle to move higher in the short- and medium-term with strong resistance between $58.80/bbl. and $61.00/bbl.
US Crude Oil Daily Chart (October 2018 – July 26, 2019)
The IG Client Sentiment Indicator shows retail traders are 66.9% net-long US Crude Oil, a bearish contrarian bias. However daily and weekly changes give us a stronger bearish US Crude Oil bias.
Surprising Crude Oil Facts Every Trader Should Know
Traders may be interested in two of our trading guides – Traits of Successful Traders and Top Trading Lessons – while technical analysts are likely to be interested in our latest Elliott Wave Guide.
What is your view on Oil – bullish or bearish?? You can let us know via the form at the end of this piece or you can contact the author at [email protected] via Twitter @nickcawley1. | 1,133 |
The Texans are so eager to get rid of Jadeveon Clowney that they apparently made a monstrous trade offer to the Dolphins this week.
According to the Miami Herald, the offer would have sent Clowney AND a first-round pick to the Dolphins, and in exchange, the Texans would have acquired offensive lineman Laremy Tunsil. Apparently, the only reason the deal didn't go down is because the Dolphins wanted more than that. According to the Herald, Miami also wanted another "high draft pick" thrown into the deal, and understandably, the Texans balked at the Dolphins' asking price.
The Texans have one of the worst offensive lines in the NFL, and the fact that they're willing to give up Clowney and a first-round pick for a starting left tackle shows just how desperate they are. During the 2018 season, Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson was sacked a league-high 62 times.
Although the Dolphins sound slightly crazy for turning the deal down, new coach Brian Flores might not have had much of a choice. According to a separate report from the Herald, multiple players in the team's locker room have said they "would revolt" if the Dolphins were to trade away Tunsil. With the possibility of a full on mutiny possibly hanging over his head, that could explain why Flores turned down the Texans' offer.
Of course, even if the Dolphins had accepted the trade, there's no guarantee it would have happened, and that's because Clowney has almost all the leverage in this situation. Since he was hit with the franchise tag back in March, that means the Texans can't legally trade him until he's actually signed the tag, which he still hasn't done. Basically, if Clowney doesn't want to be traded somewhere, he can just not sign his franchise tag.
Making things even more complicated is the fact that Clowney doesn't have an agent and the Texans don't have a general manager. Clowney actually fired his agent at some point in the past week, which means he's the only one who's going to have any input on where he lands, and right now, it seems like he doesn't want to land in Miami.
Besides the Dolphins, the Texans have also reportedly had trade talks with the Seahawks, Eagles, Redskins and Jets. Wherever Clowney ends up, he's going to make a lot of money. Under terms of the franchise tag, Clowney will be guaranteed a total of $15.97 million for 2019 once he signs his franchise tender. | 1,134 |
bipartisan group of lawmakers, led by Reps. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) and Doug Collins (R-GA) in the House and Sens. John Kennedy (R-LA) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) in the Senate, introduced the Copyright Alternative in Small Claims Enforcement (CASE) Act of 2019. The bill would create a Copyright Claims Board, within the U.S. Copyright Office, to decide small copyright disputes. Damages awarded by the board are capped at $30,000 total and $15,000 per infringement.
The bill provides individual and other creators—authors, songwriters, illustrators, photographers—a practical means of protecting their copyright interests, as federal court litigation is often financially prohibitive for such copyright owners.
The CASE Act passed the House overwhelmingly in October with a 410-6 vote, and was voice voted out of the Senate Judiciary Committee in July. Although it is unlikely that the bill will receive a Senate floor vote before 2020, the process, to date, is an encouraging sign that Congress can still legislate in a bipartisan manner to improve our IP system.
Increased Scrutiny of Big Tech and Section 230
This past year we saw Congress begin heavily scrutinizing large tech companies such as Facebook, Google and Twitter. Much of the focus of Congress’ inquiries was on Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act (CDA), a law that grants broad immunity to internet platforms for the content that users publish on their sites. Many lawmakers want to reform the current law, believing that it has allowed internet companies to profit from illegal, stolen and misleading content.
Not surprisingly, the tech community has pushed back hard against this effort, alleging that changes to Section 230 would destroy free speech on the internet. The platforms also claim they lack the technology to adequately review all the content posted on their sites.
While no changes to the law occurred in 2019, there is certainly bipartisan momentum in Congress to do something in this space soon.
Onward to 2020
We undoubtedly saw more action on intellectual property issues this year than in 2018, and 2020 may very well eclipse 2019. It is heartening to see that the U.S. lawmakers, agencies, and courts are still thinking critically about how to improve our IP system. Hopefully, their efforts in 2020 will result in a more efficient IP system that fosters greater innovation and consumer satisfaction.
Image Source: Deposit Photos
Image ID: 277332056
Copyright: PixelsAway | 1,135 |
The billboard features a young woman at her computer with the caption “Jenn 13:1 - Praying won’t help. Doing will. Without God. We’re all good,” and is located on the south side of 3603A Edmonton Tr. N.E.
“But I hope that some religious people are at a point in their life that they’re willing to look at this as a challenge, and consider it.”
“I know that some people are immediately going to be offended by it and see it as an attack on religion,” Nate Phelps, Alberta executive director of the Centre for Inquiry, the group behind the ad, told Metro Calgary.
Previously seen in Vancouver and Sudbury, the ad informs Calgarians that "praying won't help."
“There exists an idea out there that you can’t be good, you can’t be hopeful, you can’t be positive, you can’t lead a good life unless you subscribe to some religious ideology,” Phelps told 660 News.
Some Reddit users were quick to claim hypocrisy in the ad, however.
"This is stupid because it's likely the people who are putting up that billboard would be the type to tell Christians to not shove their beliefs down their necks," wrote user Yojimbe.
"If this sign was fashioned against any other group it would be immediately shot down and that's where I take issue," said urahozer.
Others, however, believe there's a place - and even a need - for the ad in Calgary.
"It'll be nice to have something on the other side displayed for once. I'm rather tired of fake images of aborted fetuses, so while Jen 13:1 could have been done better, I'll take it," countered Wistfuljali, referring to ads placed around Calgary by anti-abortion groups.
"While I think they could have used a better slogan or mantra for it, the message behind it isn't about believing or not believing. It's about believers respecting those who don't, and challenging the social stigma attached to non-theists," said jimmyjames88.
The same ad was banned in Vancouver late last year, after Pattison Outdoor - a company who owns many Vancouver billboards - refused to run it. Instead, the ads found a home on the city's downtown transit shelters and on billboards in Burnaby. | 1,136 |
We are celebrating 50 Episodes of Wall of Sound: Up Against The Wall with a Very Special Parkway Drive dedicated show featuring the band’s legendary frontman Mr Winston McCall who is on co-host duties chatting all about the band’s new #1 album Reverence and their upcoming tour with Killswitch Engage and Thy Art is Murder.
Since the band formed in 2003, they’ve released six incredibly mesmerising albums, each release outdoing the last in terms of style, ferociousness and progression, however, when you accumulate a fanbase who are too hellbent on living in the past, you constantly find yourself having to defend your motives and actions when changing up styles as the years go by and Winston isn’t afraid to address the backlash and resentment targetted towards him and the Parkway boys in his chat with podcast host Browny. The conversation also leads to why they have never brought their European shows to Australia (considering they formed here in Byron Bay) and what it’s like having Killswitch opening for them now, years after their guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz produced their first two releases.
We’ve also got two very special guests joining in the conversation including Graham Nixon, the band’s Manager and head honcho of Resist Records, who signed them wayyy back in the day. He talks about their early years, how he discovered them and shares a few stories along the way + Dan McMaster, frontman for the now defunct pop punk act Skyway also chats about how they managed to get Winston McCall to do guest vocals on one of their songs and what it was like working with him in the studio and on the stage at one of the shows both bands played.
Plus we travel through the band’s extensive back catalogue of albums, kicking things off with 2005’s Killing with a Smile, then stopping by Horizons (2007), Deep Blue (2010), Atlas (2012) and Ire (2015), all the way through to their 2018 release Reverence. There’s also a few surprises along the way too, so strap yourself in for one of the most extensive Parkway Drive podcasts available, coming in at just over two hours, we guarantee you’ll love every minute of it.
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Elon Musk and YouTube star Felix ‘PewDiePie’ Kjellberg have been trolling media outlets on Twitter about how they behave when the pair react to "dark humor" memes.
PewDiePie is arguably the king of memes on YouTube, with his “Meme Review” show regularly drawing millions of viewers who flock to see the Swede discuss and rate the internet’s latest viral sensations.
While many think of Musk as the figurehead of companies like Tesla, he also has an appreciation of memes, posting them regularly on his Twitter account. With the duo seen as two of the most recognizable men in the world, media outlets often pick up on anything controversial they do, including their reactions to memes that are of a dark-humor variety.
When PewDiePie posted a meme on Twitter that suggested the reason Musk and actor Keanu Reeves were so popular was because the SpaceX boss’ middle name was Reeve, the 47-year-old responded with a meme that compared the reactions of the YouTuber’s fans and media.
In Musk’s image, the '9-year-olds', a term given to fans of the Swede, can be seen laughing along with PewDiePie and the tech giant as they chuckle at a “slightly dark humor meme,” with the image of the billionaire actually taken from his appearance on Meme Review where he broke into fits of laughter after seeing a dead deer in a swimming pool.
The reaction from media outlets, according to Musk, isn’t so friendly though, with the image showing an angry boy with a frown on his face.
Elon Musk became a viral sensation in his own right back in October when he made an appearance on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast, smoking marijuana on the episode. While it may have endeared him to the internet, Tesla stock prices reportedly crashed following the incident, with some outlets asking whether his maverick behavior actually hurts the companies he owns.
PewDiePie has also faced his fair share of criticism from the press, with many labeling him as a right-wing apologists and claiming he is racist for clips and incidents in his past. Back in April, almost 100,000 people signed a petition to have his channel removed for “white supremacist content.”
It hasn’t hampered the pair’s enjoyment of memes though, although whether Musk will ever appear on Meme Review again remains to be seen. | 1,138 |
Reporter Mike Riggs at The Daily Caller has an important story online today revealing how U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration officials are making plans to reschedule natural THC under federal law.
Under the plan, THC derived from the marijuana plant would be classified as a Schedule III controlled substance, while the plant itself would remain classified as a Schedule I illegal drug. Sound fishy? It is.
As a DEA spokesperson quoted in the story explains, “THC, natural or synthetic, remains a schedule I controlled substance. Under the proposed rule, in those instances in the future where FDA might approve a generic version of Marinol, that version of the drug will be in the same schedule as the brand name version of the drug, regardless of whether the THC used in the generic version was synthesized by man or derived from the cannabis plant.”
So, in other words, if a pharmaceutical product contains THC extracted from the marijuana plant, that would be a legal commodity. But if you or I possessed THC extracted from the marijuana plant, that an remains illegal commodity.
Wait, it gets even more absurd.
Since the cannabis plant itself will remain illegal under federal law, then from whom precisely could Big Pharma legally obtain their soon-to-be legal THC extracts? There’s only one answer: The federal government’s lone legally licensed marijuana cultivator, The University of Mississippi at Oxford, which already has the licensing agreements with the pharmaceutical industry in hand.
Riggs writes:
In other words, THC in plant form or as an extract, will still be illegal. What won’t be illegal is if a pharmaceutical company buys THC from a government-licensed provider, puts it in a pill, receives the DEA’s stamp of approval, and sells it a price that will likely be far higher than the price of marijuana.
Armentano said such circular reasoning is a product of decades of hostility towards marijuana research.
“This is the insane rationale necessary for banning medical marijuana,” he said. “Take away the prohibition and the political elements, and you would never have the stretching of logic necessary to pass organic THC but only if it mimics Marinol.”
Expect the DEA’s ‘stretching of logic’ to become even more absurd in the future.
You can read the entire Daily Caller story, “Is the DEA legalizing THC?,” here.
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Retailer recalls nearly 70,000 own-brand packets after Aberdeenshire watchdog discovers several were below weight declared on packaging
This article is more than 4 years old
This article is more than 4 years old
Tesco has withdrawn almost 70,000 packs of garlic bread slices after an investigation found some were underweight.
During two visits to stores in Aberdeenshire, Trading Standards officers said they discovered 39 packets of the supermarket’s own-brand product had net weights below the figure declared on the packaging. One 290g pack was recorded as having a net weight of 229.8g – about 20% lighter than stated.
Tesco said more than 66,000 packets were withdrawn from stores across the UK in August. The product’s producer, Bakkavör Foods, has since put in place several measures to avoid a repeat of the incident.
The Trading Standards manager, Wilma Urquhart, said: “Aberdeenshire council’s Trading Standards service takes these incidents extremely seriously and we were pleased to see that the supermarket acted swiftly following the discovery.
“By issuing an emergency product withdrawal, batches worth £93,000 have been removed from the shelves.
“Our work is very important in protecting both consumers and businesses from unfair competition, and the service will continue to work with both Tesco and Bakkavör to ensure legislative compliance.”
Food and drink sellers are governed by the weights and measures (packaged goods) regulations 2006, which places legal liability in such circumstances on the packer of the goods and not the seller.
A Bakkavör spokeswoman said: “We confirm that a bakery product made on behalf of a customer has been recalled due to an error with product weight.
“Bakkavör takes such incidents seriously and sincerely apologises for this error. We have put in place a number of measures to prevent a similar incident arising in the future.
“We wish to reassure customers and consumers of our continued commitment to compliance and the highest standards of production.”
A Tesco spokesman said: “We take great care to deliver clear information for our customers so they can make informed decisions on the products they buy and to ensure that customers receive the stated quantity of product.
“We are disappointed that errors occurred with a very small number of products and we have worked with our supplier to ensure there is no repeat of the issue.” | 1,140 |
"We are excited to be partnering with Electroneum to cooperate on the promotion of the ETN cryptocurrency. We are very impressed with the product, especially the mobile mining aspect of acquiring coins, and firmly believe it will have a positive impact on customers in our distribution markets.”
"We are looking forward to the partnership with Mobile Streams, promoting the installation and use of our cryptocurrency within their platforms, adding to the 1.6 million current confirmed users we already have. Mobile Streams is a company with a wealth of experience and expertise in the mobile industry around the world and has a subscriber base of over 750,000 in Latin America that will enjoy the benefits of our mobile miner.”
Electroneum have recently announced a new partnership which is set to bolster the innovative reputation of the Electroneum project. Whilst the value of the currency doesn’t seem to have responded to the announcement specifically, the announcement does mark good news for the Electroneum team. At the time of writing, Electroneum is valued at $0.014, up 2.53%. As it stands, Electroneum is currently ranked 103for market capitalisation according to CoinMarketCap. The partnership sees Electoneum work alongside Mobile Streams plc, a mobile content retailer which focuses on providing mobile phone apps and games for countries in South America and India. According to a press release, the partnership has been established to allow Mobile Streams plc to begin exploring blockchain based payment solutions within their apps and games. According to ADVFN, the CEO of Mobile Streams plc, Simon Buckingham has said:Moreover, according to ADVFN, Taylor Gorman of Electroneum has said:You can see the full press release on ADVFN for yourself, here- https://uk.advfn.com/stock-market/london/mobile-streams-MOS/share-news/Mobile-Streams-plc-Mobile-Streams-signs-agreement/77670947 Electroneum relies on the use of mobile phones, really, it is a currency designed with the mobile phone in mind, therefore it is super important that Electoneum get companies like Mobile Streams plc on board, therefore, I’m sure the team will be pretty pleased about closing this deal. As stated, Mobile Streams plc already have around 750,000 customers, this will no doubt grow with the integration of blockchain technology, providing a bigger and better customer base for both Electroneum and Mobile Streams plc. | 1,141 |
I speak only Japanese.SuperMutantMilkArmor-----------------------------------------------------------Super Mutant用の装備、Super Mutant Milk Armorを追加します。Strongさん用です。The mod adds “Super Mutant Milk Armor” for Strong.-----------------------------------------------------------●追加されるArmor●Added Armor Parts:Super mutant milk gauntletsSuper mutant milk HelmetSuper mutant milk leg armorSuper mutant milk armor性能は他のSuper mutant用装備と同じくらいです。Stats is at the same level of other super mutant armors.-----------------------------------------------------------●入手方法Chemistry stationのUtilityで作れます。材料は空のミルクボトル(Empty Milk Bottle)、鉄(Steel)、プラスチック(Plastic)、レザー(Leather)です。●How to get itCould be crafted under “Utility” section of any Chemistry Station, you will need Empty Milk Bottle, Steel, Plastic and Leather.-----------------------------------------------------------bethesda.net XB1-----------------------------------------------------------●余談貴重な日本人モッダー様方のツイートとかを覗き見てメッシュをFO4にぶちこむ方法がわかりました。ありがとうございます。これがMilk of human kindnessだ、とか言いながらStrongさんに渡してあげてください。●About the modI have learnt of the way to port meshes to Fo4 from a tweet of one of the few Japanese modders, my thanks goes to him.So tell Strong this is the “Milk of human kindness” and let him wear around!-----------------------------------------------------------親切な方が英語訳を作ってくれました。ありがたく使わせていただきます。-----------------------------------------------------------noparking95さんがyoutubeで紹介してくれました。2:15～vatiwahさんがyoutubeで紹介してくれました。7:30～ | 1,142 |
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Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) desperately tried to rewrite history today by implying that President Obama and Senate Democrats were responsible for the campaign of dysfunction and obstruction that he orchestrated.
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McConnell was asked on CNN what the message was that voters sent to Washington by electing a Republican run Congress. Sen. McConnell answered, “I think the American people had two messages. They were certainly upset with their president, and wanted to express that opposition to what he’s been doing. But they also wanted to do something about the dysfunction in Washington. I’m not sure that they knew who was responsible for it, but they want it to stop, and so I think the message from the American people is that they would like to see a right of center responsible conservative Republican majority. That’s what the Speaker and I intend to provide, and hopefully we’ll have enough followers to do that.”
The soon to be Majority Leader implied to CNN that Obama and the Senate Democrats were responsible for not getting things done. The truth is that McConnell blocked or slowed down hundreds of bills while serving as Minority Leader. Fact checkers who limit the definition of obstruction to only filibusters are ignoring the wide variety of procedural tactics that McConnell used to grind the Senate to a halt, and turn votes that should have taken days into a weeks long process.
Mitch McConnell has spent most of the Obama presidency slowing down the Senate and blocking any progress, but now that the Kentucky Republican is the new Senate Majority Leader he has completely forgotten the past. McConnell is trying to fool the American people by selling himself as a man of action that is interested in getting things done.
Both Sen. McConnell and CNN tried to spin the Republican pickup of red state Senate seats into a national Republican mandate when the reality is that the playing field for the 2014 midterms was heavily tilted in favor of the Republican Party. It is faulty reasoning to assume that one region of the country speaks for the entire nation.
Republicans only have 54 votes in the Senate, and will be facing off with a president who is ready to use his veto pen. The reality is that it is going to be nearly impossible for McConnell to pass anything substantial without the support of Democrats and Obama. McConnell tried to blame Democrats for his campaign of obstruction, but it will be his job on the line when Republicans fail to pass legislation under his leadership.
It is this dynamic that may lead to Mitch McConnell having a very short stint as Senate Majority Leader. | 1,143 |
WASHINGTON — The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, has ousted its leader after a power struggle.
The Washington nonprofit’s board of trustees unanimously asked for and received the resignation of Jim DeMint at a meeting Tuesday. The board chairman said in a pull-no-punches statement afterward that “significant and worsening management issues” led to the ouster.
“Heritage has never been about one individual, but rather the power of conservative ideas,” chairman Thomas Saunders III wrote in a statement. “Heritage is bigger than any one person.”
DeMint, a former South Carolina senator, could not immediately be reached.
Rep. Dave Brat, a Virginia Republican, called DeMint’s ouster “a tragedy.”
Dozens of Republican in Congress wrote a love-letter of sorts to DeMint on Monday. They praised him for serving as an inspirational conservative figure “even when confronted by overwhelming opposition, bitter criticism and nagging skepticism.”
Rep. Dave Brat, a Virginia Republican, called DeMint’s ouster “a tragedy.”
“He’s just kind of an ideal person who understood the think-tank world and understands the timing and the strategy along with policy,” Brat said. “And to lose that, it’s incomprehensible. I don’t get it. At all. I don’t get it.”
Some board members called the decision a painful, but necessary, one.
Kay Cole James said it was “purely about management, organizational and structural issues” — not philosophical differences with DeMint.
James said Saunders expressed admiration for DeMint during an all-staff meeting late Monday to announce the leadership change. She added that DeMint had already left the building by then.
Heritage, which has 500,000 members, brought in about $92 million in revenue in 2015 and paid DeMint more than $1 million every year. That’s according to its most recent publicly available tax filings.
The nonprofit has been a crucial ally of President Donald Trump and his still-young administration. The president thanked Heritage — and specifically DeMint — during his speech Friday to the National Rifle Association.
Founder Ed Feulner will serve as president and chief executive officer during a search for DeMint’s replacement. | 1,144 |
While there was a surprising amount of old-fashioned good news in the fourth-quarter earnings report delivered by CBS — retrans revenue, licensing and distribution all way up — the focus of today’s conference call with Wall Street analysts was squarely on digital.
Chairman and CEO Leslie Moonves said that CBS and Showtime together have 5 million subscribers to their respective OTT services. That puts the company ahead of schedule in its progress toward a projection of reaching 8 million by 2020. Originals such as Jordan Peele’s forthcoming Twilight Zone reboot as well as Star Trek and Good Wife iterations can be sold internationally as well as drawing subscribers.
The company is also about to expand its OTT portfolio with two new launches, execs announced on the call: the ad-supported CBS Sports HQ and a celebrity offering branded for syndicated staple Entertainment Tonight.
Related Story Apple Renews 'Carpool Karaoke' For Second Season
As to whether the growth in direct-to-consumer offerings could come to threaten more traditional areas of the business, Moonves waved away any concern. “I do view it as complementary,” he said. “The things that are driving our OTT product right now are catch-up on our network shows and then obviously as we add more original content, that becomes a driver.” With cord-shaving and re-bundling, he added, “More and more people are going to be watching shows in different ways. And as we have always said, you can get your CBS via MVPDs or via a virtual MVPD, a skinny bundle, or via All Access, and each one of them pays us more, so we look at it as all working together.”
The success of CBSN, a news offering, which has contributed “tens of millions” to company profits, COO Joseph Ianniello said, offers a model for the CBS Sports HQ and Entertainment Tonight efforts. Neither service was described in any detail during the call.
Having a studio it can connect to an array of pipelines, from traditional networks like the CBS broadcast network or premium cable network Showtime, to the burgeoning number of OTTs offers more ways to make money. International launches — beginning with Canada in the summer — will start to add revenue in the second half of 2018.
In preparation for the growing number of in-house platforms, CBS Studios has increased its output to 64 shows on 12 different platforms, double the level of just five years ago. | 1,145 |
Culinary tourism has been termed the fasted growing specialty travel trends in the world. As a matter of fact, the World Food Travel Association has estimated the niche to be worth $150 billion. It is something you should consider trying at least once in your life. If you are thinking of the Thailand culinary tour or a tour in any other country, there are a number of things you will have to do. Here are crucial tips you should consider using.
Find an expert travel advisor
Whether you plan on taking the tour alone or with company, the first thing you need to do is to find an expert travel advisor. A travel advisor will know everything in relation to the best restaurants in your target city and the best time to make plans for cooking holidays. The golden rule here is not to rely solely on what you find only. Talk to people who are experts in the field. They will save you a lot of headache and help find exotic options.
Prep work is a must
The more you learn about cooking course Bangkok the more comfortable you will be during the tour. Take some time also to learn what people are saying about the tours. How should you prepare? What do you need to bring? Can you have your own foodie travel ideas? Past travel highlights will also help you get ready for the culinary tour.
Book early
Various restaurants participate in the cooking holidays. A good travel advisor will help you decide on the best restaurants to make reservations in. To avoid being left out in the last minute, book your once-in-a-lifetime experience early. You also need to know if your star chef will be in the restaurant you are making reservations in.
Do not forget about the drinks
Most people focus too much on the foods that they forget about the drinks. Different foods go well with various drinks. The drinks include beer, wine, coffee and many more. You should not forget to explore the drinks.
These points will help you better prepare for a cooking course in Bangkok or any culinary tour. Don’t just wake up and make plans. The tours require a great deal of preparations.
The Chef’s Cut is committed to giving tourists the best experience in Thailand culinary tours. You will be able to explore four corners of the planet in search of the best cuisines in the globe. Whether you are simply interested in cooking holidays or are looking for a great cooking course in Bangkok, The Chefs Cut has you covered. This is the organization to work with for food lovers. | 1,146 |
Cycling deaths in London: Campaigners in lorry redesign call Published duration 21 March 2013
image caption The new design would provide more visibility for drivers compared to conventional vehicles with higher cabs
Campaigners are urging construction firms to adopt a new design for lorries which they say could cut the number of cycling deaths on London roads.
London Cycling Campaign said its Safer Urban Lorry's lower driving position and high-visibility glass panels would enable drivers to spot cyclists sooner.
The new lorry is based on the design and technology found in refuse trucks.
A Freight Transport Association (FTA) spokesman said: "It's great to see new ideas and suggestions."
Between 2010 and 2012, 40 cyclists were killed and there has been one fatality this year, Transport for London said.
The group said lorries were involved in half the deaths in Greater London, even though the vehicles only make up about 5% of all traffic.
Increased visibility
The Safer Urban Lorry design features a lower seating position for drivers - 60cm lower than conventional lorries - and a larger windscreen and side windows, to improve the view of their surroundings.
The new design also features a lower bumper clearance and side-guards, which would increase the chances of a cyclist involved in a collision being pushed to the side rather than being dragged under the vehicle.
Campaigners also want to see early warning cameras, which provide a 360-degree view around the vehicle, to be installed in trucks.
Charlie Lloyd, from London Cycling Campaign, who is a former lorry driver, said: "Our Safer Urban Lorry design is a challenge to the construction industry to use vehicles that help reduce the terrible number of people on bikes and on foot who are killed by lorries.
"The restricted view from the cab of many of today's construction lorries means the driver often has little or no idea who or what is in their immediate vicinity, which is totally unacceptable."
The group said the new design would not affect the amount of load carried by the lorries and the lower cabs would encourage safer driving.
The FTA's Christopher Snelling said: "We believe that the overall safety record of logistics across the UK is excellent; however it is crucial that we look at new innovations.
"We believe that drivers would particularly welcome increased visibility.
"However it must be remembered that there are lots of other considerations that impact on vehicle design." | 1,147 |
Barely six weeks after rolling troops into the Crimean Peninsula, an official from Vladimir Putin's Russia has announced the country's next expansion target: the Moon.
As reported by the Voice of Russia, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin told the government daily Rossiiskaya Gazeta that establishing a permanent Moon base has become one of the country's top space priorities.
"The moon is not an intermediate point in the [space] race, it is a separate, even a self-contained goal," Rogozin reportedly said. "It would hardly be rational to make some ten or twenty flights to the moon, and then wind it all up and fly to the Mars or some asteroids."
Rogozin's comments were an obvious dig against the US space program. NASA flew its last manned mission to the Moon in 1972 and currently has no plans to return humans to the Earth's satellite. The space agency's next major objective is to rendezvous with an asteroid, and a manned mission to Mars is a perennial favorite topic among US politicians, even if they seem unwilling to provide NASA the funding needed for such an endeavor.
Russia, on the other hand, has a series of missions to the Moon in the planning stages, albeit unmanned ones for now. The first will be the Luna-25 rover, which is scheduled to launch in 2016. After that will come Luna-26, an orbiter that will map the lunar surface, followed by another rover that will explore the Moon's south pole.
But Russia's lunar ambitions don't end with robots. Earlier this week, Denis Lyskov, deputy director of the Russian space agency Roscosmos, told the Voice of Russia that work has begun on a new rocket that will be able to carry a manned spacecraft to the Moon.
"It requires a carrier rocket of extra-heavy class with carrying capacity of 80 tons to perform flights to the Moon," Lyskov said. "The program of such carrier rocket is being elaborated. The government has ordered to elaborate the program so that it could make a particular decision on it."
If a series of manned Russian Moon missions is successful, officials say Roscosmos plans to build a permanent lunar base toward the end of 2030. Or maybe that's 2040; sources differ. One thing is for sure, though, and that's that Russia has big Lunar plans.
"This process has the beginning, but has no end," Rogozin told Rossiiskaya Gazeta. "We are going to come to the Moon forever." ® | 1,148 |
Smita Sharma
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, January 25
India’s unique identification system Aadhaar, though shrouded in controversies at home, has found a keen taker in the Philippines government.
At a series of bilateral conversations that Prime Minister Narendra Modi held with visiting leaders along the sidelines of the India-ASEAN summit, Aadhaar was a key conversation topic between Modi and President Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines.
(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)
Duterte, whose flight had to be delayed following a volcanic eruption in his country, believes Aadhaar could be used as a tool against corruption. “The Philippines President evinced keen interest in the Aadhaar system and on using it as a tool for financial inclusion and to fight corruption. Our Prime Minister said he would be happy to offer expertise to replicate the system… Last week, a delegation had come from the Philippines to understand the Aadhaar system,” said Preeti Saran, Secretary East in the Ministry of External Affairs.
Terrorism, with a focus on urban terror, also figured in the conversation. Duterte spoke of drug trafficking and international linkages in proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. A joint working group will meet in March to discuss cooperation in drugs and pharmaceutical sector.
While conversing about cooperation in building ships and off-shore patrol vessels as well as the oil sector, Duterte praised the positive role of the Indian community. “He told our PM that he had grown up with Indians and is familiar with Indian culture and their commitment to hard work,” said Saran.
With Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha of Thailand, Modi’s talks focussed on connectivity and tourism. Vietnam will pass on the mantle of country coordinator of ASEAN for India to Thailand this July onwards, making the Prayut government an important mediator. The two sides stressed on enhancing defence and maritime security cooperation, including coastal patrolling and tourism.
Modi also held bilateral talks with his Singaporean counterpart Lee Hsein Loong and accepted an invitation to attend the flagship ‘Shangri La Dialogue’ in June as the chief guest.
Meanwhile, India’s RuPay and Singapore’s FinTech are looking at ways to decrease transaction cost and work towards a cashless economy, said senior MEA officials.
Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phan attended a ground-breaking ceremony for the new headquarters of the Embassy of Vietnam in Delhi. | 1,149 |
ORECA has ruled out a DPi program in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship next year, although revealing a significant level of interest in the prototype platform for the future. (En Français)
The French constructor is set to focus entirely on its Gibson-engined Oreca 07 next year, with at least a dozen of the global-spec cars anticipated to be sold, according to ORECA President Hugues de Chaunac.
“We decided in July not to be present with DPi in 2017 given the timing,” De Chaunac told Endurnace-Info. “But we’re discussing with three manufacturers for 2018.”
De Chaunac said an effort is underway to debut its new LMP2 car in January’s Rolex 24 at Daytona, and potentially a full-season program with a customer team.
“Two options are being considered [for Daytona], to either run with an American team or a European team,” De Chaunac said. “If we do, it will be a team to play a leading role.
“Being in Daytona remains a goal but not a requirement. Sebring is also on the radar.”
The first Oreca 07 will not begin on-track testing until mid-October, in what De Chaunac stresses is not a delay but rather additional time to optimize further components.
Nicolas Lapierre has been tabbed as the development driver, with the constructor also set to utilize a gentleman driver in parallel, to ensure the car is well suited to all skill levels.
In terms of sales, De Chaunac expects at least 12 cars, either brand-new Oreca 07s, or teams purchasing the upgrade kit for its existing Oreca 05, for next year.
“Things are looking good from a construction schedule that’s being respected,” he said. “We’re entering the period of car sales.
“For an order placed right now, deliveries can be made in late December or early January.”
ORECA is expected to be the only LMP2 constructor without a DPi effort next year, with Dallara building the Cadillac DPi and Multimatic-Riley behind Mazda’s program.
It’s understood that Onroak Automotive is working on DPi projects with both Nissan and Honda, although the latter may not debut until 2018. | 1,150 |
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The Azerbaijan FA says there is "no issue" over Henrikh Mkhitaryan's safety should he arrive in Baku for Arsenal's Europa League final against Chelsea, although the Gunners are still unlikely to include the Armenian in their squad.
There are no diplomatic relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia due to the conflict over the Nagorno-Karabakh region, and Mkhitaryan was left out of the Gunners' squad for the Europa League group stage game against Qarabag in the Azerbaijani capital in October for his own safety.
Some Arsenal season ticket holders of British-Armenian descent have also been denied visas to enter the country for the final, with the decision to hold the match in Baku having been widely condemned.
But Elkhan Mammadov, the general secretary of the Azerbaijan FA, says that procedures have been in place to deal with the Mkhitaryan issue for weeks.
(Image: REUTERS)
“Our government authorities provided guarantees to Uefa for Mkhi to come to Baku, so there is no issue of security and safety,” he told the Daily Telegraph.
“Even before Arsenal qualified for the final, we received a request from Uefa to provide the guarantees, our state authorities provided all the necessary security arrangements for Mkhitaryan to travel to Baku. All the safety and security is already guaranteed.”
Arsenal received similar guarantees before that group match in Baku, and having given them little attention back then they seem unlikely to put the player at risk.
(Image: Getty Images Europe)
With both clubs having received just 6,000 tickets for the match each, Mammadov added that supporters criticising the cost and travel arrangements to get to Baku should travel to the city earlier in the week, reducing the strain on the airport.
“The majority [of supporters] are trying to find a ticket where they come on matchday and leave the next morning, so they can save on hotels and accommodation which is understandable,” he said.
“This is what fans all over the world used to do when it’s in a neighbouring country or of a close geographical vicinity. In our case I would suggest the fans come early and enjoy the city of Baku.” | 1,151 |
Why is Amazon opening brick-and-mortar grocery stores? Because it wants to dominate groceries online.
Yes, Amazon is opening a string of physical groceries—or at least that's the word from The Wall Street Journal, which cites multiple anonymous sources familiar with the matter. According to the paper, Amazon calls this Project Como, and the first store is planned for the company's home city of Seattle, Washington.
Inside these stores, the WSJ says, you'll be able to shop for meat, milk, produce, and other perishable goods—pay for them and put them right into your car. But via your smartphone or touch screens installed in the store, you'll be able to order items with longer shelf lives, like peanut butter and cereal, for same-day delivery. If you like, you'll also have the option of ordering the perishable stuff ahead of time via your phone—and picking it up a curbside. Amazon will even deploy equipment that will read your license plate when you drive, so you'll wait as little as possible.
Amazon declined to comment on the story. But Project Como makes perfect sense for a company that intends on moving grocery shopping onto the Internet. That may seem counterintuitive. But this big irony characterizes just about all of Amazon grand ambitions. Amazon wants to dominate the length and breadth of e-commerce, and that means it built some serious infrastructure here in the real world. The company already operates enormous fulfillment centers across the globe. It has its own delivery trucks. It flies its own cargo planes. It's building tiny drones that will take stuff directly to your doorstep. It runs a bookstore in Seattle. And now, naturally, it wants to open some grocery stores.
These stores are onramps to the company's online grocery service, Amazon Fresh, which delivers stuff to your door. And they're giant advertisements for Amazon Fresh. But they can also double as distribution centers. They additional outposts in the vast Amazonian distribution network that is slowly stretching across the planet. You need places that can move all the fresh eggs and milk from week to week, and they might as well double as stores. It's the same logic that keeps your local grocery store open all night long as employees restock the place: if someone is there, they might as well stay open.
In fact, this is the key to turning online grocery delivery into a viable business. And it's why a company like Fresh Direct will never be able to compete. It can't match Project Como. | 1,152 |
Chief negotiators for both sides in the B.C. teachers' dispute are hunkered down at a Richmond hotel for talks this weekend as another week without school looms on the horizon for half a million British Columbia school children.
The chief negotiators for both sides are meeting with veteran mediator Vince Ready, who confirms bargaining is underway.
However, there is still little clarity about the nature of the bargaining or its scope as the parties have agreed not to talk until there is something to say.
On Wednesday, teachers voted by a margin of more than 99 per cent to end their strike if the government would agree to binding arbitration but the government rejected the offer out-of-hand saying it could lead to a tax hike.
Mediator Vince Ready arrives at a Richmond hotel to lead the talks as the two sides in the teachers' dispute try to find common ground. (CBC)
The school year has been delayed indefinitely as more than 40,000 teachers picket across the province, wait for their leadership and the government to strike an agreement so they can commence classes. Teachers started strike action almost two weeks before the end of the school year in June.
Bargaining has been at a near standstill while both sides attempt to gain public support. Families grow weary of the dispute and many on the picket lines say they yearn to start teaching again.
Legislated settlement coming?
Education Minister Peter Fassbender wants a negotiated settlement. Premier Christy Clark said earlier this week she is determined to get a conclusion before she flies out to India on a trade mission Oct. 9, three days after the legislature resumes.
B.C. Teachers Federation President Jim Iker chats on the phone during a break in negotiations at the Richmond hotel where bargaining is underway. (CBC)
Fassbender had flatly rejected back-to-work legislation until Thursday, when he softened his position and said legislation was another option available to government.
A coalition of Ontario public school educators donated $100,000 Friday to a growing pot of money being distributed as loans and grants to financially struggling teachers. The contribution raised an overall hardship fund to nearly $9 million.
Ontario Teachers' Federation president Rian McLaughlin represents 160,000 teachers, who she said have watched their B.C. counterparts suffer for a long time and want to show their support.
Three affiliates contributed to the donation: the Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario, the Ontario English Catholic Teachers' Association and the Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation. | 1,153 |
Reliable Samsung leaker Ice Universe can confirm four things about the Samsung Galaxy S11. There are three good news items and one bad, disappointing one.
The first bit of good news is that the phone will run Android Q with Samsung's One UI. There's nothing surprising about that, since the Korean company is banking on its new UI and Android Q will be in distribution when the S11 hits, but it’s good to know they are pushing forward.
The second item is that the S11’s codename is “Picasso." The reference to the genius Spanish painter that broke all molds may be an allegory to the core nature of the beast.
Which brings us to the best news: “The camera has a substantial upgrade.” This, of course, can mean anything. We can speculate that the phone will most probably have some optical zooming mechanism and more camera sensors to match or surpass rivals. But what we can be sure about is that the S11 will use Samsung’s Isocell Bright GW1 64-megapixel f1/1.72 sensor.
An example of the Samsung Isocell Bright GW1 64MP sensor in action. (Image credit: Redmi)
The sensor is not just a megapixel count brag for the spec sheet. In theory, it will be a giant leap in image quality. According to the Seoul-based giant, the GW1 has a bigger area than its current sensor, maintaining the size of each pixel at 0.8 micrometers. This will greatly increase not only the resolution but the light sensitivity. Capable of producing 9,215 x 6,812-pixel images under normal lighting conditions, the GW1 can join four pixels into one to multiply its photosensitivity using Samsung’s tetracell technology and remosaic algorithm.
The photo war against Huawei and Sony is one that Samsung has been losing so far, so this “Picasso” codename and the new camera sensor are clear signs that the Korean company wants to beat its Chinese and Japanese rivals.
The bad news is also about cameras, though. Or better said, displays. Those of you who were hoping for an invisible selfie camera hidden under the display — like those shown by Oppo or Xiaomi — are out of luck. According to the Galactic Cat, we will see the camera, albeit the whole will be smaller than the one in the Galaxy Note 10 that will be released in August. Sad selfie face. | 1,154 |
I have been told to play The Book Of Living Magic by so many people. Even Jay of JayIsGames instructed me to do so. A point and click adventure embedded in a website, that has variously been described as charming and reminiscent of the joy of childhood books. So okay, okay, I took a look.
And did not like it.
Which has really thrown me. Recommendations from many who know, and a real desire for any game based on such themes, set me up to assume I was going into something great. But for some reason this one completely passed me by.
It’s cute. Hand drawn scenes, seemingly drawn in crayon/marker, really stretch the limits of “crudely drawn”. But for me don’t in any way evoke children’s drawings, which I suppose was the aim. Instead it looks like an adult doing a deliberately bad job. Your method of interaction is to talk to people, and then later click on them when you’ve been given an item. And that’s it.
The writing is extremely silly, and very lengthy – and all is written well. But again, it didn’t seem to be saying anything. Just long-winded nonsense and cod-fantasy names, with the occasional comment generating a scribbling sound which means you’ve unlocked another conversation option with someone else. There is no subtlety here either. For instance, the star, Raven Locks Smith, grows up in a town called Dull. Right.
What I did love was the amazing effort that had gone into writing a description for almost every detail on screen. Here the game had me. Silly jokes, daft remarks, for every doodle, mostly offering barmy non-sequiturs that made for fun and pointless pixel hunting. When faced with image after image of dozens of plant-like eyeballs, it’s a real treat that each of them has their own joke, whether it’s a pun, bizarre remark, or something genuinely surreal.
But then it was over and gave some sort of attempted heart-felt plea about the importance of my role in the Book Of Living Magic that I didn’t feel was at all earned.
I’m sorry, everyone. From the adoration it’s received by the right people, I guess this one’s just me. So definitely check it out and see where you fall. | 1,155 |
and data to address the common criticisms that UBI critics often bring up. If you’re looking to take your interest and understanding of UBI to the next level, this is for you.
Best UBI Shout-out During Daytime TV:
CNBC, “Elon Musk: Moving Toward Universal Basic Income Due To Automation”
Honestly, I just needed to come up with a reason to include this video, because it has SpaceX /Tesla CEO Elon Musk voicing his belief that we will need UBI due to automation. Musk’s billion dollar companies build and utilize some of the most advanced automation technology in the world, while requiring a fraction of the workforce that similar companies need. If there’s anyone who has a front seat as to what the future holds for jobs that are and will soon be automated by machines, it’s Musk, which is why his statement affirming the need for a Universal Basic Income is such a big deal.
Best Visual Effects:
Inequality Media, “Universal Basic Income”
Robert Reich is known for many things (professor, political commentator, author, and former Secretary of Labor under Bill Clinton), but one thing I wasn’t aware of was his drawing skills! With just some markers and an easel pad, Reich draws a colorful story around the importance and impact of UBI. There’s some well-sourced video clips and helpful digital graphics too, but Reich’s illustrations make this video accessible and easy to watch.
Best TED talk about UBI (by region)
In 2016, if you presented the topic of UBI at a TEDx Conference, you were not alone. There were numerous talks around the world, each fueled by a unique combination of passion, purpose, and presentation. Each of these presentations are worth watching!
Rudy Karsan at TEDxCalgary, “How the Future of Work is Not ‘Jobs’”
Raf Manji at TEDxChristchurch, “A Universal Income Needs a Focus on Citizen Responsibility”
James Mulvale at TEDxUManitoba. “Basic Income: An Idea Whose Time Has Come”
Philippe Van Parijs from TEDxGhent, “The Instrument of Freedom”
Anthony Painter from TEDxBrum, “We Need a Platform, But We’ve Built a Cage” | 1,156 |
Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden ranks near bottom of the field of 2020 hopefuls on environmental issues, according to the left-leaning environmental group Greenpeace USA.
In a newly released climate scorecard, Greenpeace USA gave Biden a "D-", the second-worst among Democrats. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee received the highest score, an "A-", followed by Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, who both were awarded "B+".
"Even though Biden introduced the first-ever climate bill in Congress back in 1987, he has yet to release a plan that tackles the climate crisis if elected in 2020," Greenpeace said. "Biden has not endorsed the Green New Deal, nor committed to phase out fossil fuels. He has also not taken the No Fossil Fuel Money Pledge. All candidates must pledge to make bold climate action a Day One priority in office."
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The group scored the field of candidates based on based on their commitment to ending the use of fossil fuels, as well as their voting records, proposals and public statements on climate issues. Some candidates also answered the organization's 29-question survey, which factored into their scores.
"If he wants to translate his frontrunner status in the polls to actual leadership on climate, we need him to come out with a bold, concrete plan in line with the scale of the crisis we're facing," Greenpeace USA Climate Campaign Director Janet Redman said in a statement.
In his stump speech, Biden often refers to climate change as an "existential threat." But earlier this month the former vice president came under fire from environmental groups after Reuters reported he would propose a "middle ground" approach that would include continued use of fossil fuels like natural gas.
The Biden campaign refuted that report, but the article caught the attention of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who appeared to take a shot at Biden during a rally supporting the Green New Deal.
"I will be damned if the same politicians who refused to act then are going to try to come back today and say we need a middle-of-the-road approach to save our lives," she said.
Biden rejected Ocasio-Cortez's criticisms, telling reporters, "I've never been middle of the road on climate. And tell her to look at the statements I made and look at my record. She'll find that nobody has been more consistent about our environment and the green revolution than I have." | 1,157 |
Beltway writers have recently tried to outdo themselves with breathless profiles of a “new” Paul Ryan, deeply concerned about the poor. I’ve warned repeatedly that Ryan’s views on poverty are just warmed-over Reaganism, and now we have proof. McKay Coppins’ piece “Paul Ryan Finds God” should have revealed that his God is no longer Ayn Rand but Charles Murray, the man who put a patina of (flawed) social science onReagan’s lyrical lie, “We fought a war on poverty, and poverty won.”
But let me explain all of what it means to cite Charles Murray in 2014. Murray is so toxic that Ryan’s shout-out must be unpacked. First, Rep. Barbara Lee is absolutely right: Ryan’s comments about “inner city” men who are “not even thinking about working or learning the value and the culture of work” are, in fact, “a thinly veiled racial attack,” in the congresswoman’s words. “Let’s be clear, when Mr. Ryan says ‘inner city,’ when he says, ‘culture,’ these are simply code words for what he really means: ‘black.’”
Ryan denied that Wednesday night. “This has nothing to do whatsoever with race. It never even occurred to me. This has nothing to do with race whatsoever.” On Thursday morning, he issued a statement saying he regretted being “inarticulate” in trying to make his point.
A tip for Ryan: If the racial subtext of your remarks “never even occurred to me,” as you cite a writer who has been repeatedly charged with racism, who is categorized as a “white nationalist” by the Southern Poverty Law Center (I’m not sure I’d go that far), well, that in itself is a problem. As Murray himself told the New York Times about his landmark book “Losing Ground:” “A huge number of well-meaning whites fear that they are closet racists, and this book tells them they are not. It’s going to make them feel better about things they already think but do not know how to say.” Apparently Ryan is one of them, if we give him the benefit of the doubt and call him “well-meaning." | 1,158 |
Many years ago, trolleys were at the heart of Charlotte – they connected everything. Our grandparents took trolleys to work, to school, to shop, and to worship.
Trolleys joined our city with the new suburbs of Dilworth and Myers Park. Those neighborhoods prospered and are now among Charlotte’s best addresses. Those old decisions were wise.
Today’s trolleys will provide the same benefits for neighborhoods to the west and east of our core and will prove to be equally wise.
Eventually the route will travel west out Beatties Ford Road, to Rosa Parks and east via Hawthorne Lane and Central Avenue to Eastland.
The LYNX Gold Line’s future 10 miles will connect neighborhoods plus stimulate development, just as the 9.6 mile LYNX Blue Line that opened November 24, 2007 connected and stimulated South Boulevard. It is amazing to witness the transformation along that corridor in eight years.
Fixed tracks helps development by giving investors the security of knowing the route will not shift. This is important when the business and home owners make their decisions.
Our new trolleys, made in Iowa, match No. 85, which last operated in Charlotte almost 80 years ago. But the similarity is only on their well crafted surface; underneath, at their core, these new cars boast the latest technology, plus handicap accessibility and air conditioning not found on old No. 85.
Our trolley’s style copies the look and feel of the many bungalows still seen in the neighborhoods the cars will serve. They both represent the dignity of human labor and emphasis on handwork over mass production, providing a balance with our modern glass towers and look-alike apartments so in favor with today’s developers.
Our public spaces need both public and private transportation. Pedestrians, cyclist, cars, busses, trolleys and trains all just need to get along.
Trolleys are a good choice for Charlotte.
Besides, sitting next to a stranger and striking up a conversation may be how the universe plans to connect all of us someday.
There are some who criticize this vision – many of those same people scratched their head at the light rail years ago.
Today, over four months into operation and with Thanksgiving at hand, I am grateful to our city leaders for implementing this vision and for the people – the riders on the LYNX Gold Line who have exceeded every projection. Charlotte at its best. | 1,159 |
STRICTER RULES
ICC moots ex-players panel to curb on-field misdemeanors
by Sumit Mukherjee • Last updated on
The panel might include the likes of Allan Border, Shaun Pollock, Anil Kumble, Mahela Jayawardene and Richie Richardson © Getty
Sledging, cheating and ball tampering incidents in the ongoing Test series between South Africa and Australia in South Africa have tarnished the image of the sport and the spirit of game has taken a big hit.
It has not gone down well with the International Cricket Council (ICC), the game's world governing body.
Asked to comment on the on-field misdemeanors, ICC chairman Shashank Manohar stated: "Every team wants to win, but players can't use dubious methods to gain victory. It is not in the spirit of the game. The ICC has taken a serious note of the events in Cape Town and plans to put together a group of former players of impeccable reputation.
"The new panel will operate under the existing Code of Conduct, but will be free to suggest any action that it may deem fit. The penalty must be such that it deters all cricketers from indulging in such malpractices in future."
The panel, which could include the likes of Allan Border, Shaun Pollock, Anil Kumble, Mahela Jayawardene and Richie Richardson, depending on their availability, is likely to be formalized by the ICC Board at its meeting in Kolkata next month.
The ICC, which strictly went by the rule book on one of the most despicable and brazen attempts at cheating on the field in recent times, now plans to put certain additional measures in place in order to prevent recurrence of such incidents.
The ICC banned Australian captain Steve Smith for one Test and docked his entire match fee after he admitted to his role in pre-meditated ball-tampering on the third day of the Test at Newlands. Smith was also handed four demerit points.
Bancroft, who was caught by television cameras rubbing mud attached to a small piece of yellow adhesive tape on the ball before hiding the tape in his underpants, was fined 75 per cent of his match fee and given three demerit points. Vice-captain David Warner, who was also allegedly involved in the cheating plan, however, escaped ICC censure.
© Cricbuzz
TAGS | 1,160 |
office on her payroll following an embezzlement scandal involving an aide to Loretta in 2006. The Ethics Committee reviewed the matter, but neither sister was charged with any wrongdoing.
Linda Sanchez responded to the POLITICO report by declaring that Adam Brand will have nothing to do with Ethics Committee business.
The questions over the accuracy of Sanchez’s annual financial forms — required of all members, senators and highest-paid congressional staffers — also come as the Ethics Committee has very slowly begun to prepare for the 112th Congress.
Rep. Jo Bonner (R-Ala.), chairman of the secretive panel, told POLITICO the Ethics Committee held its first organizational meeting last week.
Bonner also submitted the committee’s rules in the Congressional Record, as required under House rules.
But Bonner declined to answer any other questions, including whether the committee will continue its investigation into the Waters case. The Ethics Committee must vote to extend the probe into this Congress, and it is unclear whether there has been any agreement to do so.
Waters was charged last June with improperly intervening during the 2008 U.S. financial crisis on behalf of a minority-owned bank in which her husband owned more than $350,000 in stock. Waters vehemently denied the allegations and sought an ethics trial to contest the charges. That trial was postponed in November after more allegedly damaging information against Waters was uncovered, although sources close to the congresswoman said the delay showed the weakness in the Ethics Committee’s charges against her.
Last December, a behind-the-scenes partisan battle over the Waters case broke out inside the Ethics Committee over two investigators, Cindy Morgan Kim and Stacey Sovereign, involved in the probe. Lofgren, then-chairwoman of the committee, tried to fire the two women, but Republicans objected and the pair was placed on “indefinite administrative leave.” Kim and Sovereign were on the Ethics Committee’s payroll as of the end of January, according to the House payroll office.
Sanchez will play a critical role in deciding whether Kim or Sovereign will be retained by the committee, as well as the hiring of a new staff director for the panel. And Sanchez — or at least one other Democrat on the committee — will have to agree to continue the Waters probe in this Congress. Sanchez’s district is located next to Waters’s in Southern California.
Sanchez married James M. Sullivan in 2009. Sullivan is a former Democratic congressional candidate turned registered lobbyist and political consultant. | 1,161 |
BANGKOK -- The Myanmar Press Council said Wednesday that police have arrested two journalists working for an international news organization on suspicion of possessing "secret police documents" related to the ongoing refugee crisis in Rakhine state.
Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, employees of the Reuters news agency, were arrested late Tuesday and charged with violating the country's colonial era Official Secrets Act after police said the two were found in possession of copies of documents from officials in Muangdaw district, said Myint Kyaw, a member of the media body that investigates and settles press disputes.
Officers at the police station where the two were believed to have been charged denied that any arrest had been made.
Reuters said in a statement that Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo had been missing since late Tuesday night.
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"We have filed a missing person's report and are doing everything we can to locate them," the statement said.
The U.S. Embassy said it was "deeply concerned by the highly irregular arrests of two Reuters reporters."
"For a democracy to succeed, journalists need to be able to do their jobs freely," it said in a statement. It urged the government to allow immediate access to the journalists.
The press council used to be government appointed, and it's unclear whether it is fully independent under the country's new civilian government.
Northern Rakhine state is the epicenter of the Myanmar military's brutal security operation that has forced more than 625,000 minority Rohingya Muslims to flee to neighboring Bangladesh. The campaign launched in August in response to attacks on police outposts has been condemned by the United Nations as "ethnic cleansing" and those fleeing have described widespread rights abuses by security forces.
The military, which is charge of security in northern Rakhine, and the civilian government have barred most journalists and international observers from independently traveling to the region.
The Officials Secrets Act, dating back to the 1920s, makes violations punishable by up to 14 years in prison.
Journalists in Myanmar are facing renewed harassment, with several arrested in recent months. Two foreign journalists along with two of their Myanmar associates are currently awaiting trial on new charges after already being sentenced to jail for illegally flying a drone over parliament.
"Media freedom in the country is getting worse and arresting journalists is more and more common these days, and this shows that the authorities are clearly ignoring media laws," said Robert Sann Aung, a human rights lawyer. | 1,162 |
limated into the ‘better, louder, faster’ guitar solo and the constant pursuit of compliant groupies. Censorship, religious fundamentalism and sexual impropriety — or rather, hypocrisy with regard to the particular sexual impropriety of televangelists and Republicans — received Zappa’s attention during the 80s. He pursued his cause to the extent of registering voters at his concerts during his 1988 Broadway the Hard Way tour. Illness precluded his own presidential bid during the 1992 United States elections.
Often criticised was Zappa's vigour and zeal when dealing with topics of a “glandular” nature. His opinion to the end was that ‘sex looks silly’. “Let’s face it,” he said, “even if it feels good, it looks silly”. Yet, as entertainment, he felt that all work could be reduced to this tenet: “Is it possible to laugh while fucking? I think yes.”
Frank Zappa developed prostate cancer, and although detected some time during the early 90s, it was kept secret. The only official public reference made was the insistence that ‘the press’ had diagnosed him as a sufferer. Zappa himself claimed to be quite well most of the time. He continued to work up to sixteen hours a day in his home studio, composing, recording and remixing his music, only taking time off every so often when he felt ‘really bad’. However, an aversion to flying, owing to severe discomfort, and the more frequent press-leaks of the true severity of his condition seemed to make it apparent that the end was night. His latest album, The Yellow Shark, consisting of orchestral pieces performed by the Ensemble Modern, had been out barely a month before news was released that Zappa had died. On December 6 1993 it was announced that he had already been interred, having passed away two days earlier. Zappa is survived by wife and company administrator Gail, and by children Moon Unit, Dweezil, Ahmet Rodon and Diva. His stunning oeuvre has been left in good order. Most of his back catalogue has been re-released on CD and new work is ready for imminent, posthumous release.
Human foible may now emit a collective sigh of relief. Its greatest detractor, one of this century’s most original and significant composers and the most alternative of musicians, is no more. | 1,163 |
The Trump administration has denied a coal company’s request to invoke a little-used authority to stop coal-fired power plants from closing.
Murray Energy Corp. CEO Bob Murray, an outspoken advocate for coal and a close ally to President Trump, had asked for a federal order to stop a major utility from closing any plants, even if it goes bankrupt.
Such an order from the Energy Department would have, among other effects, exempted FirstEnergy Solutions Corp.’s plants from numerous environmental standards.
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The Associated Press first reported the Murray request and Trump administration denial Tuesday, citing a series of letters Murray sent to administration officials.
The decision shows there are limits to Trump’s promises on the campaign trail and while in office to save the endangered coal industry, which has suffered for years due to competition from natural gas, environmental rules and other factors.
“This administration is unified in our mission to undo the economic damage inflicted on millions of hard-working citizens during the 8-year-long war on coal,” Energy Department spokeswoman Shaylyn Hynes said in a statement.
“We look at the facts of each issue and consider the authorities we have to address them but with respect to this particular case at this particular time, the White House and the Department of Energy are in agreement that the evidence does not warrant the use of this emergency authority.”
Murray said in his letters that Trump told him multiple times in July and August that he wanted Energy Secretary Rick Perry Rick PerryOVERNIGHT ENERGY: Democrats push resolution to battle climate change, sluggish economy and racial injustice | Senators reach compromise on greenhouse gas amendment stalling energy bill | Trump courts Florida voters with offshore drilling moratorium OVERNIGHT ENERGY: Trump signs major conservation bill into law | Senate votes to confirm Energy's No. 2 official | Trump Jr. expresses opposition to Pebble Mine project Senate votes to confirm Energy's No. 2 official MORE to invoke the emergency authority. The department did not comment on that assertion.
He wrote that without it, 6,500 Murray coal mining jobs would be terminated “promptly,” and each one of those jobs supports 11 outside the industry.
“This would be a disaster for President Trump and for our coal mining communities,” Murray wrote.
The Energy Department’s authority comes from section 202(c) of the Federal Power Act, designed for major problems like war, natural disasters or increased energy demand that require federal government intervention. | 1,164 |
It is feared that missing migrant children feared being used for organ harvesting as even Muslim groups are criticising the migrant crisis for endangering lives of underage migrants.
Chairman of the Central Council of German Muslims, Aiman Mazyek, is upset at Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government and the fact that over 5000 migrant children are presumed missing in the country since the start of the migrant crisis last year.
“We must assume that many of these children and young people have fallen into criminal circles that they are forced into prostitution, or their organs were removed,” he said in a statement at a press conference where he was joined by German federal government advisor John Wilhelm Roerig who raises awareness of child sexual abuse. “The silence in the face of many missing persons can be heard very loudly,” Mazyek said, according to Die Welt.
Mr. Roerig has also been very critical of the handling of underage migrant children in asylum homes.
He said, “I have to warn you. Many alleged helpers and guards have too easy access to the children and be able to produce a closeness that can be exploited,” which also follows the various stories of migrant children being abused, most often by other migrants.
“The refugee crisis is also a crisis of refugee children,” Mr. Roerig said.
“They often have experienced terrible things and are especially needy and vulnerable.”
He proposes new measures for the German government in order to better protect children such as separate bathrooms for women and children, or having separate asylum centres entirely – a policy in many but by no means all regions in the country. The rate at which more women and children are fleeing mixed gendered housing is rising as a result of both physical and sexual violence.
Both Mr. Roerig and the Central Council of Muslims aim to take action against abuse. They have come up with specific concepts to develop protection for children that they will take to every asylum centre. This agreement will be signed off on by more than 20 organisations that work directly with child migrants.
Their first step is an informational brochure which will be published in German, Turkish, and Arabic to educate children on what constitutes abuse so they can report it and also to teach migrants that child abuse is a serious crime and not accepted in Germany.
They said that up to ten percent of migrant children will be abused and that their goal is to see a drastic decrease in the number of cases for the future. | 1,165 |
the boom. Everyone, from the restaurants that fed the bankers to the boutiques that dressed them, felt rich. House prices boomed, people felt buoyant - and borrowed more on their assets. Then, the British real estate bubble popped, hitting the residential and then the commercial sector. It was only 18 months ago that Northern Rock, a mid-market mortgage lender, foundered and needed nationalisation, and most believed it would end there. But then there was a run on the banks. Recession hit formally in the fourth quarter last year and the crisis that at first seemed confined to London is now everywhere.
According to British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, now facing another dramatic slump in the polls, the challenge faced by Britain is the same challenge facing every other nation: encouraging banks to start lending again. Announcing that Northern Rock was poised to revive its home loan arm, Mr Brown insisted this week that the Government's guarantee of banks' bad debt would help restore confidence and reboot lending stymied by the credit squeeze.
But according to Mervyn King, the governor of the Bank of England, who gave evidence to the Treasury Select Committee on Thursday, not only is it almost "impossible to say" just how much capital will be needed in the end to shore up the ailing banking system, but the nation was already so deep in debt before the crisis hit that it was making any move towards recovery more difficult. Speaking before a panel of senior MPs, he ticked off the Labour Government by saying debt levels meant that Britain's fiscal stimulus package had to be smaller than other countries. "I do think public debt matters. We get to this crisis with levels of public borrowing that were too high and that made it difficult," he said. Mr King warned that Britain had yet to ascertain "what is really on the balance sheets of the major banks", a process he warned could take many more months. Loading
He also made clear the Bank of England's plan to embark on quantitative easing - often called printing money - was an additional boost to the economy given that interest rates are set at a record low of 1%. "The problem at present is not that the amount of money in the economy is growing too rapidly, threatening a big inflationary surge. It is that the amount of money in the economy is growing too slowly," he said. The central bank is due to take its next decision on interest rates next Thursday. Until then, Britons will be hanging on to their hats - and RBS boss Sir Fred Goodwin says he will hang on to his pension.
| 1,166 |
With the release of the new Spider-Man: Homecoming trailer comes a new interview director Jon Watts did with Fandango that included some very interesting bits of information. There is no official run time yet as the film is still being finished, but Watts tells folks there will be a good number of Easter Eggs for the existing Marvel Universe including one that can be found in today's trailer. But what you won't see in the film is any nods to previous Spider-Man actors Tobey Maguire or Andrew Garfield.
A lot more than just an Easter Egg is the introduction of Damage Control into the MCU. It's a construction and demolition team that cleans up after super-heroes and in this iteration, it's created and funded by Tony Stark. The problem is that there are already salvage groups making big money on going in after these battles, one being run by Adrian Toomes, and will be the catalyst for him putting together the Vulture suit. This could lead to various ties ins to other films as Toomes could've salvaged things from battles in any of the MCU films / shows.
As for Tony Stark's role in the film, it picks up from Civil War and how he just grabbed a 15-year old off the street, through him into a clash of titans and then dropped him back off before the film was over. Now we get to see the repercussions of his actions and what Stark's role will be with Peter going forward. Will he stay around in Peter's life? Could he become a mentor and is he capable of something like that?
Watts thinks that the key to Peter Parker is sincerity and how he always wants to do the right thing no matter what. And besides Marvel Universe Easter Eggs, there will also be some for John Hughes movies. Watts felt inspired by those movies and that they also had the sincerity and taking teenagers and treating them seriously. Looking at the story from the eyes of Peter Parker instead of as an adult looking back at high school.
And for the important things… there will be an after credits scene.
There is no connection between Spider-Man: Homecoming and the newly announced Venom film. Nor is it connected to the MCU according to Watts.
And he is aware of what's going on in Avengers: Infinity War in case it effects his movie, but the project is all The Russo Brothers.
Spider-Man: Homecoming opens July 7th and stars Tom Holland, Marisa Tomei, Robert Downey Jr. and Michael Keaton. | 1,167 |
SBI had earlier waived charges for fund transfers of up to Rs. 1,000 through IMPS.
Highlights SBI has revised charges for some services from today
Charge for fund transfers up to Rs. 10,000 halved to Rs. 1 excluding GST
SBI earlier waived charges for fund transfers up to Rs. 1,000 through IMP
From July 15 onwards, customers of State Bank of India or SBI will pay up to 75 per cent less for online money transfer services - NEFT (national electronic funds transfer) and RTGS (real time gross settlement) transactions done through internet banking or mobile banking offered by the bank. NEFT and RTGS are electronic payment systems, which allow fund transfer between two accounts of different banks in the country. In a move to promote digital transactions, State Bank of India or SBI has reduced its fees for online money transfer services, the public sector lender said.
Earlier, SBI charged Rs. 2 for fund transfers up to Rs. 10,000 through NEFT using internet or mobile banking modes. Now that has been reduced to Rs. 1 (excluding GST of 18 per cent). For NEFT transactions from Rs. 10,000 to Rs. 1 lakh, the charge has been reduced to Rs. 2 from Rs. 4 earlier.
Similarly, SBI has revised its fees for fund transfers between Rs. 2 lakh and Rs. 5 lakh through RTGS on its net and mobile banking platform, to Rs. 5 from Rs. 20 earlier, a reduction of 75 per cent.
"Digitalization and excellence in operations is one of our core strategies in providing convenience to customers. It has resulted in reducing turnaround time along with extended benefits to the customers.," said Rajnish Kumar, managing director (NBG) at SBI.
"In sync with our strategy and complementing the focus of Government of India to create a digital economy, we have taken one more step to promote use of internet banking and mobile banking for doing NEFT and RTGS transactions by reduction of the charges," he added.SBI had earlier waived charges for fund transfers of up to Rs. 1,000 through Immediate Payment Service or IMPS effective July 1, 2017. IMPS is a money transfer service that can be carried out though mobile phones or internet banking. The IMPS service helps to transfer money to the beneficiary's account immediately when a fund transfer request is made through mobile phone or internet banking. The IMPS service is available 24x7, including holidays. | 1,168 |
they should have been banned, as well."
Facebook responds to criticism
But other far-right groups in Quebec less obviously transgress Facebook's hate speech policies.
Morin, the UNESCO-sponsored radicalization expert, said Facebook's crackdown appeared to begin with the most extreme groups.
Many of the far-right groups in Quebec strive to present a "politically acceptable facade and play on the limits of acceptable discourse" in order to avoid being censored, he said in an email.
That's the case for La Meute, arguably the largest far-right organization in the province, whose leaders closely monitor the comments on its Facebook page, Geoffroy said.
When Facebook announced its decision to ban the English-speaking Canadian groups, La Meute's administrators told members it was deleting comments "not to infringe on your Freedom of Expression but to protect the La Meute Group."
Groups like La Meute, Geoffroy said, put Facebook in the difficult position of being forced to strike a balance between what is acceptable to say online and what isn't.
"Facebook finds itself taking decisions that I think are the responsibility of government," he said. "Limiting hate speech shouldn't be the responsibility of Facebook."
The decision to ban Canadian hate groups is part of an international effort by Facebook to respond to long-standing concerns the site is used as a platform for spreading hate and organizing violence against minorities.
Facebook has been forced to respond to long-standing concerns that the site is used as a platform for spreading hate and organizing violence against minorities. (Andrew Harnik/Associated Press)
Facebook tightened its policies after a racist gunman killed 50 Muslims in attacks on two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand in March.
The gunman was able to livestream video of the attack on the social media site, prompting renewed scrutiny of its so-called "community standards."
The Canadian government applauded Facebook's announcement earlier this month that it was removing some Canadian hate groups from the site.
"We are pleased that Facebook has made this decision and would hope that other platforms would look to Facebook's actions," said Karina Gould, the minister for democratic institutions.
The Quebec government declined to say whether it has addressed any concerns to Facebook about the continued online presence of Quebec hate groups.
"Facebook is a private company and can impose its own conditions for users," Public Security Minister Geneviève Guilbault said in a statement.
"We are nevertheless monitoring these movements." | 1,169 |
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The killing of Osama bin Laden couldn’t have come at a better time for one beleaguered member of the Obama administration: Eric Holder. The attorney general is on the Hill this week for back-to-back oversight hearings of the Justice Department by the House and Senate judiciary committees. Holder’s recent appearances before congressional committees have not been well received by Republicans in large part because of his statements about how the department was likely to handle Bin Laden.
In March 2010, Holder’s planned testimony before the Senate judiciary committee was unexpectedly postponed several weeks. When the news broke, Byron York at the Washington Examiner speculated that the administration was trying to avoid “another embarrassing performance by the attorney general.” York quoted an unnamed Republican saying that Holder’s previous appearance before the House appropriations committee was a “disaster,” thanks to his insistence that Bin Laden would never be taken alive. “Those and other statements amounted to a blooper reel from just one Holder appearance,” York wrote.
Republicans had been grilling Holder about the possibility that the Justice Department might insist on reading Bin Laden his Miranda rights if he were captured, to which Holder replied, “Let’s deal with reality. You’re talking about a hypothetical that will never occur. The reality is that we will be reading Miranda rights to the corpse of Osama bin Laden. He will never appear in an American courtroom. That’s the reality… He will be killed by us, or he will be killed by his own people so he’s not captured by us. We know that.”
Republicans on the committee weren’t buying it, and suggested that Holder really wanted to treat Bin Laden like Charles Manson or any other mass murder. “The disconnect between this administration and your mindset is so completely opposite that of where the vast majority of the American people are,” Rep. John Culberson (R-Tex.) told him.
A year later, and Holder is suddenly looking like a visionary. Whether the Republicans on the Hill this week will give him any credit for accurately predicting the future remains to be seen. But at least this time around, Holder will be coming to the Hill armed with proof that he knew what he was talking about when it came to Bin Laden. Republicans will have a lot of trouble taking a chink out of that armor. | 1,170 |
wet well-
wishers stood vigil, hoping to catch a glimpse of the former president and first lady. The contingent consisted of a bank executive, a retired firefighter, a massage therapist, and a 14-year-old high school student and her mother, a manicurist.
Adriana Canizales had raced over with her mother as soon as her classes broke for the day. She was holding a bouquet of flowers. Her high school ID card hung from a lanyard around her neck.
She hoped that the flowers would persuade Obama to stop or at least roll down the window so that she could thank him.
Hours passed with no sign of the motorcade. Some people grew tired of waiting and drifted away. Others arrived.
“It’s such a bummer for there to be so few people,” said a mother who came with her two children. “Maybe he’ll understand that it’s California and its raining.”
By 8 p.m., about 20 people were on the sidewalk.
“I am visualizing him stopping and saying hello,” the massage therapist said.
Adriana, who had now been waiting for more than five hours, nodded. She was imagining it, too. She was perched on the edge of the sidewalk when the flashing lights of Obama’s motorcade came into view and the small crowd began to yell. Adriana jumped in the air and waved her flowers as the convoy, a flash of silver and black, sped past.
Obama’s welcome had lasted a little less than three seconds.
“Did anyone see the president?” the bank executive called out.
Adriana was crying. “I did,” she said softly.
“Was he smiling?” the executive asked.
“Of course,” Adriana replied, sounding more confident.
The crowd spent the next 10 minutes poring over their cellphone footage to see if anyone had snapped an image of Obama, but the evidence was inconclusive.
As people headed back toward their cars, Adriana walked over to the guard shack with her flowers.
“Is there any way possible for you to get these to the Obama family?” she asked.
She returned a few minutes later, still holding the bouquet.
Juliet Eilperin contributed to this report. | 1,171 |
Hours before Kobe Bryant was killed in a helicopter crash that rocked the world, the Lakers legend spoke with LeBron James on the phone to congratulate the Lakers star on passing him to become the third-highest scorer in NBA history.
Several current Lakers players listened into the call, according to The Athletic, which James said took place Sunday morning.
Bryant, 41, was among nine killed Sunday morning in the crash about 30 miles outside of Los Angeles.
The five-time NBA champion’s 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, also was killed as they were traveling to Bryant’s basketball practice facility.
“literally just heard your voice Sunday morning before I left Philly to head back to LA. Didn’t think for one bit in a million years that would be the last conversation we’d have,” James wrote Monday on Instagram. “WTF!! I’m heartbroken and devastated my brother!!”
On Saturday, Bryant paid tribute to James on social media after his close friend surpassed him in the NBA record books during a game in Bryant’s hometown of Philadelphia.
“Continuing to move the game forward @KingJames,” Bryant tweeted. Much respect my brother #33644.” (Bryant finished his career with 33,644 points, while James currently is at 33,655 points.)
It was during the Lakers’ flight back to Los Angeles on Sunday when James and his teammates learned of Bryant’s death.
“Everyone is in shock,” a team source told ESPN on Sunday.
James was spotted tearing up and hugging multiple people after finding out about the crash, which occurred amid a dense fog and currently is under investigation by local authorities.
While only Dwight Howard of the current Lakers players played alongside Bryant in the NBA, many if not all of them have been touched by the future Hall of Famer.
James and Bryant, widely considered two of the best NBA players of the past 20 years, won gold medals for Team USA at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics.
To honor Bryant, the NBA postponed the Lakers-Clippers game on Tuesday, which would have been the Lakers’ first game since the accident. (The date of the makeup game has not yet been announced.)
The Lakers, who are slated to play the Trail Blazers at home on Friday, brought in counselors to help members of the organization mourn. Bryant retired from the NBA in 2016. | 1,172 |
News crew granted access to secure bunker that receives an encrypted call from USPACCOM if an airborne missile posses a threat to Hawaii on the very same day, hours, before the botched alert went out to the public
OAHU (INTELLIHUB) — It’s been confirmed that an NBC News crew gained access to a highly-secure bunker facility in which the Jan. 13 “ballistic missile threat” alert message was sent from, just hours before the message was broadcast, reportedly in error.
“Hours before the false alarm sounded with warning of an inbound missile we had exclusive access to the bunker where it was sent from,” an NBC News spokesman blatantly admitted in a Jan. 15 report which aired on the Nightly News titled “Nerves Rattled After Missile False Alarm in Hawaii.”
“Let me take you to where the show starts,” Hawaii Emergency Management spokesman David Hafner told the crew before the alert was issued using a rather odd choice of words. “This is where the call comes in that notifies us of a ballistic missile launch.”
Hafner said that his agency would receive a call from from Pacific Command if a threat were imminent and that’s when Hawaii Emergency Management Agency would then “decide whether or not to activate the siren.”
When the reporter asked where the encrypted secure phone was that receives the call, Hafner showed him and even picked up the receiver for a few seconds which opened up the line — something that should have never been done. What if Pacific Command was trying to get through at that very moment and they couldn’t because the line was open? This is complete and total negligence at best.
According to NBC News, “The call from the U.S. military Pacific Command never came, instead the alert was sent out in error, turning Hawaii upside-down.”
Can someone explain why NBC News was granted access to a secure bunker just hours before the botched message was sent out?
Can someone explain why @NBCNews was granted access to a secure bunker just hours before the botched #Hawaii #missilealert #message was sent out? — Shepard Ambellas (@ShepardAmbellas) January 17, 2018
Featured Image: Håkan Dahlström/Flickr
©2018. INTELLIHUB.COM. All Rights Reserved.
Follow @ShepardAmbellas | 1,173 |
The problem was that most of these diagnoses had been created by doctors arguing in a conference room; there was no blood test for schizophrenia or manic depression. Despite decades of searching for genetic and environmental factors, we still don’t know what causes these disorders or even whether they are distinct diseases. As one psychiatrist puts it in Cahalan’s book, today, “Symptoms and signs are all we fundamentally have.”
Rosenhan isn’t the only social scientist whose work at the time has come under ethical scrutiny. His Stanford colleague Philip Zimbardo, the author of the famous “prison experiment,” in which a simulation involving students posing as “guards” and “inmates” spun violently out of control, was recently found to have coached the “guards” to behave more aggressively — tainting the study’s conclusions about prison’s inherent evil. But “The Great Pretender” leaves open the possibility that Rosenhan did more than distort and omit facts that undermined his thesis. Could he have invented the other pseudopatients out of whole cloth?
“This was one of the handful of the most influential social science papers produced since World War II and ironically it’s a fraud,” Scull said. “It’s possible, now that the book is coming out, that someone will emerge from the weeds and say, ‘Actually, my aunt was one of those pseudopatients.’ But even were pseudopatients to surface this point, the other evidence Susannah lays out is so damning that it wouldn’t transform things.”
Cahalan is more circumspect. “I believe that he exposed something real,” she writes toward the end of her book. “Rosenhan’s paper, as exaggerated, and even dishonest as it was, touched on truth as it danced around it.”
His message about psychiatry’s limitations helped her understand how her own ordeal could have turned out so differently from that of her mirror image.
“I was a medical marvel,” she said. “The more access I got to psychiatry, the more I realized that I was a marvel and that the average person isn’t and won’t necessarily get the outcome that I did. This was a recalibration for me, to put my experience in the proper context: that it was extraordinary.” | 1,174 |
to take tips like this very seriously,' McNair said.
Throughout yesterday evening there was much confusion about what officers had discovered at the scene.
Authorities said they took the tip seriously in part because the caller had details about the interior of the house that only someone who had seen it could have known.
Evans added: 'We are going to continue our investigation and find out how this individual had this information in the first place.
'At this time no bodies have been recovered. We have investigated this part of the scene as much as we can.'
Police are now working to determine how the woman had such detailed information on the house.
Evans said police are now hunting the woman to find out why she made the hoax call.
Investigators added they would wait to talk to the woman before deciding on whether to bring charges.
DO PSYCHICS REALLY WORK? WHY POLICE USE THEM AND WHO ARE THEY
Psychic detectives claim to be able to use the power of their mind to help police in their investigations.
Their purported powers include ability to see events that happened in the past (post-cognition), to'read' information from inanimate objects (psychometry), and to be able to read minds (telepathy).
A 1993 survey found that out of 50 police forces in the United States, one third had accepted predictions from psychic detectives in the past.
Despite the apparently high number, only seven departments treated information gained from psychics differently to information from an ordinary source.
Several police departments, the FBI and other investigative organisations say that psychics have never demonstrably solved or prevented a crime.
Often psychics come forward offering their help to victim's families and their evidence is taken into consideration along with other elements of the case.
Recently the parents of missing Holly Bobo turned down an offer from renowned psychic Carla Baron for help in finding their missing daughter.
Homicide hoax: A cadaver dog leaves after the tip off was discredited
Nothing to see here: The authorities say they will contact the tipster about the graves claim
A Texas county sheriff's office said on there was no evidence that bodies had been found - after initially saying up to 30 corpses were discovered.
Reports suggested police were taking the matter seriously after human blood was found on the property.
But rather than being linked to a mass murder, it is thought the blood came from a suicide attempt at the property a few weeks ago. | 1,175 |
In his letter to President Trump, Kosovo President, Hashim Thaci said that he was ready to reach a compromise with Serbia with the goal of concluding a legally binding agreement on normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia.
The talks (on normalization of relations) have been halted since November 2018 when the government in Pristina raised customs tariffs on imports of locally-made products from Serbia by 100 percent. Serbia said it would not hold talks if the trade situation was not returned to normal.
“I will be ready and willing to make compromises necessary to reach a comprehensive and balanced settlement that will encompass all outstanding issues, thereby ending the century-old conflict with Serbia, and bringing peace to the whole region,” Thaci said in his letter dated January 8th.
Thaci said in June he would seek a solution with Serbia by “correcting borders,” but politicians and analysts in Kosovo said that would mean land swaps.
In his letter to Trump, Thaci also said he agreed a deal was “now within reach.”
Thaci goes on to say that “the emerging agreement will not interim peace or a frozen conflict” and adds:”We are trying to break the pattern and achieve a permanent agreement in which both sides recognize each other and renounce further conflict, and in which Kosovo joins the UN as a member state.”
“Achieving such a historic breakthrough will require maximum effort by both parties. I pledge to do my part. And I will urge my fellow Kosovars to follow your call in your December letter, “to speak with a unified voice during the peace talks, and refrain from actions that would make an agreement more difficult to achieve.”
Thaci ends his letter to Trump with:”As you generously suggested, I think of no better way to celebrate our success than to follow your leadership and join you at the White House where peace and history are together made.”
It remains unclear why Thaci published the letter now, days after he received a letter from Trump urging his Kosovo counterpart to do everything to reach a deal with Serbia two decades after the war ended.
(Danas, 29.01.2019)
https://www.danas.rs/politika/taci-pisao-trampu-spremni-smo-za-kompromise-sa-srbijom/
This post is also available in: Italiano | 1,176 |
The parents of a 14-year-old girl who took her own life after being relentlessly bullied online have invited the social media trolls to attend her funeral, to witness the devastation they have caused.
Amy Everett, known as Dolly by her family, was the face of Akubra Hats as a child.
The teenager from Katherine in the Northern Territory took her own life on January 3 after suffering years of online abuse.
Her father, Tick Everett, took to Facebook to describe his grief, saying his beloved daughter felt she had no other option.
"I know for some suicide is considered cowardly but I guarantee those people wouldn't have half the strength that my precious little angel had," he wrote.
View photos
Amy 'Dolly' Everett was the face of Akubra Hats as a child. Photo: Facebook/AkubraHats
"However, unfortunately, Dolly will never know the great pain and emptiness left behind.
"If we can help other precious lives from being lost and the suffering of so many, then Doll's life will not be wasted."
He also gave his daughter’s bullies a chance to see the repercussions of their actions by inviting them to Dolly’s funeral.
“If by some chance the people who thought this was a joke and made themselves feel superior by the constant bullying and harassment see this post, please come to our service and witness the complete devastation you have created.”
Akubra Hats has also posted a moving tribute, which has been shared more than 11,000 times, honouring the girl who was the face of their past Christmas advertisements.
View photos
Left: Dolly (far right) pictured with her family. Right: Dolly at her home in Katherine. Source: Facebook/Tick Everett
"To think that anyone could feel so overwhelmed and that this was their only option is unfathomable," the company wrote.
"Bullying of any type is unacceptable. It is up to us to stand up when we see any kind of bullying behaviour.
"Our hearts go out to her family and friends."
A public memorial service will be held on Friday at the Casuarina Street Primary School in Katherine East.
Friends and family are asked to wear blue, which was Dolly's favourite colour.
Anyone seeking support and information about suicide prevention can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or the Suicide Call Back Service 1300 659 467. | 1,177 |
Kremlin to sell own-brand dairy products online By News from Elsewhere...
...as found by BBC Monitoring Published duration 6 December 2016
image copyright Sasha Mordovets/Getty Images image caption Dine like Putin: The produce comes from exclusive farms and is not usually available to the general public
The Russian government is to give the public the chance to sample a range of delicacies previously reserved for senior officials.
Presidential press secretary Elena Krylova says an online shop selling dairy products under the brand name "Kremlin Quality" will open in the new year. She tells Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper that "milk, buttermilk, yoghurt and possibly cheese" made specially for the presidential administration, MPs and their staff will be "on offer to everyone, not just to officials".
Senior Russian civil servants still enjoy access to food produced exclusively for them in what amounts to a hangover from Soviet times, when special farms allowed the Communist leaders to avoid the generally poor-quality food on offer to the public.
Ms Krylova tells Govorit Moskva radio that the prices will be "no higher than in the supermarkets", as the authorities want to make sure the goods are "within the reach of all sections of the public".
A representative of the Kremlin Quality website told Vedomosti business daily that officials will still have some advantages, as they can pick up their online orders from their places of work, whereas everyone else must rely on home deliveries.
The paper notes that the presidential administration considered entering the food trade back in 2012 with its "Kremlin Squirrel" chocolates, and that dairy goods have appeared in some shops recently in order to test the market.
Online reaction has been largely humorous. One person says they wouldn't mind a entire dinner service complete with the state double-headed eagle crest, although others are annoyed to discover that their leaders still have exclusive access to high-quality food.
Several ask whether vodka will be on offer, fondly remembering the spirits produced for Soviet leaders at the Moscow Cristall Distillery. But Ms Krylova anticipated that particular question, telling Komsomolskaya Pravda: "I think there's already enough alcohol out there."
image copyright Kremlin-product.ru image caption Kremlin Quality cheese could soon be in ordinary Russian fridges
Next story: Berlin transport company makes light of Twitter vitriol
Use #NewsfromElsewhere to stay up-to-date with our reports via Twitter. | 1,178 |
Iman is not one to hold her tongue when it comes to the diversity issues plaguing the fashion world. The iconic supermodel took the stage at the 92nd Street Y Tuesday for a 90-minute moderated interview with New York Fashion Week founder, Fern Mallis, and offered brutally honest answers while discussing racially insensitive comments that were made about her during the earlier stages of her career. Specifically, that time a former Essence editor referred to her as a “White woman dipped in chocolate.”
The editorial comment was made by the publication’s former editor-in-chief, Marcia Gillespie, who expressed that Iman possessed the physical features of a White woman. Iman revealed that she learned of the comments during an interview with a White reporter from Time magazine.
“I’m a very political person, and I think things through clearly, even when I was 18 years old,” she said, according to the Huffington Post. “And I definitely did not want to talk to this White [Time] journalist about a war with me and a Black magazine. I was going to bring the war to [Gillespie].”
The now 60-year-old beauty later decided to personally address Gillespie regarding her concerns.
“’Probably, I’m more black than any Black person in America.’ I mean I don’t have any White in me. I’m pure Somali,” Iman explained. “So to me, I took offense to that. I don’t look like a White woman. I look Somali.”
Iman also recalled comments received from “the White side,” where people believed they were complimenting her by saying things like, “Oh, you’re different. You’re better than everybody else.” But notes that she was never flattered by the backhanded gestures.
“If I didn’t know the nuances of the politics of beauty and how you can use it by separating people and humiliating people… that constant friction was not lost on me,” she said.
Sadly, not much has changed since then; Black models are still facing racism in the industry. According to Iman, the best way to fight the system is to speak out.
“Remember you have a voice,” she said. “It’s like the subway signs… if you see something, say something.” | 1,179 |
While she doesn’t carry an Iranian passport, Donald Trump’s new travel ban could affect her career and next role.
“Paterson” actress Golshifteh Farahani was exiled from Iran after she appeared in Ridley’s Scott’s 2008 film “Body of Lies” and appeared on screen and on the red carpet without a veil. The actress then moved to Paris, and while she doesn’t carry an Iranian passport, Donald Trump’s new travel ban could affect her career and next role.
“I’m supposed to go to the US this Saturday for a movie, but I might not be able to go,” Farahani told The Hollywood Reporter. “The embassy is so busy. I’ve been trying to get an ESTA, but I can’t even get onto the website. I think some crazy things are happening.”
The actress didn’t reveal the project she was scheduled to appear in, but added that producers were already searching for her replacement in case she was unable to travel.
READ MORE: ‘The Salesman’ Director Asghar Farhadi Won’t Attend Oscars, Citing Muslim Ban
Farahani continued by expressing that the visa problems are “terrible,” and while her problems are logistical, she explained how many Iranian refugees aren’t able to return home.
“We can’t even go back there. We don’t even have the opportunity of living in our own country, but still we are being punished,” she expressed.
Questioning Trump’s order, she added that he should be bringing people together, not diving them. “I want to tell him that at this time in the world the only thing leaders should be doing is reuniting people instead of representing one nation or another as an enemy. It’s not going to work.”
Farahani will next star in “The Night Eats the World,” “The Song of Scorpions” and Disney’s “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales,” out May 26.
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Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here. | 1,180 |
Now signing up 1.5 million users each week in the U.S., Android Pay, Google’s payment platform and mobile wallet for Android devices and apps, is coming to the UK, with dozens of partners including banks, physical retailers, apps and payment platforms in tow. Google is not giving an exact date for the launch except to note that it will be “in the next few months.” This is Google’s first market in Europe, and it looks like it’s the second outside of the U.S., after Google announced the launch of Android Pay in Australia in December (where it has yet to go live).
Meanwhile, over in the U.S., Google is adding more retailers and kicking off a new loyalty program for Android Pay users, in partnership with Plenti — a card-based rewards program from American Express. Users of Android Pay who sign up to Plenti can now pick up loyalty points and redeem rewards when they shop at participating retailers. Considering that one of the issues with mobile payments is that in many cases people cannot find enough of a reason to switch from using existing payment methods like physical cards, it’s integrations like this with loyalty programs that can potentially help make services more “sticky” and potentially more useful.
For context on the UK announcement, Apple Pay launched in the UK in July last year, and Samsung has said that its own-brand mobile wallet will be coming to the UK this year. People had been noticing hints of Android Pay’s imminent UK plans, but this is the first official confirmation from Google of the service.
In a sense, considering that Apple made an earlier move to turn on Apple Pay here, and individual banks like Barclays have put in legwork to build their own mobile wallets and contactless payment apps, Google is somewhat late — or at least took its time bringing Android Pay to this market.
One of the reasons may have been that it was trying to get a sufficient number of partners on board to enter with a splash. Today, that seems one of the main themes of its announcement.
Included are eight big banks — but not all of them, with some of the biggies left out including Barclays and TSB. (Notably, when Apple Pay launched people pointed out that it, too, was missing some major names — which then got in the months following.) Google’s Pali Bhat, a product management senior director at Android Pay, notes that more banks are still getting added. | 1,181 |
@UniRdg_ArtCol
Museums are really interesting places, but they're not exactly known for their sense of humour.
Today that changed, as museums across the UK showed their funny side with Museum Memes day.
Tweeting under the hashtag #MusMemes, they celebrated their collections in the form of memes.
Here are a few of our favourites…
The Natural History Museum
@NHM_London
We've all been there - the sign says do not touch, but you just can't help yourself.
Well, staff at the Natural History Museum in London have clearly noticed people breaking the rules!
The University of Reading Special Collections
@UniRdg_SpecColl
The University of Reading Special Collections is a library that stores rare books, archives and manuscripts.
You have to be extra careful when you're handling old items, but their advice is that you shouldn't wear gloves.
Gloves can make you clumsier and get the books dirty - instead, they recommend using clean, dry hands.
Drake clearly agrees!
The Field Museum
@FieldMuseum
The Field Museum is actually in Chicago in the United States, but it hasn't stopped them getting in on the fun.
The museum is home to nearly 40 million historic objects, artefacts and specimens.
It must be so interesting that people have trouble leaving at closing time!
The V&A Museum
@V_and_A
The V&A Museum is in London and is one of the world's leading museums of art, design and performance.
They've taken the opportunity to remind people that food and drink don't mix with museum exhibits!
The National History Museum
@NHM_London
The Natural History Museum had so much fun with their memes we've included them twice.
Charles Darwin was an English naturalist who is famous for his theory of evolution.
He also had a particularly brilliant beard.
The National Museum of the Royal Navy
@dhartley_NMRN @kateejamieson
The National Museum of the Royal Navy has museums and ships all over the UK.
Their meme featured the British admiral Lord Horatio Nelson, who died in the Battle of Trafalgar 1805.
The battle was a famous victory for the British navy, who sunk 22 Spanish and French ships. | 1,182 |
Monthly Shields
☼ I've noticed that my lookup shield doesn't change on the exact day it should. It's always 1-2 weeks late. Could you possibly fix this? - sk8rguyzrh0tt
Because there are not an even number of days in each month, and to take into account leap years, the shield system works on approximately 30 days per month, not by calendar months. This is why you are seeing some differences.
This is question 3179, archived from Editorial Issue 197. Because there are not an even number of days in each month, and to take into account leap years, the shield system works on approximately 30 days per month, not by calendar months. This is why you are seeing some differences.
☼ I've been a proud Neopets owner since August of 2000, but my anniversary icon has been stuck on the 6 Years image for... well, 2 years now. Any chance you guys will add some new anniversary icons to mark our loyal membership to the original and best virtual pet gaming site? ~luturna
We were planning on implementing a new thing with shields, but it keeps getting pushed back, so we've decided to add some new shields for those who have been very patient with us. For now, after six years a new shiny shield will be updated every six months to show your ongoing support.
This is question 5537, archived from Editorial Issue 360. We were planning on implementing a new thing with shields, but it keeps getting pushed back, so we've decided to add some new shields for those who have been very patient with us. For now, after six years a new shiny shield will be updated every six months to show your ongoing support.
Each month the shield on your userlookup will change (if your account is less than a month old it changes every week). The shield displays the age of your account. In other words: how long you have been playing Neopets. Some of you might be curious to see what shield you can expect to see on your lookup in the near feature. This page contains a list of all shields that have been made so far, they go up to nine and a half years.The shield on your lookup might be a little off from the real time you have been playing Neopets, but Neopian Times Editorial #197 explains why:Neo finally decided to release some new shields after the 6 year mark. Instead of them being every month though they are now every 1/2 year. | 1,183 |
Not even a week after the America's Got Talent finale, and former contestant Courtney Hadwin is (reportedly) already making big moves in the music industry.
The 14-year-old British singer has apparently signed a record deal with Sysco Entertainment, the Daily Mail reports. According to the outlet and several other publications, Simon has been "keen" on adding Courtney to his talent lineup.
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GoodHousekeeping.com reached out to AGT for comment, but has not received a response yet. A spokesperson did tell Variety, however, that the young artist met with the former American Idol judge at his home the day after the finale on September 20.
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While the details have yet to be confirmed, fans of Courtney can definitely expect to see the gifted teen in Las Vegas, where she'll join season 13's winner Shin Lim and other finalists for America's Got Talent Live at the Paris Theater.
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Despite not placing in the top five on the show, Courtney was always a strong contender throughout the series. In her first audition, she wowed everyone with her powerful rendition of Otis Redding's "Hard to Handle." Judge Howie Mandel was so stunned he gave her his golden buzzer and sent her straight to the live shows. From then on, he had no doubt her career would soar.
"It was just my gut reaction," Howie previously told GoodHousekeeping.com. "I just went 'Oh my god, I'll buy tickets now. I'll buy a record now. I love this. I feel blessed to be a small part in witnessing the making of a superstar."
Kayla Keegan News and Entertainment Editor Kayla Keegan covers all things in the entertainment, pop culture, and celebrity space for Good Housekeeping.
This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io | 1,184 |
Humans Make Up Less Than 40 Percent of the Internet’s Traffic According to a new report, the human race is a minority on the internet.
Dec. 12, 2013 -- The human race is a minority on the Internet. And no, it's not because your pets have all of a sudden gotten computer-savvy.
A recent report published by Incapsula, a company that helps websites manage their traffic and security, examined the activity across several thousand of its sites and found that humans make up less than 40 percent of all activity in 2013. But even though the bots are more active than ever before, that might not necessarily be a bad thing.
Igal Zeifman, who wrote the report, said that while the number of bots is up from last year, it's not all spammers and hackers. "The bulk of that growth is attributed to increased visits by good bots," he said. Bingbot and Googlebot are both good bots that help the search engines find new sites.
Incapsula analyzed nearly 1.5 billion bot visits, spread across 20,000 websites in 249 countries. "It's a good representation of what's going on out there [in the Internet]," Marc Gaffan, co-founder of Incapsula, told ABC News. "It ranges [in size] from tiny personal sites to large healthcare, financial, and retail sites."
The percentage of spam bots has decreased from last year, accounting for less than 1 percent of Internet activity. Zeifman attributes this drop to recent changes Google made in one of its search algorithms, Penguin. "Based on our figures, it looks like Google was able to discourage link spamming practices," he said.
But even though there is a smaller percentage of bots dedicated to hacking and spamming, there are still plenty of malicious bots out there. Gaffan said that many of the company's customers don't realize how big an issue it is: "One out out of 20 visitors is a hacking tool, and one-fifth of all visits are from some type of impersonator."
The impersonators are a growing class of bots that pretend to be one of the good guys. "For example, they'll say that they're from Google, but they don't behave like the Google bots and they don't come from Google IP addresses," said Gaffan. "Everyone wants Google to index their website, so if the impersonators say they're from Google, then they have a higher chance they'll be let in." | 1,185 |
Berhampur, Nov 28: A woman in Odisha has allegedly been killed by her in-laws as they received dowry in demonetised notes, reported Odisha TV. The incident is of Rangipur village, in Ganjam district. The victim, identified as Prabhasini was newly-wedded. She got married to Laxmi Nahak. Prabhasini’s parents reportedly paid dowry of Rs 1.70 lakhs. The dowry amount was paid in old notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1000. Since the notes had lost legal tender, Prabhasini’s in-laws pressurised her parents to get it returned as early as possible. Also Read - SAMS Odisha Plus Two Admission 2020: +2 Merit List Released Online at samsodisha.gov.in; All You Need to Know
Prabhisini’s kin agreed to get the dowry notes replaced as early as possible. They sought time from Prabhasini’s in-laws to exchange the cash as per the norms laid down by Reserve Bank of India (RBI). However, Prabhasini was allegedly subjected to brutal torture for not paying the dowry amount in legal tender. According to Prabhasini’s mother, they had agreed to pay the dowry in new notes in a short while. “In fact we were about to give them the money within 2-3 days. But before that they killed our daughter,” she was quoted as saying by Odisha TV. Also Read - CHSE Odisha +2 Arts Results 2020 Declared: Check Your Scores at chseodisha.nic.in or Via SMS | Here's How
Police investigation is currently underway. The family of Laxmi Nahak have denied torturing Prabhasini. According to Laxmi’s sister Jhili Nahak, Prabhasini committed suicide for reasons best known to her. She claims that they did not create a time-limit for replacement of dowry amount and did not subject the deceased to any sort of torture. Also Read - Odisha Plans River Cruises to Promote Tourism Sector
Golanthara police is looking into other angles in the case as well. Upon initial probe, it was found that Laxmi got married to one Santoshi Pradhan a few days back. Police is tracing the link between the former marriage of Laxmi with the death of his current wife Prabhasini. | 1,186 |
An image of Edmond de Belamy, created by a computer, has just been sold at Christie’s. But no algorithm can capture our complex human consciousness
From a distance, Portrait of Edmond de Belamy, which has just sold at Christie’s in New York for $432,000 (£337,000), looks almost plausible. Up close, however, the paintwork becomes a grid of mechanical-looking dots, the man’s face a golden blur with black holes for eyes. Look into those eyes. They show no sign of feeling or life. Did a computer make this?
The answer is yes. The first artwork generated by AI to be sold at Christie’s, its impressive price would seem to suggest that in future we will get computers to make art for us. Robot van Gogh will harmlessly cut its ear off and robot Picasso will be a genius, minus the misogyny.
Is this the future AI art visionaries such as the French collective Obvious, which programmed this “painter” by getting it to compare its own work with 15,000 pre-20th century portraits, have in mind? Or are they just, God forbid, making a fast buck from gullible art collectors? Because believing the algorithm that knocked this up to be in any meaningful way an “artist” is like thinking your voice-interaction programme is out to get you. Dream on. Computers would need to replicate human consciousness before they could replicate the funny thing humans do called “art”.
Art is a way in which human consciousness expresses itself, and is equally true of the earliest cave art, Rembrandt’s portraits and Duchamp’s urinal. And that is what is missing from Portrait of Edmond Bellamy. Art is a way humans communicate ideas, perceptions and feelings to each other. It has no existence outside the human passion to communicate. So in what meaningful sense can an AI replica of certain physical traits of old master paintings be called art?
For a robot to really make art, it would need an autonomous mind that was emotional as well as rational. No AI developer has yet claimed to be anywhere near achieving that and if they ever do, their creation will probably have better things to do than paint portraits – like destroy humanity.
Maybe afterwards robots will invent their own kind of art, but it won’t be some poor pastiche of human genius. It will be beyond anything we organics could imagine. | 1,187 |
Syria war: Russia announces Aleppo humanitarian pause Published duration 17 October 2016
image copyright Reuters image caption Much of Aleppo lies in ruins after a sustained bombing campaign
Russia has announced a "humanitarian pause" in its bombing of the Syrian city of Aleppo.
Moscow said it would halt operations in Aleppo on Thursday for an eight-hour span between 08:00 (05:00 GMT) and 16:00.
The Russian defence ministry said the pause was agreed so that civilians and rebels could leave the city.
But UN agencies say at least 12 hours will be needed for that to happen.
"We would welcome any pause in the fighting, but there is a need for a longer pause in order to get the aid in," said UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric.
Russia's announcement came on the day 14 members of one family were reportedly killed in a strike in Aleppo.
Volunteer rescuers in Syria said eight children and two women were among the dead after heavy bombing in the past 24 hours, with "bunker-buster" munitions shaking the ground.
image copyright AFP image caption Rescuers used a crane to reach this 12-year-old boy who was trapped in rubble
Russian defence ministry official Sergei Rudskoy announced the pause in attacks on Monday afternoon.
"For that period, Russia's air force and Syrian government forces will halt air strikes and firing from other weapons."
Mr Rudskoy said Russia was working towards a solution on Aleppo, but that "reaching an agreement on all issues may take a long time".
"Therefore, we have taken a decision not to waste time and to introduce 'humanitarian pauses', mainly for the free passage of civilians, evacuation of the sick and wounded, and withdrawal of fighters," he said.
EU condemnation
Russia has come under increasing criticism from Western nations for its attacks on rebel-held east Aleppo, with the US and several prominent political figures accusing Moscow of war crimes.
The EU Foreign Affairs Council also published findings on Monday that concluded Russia's involvement - along with Syrian government forces - may amount to war crimes.
"The deliberate targeting of hospitals, medical personnel, schools and essential infrastructure, as well as the use of barrel bombs, cluster bombs, and chemical weapons, constitute a catastrophic escalation of the conflict... and may amount to war crimes," they said.
Moscow denies the accusations. President Vladimir Putin dismissed such claims as "rhetoric" that did not take into account the realities in Syria. | 1,188 |
Neko Case, k.d. lang and Laura Veirs
New supergroup Neko Case, k.d. lang and Laura Veirs, who will release trio album "case/lang/veirs" in June 2016. (Jason Quigley)
(Jason Quigley)
Watch out, Dolly: there's a new trio in town.
Neko Case, k.d. lang and Laura Veirs have teamed up for a new album together, "case/lang/veirs," a collection recorded in Portland with producer Tucker Martine.
The album is due June 17 on Anti- Records, with a national tour bringing the three to the Oregon Zoo on July 2.
With the new collaboration, the threesome may do for folk what Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt once did for country with a pair of "Trio" albums in the 1980s and '90s. Lead track "Atomic Number" arrived on Monday, with each singer taking lead lines and joining for powerful harmonies. Hear it below:
The project has been in the works for some time: lang and Case performed on Veirs' 2013 release "Warp and Weft," and lang spurred the supergroup collaboration with an email: "I think we should make a record together," she wrote, according to a press release.
"Laura and I both responded immediately. There was no question," Case added.
lang hasn't released a new album since 2011's "Sing It Loud," a release credited to the singer and her band the Siss Boom Bang. The Canadian-born musician moved to Portland shortly thereafter, landing in town in 2012.
"I always felt very comfortable in and excited by Portland, and I felt the pull over many years of visiting there," she told PQ Monthly that year. "It just came to be time, and an opportunity came up to move up there -- so I did!"
The new release was recorded in her and Veirs' homes, which explains the Vermont-based Case's mysterious Portland tweets in recent months.
Portland, you have turned into a price-gouging hustler with a desperate clenched mouth. — Neko Case (@NekoCase) July 11, 2015
-- David Greenwald
[email protected]
503-294-7625;
@davidegreenwald
Follow @davidegreenwald | 1,189 |
Photo
In case you needed further evidence that the White Hats are losing the war on cybercrime, a six-year-old so-called Trojan horse program that drains bank accounts is alive and well on Facebook.
Zeus is a particularly nasty Trojan horse that has infected millions of computers, most of them in the United States. Once Zeus has compromised a computer, it stays dormant until a victim logs into a bank site, and then it steals the victim’s passwords and drains the victim’s accounts. In some cases, it can even replace a bank’s Web site with its own page, in order to get even more information– such as a Social Security number– that can be sold on the black market.
The Trojan, which was first detected in 2007, is only getting more active. According to researchers at the security firm Trend Micro, incidents of Zeus have risen steadily this year and peaked in May. Eric Feinberg, founder of the advocacy group Fans Against Kounterfeit Enterprise (FAKE), has noticed an uptick in Zeus-serving malicious links on popular N.F.L. Facebook fan pages such as one created by a group called “Bring the N.F.L. To Los Angeles.”
Mr. Feinberg said he had noticed an increase in such pages and malicious links in recent weeks. He sent those links to Malloy Labs, a security lab, which confirmed that the links on these pages were serving up Zeus malware. The malware was being hosted from computers known to be controlled by a Russian criminal gang known as the Russian Business Network, which has been linked to various online criminal activities, ranging from malware and identity theft to child pornography.
Mr. Feinberg said he has tried to alert Facebook to the problem, with increased urgency, but wasn’t satisfied with their response. A Facebook spokesman directed this reporter to a previous Facebook statement reminding users that it actively scans for malware and offering users the opportunity to enroll in self-remediation procedures such as a “Scan-And-Repair malware scan” that can scan for and remove malware from their devices.
Mr. Feinberg said that after-the-fact approach was hardly sufficient. “If you really want to hack someone, the easiest place to start is a fake Facebook profile– it’s so simple, it’s stupid.”
“They’re not listening,” Mr. Feinberg added. “We need oversight on this.” | 1,190 |
protection from murder by Chechen terrorists and bandits; fixing; and a long-term relationship with more or less regular payments.
Abramovich's case is that he hired Berezovsky – a figure with svengali-like influence over Yeltsin – to give him krysha. In 1994 Abramovich was a relatively small-scale oil trader keen to profit from the opportunities offered by privatisation. Berezovsky, at this stage, was an unofficial member of Yeltsin's entourage and the president's tennis partner. In 1995, with Berezovsky's help, Abramovich's Sibneft in 1995 won a rigged auction for an oil company and refinery – a step that made him very rich indeed. In return Abramovich made regular under-the-table payments to Berezovsky. These totalled several hundred million dollars – with sums of up to $5m handed over in cash.
Abramovich says he also coughed up for Berezovsky's private jet travel, bought him a chateau in France, and paid for jewellery for his girlfriend.
Berezovsky doesn't deny the payments. But he says that they were simply his rightful share of his profits accruing from Sibneft, in which he and Patarkashshivili were each 25% partners. There was no krysha arrangement, he insists. Berezovsky says Abramovich screwed him over after he fell out with Putin, forcing him to sell his interests in Sibneft at a knockdown price of — well — $1.3bn.
Abramovich says he paid this enormous sum for krysha. This is surely the most expensive roof in the world.
One footnote. The word krysha features in the WikiLeaks documents released last year. In a cable describing corruption in Moscow, US diplomats note that Russia's FSB spy agency – former boss Vladimir Putin – offers the best krysha of all, extending its protective arm to Moscow's biggest mafia gang.
• This article was amended on 13 December 2011 to remove an incorrect statement that Vladimir Terluk appeared on Russian TV and claimed that Boris Berezovsky killed Alexander Litvinenko. As was made clear by Mr Justice Eady in his judgment in the libel trial, Terluk did not himself accuse Berezovsky of murdering Litvinenko, although that was, as Mr Justice Eady said, 'the overall message conveyed by the programme'. We apologise to Mr Terluk for the error. | 1,191 |
Obviously, these ratings weren’t meant to measure sexual activity, intimate histories or label identification, but they were meant to measure “the possibility of homosexual feelings and experiences.”
YouGov is not the only group that has tried to get a handle on the fluid middle. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Survey of Family Growth presented data from 2006-2008 in a 2011 report that showed that 16 percent of American women and 5 percent of men under 45 refused to say they were attracted to only one sex, instead admitting that they were only mostly attracted to one sex, were equally attracted to both, or were unsure. In that survey, 21 percent of women 20-24 years old and 7 percent of men in those ages said that they were somewhere in the middle.
And remember, 2008 is forever ago on the rapidly changing issue of L.G.B.T. acceptability. For instance, according to Gallup, only 48 percent of Americans in 2008 found gay and lesbian relations morally acceptable. That number has now jumped to 63 percent, and among those ages 18-34 it is now at 79 percent.
Attraction is simply more nuanced for more people than some of us want to admit, sometimes even to ourselves. That attraction may never manifest as physical intimacy, nor does it have to, but denying that it exists creates a false, naïve and ultimately destructive sense or what is normal and possible.
Furthermore, different people can experience attraction differently. For some, the order of attraction starts with body first. That’s fine. For others though, it starts with the being first, the human being, regardless of the body and its gender. That’s also fine. And yet, the idea that one can have a physiological response to something other than gendered physicality seems to some antithetical to their rigid, superannuated notions of attraction, or even heretical to it.
But it seems more younger people are liberating themselves from this thinking and coming to better understand and appreciate that people must have the freedom to be fluid if indeed they are, and that no one has the right to define or restrict the parameters of another person’s attractions, love or intimacy.
People must be allowed to be themselves, however they define themselves, and they owe the world no explanation of it or excuse for it. They have to be reminded that the only choices they need to make are to choose honesty and safety.
Attraction is attraction, and it doesn’t always wear a label. | 1,192 |
standards, especially working against the pass with a much-maligned secondary.
My best explanation for this vulnerability to weakness is that Davis has done a great job of scheming against opponents — too great a job. He figured out how to manipulate all of the limited resources at his disposal and stop the league’s top passing combos — but in doing so, he left himself open to counterattacks that have been very effective.
from video
Davis and Chip Kelly are learning the depth of the NFL’s parity. The college level of ball has a lot of teams which really don’t pose a threat (I know, I covered the Oregon — Nicholls game this year). The NFL doesn’t have that. The margin between the best and worst is not large, so overcommitting to a team’s strength means you might well lose to their weakness.
At the start of this season, the athleticism of linebacker Mychal Kendricks — which led singer Rihanna to develop a crush on him — also led him to overpursue ball carriers and miss a shocking number of tackles. Over the year, he corrected that flaw and ended the year strong.
My hope is that Davis and Kelly learn to more effectively apply their schemes next year and achieve a similar balance. If I’m right, they’ve got the best kind of problem to have this coming year.
In 2014, with another offseason to patch the squad’s deficiencies, the Eagles will moderate from a streaky team that mixes brilliant explosion plays with stomach-dropping failures, to a more smoothly suffocating juggernaut. Or, at least they’ll pick up good safeties and a dominant pass rusher.
Down at the half, New Orleans came back to open a 20-7 lead by the end of the third period. In yet another greatly encouraging sign of his potential, second-year man Nick Foles hung tough against Drew Brees and led a comeback. He walked off the field for the last time with 5 minutes left and the Eagles leading by a point.
Yes, the Saints came back and won because the Eagles couldn’t stop their second-string run game. But it took an 11-6 team, with a great coach and one of the game’s best QBs – everything they had — to hold off the first edition of Chip Kelly’s NFL team. And all indications point to the continuous improvement that Kelly works so hard to achieve.
Top Photo from Video | 1,193 |
The house sparrow feeds on insects like aphids during the summer months The population of house sparrows in Britain has fallen by 68% in the past three decades, according to the RSPB. A report by the charity said the paving over of front gardens and removal of trees had caused a big decline in insects that the birds eat. It suggests sparrows are now disappearing altogether from cities such as London, Bristol and Edinburgh. Dr Will Peach, from the RSPB, said many gardens had become "no-go areas for once-common British birds". Starving chicks Scientists from the RSPB joined forces with De Montfort University and Natural England to investigate the decline of the house sparrow. They studied numbers in Leicester over a three-year period and found that they fell by more than two thirds. Dr Peach said every pair of house sparrows must raise at least five chicks a year to maintain the population, but many were starving to death in their nests or were too weak to live long after fledging. The study did find that chick survival was higher in areas where insects, such as aphids, were more abundant. [Gardeners can help by] being lazy, doing nothing and allowing the garden to be a little bit scruffy
Dr Will Peach, RSPB Dr Peach said: "Peanuts and seeds are great for birds for most of the year, but sparrows need insects in summer - and lots of them - to feed their hungry young. "Honeysuckle, wild roses, hawthorn or fruit trees are perfect for insects and therefore house sparrows. "The trend towards paving of front gardens and laying decking in the back, and the popularity of ornamental plants from other parts of the world, has made many gardens no-go areas for once common British birds." He said gardeners could help sparrows by "being lazy, doing nothing and allowing the garden to be a little bit scruffy". Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. The study, published in the journal Animal Conservation, concluded that the decline in house sparrows in Britain began in the mid-1980s. In London, numbers fell by 60% between 1994 and 2004. The house sparrow has been added to the list of species identified by the UK Biodiversity Action Plan as in need of greater protection.
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THE BEATLES PLAYED their first and only Irish concerts fifty years ago this week; whipping up mass hysteria as they whistled through a series of short-sharp shows in Belfast and Dublin.
Much like the GPO in 1916 and U2′s Dandelion Market concerts in the late 70s — those who claimed to have been in attendance far outstrip the numbers who actually were.
Believe it or not, the four-piece were on stage for only around 50 minutes when they played Dublin’s Adelphi Cinema on Middle Abbey Street in 1963 — completing two 25 minute sets in concerts staged at 6.30pm and 9 o’clock.
Thirteen years earlier, screaming teenage girls were conspicuous by their absence when a seven-year-old George Harrison strolled along O’Connell Street sporting what looks like an early version of the Beatles mop-top haircut.
The photo was taken by Arthur Fields — a Jewish-Ukranian street photographer who became a Dublin institution; it’s estimated he took over 180,000 images on and around O’Connell Bridge during his career before he retired in 1984.
George was snapped in 1950 as he walked through town with his mother and his brother Pete. The Harrisons were close with their Drumcondra cousins — regularly taking the ferry from Merseyside to spend their holidays in the northside suburb.
A documentary on Fields career is currently being produced by Dublin-based ‘El Zorrero Films’. Project director Ciaran Deeney told TheJournal.ie that they were currently in the middle of the shoot, and they had tracked down “dozens” of stories about the photographer since securing funding earlier this year as part of the ‘Arthur Guinness Projects’ programme.
However, they’re still hoping to raise more money to complete the project, and Deeney’s asking anyone interested in seeing the final film to help them out by heading over to t-shock.net and buying a limited edition poster of one of Fields’ works.
More background detail – including the facade of the old Metropole Cinema – can be made out in the picture on the right, also taken by Fields.
Check out the Dublin Beatles Festival website for more details on anniversary events.
Edit: The headline here initially referred to ‘O’Connell Bridge’, but our geography has since been corrected by a reader of a certain vintage. Many Thanks. | 1,195 |
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According to a Facebook post which has since been deleted, teen blogger Amos Yee is currently in solitary confinement for criticising Muslims and Islam during their Muslim Studies in jail; and that he is feeling terrible about it.
According to Nina Palay who set up the relocation fund appeal for Yee, this is what happened.
“He attended a Muslim Studies class, in order to “disagree”. There was a “Muslim pastor” from outside (not a prisoner) and about 18 Muslim prisoners in attendance. Amos called Allah a “sky wizard”. He said that if the religion is 5,000 years old then it’s “complete fucking garbage”. (He said “fuck” a lot). He said that the Quran has passages instructing the devout to kill non-Muslims; the pastor handed him the Quran and challenged him to show such passages, and when Amos said “Ok, I will”, the pastor took the Quran back.
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The pastor claimed “The Quran was the most respected and popular book in the U.S.”
The pastor said Amos was disturbing the peace or something and got Sergeant R.Henson to sign a form putting him in solitary. Amos is certain that he is in solitary for punitive reasons, not for his own protection.
He has been in solitary for 3 days. He doesn’t know how long he will be there. They don’t let him write, don’t give him paper. They let him out for one hour per day.
Amos was “kicking, screaming, and banging the door yelling “LET ME OUT”, other prisoners heard him, the “police” came, opened his door, took a look, and left.
Amos wants us to “tell his story” on Facebook, share with the global secular human rights movement, get on CNN and the Rubin Report. He wants the Rubin Report to interview me and Melissa to tell Amos’s story. “These people don’t know what they’re messing with. We gotta destroy them.” “MAKE IT BIG”. “This is a free speech issue and everyone will be on my side”.
++++
My main concern right now is for Amos’s mental health. Solitary must be making it much worse.” | 1,196 |
Former White House press secretary Sean Spicer isn’t getting caught up in the hype around Mayor Pete Buttigieg.
“There are over 15 candidates that have jumped in already and they’re going to be a flavor of the week," Spicer said during an appearance on "Fox & Friends" Wednesday morning.
"They’re going to go from one to another, but think about the contrast that you have. One, he’s exploding on social media. In the polls, you have Biden and Sanders, the two old white guys leading the polls and then when it comes to social media interactions, the amount of chatter going on, he is up at the top."
BIDEN, SANDERS, TOP LATEST FOX NEWS 2020 DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY POLL
President Trump’s first press secretary then questioned if the Democratic Party is having difficulty deciding whether to go with experience or someone younger like Buttigieg.
“The Democratic Party is really interesting when you look at the disparity between who their candidates are, right? You have the total amount of experience in Washington, Biden and Sanders who have been in the Senate a long time and then you’ve got these neophytes,” Spicer said.
“The question that you’re asking yourself… what is the party searching for? On one hand one week they want the guy who has never done anything, barely got elected, 37 years old. On another hand, a 70 plus-year-old crowd who has been in Washington forever?”
A Quinnipiac University poll conducted March 21 – 25, showed Buttigieg at 4 percent, a jump for the long-shot candidate.
Buttigieg is tied for fifth in the poll with more established candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass.
PETE BUTTIGIEG ENJOYING CAMPAIGN TRAIL SURGE
Former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., are leading the polls, followed by Beto O’Rourke and Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif.
Spicer told "Fox & Friends" he thinks Democrats will move on from Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend, Indiana shortly.
“This is like speed-dating for Democrats. They're going to love somebody one week dump them the find the next individual,” Spicer said. | 1,197 |
at Esdevium have risen from 3,500 to 9,000 and worldwide they have doubled since a playable app was launched.
As a former employee of Hasbro, Mr Buckmaster says the distribution model has changed too.
"It used to be that you had to get a game into Woolworths, get the adverts on for Christmas and the public would decide based on what it had put in front of them," he says.
"That world has gone. [These days], great products can generate good reviews and the sales accumulate."
Luxury games
The market for board games is now so advanced that there is even an upmarket segment.
New games are passing into popular culture - they're brilliantly designed, they don't take forever to play and they're intelligent Steve Buckmaster, Esdevium Games
"We are a luxury games maker," says Joe Jaques from Jaques of London, which was founded in 1795 and went on to bring Ludo, snakes and ladders, ping pong and tiddly winks to the masses.
"There's a cheaper version of everything we do," says Mr Jaques, an eight generation games maker. "Despite this we're doing very well."
Success for Jaques came with the explosion in the popularity of parlour games in the UK in the 1860s. Now, a century and a half later, the company is seeing yet another boom in sales.
"Parents up to the age of 45 grew up around computer games," says Mr Jaques.
"This is our key demographic. They are the people doing the purchasing and you'd think they would tend towards computer games, but in our experience they're not."
Mr Buckmaster from Esdevium says the industry has benefited from a change in attitudes to a previously dirty word: Geek.
From men's clothing on the catwalk to secret agent James Bond's new gadget master Q, modern culture has embraced the nerd.
He says: "There's a hugely popular sitcom, The Big Bang Theory, and they play Settlers of Catan in that," says Mr Buckmaster.
"And if you watch Channel 4's The IT Crowd, you can see a set of Ticket to Ride in Moz's office.
"New games are passing into popular culture. They're brilliantly designed, they don't take forever to play and they're intelligent.
"You finish them and say, 'Wow, that was cool'." | 1,198 |
Australians Buying Bigger Cars Sparks Emissions Concerns
A report by the National Transport Commission shows Aussies are shunning small cars in favour of larger, more powerful vehicles.
According to the Australian Automobile Association, this calls into question the way in which the Federal Government is developing new vehicle emissions standards, and highlights the urgent need for a real-world vehicle emissions testing regime.
“Emissions standards which dissuade the purchase of large vehicles and promote the sale of smaller vehicles bring benefits and costs,” says the AAA. “While the benefits (reduced fuel use) are generally easy to calculate, the costs, in the form of lost vehicle choice and performance are harder to calculate.”
The AAA says the Government’s work in this area expressly acknowledges these costs are real, but then fails to make any attempt to calculate them.
The NTC report shows a growing number of Australians value attributes the Government is failing to factor into its current cost-benefit analysis and suggests the Government’s numbers are getting less accurate by the month, the AAA says.
The NTC’s report, Carbon Dioxide Emissions Intensity for New Australian Light Vehicles 2016, shows sales of micro, light and small cars have dropped by 45,114 between 2014 and 2016, while sales of SUVs (small, medium, large, upper large) have increased by 88,670.
“These new figures underscore the need for the Government to update its modelling and undertake further consultation before finalising its preferred vehicle emissions regulations,” says the AAA.
The NTC report also shows Australian consumers are not provided quality information about the fuel use and carbon dioxide emissions of vehicles they intend to purchase. The AAA says it has has long called for Government’s Green Vehicle Guide to be improved to include a simple star-rating system and information based upon real-world vehicle emissions testing conducted in Australian conditions.
“In the wake of the Volkswagen scandal, jurisdictions across the globe are taking steps to use real world emissions testing to provide more accurate information to consumers about emissions and fuel consumption and such reform should be at the top of the Government’s list of priorities in this area,” says the AAA.
The AAA is currently conducting a pilot real-world vehicle emissions program which so far shows vehicle fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions are up to 60 per cent higher than claimed on the Government’s mandated Fuel Consumption Label, which uses data recorded in laboratory testing. | 1,199 |
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