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The creative and commercial risk British studio Ninja Theory took by making and self-publishing Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice, an action game with a deeply researched focus on mental illness, has paid off.
In three months the game has sold more than half-a-million copies and broken even and moved into profit, far quicker than Ninja Theory had originally hoped (the prediction was six months).
In that time, this £25 downloadable PC and PS4 game - which our Hellblade review deemed Essential by the way - raked in more than $13m. Not bad for a game which took 20 people three years to make - and that's precisely the point.
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Three years ago Ninja Theory set out to do something different, something in between indie and triple-A - something half the price and length of a blockbuster but the same quality. It made something unusual, not something safe - and it worked.
In an age where the world's biggest gaming companies milk us for more money with risk-averse games made by armies, Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice shines like a beacon, and Ninja Theory hopes other developers follow suit.
"The escalating stakes in the triple-A retail publishing model have killed off countless independent studios like us, many smaller publishers, and are now straining even the largest of publishers," said Ninja Theory co-founder Tameem Antoniades in a statement. "This isn't survival of the fittest but a routing of the creative base upon which this industry was built."
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In a 30th developer diary charting Ninja Theory's journey with Hellblade, commercial director Dominic Matthews said: "We're not the biggest, the richest or even the most popular of developers, but with your help we made the Hellblade project work. There's no reason other developers can't do the same. If you're a developer like us, searching for independence and with a track record, then get in touch. We've been through this journey and perhaps we can help."
"In terms of what's coming in the future," Tameem Antoniades, in the video, added, "we haven't made any concrete plans yet, but we want Hellblade's legacy to live on."
Matthews concluded: "Hellblade has opened new doors for us here at Ninja Theory and it's given us the confidence to be bold and open in the future. We've all taken a good break and we're now ready to face the next set of challenges."
Bravo, Ninja Theory, bravo. | 1,265,100 |
freaks and weirdos. They explained that swinging is a very female-dominated lifestyle and the women are typically the ones to get their male companions involved. Even if, as we all imagine, it was the man’s idea, it is usually the women that initiate contact with other women. There is a real sense of empowerment for these women encouraging them to take charge and explore their sexuality as, admittedly, many are bi-curious or bisexual. Most men are just happy to be along for the ride, even if it means only watching. Miami Velvet provides them with a safe, comfortable venue for all to explore their sexual boundaries in an open way.
These are just a few of the private rooms with exclusive original artwork. Why pay for a hotel when you can play onsite?
With the divorce rate hovering at over 50% and extramarital affairs potentially making up the other half, people involved in the swinging lifestyle cherish their open and honest relationships. We met couples that partake in full swap, where both partners have relations with the other partners of a couple. We encountered couples where the woman only participates with other women while the men watch (Soft Swap) and even couples where the woman has relations with other men and the husbands do not participate (Cuckholds). All members shared the same sentiment: they are thrilled there is a safe place they can go to meet like-minded couples to dance, drink and potentially engage discretely. How do they make it work? Good, old-fashioned, honest communication. This characteristic was shared by all the couples we met. They talk about their expectations before the experience and debrief – good, bad or indifferent – afterwards. The importance is keeping the lines of communication open.
The club keeps it fun by having different themed parties and costume soirees. A membership, however, is required to join in on the fun. There are nights when only couples and single ladies are allowed in and other nights where single men may come. There is also an online site where future or existing members can connect and receive deals on admission at www.MVClub.com. Whether one is eager to dabble, watch or just curious as to what the lifestyle is all about Miami Velvet is the perfect spot to get your feet (or anything else you desire) wet. If you are looking for our favorite brunch spot to enjoy the next morning, La Mar serves an epic brunch with an exquisite view.
We love to bring you our delicious content for free and have a small favor to ask. If you use Amazon could you please access it through the link below when you order? It does not cost you anything and if you order anything by clicking our link first, it will help us pay the bills. Plus that set below looks very tempting. Thank you for your Support!
For more information, visit www.MiamiVelvet.com | 1,265,101 |
Box Office: Dinesh D'Souza's 'Hillary's America' Doc Strong in U.S. Debut
The release of the Hillary Clinton takedown is timed to the Republican and Democratic National Conventions.
Conservative filmmaker Dinesh D'Souza has struck again.
His latest offering, Hillary's America: The Secret History of the Democratic Party, scored the top theater average of the year so far for a political documentary, earning an estimated $77,500 over the weekend from three cinemas for an average $25,833.
Hillary's America trumped Weiner, the doc about disgraced former U.S. representative Anthony Weiner that posted a location average of $16,835 when it rolled out in five theaters in late May, as well as Michael Moore's Where to Invade Next, which nabbed a location average of $2,912 when it bowed in 208 cinemas in February.
Hillary's America also netted the best location average among any 2016 documentary to date, not counting Vaxed: From Cover Up to Catastrophe ($28,399), which only debuted in one theater.
D'Souza's 100-minute film — a scathing indictment of presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton — touched down in its first trio of cinemas on the eve of the Republican National Convention, which gets underway Monday in Cleveland and will star presumptive nominee Donald Trump as the main attraction. (On Sunday, D'Souza and his team will host a red-carpet premiere in Cleveland, with a number of politicians and delegates expected to attend.)
Two of the theaters showing Hillary's America were in Texas (one in Dallas, the other in Houston), while the third was in Phoenix. All three markets are conservative strongholds.
On Friday, several days before the Democratic National Convention begins in Philadelphia, Hillary's America will expand into 1,500 theaters nationwide.
D'Souza's 2012 film that took aim at President Barack Obama, 2016 Obama's America, was a box-office hit, earning $33.4 million to become the No. 2 political documentary of all time in the U.S. behind Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004), which grossed $119.2 million domestically. Among all documentaries, Obama's America ranks No. 4, not accounting for inflation.
D'Souza's follow-up, America, wasn't as successful, topping out at $14.4 million in the U.S. following its release in June 2014.
Hillary's America, which is rated PG-13, takes no prisoners. A trailer for the film refers to Bill and Hillary Clinton as "depraved crooks" and Democrats as "the party of corruption" that is associated with slavery, lynchings, the KKK and forced sterilization. | 1,265,102 |
The first legally approved HIV self-testing kit has gone on sale in the UK.
The BioSure HIV Self Test will enable people to test themselves when and where they like, with a 99.7% accuracy rate.
An estimated 26,000 people in the UK have HIV but are unaware of it, making them unknowingly responsible for the majority of onward transmissions. Due to developments in treatments available, HIV is now a manageable disease but late diagnosis can have a devastating impact on health and life expectancy.
The self-test kit uses a small amount of blood from a finger pin-prick sample to detect the presence of HIV antibodies, and offers a result in just 15 minutes.
BioSure founder Brigette Bard said its launch is a significant step towards normalising HIV testing. It is only available online as she said the main reason for people using it is so they can be discreet.
“Knowing your HIV status is critical and the launch of this product will empower people to discreetly test themselves when it is convenient to them and in a place where they feel comfortable,” she said.
All positive test results will need to be confirmed by a healthcare professional and it is recommended that those in high-risk groups are tested every three months.
The only alternative currently available is home sampling, which involves a person collecting a blood sample at home – which she said is 160 times larger than the sample required for a self test – and sending it by post to a laboratory. They are then informed of their result by text or by phone five days later.
Dr Michael Brady of Kings College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust described the new self-testing kit as a really exciting development. He said: “Rates of undiagnosed HIV and late diagnoses remain unacceptably high in the UK and continue to contribute to unnecessary illness and onward transmission of the virus.
“We know that early diagnosis and access to successful HIV treatment has major benefits, not just for those infected but also for public health in general by reducing HIV transmission.
“The single biggest thing that we can do to have a major impact on the HIV epidemic is to dramatically increase HIV testing rates, especially in those most at risk. The availability of HIV self-testing will help us achieve that.”
Deborah Gold, chief executive of the National Aids Trust, said: “We currently have a long way to go when it comes to diagnosing people with HIV on time. Over 40% of people living with HIV are diagnosed late, meaning they have been living with HIV for at least four years.
“People diagnosed late are 11 times more likely to die in the first year after diagnosis. To address this public health challenge we need to look at new ways for people to test and self-testing is an important and welcome additional option.” | 1,265,103 |
It’s International Women’s Day, and what better way to celebrate than to add some of history’s feistiest queens to Total War: Rome II.
Total War: Rome II is getting 14 new women who will act as faction leaders and generals as part of a free update releasing today alongside the Desert Kingdoms culture pack. Included is Teuta, the untameable queen of the Ardiaei, and Cleopatra, the notorious queen of Egypt.
Has Total War: Rome II got a new lease on life? Here are our hands-on impressions of the Empire Divided DLC.
Not all the new female characters will be generals and military enthusiasts. In certain cultures, such as Greek and Roman, the queens occupy more social and political roles, achieving greatness through more diplomatic means.
However, some cultures disallow women from holding public office altogether. For these cultures, there is a special Cursus Honorum path which “follows the increase in the influence of women in politics.”
Staying true to history, Total War: Rome II’s female characters will face the same trials and tribulations many women faced during their rise to power in ancient times. Special events, or dilemmas, allow you to recruit female leaders or gain bonuses from those who are against the decision. These special events will spawn important historical female leaders across a variety of Total War: Rome II campaigns.
Here’s the full list of historical queens:
Teuta
Cleopatra VII
Bernice III
Cleopatra II
Berenice IV
Cleopatra Thea
Berenice Phernophorus
Olympias II
Laodice
Laodice IV
Erato
Musa
Amanitore
Shanakhdakheto
For the sake of diplomacy, leaders of the opposite gender can now marry to cement relationships with other factions.
In addition to the new female characters, the free update also adds a new resource – spices. The RTS has also undergone some quality of life alterations such as the addition of a new “merge units” button which allows you to merge two units of the same type into one, and a guard mode which keeps units stationary until approached by an enemy. A mod filter tool has also been introduced to help players disable mods easily, and prevent the game from crashing when a new patch is released.
Finally, three factions have been removed from the grand campaign: Meroe,Blemmys and Himyar. This is due to the addition of the Sabaean Kingdom and the Kingdom of Kush, however these factions can still spawn if you liberate their original regions.
You can check out the full list of patch notes here. | 1,265,104 |
KXAN (AUSTIN) – A city auditor investigation released Friday found wastefulness in the Public Health Department, including inadequate oversight of field work and restaurant inspections. Investigators also discovered on-the-job napping, workouts and personal shopping, according to the report.
Austin Public Health’s Environmental Services Division, which conducts restaurant inspections among other duties, “wasted city resources as a result of grossly inefficient practices and procedures,” according to the audit.
Auditors also found three environmental health officers wasted time while on the city clock, and two “may have attempted to conceal their misuses on their inspection reports.”
Environmental health officers spend a majority of their time in the field with “limited oversight,” according to the report. Inspectors had no set list of daily inspections; rather, inspectors chose to inspect whichever restaurant was due, and officers were not required to notify supervisors ahead of inspections or check in before or after they were conducted, auditors found.
Restaurant inspectors “wasted city resources as a result of grossly inefficient practices and procedures.”
Investigators said they found several instances of officers saying their inspections took place at times that did not square with what the auditors observed.
According to the report, supervisors were only conducting a “supervisory audit,” which is an in-person check of an officer’s inspection, on less than two percent of inspections. Despite concerns about officers wasting time, management did not regularly review or question how time was being used in the field.
Audit office investigators followed three environmental health officers inspectors during their daily routine and found inspectors napping, shopping and exercising, according to the report.
Investigators found one environmental health officer working out at a local gym for an hour and a half to two hours on at least two separate days. She also left work an hour early on one occasion. She “also may have attempted to conceal the misuse by misrepresenting the time in and out on her written inspection reports,” the audit states.
Another employee was observed napping in her car and misrepresented the times she went in and came out of a restaurant inspection, auditors said.
You can search all of the city’s restaurant inspection scores here
A third environmental health officer was seen shopping, taking extended breaks and exercising in a movie theater parking lot during work hours, according to the audit.
The city’s Human Resources Department is reviewing the findings and will take appropriate action for the individual employees.
In a memo, the Public Health Department said it has started a review of the oversight and field inspection processes to find improvements. The department is also looking to buy new inspection software that can address many of the issues with accountability and internal control and that will automate parts of the inspection reports. | 1,265,105 |
at least), but there was no shortage of drama. And the drama should continue into 2009: the latest speculation is that Microsoft is lining up to buy Yahoo's search business.
The saga began in February when the software giant offered $44.6 billion for Yahoo so Microsoft could beef up its struggling online search and advertising portfolio.
Criticism arose that Microsoft was not up to the task of integrating both the technology and the culture of Yahoo into the more corporate, proprietary world of Redmond.
And then a funny thing happened: Yahoo said no. It rejected the 44.6 billion offer. Most people were expecting Microsoft to either do a hostile takeover or purchase part of Yahoo. But then another funny thing happened: Microsoft dropped the bid entirely and walked away. It was around this time that the economy and Yahoo's stock price went downhill.
A clumsy courtship where the two companies almost get together and then break it off continues to this day. Recently, billionaire investor Carl Icahn invested his way onto Yahoo's board and pushed for a Microsoft deal. Yahoo CEO Jerry Yang, who repeatedly resisted the Microsoft offer, was ousted in November. Many thought Microsoft would strike again, but a day after Yang stepped down Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer declared: "We've moved on."
All this Microhoo noise just makes Microsoft look bad and unsure of itself, says Kay. "I would put Yahoo at the top of my list of Microsoft missteps," he says. "It was just badly handled with time and money wasted, not to mention the bad publicity and the lost momentum."
These days Microsoft seems intent on hiring every top executive away from Yahoo until there is no Yahoo. The latest high-profile hire for Microsoft is former Yahoo search chief Qi Lu.
Ballmer says that Microsoft has no interest in buying all of Yahoo, but remains interested in discussing a deal for Yahoo's search business. If such a deal goes down in 2009, it will have been one long, strange trip getting there.
2009: A Pivotal Year
The coming year will be a busy and crucial one for Microsoft. Windows and Internet Explorer still dominate their markets, but both took unprecedented market share hits in November. The pressure is on Microsoft in 2009 to compete more effectively against Apple, Google and Mozilla with the expected releases of Windows 7 and Internet Explorer 8.
The software giant needs to build anticipation for Windows 7 without allowing Vista to fade off into obscurity. No easy task. It must also chase Google in the cloud and speak up more about the timetable for that other massive money-maker Microsoft Office, both the Web-based and desktop versions. As of now, not much is known about Office 14 or Office Live.
Microsoft needs to do all this and more in 2009. And some better TV commercials wouldn't hurt. But please, let Seinfeld stick to stand-up comedy. | 1,265,106 |
An Indiana woman's vacation took a grim turn when she developed a serious leg infection after spending time in the hotel's hot tub, according to news reports.
The woman, 26-year-old Taylor Bryant, went on vacation with her family to Tennessee over spring break, according to local news outlet RTV6. After a few days, she noticed a rash on her leg and went to a local doctor. Bryant told the doctor she'd spent the past three evenings in the hotel's hot tub. She didn't seem to have any other risk factors for developing the rash.
"Every night, Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday, we were in the hot tub and pool, and [the doctor] said that's the only way that she could have thought that I would have got this infection, is from a hot tub," Bryant told RTV6. [5 Weird Ways Hot Tubs Can Make You Sick]
Doctors said Bryant may have Pseudomonas folliculitis, also known as "hot tub rash." The infection is caused by the bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and is one of the more common illnesses linked to hot tubs.
The risk of catching this type of infection in a hot tub is increased because the high water temperatures can cause disinfectants, such as chlorine, to break down faster, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Bryant was given an oral antibiotic, but her infection continued to get worse, to the point where she was unable to walk, RTV6 reported.
"My husband even asked, 'Are we gonna be able to fight this off? Are we talking about amputation?" Bryant said. "[The doctors] were like, 'There's nothing that we can promise right now.'"
That's when doctors treated her with IV antibiotics, and her infection finally started to get better.
Most cases of hot tub rash are not severe, and clear up on their own without treatment, according to the CDC. But in some cases, people can develop complications. Hot tub rash is a type of folliculitis, a skin condition in which hair follicles become inflamed, typically as the result of a bacterial or fungal infection, according to the Mayo Clinic. If the infection progresses to a deeper part of the follicle, it can lead to abscesses, permanent skin damage — including scarring or dark spots — or a recurrent or spreading infection.
Bryant can now walk again, and says she doesn't plan on going in a hot tub ever again.
To prevent hot tub rash, the CDC recommends showering with soap and cleaning your swimsuit after getting out of the water. People can ask the hot tub operator if the disinfectant and pH levels are checked at least twice a day.
Originally published on Live Science. | 1,265,107 |
of this, because that wasn’t who the promise was made to, and that’s not who heard the promise. Everybody heard that promise.
RJ: Yeah, I’m not quite sure what the former president is doing there. I certainly appreciate the fact that he understands that a promise should be honored, and calling out President Obama for totally breaking that promise. And yet what’s, you know, that guarantee, that false claim, that deception, that fraud was, that’s what it was, I mean, either President Obama was totally dishonest, or he was so disengaged, so uninformed, clueless about what his health care plan was, what its consequences would be, no matter which one of those alternatives you choose, it’s pretty unflattering for the president of the United States.
HH: But now, do you think Bill Clinton’s attempting to distance his wife and future presidential candidate from this fiasco? And is that possible?
RJ: Well, I think that’s what’s going to be happening with every Democrat other than President Obama.
HH: But specifically Hillary, do you think…
RJ: Again, I’d imagine that’s what he’s going.
HH: Is that possible?
RJ: I was surprised that he came out and said that. It certainly helps our cause from the standpoint of highlighting why we have to fundamentally transform Obamacare.
HH: But is that possible? She’s Obamacare’s grandmother, isn’t she?
RJ: You could say that. That was her big project back there in the early 90s. You’re exactly right.
HH: So how in the world does he expect or she expect to not be tagged with the Obamacare fiasco when she runs? And she is going to run, isn’t she?
RJ: I would say maybe a fawning mainstream media?
HH: (laughing)
RJ: That’s worked out pretty well for them in the past, right? That’s a pretty good strategy. It’s worked for President Obama until the reality has slapped America in the face so hard that even the mainstream press is kind of having to turn on them, ask them some tough questions.
HH: Is that fawning mainstream, do you see that? Do you see the fawning mainstream media changing?
RJ: No, other than when the reality is so stark that they are absolutely forced to admit, and they simply can’t cover for their favorite politicians.
HH: Ron Johnson, well said, Senator, well said. Come back early and often.
End of interview. | 1,265,108 |
We live in the age of mass black incarceration.
The age of unindicted, unprosecuted, widespread police brutality against black people.
This is the age of economic racism, where the average income of a black person is one third less than a white person.
After hundreds of thousands of Black workers and youth campaigned to elect Obama, he has provided no vision to address racism in our society.
Why can’t Barack Obama say “Black Lives Matter”?
Black people, people of color, indigenous people deserve action.
They deserve action now:
For full prosecution of all acts of police brutality like those against Mike Brown and Eric Garner!
For an end to economic racism, for a $15 / hour minimum wage nationally.
To finally address the gaping income inequalities that define race and gender in the U.S.
The Republicans elected in the mid-terms last fall would like to think they have a public mandate.
Nothing could be farther from the truth.
The pro-corporate, right-wing agenda of the Republicans is being roundly rejected in poll after poll. This was also evident with the many progressive voter initiatives that passed in the same election that gave Republicans their majority.
The only reason Republicans won is that working people, youth and people of color are deeply disappointed after years of the Democrats doing the bidding of corporations.
This is why millions stayed home with the lowest voter turnout since the 2nd World War!
Is Obama now prepared to challenge Republicans and big business?
I fear not.
Unfortunately, the financial aristocracy that funded Obama’s election campaigns and promoted him to the presidency have their tentacles firmly wedded in to every nook and cranny of the White House.
Let us not forget Obama has carried out unprecedented unconstitutional spying, drone strikes, and a ferocious crackdown on brave whistleblowers like Edward Snowden and Chelsea Manning.
This is why independent working class challengers will be needed.
Candidates who refuse corporate donations, who are financially and politically independent of big business and their two parties.
We need to build our own political voice, a mass political party for working people.
Despite Obama’s speech today, bitter experience has shown we cannot rely on him to deliver.
We must work to build independent movements of working class people, of young people, of women and people of color, and the LGBTQ community.
To fight towards affordable cities, health care and education for all.
Towards a society based on economic justice, equal rights, compassion and an end to racism.
To challenge the domination of the 1%.
Solidarity!
Posted: January 20th, 2015 under State of the Union
Tags: Socialist Response, State of the Union
| 1,265,109 |
A little over a week ago, we reported on some lost footage from Return of the Jedi. At the time, it just looked like some alternate takes, and the poster, who found footage from an old promo Laserdisc, was simply posting the footage piecemeal. But after posting 22 minutes and 49 seconds, “rotjeditdroid” uncovered something that would have profoundly changed the relationship between Luke, Obi-wan, and Yoda. It’s a single line, but in the context of the revelation regarding what Luke was told his father, it turns “a certain point of view” into a conspiracy. The line is “Obi-Wan would have told you long ago had I let him…”
Hit the jump for more.
Here’s the footage thus far (rotjeditdroid says there’s still seven minutes that haven’t been posted yet):
In an article from earlier this year, The Playlist noted five ways that Return of the Jedi could have been more interesting (such as Han dying) and emotionally ambiguous (like Luke walking alone off into the sunset), but instead the soft-serve, toy-driven movie turned out to be a warning sign for the prequels. I wouldn’t go so far to say it’s an awful film, but it’s certainly disappointing. After the escape from Jabba’s skiff, the film falls to pieces and the only part that’s interesting is the dramatic standoff between Luke, Vader, and the Emperor. What’s happening on Endor and the attack on the second Death Star are painfully bland and even slightly confusing (Lando’s going to co-pilot the Millennium Falcon with an odd little alien you’ve never met and don’t care about! Let’s go!).
The “Obi-wan would have told you long ago had I let him…” line adds another way Return of the Jedi could have been more interesting. If Yoda asked Obi-wan to cover up the truth about Vader, then it makes Luke a pawn. As THR [via The Playlist] points out, “They lied to Luke Skywalker to manipulate him into considering Darth Vader an enemy to be beaten, rather than the former ally — and Luke’s father — that he really was. Clearly, whoever taught the ethics class at the Jedi Academy needed a refresher course of their own.”
Yes, there’s an ends-justify-the-means mentality here, and all rules are off when you’re the last two Jedi left in the galaxy. Nevertheless, it creates a more fascinating dynamic between all three characters, and now there’s a sixth way Return of the Jedi could have been better. | 1,265,110 |
NFLPA Says Browns Spent Over $177 Million In 2017, Will Carry Over Most Cap Space Into 2018
CLEVELAND (92.3 The Fan) – Don’t call Browns owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam cheap.
According to figures released by the NFL Players Association to agents and published on their official Twitter account Monday, the Cleveland Browns spent the seventh-most leaguewide on their cash payroll in 2017 to not win a single football game.
The Haslams spent a whopping $177,107,417 on their winless team the NFLPA reported. That comes out to $11,069,213.60 per loss in 2017.
Detroit had the most expensive team at over $204.466 million while Dallas spent the least at just under $116 million the players association said.
So how did the Browns blow through that kind of cash and not win a game?
Here’s a look at some of the most expensive players using data from Spotrac.com.
Myles Garrett, the No. 1 pick in the 2017 draft, was the most expensive costing $20.7 million in signing bonus and salary. Right guard Kevin Zeitler, added in free agency last March from Cincinnati, cost $18 million – $12 million of that in signing bonus alone. Linebacker Jamie Collins was paid $15.85 million after being re-signed last January, left tackle Joe Thomas $14.5 million, left guard Joel Bitonio $11.66 million and linebacker Christian Kirksey $9.797 million in salary plus signing and/or roster bonuses.
That’s a total of $90.5 million for 6 players.
The most wasteful spending came on quarterback Brock Osweiler and receiver Kenny Britt. Combined the Browns essentially flushed nearly $26 million down the drain. Osweiler was paid $15.225 million (they got to deduct his $775,000 Broncos salary) while Britt bagged $10.5 million.
The good news for the Browns is that under the salary cap rules, bonus money is calculated over the length of a contract lowering players’ cap figures significantly. However if a player is cut or traded before the contract is up, the remaining balance on that pro-rated figure becomes an immediate charge to the current cap, also known as a cap hit.
Regardless of their cash payroll, the Browns will still carry over the most salary cap space of any team at $58.9 million from the 2017 to 2018 league year and it is believed they’ll have in excess of $110 million in space for 2018.
With a pair of top-5 draft picks plus the expectation they’ll be active in free agency, 2018 could be just as or even more expensive thanks to more hefty signing bonuses that will have to be paid. | 1,265,111 |
As utterly ridiculous as this may sound, it appears that, earlier this year, a police officer in Scotland failed to arrest a suspect on his own and had to ask for backup to get the job done simply because he was too scared of a bunch of cows to be able to approach him.
The incident is understood to have occurred in the village of Thornhill in Scottish council area of Stirling on August 13. The details concerning this most peculiar arrest attempt were presented in a court of law this past Tuesday, December 9.
How a bunch of cows sabotaged a cop
Information shared with the public says that, on August 13, police officer David McTurk paid farmer David Lindsay a home visit and told him that he was there to arrest his son Ian. The officer arrived at the farm accompanied by just a colleague.
The thing is that, when the officer and his companion arrived at the farmer's house, David Lindsay and his two sons, Ian and Callum, were in the cowshed. Given his phobia of cows, the officer asked Ian to accompany him on his own accord.
Rather than do as instructed, Ian Lindsay chose to remain inside the cowshed together with this father and brother. Fearing the cows way too much to approach Ian Lindsay, handcuff him and bring him to the station with him, officer David McTurk asked for backup.
“I am told the police tried to explain in calm manner that they needed Mr Ian Lindsay to come with them, and PC McTurk told him he had a phobia of cows and didn't like being around cattle. Mr. Lindsay said he didn't like police,” said prosecutor Gail Russell, as cited by Mirror.
Once reinforcements arrived, the farmer's son was finally taken into custody. Seeing how they interfered with Ian's arrest, farmer David Lindsay and his other son, Callum, were taken to the local police station as well. The cows, however, got away with it.
The farmer was admonished for his actions
In court, 53-year-old farmer David Lindsay admitted to having resisted, obstructed, molested and hindered police officer David McTurk. However, the judge took pity on him and only admonished him. 20-year-old Callum Lindsay, on the other hand, was cleared of all charges.
“This was a somewhat ridiculous situation for someone of your age to get himself into. The police were trying to do their job,” Sheriff Celia Sanderson commented on the farmer's behavior.
As for officer David McTurk, we was only poked fun at. Thus, the farmer's defense lawyer pointed out that, given his 15-year career as a law enforcement officers in a rural part of Scotland, it was strange that David McTurk should be this terrified of cows. | 1,265,112 |
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) said Friday evening during a highly-anticipated debate against his Democrat Senate opponent Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-TX) in Dallas, TX, that the progressive congressman — akin to Hillary Clinton — supports the appointment of Supreme Court Justices that would “effectively write the Second Amendment out of the Constitution.”
(Watch: 16:07 – 18:07)
A partial transcript is as follows:
DEBATE MODERATOR: And we’re moving on here, the next question [is] for Senator Cruz. Details are still being worked out, but Dr. Chrstine Blasley Ford may testify about her allegations of attempted sexual assault against Judge Brett Kavanaugh. Is there anything you could hear from here that would make you change your vote.
SEN. TED CRUZ: Well, absolutely. Listen, I very much hope Dr. Ford comes next week and testifies before the Judiciary Committee. I publically called for her to be given an opportunity to testify and I urged my colleagues. The allegations she’s raised are serious and they deserve to be treated with respect. I hope that she comes. As a full opportunity to tell her story in a way that is respectful, but I also think Judge Kavanaugh deserves a full opportunity to defend himself and to let the American people listen and come to an assessment of what happened. We don’t know right now. We need to give them a full hearing. I will say more broadly than this, this issue, whether it is Judge Kavanaugh, whether it is Neil Gorsuch, whether it is other Supreme Court nominees, reflects one of the many massive divides on policy, substance, and record between me and Congressman O’Rourke. Congressman O’Rourke doesn’t want Judge Kavanaugh confirmed. He said that before these allegations, he said that after these allegations. He didn’t want Neil Gorsuch confirmed.
Congressman O’Rourke agrees with Hillary Clinton. He wants liberal judiciary activists on the court, who will impose their particular policy. I have devoted virtually my entire life to defend the Constitution and Bill of Rights. I think one of the major issues the American people had before us in 2016 was ‘what vision of the court you want?’ I believe Texans want Constitutions on the Supreme Court, who will defend the First Amendment, who will defend free speech, who will defend religious liberty. religious liberty, one of the fundamental liberties, has been under assault. Who will defend the Second Amendment, and I would note that the Justices Congressman O’Rourke would insist upon, like Hillary Clinton, are Justices that would undermine and effectively write the Second Amendment out of the Constitution. Those are radical views and they’re not views consistent with the overwhelming majority of Texans. | 1,265,113 |
The Wall Street Journal has an excellent report detailing the financial industry's sharp turn away from the Democrats and toward the Republicans, in response to the Obama administration's plans to regulate them and tax them at higher rates:
Managers of hedge funds—private investment partnerships that cater to institutions and wealthy people—are reacting to what some criticize as Mr. Obama's populist attacks on Wall Street, as well as to Democrat-led efforts to raise their tax bills. They had hoped to be protected from such a tax move by their relationships with prominent Democratic members of Congress. "Hedge funds bankrolled the Democrats in the 2006 and 2008 elections, and the very people they helped put in power turned around and screwed them," said Sam Geduldig, a former Republican congressional staffer who is a Wall Street lobbyist....
53% went to Republicans in the 2010 election cycle, when hedge-fund managers' and employees' donations totaled $11 million. GOP strategists credit a core group of fund managers for helping Republicans win control of the House, make inroads in the Senate and drive Mr. Obama toward the political center.
A half-dozen fund managers donated a total of $6 million to the Republican Governors Association in the weeks before the 2010 election and spent millions more to finance a blitz of ads for Republicans running for Congress.
The shift started near the end of the 2008 campaign, when Mr. Obama began blaming hedge funds for some of the country's economic problems.
You may remember that, during the financial reform debate, the conservatives who were not calling Obama a radical destroyer of business were calling him a Wall Street lapdog. Here, for instance, is a column last year by Tim Carney:
For his presidential campaign in which Wall Street regulation was a mantra, Obama's top source of funds was investment bank giant Goldman Sachs, whose employees, partners, and executives gave him $995,000 -- that's the most any politician has raised from any one company in a single election since the age of "soft money" ended.
Obama is touting his proposed bank tax and financial regulations as a test of "whose side" politicians are on -- the bankers' or the people's. But check the numbers at OpenSecrets.org, and you get an interesting clue as to whose side Wall Street on.
The "securities and investment" industry has favored Democrats by more than a two-to-one margin so far this cycle. The top eight recipients of Wall Street PAC money this election are all Democrats....
The press will follow Obama's rhetoric over the coming months, and paint him as the scourge of Wall Street. It's more illuminating, though, to follow the legislation -- and follow the money.
It's pretty clear, in retrospect, that this argument was built almost entirely on a analysis of Wall Street's giving that was no longer true at the time. | 1,265,114 |
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump signed an $854 billion spending bill on Friday to keep the federal government open through Dec. 7, averting a government shutdown in the weeks leading up to November’s pivotal midterm elections.
Trump signed the legislation to fund the military and several civilian agencies without journalists present as the fate of his Supreme Court nominee, Brett Kavanaugh, continued to hang in the balance. The House and Senate approved the spending plan earlier this week.
Trump said in a statement the legislation would “rebuild our military, protect our communities, and deliver a better future for all Americans.”
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But the passage — which avoids a shutdown before the elections that will determine control of Congress — also comes without significant new funding for Trump’s long-promised and long-stalled wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, a fact he’s called “ridiculous.”
Trump has expressed deep frustration for months over Republican lawmakers’ failure to deliver on the centerpiece of his 2016 campaign, and had been threatening a government shutdown to try to force their hands.
“I want to know, where is the money for Border Security and the WALL in this ridiculous Spending Bill, and where will it come from after the Midterms?” Trump tweeted last week, saying Republicans “MUST FINALLY GET TOUGH!” against Democrats who he said are obstructing law enforcement and border security.
GOP leaders had warned Trump a shutdown could be deeply damaging to Republicans in the midterms and said they preferred to resolve the issue after the Nov. 6 elections.
But Trump had questioned that logic, arguing a shutdown could, in fact, be beneficial politically.
Trump in his statement applauded the $1.6 billion the bill includes for wall funding — far short of the $5 billion he was seeking — but also blamed Democrats for failing to agree to more.
“Unfortunately, the radical Democrats refuse to support border security and want drugs and crime to pour into our country,” he railed.
In an interview with Hill.TV, he said his recent visit to the 9/11 Memorial in Pennsylvania to commemorate Flight 93 had renewed his resolve to build the wall, and alluded to potential immigration action he said he planned to take in the coming week.
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The spending plan includes $675 billion for the Defense Department, with money for new F-35 Lightning fighters, Apache and Black Hawk helicopters, and Navy battleships, and increases military pay by 2.6 percent, the largest pay raise in nine years. It also increases spending for Health and Human Services, Education, Labor and other agencies, including a 5 percent boost for the National Institutes of Health
___
Associated Press writers Matthew Daly and Ken Thomas contributed to this report. | 1,265,115 |
Russia: U.S. FIFA Investigation Is Illegal, Extraterritorial Use of Law
Less than 24 hours after U.S. and Swiss authorities unveiled a sweeping investigation into corruption at the highest ranks of FIFA, including how the 2018 World Cup was awarded to Russia, Moscow is hitting back.
In a statement Wednesday, Moscow accused Washington of illegally applying its laws around the world. “Once again we are calling on Washington to stop attempts to make justice far beyond its borders using its legal norms and to follow the generally accepted international legal procedures,” said Alexander Lukashevich, a Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman, adding that the recently announced investigation is “clearly another case of illegal exterritorial use of U.S. law.”
The charges are particularly sensitive for Moscow, which has found its moment in the World Cup spotlight tarnished by allegations of mismanagement, accusations of human rights abuses, and international calls for a boycott following the Ukraine crisis. With national pride at stake, Russia is sparing no time in voicing its displeasure about the long arm of American justice.
The latest controversy comes after the United States announced corruption charges against 14 FIFA members, including seven who were arrested in a dawn raid in Zurich on Wednesday. No Russians are among those detained on suspicion of paying bribes and kickbacks over the past two decades. But allegations of corruption have swirled around the Kremlin’s courting of FIFA officials in the run-up to the 2018 World Cup vote, and authorities in Switzerland say they are investigating how that tournament and the 2022 World Cup in Qatar were awarded.
Despite controversy over Russia hosting the World Cup, FIFA President Sepp Blatter has defended the decision. Following the annexation of Crimea, Blatter told reporters at an April 2014 meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin that “if a few politicians are not particularly happy that we are hosting the World Cup in Russia, then I always tell them: ‘Well then, stay at home.’”
In November 2014, Putin allegedly offered an original Picasso painting to Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) President Michel Platini, according to a report from Britain’s Sunday Times. The allegations were made by England’s 2018 World Cup bid committee, which lost out to Russia. The report goes on to detail that Putin, then the Russian prime minister, had allegedly tasked trusted oligarchs with the task of doing “deniable” deals to win over FIFA voters months before the secret ballot.
According to the Sunday Times, the allegations were based on leaked documents from intelligence gathered by “a network of British embassies and private intelligence firms staffed by former MI6 officers” over two years. The allegations were firmly denied by the Russian government and Platini.
Photo credit: PEDRO UGARTE/AFP/Getty Images | 1,265,116 |
basically took his team and said, "I'm outta here."
At the Islanders' game that afternoon, Martin and I ran into one of the Coliseum's regulars.
"Here's Sparky," Martin says. "Oh my God, Sparky!"
"Sparky?" I ask. "Oh, the mascot!"
Sparky The Mascot is a monstrous hybrid of man-body and dragon-head who roams the Coliseum, high-fiving the proletariat — although reports say he might not be cool enough to make the move to Brooklyn. Fan Blaise Ognebany doesn't care: he likes Sparky and Sparky's home.
"Ah man, I'm gonna miss this place," he says. "I'll tell ya that right now. Great place."
"What are you going to miss about it?" I ask.
"Just the history of it," he says. "New York Islanders. I mean, when I was a kid, that was it, man."
His older brother Woody got him hooked on the team.
"He was a big Islander fan, very big Islander fan," Ognebany explains.
The brothers went to games together until Woody passed away in 2001. On this day, Blaise Ognebany is sitting with his family in section 317, holding a sign that says, "Woody's Gang."
"We're here with like 60 people today," he says. "We're actually here because, you know what it is, we lost my brother in 9/11 in the World Trade Center."
"So, in a sense, is this one way to keep his memory alive?" I ask.
"Yeah, we keep his memory alive. This was his love."
The Islanders mount a mini-comeback in the third period but end up losing, 3 -2.
Saying Goodbye
"OK, the game is over," I say as I get back in the car with Martin. "Is this your swan song for the Nassau Coliseum?"
"Yeah, I think, sadly, I don't know if I'm going to be coming to any more games," he says.
"This might be the end for you."
"Yeah, absolutely. When you put it like that."
"Do you want to say goodbye to the building over there?"
Martin breaks out into song: "My friends, the end is near --
"OK," I say, "That's enough."
"Do we we have the rights to that?" Martin asks.
The Islanders will play at least two more games at Nassau Coliseum. New York is facing the Washington Capitals in the opening round of the NHL playoffs. | 1,265,117 |
better identify which patients might benefit from it,” she said.
Melanoma is the fifth most common cancer in the UK, and is becoming more widespread as a result of increased exposure to the sun in younger generations who have benefitted from easier access to sunnier climates on holiday. Survival chances are good if the cancer – indicated by the appearance of a new mole on the skin – is caught early.
However, if left alone, the tumour can become inoperable, and 2,000 people still die from melanoma in the UK every year.
Cancer Q&A
How can a virus fight cancer?
Viruses are good at infecting and killing human cells – that’s what makes some of them so dangerous. Genetic technology means that scientists can now manipulate viruses to behave in certain ways – in this case, to only infect and attack cancer cells – bursting them from the inside. These are called oncolytic viruses – from the Greek for ‘tumour’ and ‘loosening’.
Why was a herpes virus used?
There is nothing intrinsic about the herpes virus that makes it a good cancer fighter. However, scientists have used the virus in labs for decades and understand a great deal about its structure – making it a good candidate for genetic modification.
Will oncolytic viruses work against all cancers?
We only have definitive findings from this ICR/Royal Marsden study, in melanoma skin cancer patients. However, the theory should apply to other tumour types, and scientists are confident that similar treatments for head and neck, bladder and liver cancers could emerge in the coming years.
How soon will the new treatment be available?
The therapy used here, known as T-VEC (short for Talimogene Laherparepvec) is already being looked at by regulators at the US Food and Drug Administration, and the European Medicines Agency (EMA). Scientists hope that it could be rubber-stamped as a treatment for advanced melanoma within the next 12 months. If it gets EMA approval, it would then need to go through NICE approval, or be included on the Cancer Drugs Fund list, before it could be prescribed in the UK.
Are cancer-fighting viruses our best chance of beating the disease?
The most likely scenario is that these treatments will take their place alongside the growing range of drugs and therapies being developed. This is a time of very rapid progress in cancer treatment, with our greater understanding of the genetics of cancer fuelling a raft of wave of new discoveries. However, we also know that cancers vary hugely from one to the other, so the idea of one ‘silver bullet’ cure for cancer is no longer considered a realistic prospect.
How can I avoid developing melanoma? | 1,265,118 |
It isn’t unusual for supporters of a losing presidential candidate to engage in “if only” fantasies about what would happen if their favored candidate got into office, and dream about how all the country’s problems would be solved if only the election had gone differently.
It’s more unusual for a supposedly respectable news outlet to engage in such fan fiction.
Yet that is precisely what an article in Newsweek did Wednesday, in an article called, “Hillary Clinton Is President in an Alternate Universe, Where America is Great Again.”
The article, covering Twitter accounts that pretend Clinton won in November, engages in its own bag of fiction at the beginning of the article, and it is everything the most diehard #ImWithHer suppoter could wish for, including an imaginary situation in which both Republicans and Democrats rally behind a bill “that will improve upon” ObamaCare.
Hillary Clinton sits behind the resolute desk in the Oval Office, pulling out a large blue binder and a jar of hot peppers—her typical snack as the leader of the free world. It’s 9:30 p.m., and madam president spent the day successfully rallying House Republicans and Democrats behind a health care bill that will improve upon her predecessor’s landmark initiative, the Affordable Care Act. The bill passed an hour ago, but she isn’t anywhere near done fulfilling her duties to the American people. “I won’t be taking any more calls,” Clinton tells senior adviser Huma Abedin, who is walking toward the door near the grandfather clock. “I want to look through these Russian sanctions one more time. Tell Bill not to wait up for me.” Abedin, leaning on the half-open door to one of the most powerful rooms in the world, gives one last look at the president before leaving the White House. “You did a good job today, Madam President.”
The article spends much of its time covering the @IfHillaryHad account — a pro-Hillary account that tweets out intelligent and witty “what if” situations, such as this gem:
DAY 174: Still haven't colluded with Russia! (I did tell Putin to fuck off tho) — Alt-POTUS 45 (@IfHillaryHad) July 12, 2017
But in covering this, and other alternative reality accounts, the article barely attempts to veil its own pinings for Hillary, imagining a Clinton who would work on “boring policy stuff” while “avoiding public meltdowns, Twitter spats and pointless fights with newscasters.”
“Can you even imagine an America like that anymore?” the outlet asks.
Adam Shaw is a Breitbart News politics reporter based in New York. Follow Adam on Twitter: @AdamShawNY | 1,265,119 |
アイアが運営管理する東京都渋谷区の劇場「AiiA Theater Tokyo」（通称アイアシアター）が、12月31日をもって閉館します。
AiiA Theater Tokyoが閉館（＝Webサイトより）
アイアシアターは2012年9月にオープン。2015年3月からは日本2.5次元ミュージカル協会が2.5次元ミュージカル専用劇場「AiiA 2.5 Theater Tokyo」として運用し、「ハイキュー!!」「刀剣乱舞」「あんさんぶるスターズ！」などの人気コンテンツの2.5次元舞台を上演してきました。
閉館のお知らせ
閉館の発表を受け、2.5次元ファンからは「寂しい」「残念」「また2.5次元を上演する劇場が減ってしまった」といった惜しむ声や「椅子や音響やトイレなどの設備がひどかった……」と振り返る声が上がっています。また2017年12月に「超歌劇 幕末Rock」公演をアイアシアターで行い、「アイアの天井を（爆音で）破壊しよう」と目標を掲げていた「幕末Rock」ファンからは、「今こそアイアの天井を破壊する時」といったロックな発言も寄せられています。 | 1,265,120 |
This week in Vienna, researchers demonstrated a working quantum key distribution (QKD) network, a feat that produced some good news and some bad news. The good news is that Siemens is probably going to be selling this stuff in a year or so; IT professionals, get ready to open your check books. On the other hand, by doing such a demo, the researchers show that QKD has passed from the realm of science into engineering, and they illustrate the weakness of fundamental scientific research in Europe.
Quantum key distribution utilizes fundamental physics to encode information in such a way that eavesdroppers are automatically detected. (More details on that process can be found in previous articles here at Ars Technica.) The Vienna demonstration by the SECO-QC team doesn't add anything new in the way of science, but it does represent something significant in terms of shifting from basic research to application.
The group demonstrated a robust, ready-for-commercialization set of quantum cryptography units. These were already packaged into typical 19-inch racks that use standard fiber optic and electronic interfaces. In other words, all your encryption technology is right there, ready to go.
The demonstration unit is supposed to work with a variety of different encryption protocols. Quantum encryption relies on entanglement (again, see the articles linked above), and there is more than one way to entangle two photons. Until now, every demonstration has been specific to a particular choice of entanglement. The researchers behind this project, however, claim that their detection systems are agnostic and can cope with any choice of entanglement variables.
I would guess that banks—gotta keep that lack of capital a secret—and various government organizations will be interested in this technology and Siemens, along with some smaller partners, will be well-placed to extract an extra dollop of dollars in these hard economic times.
What bothers me a bit is that this is not science anymore. It's a great demonstration, and it is just the sort of thing that will open up an entirely new market. But the science part ended a while ago. This highlights the strengths and weaknesses of European research; close collaboration with industry, partially funded by either national government or EU grants, can really speed progress toward real applications. I like this approach, and I think the Europeans do this reasonably well.
The weakness is that the projects are structured in such a way that the academic results are not very interesting by the end of the project. As a result, much of the work ends up in lower-ranked journals. The two Nature papers and seven Physical Review Letters produced by the quantum encryption team sound pretty good until you count the number of academic institutions involved: 26.
The EU is directing science to great commercial success, but it may pay the price for this focus by not allowing scientists to pursue really high-impact fundamental research. | 1,265,121 |
UCI criminologist George Tita and colleagues use math models to explain urban crime and predict the efficacy of police intervention. Photo: Steve Zylius
(PhysOrg.com) -- Why are some neighborhoods plagued by break-ins while others nearby are relatively unscathed? Why do drug dealers hang out on that corner? And why is police intervention effective in some cases but not others? For answers, researchers turned to math.
Using a decade of data from the Los Angeles Police Department, UC Irvine criminologist George Tita and colleagues developed a mathematical model of how urban crime hot spots form and spread. It reveals two distinct types of areas that respond differently to suppression tactics.
Illegal activity follows a discernible pattern, Tita says: “Criminals forage for opportunities to commit crimes, much like bees search for pollen or butterflies for nectar. Foraging patterns are predictable, whether you study human or insect behavior.”
Among other variables, the model factors in the location of crime targets - such as homes, cars and people - and the chance of getting caught, based on police presence, environmental cues and information offenders may have gleaned from previous crimes.
Researchers identified two main kinds of hotspots: supercritical and subcritical. The first are formed when small spikes in such crimes as residential burglary and auto theft build up, creating a local crime wave. In the second, a large spike in crime - often drug-related - draws offenders to a central site.
Law enforcement efforts in the two types of hotspots have very different outcomes, the study found. “Stepped-up policing will stop crime in a subcritical area, but police involvement in a supercritical area will simply shift crime to surrounding neighborhoods,” says Tita, associate professor of criminology, law & society.
Tita worked with UCLA associate professor of anthropology Jeffrey Brantingham along with Andrea Bertozzi and Martin Short of UCLA’s mathematics department on the study, which was supported by the National Science Foundation.
The findings, published recently in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, could help law enforcement agencies adopt more effective crime prevention strategies and tailor their approach to concentrated criminal activity.
The team, now investigating whether the model can be applied to crime worldwide, has received funding from the Office of Naval Research to see if it can shed light on insurgent groups in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Such collaboration among criminologists, anthropologists and mathematicians may be key to preventing illegal behavior, Tita says.
“Crime is a function of a motivated offender, a suitable victim and the absence of governance,” he says. “Criminals follow patterns just like everyone else in their daily lives.”
Explore further Can math and science help solve crimes?
Provided by UC Irvine | 1,265,122 |
Enlarge Image Daniel Golson/Roadshow
CES 2020
Details of Fisker's new SUV, the Ocean, have been trickling out over the past few months, ahead of the EV's official debut at CES 2020 this week. We've heard about California Mode, the Electrify America partnership and the sub-$400 lease price. But to expand upon that last point, Fisker officially revealed final pricing information for the Ocean on Sunday, and it'll undercut a number of other EVs -- including the Tesla Model 3.
The starting MSRP of the new Fisker Ocean will be $37,499. Factor in the federal tax credit, and that price drops to $29,999. The order books are open now through the Fisker mobile app or the company's website, with a requisite $250 reservation fee. The $250 initial cost applies to both the full-purchase option and the lease deal, the latter of which costs $379 per month, with $2,999 due at signing.
As for the lease terms, Fisker says customers "can return the vehicle in one month, eight months, 22 months or several years" with "no long-term contracts, with 30,000 miles per year included," according to a statement. Fisker will also offer insurance options through its mobile app, and vehicle maintenance will all be handled through the automaker. "Fisker will pick up and return vehicles when maintenance is required, or service is requested," the company said.
For reference, as of this writing, a base Tesla Model 3 Standard Range costs $535 per month for a 10,000-mile per year lease, with a $1,230 initial payment.
Enlarge Image Fisker
Fisker calls the Ocean "the world's most sustainable vehicle," with its full-length solar roof, recycled carpeting, vegan interior and "eco-suede" interior textiles. The company says it will also "utilize discarded rubber waste generated during tire manufacturing that will no longer be dumped in landfills," though it's unclear exactly what that entails.
Exact performance details are still TBD, but Fisker says the Ocean will be powered by an approximately 80-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack. The company is targeting an electric driving range of somewhere between 250 and 300 miles.
Fisker says it has global manufacturing capacity across the United States, China and Europe, and the company projects it'll build more than 1 million vehicles between 2022 and 2027. The Ocean's platform will soon go on to underpin two additional Fisker products, which will be detailed in the coming years.
Following its debut at CES this week, the Ocean is expected to go into production at the end of 2021, with the first deliveries commencing in 2022. | 1,265,123 |
being used for malicious means," said Moskovitz.
In today's blog post explaining his company's entry into the LOT Network, Moskovitz calls it "a sort of arms control for the industry" that prevents "member companies from inadvertently introducing 'loose nukes' in the legal environment."
The right balance
Trolls do have other means of getting patents. But if 70 percent of their ammunition were to become severely impaired, it could be a significant hit to the trolling business model. The effort is also meant to show that the tech sector isn't just focused on lobbying Washington DC but that there are companies being good corporate citizens by pursuing "self-help" measures separate from the push for reform.
Other companies have sought to dent the patent troll practice with their own patent policies as well. Twitter started using its own "Innovators' Patent Agreement," essentially a no-lawsuit pledge to its own employees, in 2012. The same year, two Berkeley Law professors created the Defensive Patent License, which will finally have its launch in November of this year. A few months ago, Tesla offered its own no-lawsuit pledge, essentially trying to end the patent wars through unilateral disarmament.
Those didn't quite fit for the members of this group. Twitter's solution places its trust in employee-inventors who have veto power over use of their patents under the IPA. But while engineers usually want to do the right thing, there's no guarantee—and incentives can change over time.
"The [Twitter] IPA doesn't protect against the changing nature of the employee," said Moskovitz. "It potentially precludes using a patent defensively. It felt unduly confining for the company."
The LOT Network has its origins in a survey Google sent out to potential patent allies last year. License-on-Transfer was one of four patent "self-help" options Google asked other companies about, and it garnered by far the most interest, said Schulman.
LOT's explanation of the PAE/troll problem emphasizes that it's not big companies that need a solution. More than half of all companies that have been defendants against PAE lawsuits earn less than $10 million in revenue per year.
Founders hope to appeal to companies both large and small. Four of the founding companies are quite big, while Dropbox is mid-sized, with around 700 employees, and Asana has 70 employees.
The network charges an annual membership fee to administer the network and for outreach to new members. The fee ranges from $1,500 for companies with less than $10 million in revenue to $20,000 for companies with more than $1 billion in revenue. The group's executive director will be Chip Lutton, who was chief patent lawyer at Apple for 10 years before joining Nest Labs, now part of Google. | 1,265,124 |
not going to sit here and cry poor us. They have every right to do what they want to do, and I’m not the head coach of the Langley Rams.”
Dana Matheson is the president of the Rams. He wasn’t at the game, but he said if it was a Langley fan who came down to the Husker bench, that is unacceptable.
“It’s unfortunate that stuff like this does happen, and we’ve had issues like this happen in our park in the past,” he said. “When the Victoria came to town, there was one time when we had to call police. What we’ve done is we hire lots of security and we put them behind the team’s bench and on the track. We make lots of announcements through the game to let people know there is absolutely no way, shape or form that you can approach the bench or come on the track.
“And I did read comments about outside liquor. I can say that at our field we have security checking all bags for weapons as well as any outside liquor. We shut down our own liquor sales in the third quarter and turn people away that appear to be intoxicated.
“So my comment would be that hopefully the Huskers organization learns from this and takes some measures to make sure it doesn’t happen again in the future.”
BC Football Conference spokesperson Tyler McLaren said the incident was ‘sad and embarrassing.’
“Especially in front of kids and with children in close proximity,” he said. “On a day when a BCFC record was set by Langley’s Andrew Pocrnic and several Huskers were playing their last junior game at home, they should be ashamed of themselves.”
McLaren said the league will review what happened and decide if action needs to be taken, but one thing is for certain. The bench situation at Exhibition Stadium will be changing next season.
“I think it’s safe to assume that both teams moving forward will be on the far side,” McLaren said. “It’s unfortunate that one incident over a long period of time forces us to take that step, but ultimately we have to protect the people on the benches. Whether it’s a home or visiting team, sometimes we have to save them from themselves and make a decision in the best interests of safety.
“Obviously that’ll create a dynamic where the benches of two teams are in close proximity, but the alternative is players and bench staff at risk because of silliness from the stands.”
@ProgressSports
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A massive Powerball jackpot is up for grabs on Saturday.
The pot reached an estimated $435 million after Wednesday's game, which was the 19th straight drawing without a jackpot winner.
The $435 million prize would match the tenth largest jackpot of any U.S. lottery, tied with a jackpot claimed by someone in Indiana in February. That winner used a corporation to shield his or her identity.
If it seems like huge Powerball jackpots have become more common, that's because they have.
Saturday's $435 million prize means that six of the ten largest Powerball jackpots have happened since the start of 2016.
The reason: Powerball changed its formula in October 2015 to give players more numbers to choose from.
And more numbers mean longer odds of a winner. The odds of winning Powerball are now 1 in 292 million, or 0.0000003%. Before the switch, the Powerball odds were 1 in 175 million.
Related: You're even less likely to win the Powerball than you think
With fewer winners, the jackpot has the chance to grow bigger week after week.
The biggest jackpot ever took place in January 2016, soon after the odds changed. That payout reached a record $1.6 billion -- the one and only time it has crossed the billion dollar mark. The Powerball prize also climbed above $400 million in May, July and November of last year, in addition to the $435 prize in February.
Meanwhile, the Mega Millions game, which costs half as much to play, has only had four jackpots in its history that topped $400 million. Only one of those big payouts, a $536 million jackpot, came last year. The odds against winning Mega Millions are 1 in 259 million.
Related: Powerball's big bait and switch
Of course, the size of those jackpots are inflated. They assume the winner takes annuity payments spread out over 29 years.
But virtually every jackpot winner chooses to take a smaller, lump sum payment up front. For Wednesday's Powerball, that prize is estimated at $273 million.
Additionally, players only collect the entire prize if they are the sole winner, but the jackpots often have to be split between people with the same numbers.
Powerball and Mega Millions are now available in 44 states. All of them say that the profits provide billions in funding to schools and other social programs. But many economists argue that it's a regressive tax, since poor and working class individuals spend a much larger percentage of their money on lottery tickets than wealthier consumers. Americans spent $73 billion on lottery tickets in 2015, the most recent year for which data is available. That's more than they spent on music, movies, books, video games and sports tickets, combined. | 1,265,126 |
On the 13 September edition of BBC Question Time, the panel was squarely on the pro-establishment side of UK politics. That restricted the breadth of opinion:
The BBC's idea of 'political balance' is absolutely farcical: 1.) Right-wing Conservative MP.
2.) Right-wing anti-Corbyn Labour MP.
3.) Right-wing Tory Donor and multi-millionaire businessman.
4.) Left-Wing Corbyn Supporter.
5.) Right-wing Daily Mail hack.#BBCQT pic.twitter.com/oUgPQv7j7e — Evolve Politics (@evolvepolitics) September 12, 2018
But three audience members in a row broke with such a line of thinking. They are done with the rampant privatisation of essential services:
Forget the overtly biased panel, three audience members in a row destroyed the biggest corporate con on last night's #bbcqt https://t.co/QMk5p37y8P — James Wright (@wrightismight) September 14, 2018
‘Their priority is shareholder value’
The first citizen of Banbury said:
I think if you’ve got private businesses in charge of running prisons their priority is always going to be shareholder value. It’s never going to be the safety or the rehabilitation of the people in their care.
And the second audience member followed up:
I’m an MoD firefighter and the government have just announced the award of the contract to take over the fire service for the ministry of defence at a cost of £505m to Capita. The government themselves tend to give contracts to G4S, Serco, Capita, Carillion – who have just cost the taxpayer £148m, 2,300 jobs. Do you not think it’s about time that public assets were put back to the public?
Conservative prisons minister Rory Steward responded:
It is not an ideological debate here…. some of the best local prisons in the country are run by the private sector
But most of the public disagrees: 62% do not want the profit motive in UK prisons. And yet another audience member hit back on the topic:
Didn’t G4S screw up the security at the London Olympics? Inspectors at the Birmingham prison found blood, vomit and rat droppings on the floor. When are we ever going to learn that some services should not be privatised?
On Question Time, the panel was lacking in contributions beyond a Punch and Judy-style Brexit show. Thank god members of the public added critical points to the debate.
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Featured image via Philosoraptor/ YouTube | 1,265,127 |
One of the main reasons cited by vaping opponents for their opposition to vaping is that addiction to nicotine in itself is bad, and therefore it is in the interest of the public to minimize it to the best of our abilities. I have written at length about the scarcity of evidence proving that the use of nicotine is at all a net negative, and therefore that nicotine addiction should be bad, but that isn’t all that’s wrong with that reasoning. See, not only is it totally unclear that nicotine does more bad than good in the first place, but it is also totally unclear whether nicotine ingested by methods other than smoking is even that addictive to begin with.
The public health world has long acknowledged cigarettes to be one of the most addictive drugs available, on par with other famously addictive drugs such as heroin, but there have long been doubts about what exactly in cigarettes is causing this addiction. In more than one case, researchers studying the effects of nicotine on lab rats have found that the rats rarely exhibited symptoms of nicotine addiction when dosed with pure nicotine, whereas they were just as susceptible to becoming addicted to cigarettes as humans are. What could explain this discrepancy?
We have known for a while that cigarette companies “enrich” their products with various additives meant to increase nicotine delivery to the smoker’s lungs, but another effect of these additives is to increase the cigarettes’ potential for addiction. Basically, cigarettes are to nicotine as crack dipped in PCP is to cocaine. Except cocaine is probably more addictive than pure nicotine, but I’m sure you catch my drift.
It turns out that the rats that had such an easy time resisting nicotine addiction became addicted much more rapidly when their nicotine was spiked with acetaldehyde, a compound found in tobacco. Indicators of addiction became even stronger when the rats were given anabasine, nornicotine, anatabine, cotinine, and myosmine, all compounds added to commercial cigarettes. This should make it quite obvious not only how depraved the tobacco industry is, but also that nicotine by itself is hardly a substance to control.
In reality, nicotine is basically the same as any number of over the counter supplements you might find at your local Rite Aid. Pair that with the fact that there’s good evidence showing that it might provide numerous benefits to those who consume it, and it becomes hard to imagine why vaping is routinely talked of as a massive epidemic we need to stop in its tracks. I find it difficult to believe that humans consumed this stuff for ages without there being anything good about it. It’s a shame that the tobacco industry has turned smoking into a slow suicide for the heavy smoker; at the same time, I feel relatively fortunate to be living in a world where scientific innovation has made it such that I can ingest nicotine without having to deal with tobacco.
Happy vaping! | 1,265,128 |
Governor Bill Haslam cut the ribbon at the unveiling ceremony for Italian gunmaker Beretta's new manufacturing and research facility Sumner County.
The company’s $45 million investment is expected to create 300 jobs; however, city officials and economists expect a much bigger impact than added jobs and new tax revenues that the plant will bring.
"Beretta is a well-respected company with an international reputation," said Paige Brown, Mayor of Gallatin. "When they come here, everyone started asking about Gallatin. It's really made us a player in the conversation for other companies that are looking to relocate."
City, state and Beretta officials spoke at Friday's event about their hopes for what facility will bring to the area, as well as, why it was a positive move for the company. Company officials presented Gov. Haslam with the top shotgun made in the facility.
The $15 million state of the art manufacturing facility is 156,000 square feet. Employees will produce eight models of firearms, including the company's M-9 9 mm pistol.
PHOTOS: Beretta Unveils Gallatin Facility
Tennessee prevailed in luring the Italian gunmaker from Maryland after the company raised objections to a wide-ranging gun control measure enacted there in the aftermath of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings that left 26 dead.
Beretta officials cited strong Second Amendment support in Tennessee in the decision to invest in the state.
"On behalf of the state of Tennessee, welcome," said Gov. Haslam,. "We are honored to have you here. We look forward a long and fruitful partnership, I’m confident will be reality."
Former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley last year chided Haslam for resorting to what he called "corporate welfare" to bring Beretta to Tennessee.
Beretta has operated in Italy since 1526. The family-owned company makes a variety of firearms, ranging from hunting shotguns to the U.S. Armed Forces M-9 pistol.
The news came as the Tennessee Department of Labor announced that they have near record numbers of jobs available to the those who are looking.
"With the continued decline in the state's unemployment rate, workers have many opportunities available to them when looking for a job. In March, our Jobs4TN.gov website had over 175,000 job openings across the state’s 95 counties,” Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development Commissioner, Burns Phillips said.
The Nashville metropolitan area led the state in job openings in March with 53,401 jobs posted to Jobs4TN.gov.
"If you are out of work this is really one of the best times in recent memory to be out there looking for a job," added Chris Cannon, who is the Director of Communication for the department. | 1,265,129 |
device. Each additional Android user you refer to Current, and they also sign up using an Android device, gives you an opportunity to earn more CRNC. To be eligible, There are three steps.
First, if you’re new to Current, join our Telegram channel! If not, thank you for being a part of the community!
Second, in our pinned message, click the link to the referral page and sign up using your Android device to get your unique referral link. You’ll only get credit for those on Android devices that sign up using your referral link.
When the Current Android app goes live, we’ll send out an email to everyone on the Android referral list to download the app for an opportunity to earn bonus CRNC.
To check the number of referrals you’ve referred, go back to the dashboard and click “I’ve already signed up.” Your total referrals represent an approximation, and your final number will be dependent on the referral coming from an Android device.
Rewards:
Level 1 Reward — Refer 5 Friends = 20 CRNC
Level 2 Reward — Refer 10 Friends = 50 CRNC
Level 3 Reward — Refer 20 Friends = 100 CRNC
Level 4 Reward — Refer 60 Friends = 300 CRNC
Level 5 Reward — Refer 80 Friends = 400 CRNC
A reminder to everyone participating in either of these campaigns, SPAM will not be tolerated! Final recipients will be checked to see if their referrals came from bots or fake emails. If flagged for either of these reasons, participants will not be eligible to receive their reward. Anyone receiving CRNC must go through a KYC process to collect their tokens. If you do not qualify for whatever reason, we plan on giving all backers some Current swag for supporting us.
Weekly 10,000 CRNC Sticker & GIF Contest: Now Live!
Ongoing until we decide to close it! The team has a lot of fun going through them all. Each week we plan to select 5 people to win 2,000 CRNC each for posting their unique Stickers and GIFs. If you’ve already won before, you still have an opportunity to win with new submissions. We’ll make the announcement at the end of the day each Friday, starting July 13th.
July 13th Sticker & GIF Contest: Winners Announced! 🙌
Last week, we only had 3 winners! Each winner listed below will be rewarded 2,000 CRNC! Someone from our team will be in contact with them by early next week to collect their email for further communications. The contest is still on so keep up the good work! Winners for next week will be announced this coming Friday, July 20th.
As for the winners? Drumroll please… | 1,265,130 |
It was great to see that our recent gameplay overview trailer was greeted with such a positive response. Now, we are ready to release a new video, the Savage Road trailer. We know that everyone was crying out for gameplay and we were happy to oblige. With your appetites now sated, it’s time to take a deeper look at the story and some of the characters.
Play Video
As you know, Mad Max is an open-world action adventure game set in the post-apocalyptic universe made famous by the films. However, while you may recognize certain elements, it is truly a standalone game with original characters, storyline and setting crafted from the ground up to rival the best games out there. So, what’s the story all about?
Well, at the start of the game, as is so often the case for Max, he is simply trying to avoid contact with what passes for humanity in the Wasteland. He is searching for some sort of respite, whether it is in a real world place or somewhere in his head.
We start our story as he gets tangled up in a fight with a group of warboys. These are the zealous foot soldiers of the Wasteland Warlord and ruler of Gastown, Scabrous Scrotus. Stripped of his prized Interceptor, he is left for the Wasteland to chew up. However, he receives help from an unlikely companion, a Wasteland Blackfinger named Chumbucket, who realises that Max has ‘otherworldly skills’ as a driver and survivor. Chum’ convinces Max that together they can craft a mighty machine, which he calls Max’s Magnum Opus (meaning ‘Great Masterpiece’).
In the game, you will have much use of Chumbucket’s insider knowledge of the Wasteland and its inhabitants. As long as your paths are aligned, he will also be of great value in improving and weaponizing your Magnum Opus. He will even man the harpoon and repair your vehicle in battle when you need it.
Both Max and Chum are acutely aware that the car will require a powerful V8 engine if it is to survive in battle. In the video you will see that Max ventures into the heart of Gastown in order to compete in a race to the death. The prize — the V8 he so desperately needs. First he will have to face his enmity with Scrotus’ most feared henchman, Stank Gum, a despicable character who revels in spreading Scrotus’ terror in the most grotesque ways possible. The closer Max is driven to breaking point, the more he struggles with his sanity. (There’s a hint of that in the video, too!)
Enjoy Savage Road and we’ll be back soon with more content! | 1,265,131 |
Troy
The $14.1 million restoration of the city's Hudson River seawall will benefit development, said one of the major property owners on the waterfront.
"We have been waiting for this to happen so we can move forward," Sam Judge of Judge Development Corp. said Monday.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency has agreed to pay the $12.8 million cost of fixing the seawall, U.S. Sen. Charles E. Schumer announced Monday.
"Restoring the Troy seawall will not only protect the Hudson River waterfront by preventing future flood damage, but also bring scores of economic benefits to the residents and businesses that have come to rely on the waterfront's incredible development," the New York Democrat said in a statement.
The project includes $12.8 million in construction funds as well as $1.3 million in engineering and design work, which was previously approved.
"These federal funds will allow Troy to build back the seawall stronger than ever before," Schumer said.
When the seawall is repaired, it will be possible to develop additional docks and other projects along the riverfront, said Judge, who owns property along River Street from 225 River St., on the south side of 1 Monument Square, south to State Street.
Schumer worked with the city to convince FEMA of the importance of repairing the crumbling seawall. Tropical Storm Irene dealt a major blow to the wall in August 2011.
City Engineer Andrew Donovan said an in-depth investigation of the seawall using divers showed that more extensive work was necessary than originally projected.
The seawall repair would extend for about 7,000 feet, from Hutton Street near the Hedley Building at 433 River St. south to the Poesten Kill. Donovan said the city would be meeting with the major property owners along the shoreline, which include the city's Riverfront Park and 1 Monument Square site, to discuss details of the project.
The 94-year-old seawall was last repaired in 1978 and has been re-evaluated several times since. While the seawall does not appear to be in danger of immediate collapse, its deteriorating condition has officials worried.
A top concern is that a major 60-inch sewer main runs within 15 feet to 25 feet of the wall. A break in the line would potentially cause an environmental disaster by flooding the Hudson River with sewage.
The city expects to bid out the seawall project this summer, Donovan said. It's possible that work could begin later this year, he said.
The city also will move ahead with a $1.1 million marina improvement project once the seawall work is finished, Donovan said.
He anticipated that could happen in 2017.
[email protected] • 518-454-5084 • @KennethCrowe | 1,265,132 |
another big cut ahead of the team’s final preseason game, a home game against the Capitals on Friday. If I was to wager a guess, Necas, Carrick, Valentin Zykov, and Lucas Wallmark are among the group of players who are right on the bubble of forcing their way onto the club. They’ll get a long look over the next few days, as will Janne Kuokkanen who survived another round of cuts and has looked very good on the powerplay. Organization depth? Why, yes, I will take many helpings of that.
Speaking of Wallmark, this is a player that has gone a little under the radar. It’s understandable as the team is seeing a group of teenagers and 20-year-olds come in and make big pushes in camp, but Wallmark’s two-way game is mature and impressive. Had it not been for the addition of Marcus Kruger over the offseason, the young Swede would probably be the favorite to come in an play on the fourth line. Peters loves this kid’s game and his ability to make adjustments from game to game. He had a very good rookie year in Charlotte and tallied a pair of assists in eight NHL games last season. He turned 22 on September 5.
The team’s biggest free agency splash was bringing back Justin Williams, and he has been a treat to watch in his first two preseason outings. He’s netted a pair of goals and his stability and experience will be a huge asset for this team. He’s 35 now, but you probably couldn’t tell just by watching him play. Jeff Skinner’s comments about him have been very encouraging as well. Last week, the NHL’s sixth-best goal scorer from last season raved about the veteran, saying “He still plays pretty young out there. It’s fun to sit beside a guy who has been through so much. We’ve got some time coming up in the next few months where I’m sure I’ll be able to pick up some things.” Through a smile, he then said: “I don’t want to come off too annoying at the start.” I loved these comments from Skinner for a lot of reasons, but maybe the biggest is that he will likely be the captain of this team entering the season, and having a guy like Williams to mentor him is invaluable. Our very own Jamie Kellner, who made a very similar point in the comment section of Canes Country’s captaincy post, took this picture during training camp, and if it doesn’t make you feel some type of way, then you have no soul... or you’re just not as easily entertained as I am, which is also a very real possibility. | 1,265,133 |
BALTIMORE (WJZ) — What would you do with $19,000? Buy a car or a new house? Pay off overdue bills? A University of Baltimore professor used the money to save the life of her senior cat, and she says every penny was worth it.
If cats come with nine lives, Stanley is now living off of nine more.
“He’s seen me through the worst moments of my life,” Stanley’s owner, Betsy Boyd, said. “He’s an old cat. He doesn’t run around as much as he used to.”
When the frisky feline wasn’t feeling well because of kidney problems, Boyd didn’t think twice about making him purrfect again.
“He seems almost human to me,” she explains. “He’s a friend, and I believe that this friend wanted to live, so I paid for the surgery.”
The pricetag for a new kitty kidney? Try nearly $20,000.
Boyd says she and her husband paid for the surgery out of their limited savings. They had to ditch plans for a new car.
The mother of two wrote about her choice online. Her story quickly took off.
While there has been some support, not everybody agrees with her.
“People who have commented online in some cases have been tacky and cruel. That’s their right,” Boyd said.
She says saving Stan has given her a new perspective on money and life. She says she would do it again, as she’s still focused on the one she calls her soulmate.
“He purrs all the time. He begs for poultry. He wakes me up at 4 a.m. for a snack. He’s happy, and we’re still very good friends,” she said.
On the road to recovery, Stanley celebrated his 18th birthday Saturday.
“Happy birthday, Stanley! You don’t look a day over five, but you’re 18 today,” Boyd said.
She now hopes this cool cat will stick around a bit longer — a present Boyd and her family says comes without a pricetag.
“Twenty-five would be great. I had always hoped for 30,” she said.
The family also adopted the 2-year-old donor cat that provided Stan’s kidney.
Boyd says she still spends hundreds of dollars on drugs and bloodwork to make sure his body doesn’t reject his new kidney.
Follow @CBSBaltimore on Twitter and like WJZ-TV | CBS Baltimore on Facebook | 1,265,134 |
At the heart of today’s most successful and innovative companies is design. It’s a discipline that has the power to improve every aspect of our lives.
The destruction of the cherry orchard in the eponymous 1904 play written by Anton Chekhov was a melancholic symbol of the radical political change hitting Tsarist Russia at the time that culminated in the 1917 revolution. A century later, the winner of a US government-sponsored competition to re-imagine national memorials shows the same cherry trees slowly vanishing under our own era’s coming upheaval: rising sea levels provoked by climate change.
“Climate Chronograph” is a proposal to plant a copse of cherry trees on East Potomac Park, a man-made island on the Potomac River in Washington, DC. The island was originally built from reclaimed land as a flood control for the capital’s famous mall but, in a devastating irony, it is expected to slowly disappear under the waters it was made to combat as global sea levels rise in the coming decades.
Azimuth Land Craft “Memorial and Meter”
The trees will be a “public park and public witness” to encroaching water levels, write the project’s creators, landscape architects Eric Jensen and Rebecca Sunter. Climate Chronograph would both memorialize our current moment of instability and measure the devastation to come.
“Nature’s slow pace has a long unfolding, and simultaneously, the past, present, and future are forever embedded together,” they write. “By ceding control of the tip of an island that serves as a keystone of flood control and is maintained by a steward expressly committed to non-intervention, the memorial sacrifices itself to what will be. Its entropy makes legible in the scale of inches and feet the global effects of rising seas.”
Azimuth Land Craft Potomac rises: The trees wither under pools of water
Despite its grim premise, the project isn’t entirely pessimistic. Its overall message is that the onus is on us to combat climate change, and the state of the cherry trees would be an honest testament to whatever we manage to achieve.
“This landscape chronograph marks both our vulnerability and our response. The memorial is a record of a struggle we now begin,” the proposal’s epilogue reads.
The project won the Memories for the Future competition, co-sponsored by the National Park Service, the National Capital Planning Commission, and the Van Allen Institute in New York. A spokesman for the National Capital Planning Commission said there were no current plans to bring the project to life, as the competition was mainly a way to explore ideas about memorialization. If enacted, the proposal would cost a projected $2.5 million. | 1,265,135 |
People’s Guide to the Cthulhu Mythos
810 The Old Ones
0-4:30 the great old ones
4:31-48:53 List of Great Old Ones
48:54-49:54 banter
49:55-52:45
52:46-1:28:29 Dave’s Corner of the Universe
1:28:30-1:31:00 OUTRO
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Check out Dave’s Corner of the Universe at
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Black Clock Audio Tales is a daily podcast that reads you a story. Either a chapter of novel, or a whole short story.
Join us in our exploration of old ghost stories, supernatural fiction, horror tales, folk tales, fantasy, gothic horror, weird fiction, and cosmic horror. And dent forget to join us for our monthly show about the Cthulhu Mythos
Look for our podcast near the old wishing well in the blasted heath, or wherever you find your podcasts, we suggest pod bean or apple podcasts
Find us on the web at PGttCM.com
and @Blackclockaudio on Instagram, twitter, and facebook
And Black Clock Audio Tales on youtube
Welcome to People’s Guide to the Cthulhu Mythos
Check out our new website over at WWW.PGttCM.com!
Edited by Daniel Spitzer
Music by Kevin McLeod
The Chamber, Unseen Horrors, Ghost story, The Voices, Oppressive Gloom
Music by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
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Help the show by sharing/rating/liking or 5 star giving wherever you listen to or rate podcasts
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Black Clock Audio Tales is part of the dark myths collective.
Learn more at DarkMyths.ORG | 1,265,136 |
Jimmie Johnson was one of four former NASCAR Sprint Cup champions who spoke with a small media group at Wednesday's Goodyear tire test at LVMS. Jeff Speer
For a quartet of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers, the best part of this week's Goodyear tire test at Las Vegas Motor Speedway was simply being back behind the wheel.
Sprint Cup Series drivers Kurt Busch, Jimmie Johnson, Brad Keselowski and Matt Kenseth were in good spirits while speaking to a group of media during a break in testing tires at the 1.5-mile superspeedway on Wednesday.
"I was in full offseason mode, and then after that first run yesterday, there's no other way to get that smile," Johnson said. "It's fun to get on the track, knock the rust off and get ready for the season. It's a nice way to remember how cool my job is and have some fun."
Busch was happy to be back in his hometown and enjoys testing at LVMS.
"Most importantly, it's the weather," the 2004 Sprint Cup Series champion said of the benefits of testing in Las Vegas. "It's a track we race only once a year, so the notes don't get as defined, and we always love to go to tracks we have minimal data from."
Keselowski spent a good amount of time studying data on laptops in the garage with his crew chief, Paul Wolfe, and his team's engineers.
"We're always learning something, and every track has a different tire," said Keselowski, the 2012 Sprint Cup Series champion. "Those tires are constructed to combat a number of variables, whether it's track surface, the rules package on the cars, the speeds or the downforce. It doesn't necessarily carry off to anywhere else, but hopefully we can learn something about the car as we're assisting Goodyear to be better everywhere else."
Kenseth and his peers are ready for the 2016 season to begin.
"We're still a few weeks away, but obviously last year ended on a strong note," he said. "We're looking forward to getting the season started, and every race is a big one. You want to come out strong and get some wins early in the year, and then hopefully you're strong at the right time at the end of the year."
All of the Sprint Cup Series teams will have a full day of open testing on Thursday, March 3, to kick off LVMS' 2016 NASCAR Weekend. The big racing weekend continues on Friday, March 4, with Stratosphere Pole Day, the Boyd Gaming 300 Xfinity Series race on Saturday, March 5, and the Kobalt 400 on Sunday, March 6. Tickets are still available at www.lvms.com or by calling 1-800-644-4444. | 1,265,137 |
the fight against terrorists and Iran.
But humanitarian groups that have long criticized the Trump administration over its Yemen policy saw Wednesday’s vote as a victory. “This result sends a strong message today: The U.S. public does not want to be complicit in Yemen’s humanitarian crisis any longer,” said Scott Paul of Oxfam.
As the drama plays out in Washington, Yemen is mired in catastrophe, with millions facing famine and relying on dwindling supply lines for humanitarian aid. Yemen’s three-year conflict is considered the worst humanitarian crisis in the world. More than three-quarters of its population, or 22.2 million people, require aid, and some 14 million face starvation, according to the United Nations. More than half the population does not have access to drinking water, and the conflict has fueled the worst cholera outbreak in modern history. According to UNICEF, at least one child in Yemen dies every 10 minutes from illness and starvation.
Aid workers and local physicians are struggling to help the population. The ongoing blockade of the port city of Hodeidah, where between 70 and 80 percent of Yemen’s commercial and humanitarian imports enter the country, has denied civilians access to medicine, fuel, food, and other essential items. The conflict has also devastated infrastructure, and half of all health facilities are shut or not working properly.
Last month, Mattis and Pompeo called for a cease-fire within 30 days. While a pause in the violence has so far been elusive, Mattis indicated last week that U.N.-brokered peace talks between the Saudi-led coalition and Iran-backed Houthis were slated for early December in Sweden.
Earlier this month, the U.S. ended refueling support to coalition aircraft engaged in the war, one of the most contentious aspects of U.S. involvement in the conflict. Until then, the U.S. Air Force had provided roughly 20 percent of the aerial refueling needs of the coalition.
However, this step was not enough to quell the critics on Capitol Hill. Over the course of the three-year war, the U.S. government—beginning with the Obama administration—has also provided the Arab coalition with logistical support, aerial targeting assistance, intelligence information, and U.S.-made weapons such as precision-guided munitions. A bomb dropped by the Saudi coalition on a school bus that killed 40 children in August, for example, was supplied by the United States and made by Lockheed Martin.
A new poll conducted by the International Rescue Committee and YouGov shows the American public is also growing weary of the violence. Seventy-five percent of people surveyed said they opposed U.S. military support to the coalition’s efforts in Yemen, with 82 percent of respondents agreeing that Congress must vote to end or decrease arms sales. | 1,265,138 |
With thanks to Temperance Dewar
Knowledge (from Poetry)
Louise Bogan
Now that I know
That passion warms little
Of flesh in the mold,
And treasure is brittle,
I’ll lie here and learn
How, over their ground,
Trees make a long shadow
And a light sound.
Comment:
Temperance made a bunch of neat observations. “Know” in the first stanza potentially conflicting with “[will] learn” opening the second stanza is the one I remember most. What we spent the most time discussing was the nature of the “passion” invoked. “Passion warms little” cannot possibly mean the speaker is herself dispassionate. But how exactly do we account for that numbness, say, when relationships fall apart? When we don’t want something anymore, but still want it?
What puzzled me initially was the title. It’s necessary for the first stanza’s strange order. It doesn’t feel right to talk about treasure after passion; it feels like a descent. One might say the brittleness of treasure indicates the speaker has emphatic doubts about the value of actually getting what she wants. But still, our passion is more important than getting what we want, even if temporally prior. “Treasure” and its brittleness make me think of material goods. “Passion warms little / Of flesh in the mold” is not just any passion: it’s the will to create ourselves.
So yes, there’s a descent of the Can I get anything at all? variety. “Knowledge” is the absolute least one can get; it may not effect anything at all. In a state of numbness, how does one know one knows? Self-knowledge is peculiar in that we often want it to help us feel a certain way. Our speaker does not even have knowledge after all her turmoil. She is only seeking after knowledge, to go back to Temperance’s point.
The trees are rooted. They have a particular domain (“over their ground”). One need not think of pirates to think of underground treasure. Where your treasure is, your heart is; a man will sell all he has if he finds a pearl of great price in a field to buy the field. Trees cast shadows that echo the speaker laying down. But those long shadows only touch the earth. They don’t warm and they don’t search. The light sound is that of the wind moving branches and leaves gently. It’s the sound of space between a slight, organic frame. One might say it is the sound of nothing. | 1,265,139 |
Cris Cyborg is down a sponsor after a messy incident with a fellow UFC fighter last month, one she says has yet to pay her for an appearance.
GRRRL, a women’s athletic clothing brand, has cancelled its sponsorship with Cyborg after Cyborg punched Angela Magana during the UFC Athlete Retreat, the company announced on its website.
“Unfortunately, within a matter of hours of appearing and speaking at our event, Cris was involved in “battery” of another fighter on the street outside a UFC retreat,” the statement read. “Cris’s conduct in this regard has broadly been condemned by the fight industry and the organization by whom she is contracted as a fighter.
“As a company with representation and brand ambassadors amongst girls as young as 6, we cannot publically [sic] condone this behaviour especially as the behaviour is directly in conflict with the messages Cris shared at the event, one of our speakers on cyber bullying and our company message to promote female harmony and unity.”
The GRRRL statement read that it had signed up Cyborg for a 12-month deal, but could not continue on with it after the physical altercation.
“This conduct has the potential to diminish the tireless work by our amazing network of women throughout the world to support female harmony and unity,” the statement read. “As a consequence of these matters, it is with regret that our sponsorship of Cris has come to an end.”
Cyborg was cited for misdemeanor battery by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. She has said that she confronted Magana after Magana bullied her down multiple times on social media, including making fun of her looks in a picture taken while she was visiting kids at a cancer hospital. Video of the incident emerged and it did appear Cyborg hit the strawweight fighter.
The Las Vegas city attorney is still determining whether or not to pursue charges in the case.
Cyborg wrote Thursday on social media that she did an appearance for GRRRL that weekend and has yet to be paid. She insinuated that the company is using the punching incident as an excuse not to pay her. Cyborg said she was supposed to receive $7,500 and GRRRL sold tickets to her speaking engagement.
My public appearance fee was 7500$ they don't have the money to pay this and are looking for excuses after the event wasn't profitable pic.twitter.com/SBnCvJgkW2 — #UFC214 #LetsGoChamp (@criscyborg) June 9, 2017
The meet and greet was at a swingers hotel and after weeks of advertising me for a speaking engagement they sold tixs and I did they dnt pay — #UFC214 #LetsGoChamp (@criscyborg) June 9, 2017 | 1,265,140 |
If you were watching the news in the last 24 hours, you undoubtedly saw a story about the new proposal from the Defense Department to make some personnel cuts. And if you saw one of those stories, you almost certainly saw the same factoid, whether you were reading the New York Times, watching the ABC News listening to NPR, or hearing about it via carrier pigeon: the Army is going to be reduced to its smallest size since World War II!
Conor Friedersdorf does a good job of explaining why this is bunk, the main reason being that before World War II there was no Air Force; the people who did the flying and bombing were part of the Army. When you account for the 325,000 uniformed Air Force personnel of today, the Army looks much bigger than it did in 1940. But the weirdest part of this discussion is the idea that American military strength can be measured by the number of people in one service branch, or even in all the branches.
If that were the case, the world's strongest military would be China's, followed by India's, with the U.S. coming in third. We'd be only slightly stronger than North Korea. Have you heard anyone warning that we're weaker militarily than India? Of course not. "But Paul," you're saying, "Can't we see this in a graph?" Happy to oblige:
These are World Bank data as of 2011, but I doubt things have changed too dramatically in the last couple of years. The latest numbers from the DoD have the American military at around 1.4 million people in uniform. What you see when you look at the international context is that the number of troops has only the barest relationship to national military power. And that's particularly true in our case.
It isn't just that we spend way, way more than anyone else-the U.S. accounts for four of every ten dollars spent on the military worldwide-it's also that we have the most technologically advanced military. If we weren't able to reduce the number of personnel over time as our technology becomes increasingly sophisticated, something would be seriously wrong. Yes, we're certainly going to be invading more countries in the future-we're America, after all!-but not only are we moving away from the "land 100,000 guys on that beach" method of warfare, just as is happening in lots of industries, our military needs fewer people to do the same jobs than it used to. You may need half a dozen crew members in an old-fashioned bomber, but one guy with a joystick can pilot a drone and fire its weapons.
We will almost certainly have fewer uniformed personnel in the future than we do now. But that doesn't mean our military will be weaker. So comparing the size of the Army now to what it was decades ago does nothing but confuse people. | 1,265,141 |
As modern productions continue to grow in scope and complexity, so too has the need for an efficient artist workflow that enables the team to get the project done. It’s become more important than ever to minimize the time artists spend hunting for information and performing repetitive tasks manually so they can focus on their creative work. Building workflows based on pipeline intelligence relies on close collaboration between artist tools and production systems.With the release of Unreal Engine 4.20, we are taking big steps to drive real-time pipeline development forward and are excited to announce the availability of a full integration with Shotgun, one of the leading production tracking, review, and asset management systems in the industry. Unreal Engine is the first game engine supported in Shotgun’s Toolkit platform, a suite of integrations with multiple DCC applications and a vast ecosystem of useful pipeline tools.This integration streamlines the connection Unreal Engine has with both upstream 3D asset data created by artists in other applications like Maya, and downstream image data that needs to be reviewed by supervisors and directors in Shotgun. Our goal is to make it easier than ever to leverage Unreal Engine’s advanced real-time capabilities in a seamless artist workflow.“Shotgun is used by lots of major film studios and VFX companies, and integration in-engine is a huge asset for our customers in media and entertainment. You can assign a task in Shotgun and attach it to an Unreal Engine asset so that the engine, content and associated data are all interconnected and speaking to one another, ensuring that artists and supervisors alike are aligned on the latest version of a shot in review,” said Epic Games CTO Kim Libreri.“Unreal Engine integration is a feature that our clients have been asking about for some time. The real-time workflows that Unreal offers opens up new and extremely interesting opportunities in media production. We are really excited about the Shotgun integration in Unreal 4.20, and look forward to seeing the Shotgun community starting to adopt it,” said Manne Ohrstrom, Autodesk’s Technical Lead on Shotgun Toolkit.The extended Python API in Unreal Engine 4.20 enables deeper and richer pipeline development capabilities as well as support for PySide user interfaces like the ones in Shotgun’s Toolkit platform. The integration supports:Quickly locate project information within Shotgun without leaving the Unreal Engine interface.Easily import asset data created by other artists in Unreal Engine and neatly organize it in the Content Browser based on Shotgun information.Share asset files in Shotgun directly from Unreal Engine and complete renders from Sequencer for instant feedback in Shotgun.Export an asset as FBX data for import in Unreal Engine with the Loader and automatically render a turntable of that asset with Unreal Engine, from Maya, for review in Shotgun.The new plugin is available today in the latest Unreal Engine 4.20 release and can be easily configured within Shotgun Toolkit. | 1,265,142 |
A viral video is demonstrating just how swiftly karma can come back to bite.
Just seconds after a high school bully punched a blind student in the face following a short confrontation, an intrepid figure enters the fold with a bludgeoning strike of his own.
View photos The bully first punched the blind student just a second before copping a blow to his own face. Photo: YouTube More
Video shows the bully crashing to the hard concrete of Huntington Beach High School in Southern California where he remains shocked and motionless.
“Trying to f***ing jump a blind kid, bro,” says the teen, identified as Cody Pines, who intervened as he stands over the bulletin.
“I swear to God, if you f**k with this kid again I will f**k you up."
View photos The bully was left stunned and bloodied after picking a fight with a blind student. Photo: YouTube More
Video of the incident has since gone viral after being shared on Reddit, where commenters praised the teen who stood up to the bully.
Despite the internet's praise for his bravado, Cody was suspended under his school's zero tolerance for violence policy.
An online petition was created to have his suspension recalled, which has already gained close to 75,000 signatures.
It's not the first case an indecent act coming full circle to bite the hand that first dealt a cruel blow.
Grandmother fells ex-boxer with vicious right hook
This former boxer got a crystal clear lesson in the virtues of respecting one's elders when he lashed out at a female co-worker in front of a security camera.
Don't underestimate a good boxer though
That Russian champ may have gone down in a humiliating heap, but the same can't be said of this Irish-Kuwaiti student of the sweet science.
Set upon my a mob of assailants, the tourist looks almost casual as he knocks them out one at a time.
The best laid schemes of drunken men...
A lot of ideas seem good at the time and at least our ill-fated brawler has some company.
Also featuring highly among the list of bad ideas were these drunken Canadian sports fans who decided to launch their own version of an obscene internet joke on a Canadian reporter.
Shauna Hunt was not about to let them get away with it though and took the fight right up to the group of young men. She quickly wiped the smiles from their faces and, according to subsequent reports, cost at least a couple of them their jobs.
Watch the road
Earlier this month a cyclist in Hampshire, UK, learned this lesson the hard way when he took a moment to flip off the Mazda MX5 he’d just cut off.
Story continues | 1,265,143 |
A LOOK AT AQUAMAN’S COSTUME: “IT’S THE SUIT, ISN’T IT?”
There is also the issue of Aquaman’s suit, which is to DC comics what Captain America’s suit is to Marvel comics. It’s old-fashioned and in desperate need of an upgrade. Throw out the whole scaly-orange-green-suit. It doesn’t matter if you are tough as nails and can swim 36,000 feet below the ocean; nobody is going to take you seriously in a suit like that.
Since Aquaman comes from a long line of Atlanteans, their army (or should I say navy?) probably has a wide range of armor pieces. He can keep the scaly pants, but make them sleek and dark. As for a shirt, I honestly don’t think it’s necessary. Give him an armored chest plate, or maybe just a cool pauldron to cover his shoulders. Aquaman is strong and powerful, so make him look the part. Plus, as ZZ Top said, “Every girl crazy ‘bout a sharp dressed man.”
WHAT’S IN A NAME?
They say we should never judge a book by its cover, but let’s face it, we all do. The same goes for how we view superheroes. Batman, Spider-Man, Hulk and Iron Man all have cool names, so it’s natural for kids to initially gravitate towards those heroes. A name like ‘Aquaman’ doesn’t scream hero, it screams ‘Marco Polo Champion’.
In Justice League, you can have someone refer to him as Aquaman as a joke, but that should not be his name in the film or spinoffs going forward, at least not explicitly. You can refer to him as Orin of Atlantis, or simply the Atlantean. Both sound like better options than Aquaman.
It’ll be interesting to see how the studio approaches the Aquaman character when Justice League rolls around. While the character is far from popular there is a lot to like about him, and I feel he’ll translate well on the big screen. Sure, he’s the butt of jokes more often than not, but he’s a founding member of the Justice League so will likely play an important role in the film. All we can hope for is that his first introduction to us will be a heroic one.
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NFL Mock Draft: Game of Thrones Edition
A Clipper Adrift
Zack Snyder to direct ‘Justice League’
3 Burning Questions For ‘Batman vs. Superman’ | 1,265,144 |
March 4 is National Grammar Day, so I have a special top-10 show to celebrate the occasion, and before you argue with me, read the whole explanation about why each of these is a myth.
Grammar Girl's Top 10 Language Myths
10. A run-on sentence is a really long sentence. Wrong! They can actually be quite short. In a run-on sentence, independent clauses are squished together without the help of punctuation or a conjunction. If you write “I am short he is tall,” as one sentence without a semicolon, colon, or dash between the two independent clauses, it's a run-on sentence even though it has only six words. (See episode 237 for more details.)
9. You shouldn't start a sentence with the word “however.” Wrong! It's fine to start a sentence with “however” so long as you use a comma after it when it means "nevertheless." (See episode 354 for more details.)
8. “Irregardless” is not a word. Wrong! “Irregardless” is a bad word and a word you shouldn't use, but it is a word. “Floogetyflop” isn't a word—I just made it up and you have no idea what it means. “Irregardless,” on the other hand, is in almost every dictionary labeled as nonstandard. You shouldn't use it if you want to be taken seriously, but it has gained wide enough use to qualify as a word. (See episode 94 for more details.)
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7. There is only one way to write the possessive form of a word that ends in S. Wrong! It's a style choice. For example, in the phrase “Kansas's statute,” you can put just an apostrophe at the end of “Kansas” (that's AP style) or you can put an apostrophe S at the end of “Kansas” (that's Chicago style). Both ways are acceptable. (See episode 35 for more details.)
6. Passive voice is always wrong. Wrong! In passive voice, the subject of the sentence isn’t the person or the thing taking the action. In fact, in a passive voice sentence, the actor is often completely left out of the sentence. An example is "Mistakes were made," because it doesn't say who made the mistakes. Your writing is often stronger if you make your passive sentences active, but if you don't know who is responsible for an action, passive voice can be the best choice. (See episode 302 for more details.)
Pages | 1,265,145 |
squad must feel like riding the most insane roller coaster of all-time. Secondly, Spacestation is one of the deadliest teams in North America when they're in rhythm. It's a point that even Cloud9 players were making on Twitter after the match. If Spacestation can find a way to play up to their potential on a more consistent basis, they could be one of the biggest surprises—and threats—during the Regional Playoffs and perhaps even the World Championship.
Make or Break
In one of the most unlikely stories of the year, Dignitas' slide has continued into Week 4. After a convincing win in Week 3, it looked like the squad was back on track and ironing out their issues. That turned out to not be the case as Triple Trouble's win over Dignitas turned their season from bad to borderline disastrous.
As it sits right now, Dignitas holds on to sixth place just outside the relegation zone (seventh and eighth place). With Week 5 on tap, Dignitas has two pivotal matches that will determine their fate. The first is a tough assignment against TSM who will, no doubt, be looking to correct their poor form after a 3-1 loss to PSG Esports. After that, The Bricks, who are fighting with Dignitas to stay out of the Promotion Tournament, will be waiting. It's a week that can end in triumph or tragedy for Dignitas. There's no room for failure and their second, third, and fourth chances have all been used up. Dignitas find themselves, unbelievably, in a do-or-die scenario. It'll either be heartbreak or one massive sigh of relief.
Which is it going to be?
This. Is. It.
Those are a few of the many storylines heading into the fifth—and final—week of League Play. Some dreams will come true, others will evaporate. It all comes down to this and there's never been more pressure. It's the biggest season yet, and this is where eventual champions begin to forge their legacies.
Tune in for the new RLCS Pre-Show that airs a half hour before matches start. The Pre-Show for North American RLCS starts at 11:30 a.m. PDT (6:30 p.m. UTC) on Saturday, and at 8:30 a.m. PDT (3:30 p.m. UTC) for the European RLCS on Sunday. Remember that you can earn new Fan Rewards by watching the stream live on Twitch.
If you've ever wanted to see RLCS action live, on June 21-23 you can watch the best teams in the world face off at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey for their shot at the title of World Champion. You can grab your Rocket League World Championship tickets here. We'll see you there! | 1,265,146 |
Food in Bengaluru’s Indira Canteens ‘unfit for consumption’, lab tests reveal
Samples of bisibelebath, sambar and rice from four Indira Canteens tested by two laboratories were found to be unfit for consumption
news Politics
The standard of food served in Karnataka’s Indira Canteens has come into question once again after a BJP councillor alleged that the food was poisonous.
Umesh Shetty, the corporator from Govindarajanagar (Ward 104) in Bengaluru, got the food tested by sending samples to the Ramaiah Advanced Testing Laboratory and to the government-run Public Health Institute. He claimed the food was ‘poisonous’ after the results suggested that it contained high levels of bacteria.
The food samples were collected from the Indira Canteens at Byatarayanapura, JP Nagar, Jayanagar and Nagapura wards on 20 February. The lab report found that the bisibelebath was bacteria ridden and concluded that the sample was unfit for human consumption. The report also found that the microbiological quality of the sambar and rice samples was “not within satisfactory limits”. The report, however, did not find the presence of any other pathogenic organisms.
Indira Canteen is a food subsidisation programme run by the Karnataka government. It was initiated by the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government and carried forward by the coalition government that came to power last year.
Speaking to TNM, Umesh Shetty said that he decided to test the food after receiving complaints about pourakarmikas suffering from stomach ache after consuming food from the canteens. “We heard about pourakarmikas suffering from stomach upset, diarrhoea due to eating Indira Canteen food and decided to get food samples tested,” he said.
Reacting to the report, Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara ordered the BBMP to conduct further quality tests on food samples and take action on any erring contractors. The BBMP had recently conducted tests on food samples and not found any poisonous or pathogenic contents in the food. However, the samples will now be tested in 12 labs accredited by the National Accreditation Board and approved by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India to clear up any confusion over the quality of the food samples.
While many have praised the setting up of Indira Canteens across the state to provide subsidised food, there have been previous occasions when the quality of the food and the administration of the canteens have been called into question by BJP leaders.
Read: ‘How can Indira canteens have 1 lakh visitors during bandh?’ BJP leader alleges ‘scam’ | 1,265,147 |
Almaty’s modern cityscape is set against a striking mountain backdrop © EXPO-2017 National Company
Soak up the atmosphere in Almaty, Kazakhstan’s most cosmopolitan city.
Almaty may have lost its status as the capital city of Kazakhstan in 1997, but it remains the largest and most cosmopolitan city in the country, and Kazakhstan’s financial, cultural and educational hub. Most international flights arrive in Almaty; it has the widest range of hotels, restaurants and bars you will find in Kazakhstan. You will hear more Russian spoken here than Kazakh, although ethnic Kazakhs make up 51% of the population: Almaty is one of the places in which the broad ethnic diversity of Kazakhstan is most apparent, with expatriates working for the many foreign firms headquartered here adding to the mix.
There is no attractive ‘old city’: an earthquake in 1887 left just one brick building standing. But there are some interesting museums, attractive parks and intriguing buildings chronicling Almaty’s Tsarist, Soviet and post-independence history. A stunning location adds much to Almaty’s allure. The city sits at the northern foot of the Zailysky Alatau range, the northernmost line of the mighty Tian Shan Mountains. The peaks, rising above 4,000m and snow-capped for much of the year, offer a beautiful southern backdrop to the city, though the smog that sometimes hangs over the urban area all too frequently has the effect of spiriting the mountains away. The Zailysky Alatau are easily accessible: the starting points for some excellent trekking routes amid Tian Shan firs and up to mountain passes and glaciers are just a few minutes’ drive from the centre of town.
The city itself is built on a slope, with the highest ground to the south, at the foot of the mountains. Across this slope meander several streams – the Bolshaya Almatinka, Malaya Almatinka and Esentai – each fed by snow melt from the mountains. The water from these streams fuels an irrigation system dating from the 19th century, with channels known as aryks running alongside the grid-patterned city streets. These provided the water to support lines of poplar trees, which give Almaty, fondly referred to as the Garden City, a verdant appearance. According to a local legend, in the late 19th century, young men were allowed to get married only after having planted 15 trees. The streams also feed the city’s 125 fountains and since 2007, Almaty has been celebrating 25 May as the Day of Fountains. This is altogether a city that can beguile, whose easy-going charms lure visitors to stay longer than planned.
Back to the top | 1,265,148 |
The new 2019 Breguet Classique Tourbillon Extra-Plat Squelette is the lightweight-racer of haute horology. Think of a Porsche GT3 RS, but for the wrist. The new watch, from the inventor of the tourbillon, expands on its elegant Extra-Plat collection which was originally introduced in 2013 as the worlds thinnest tourbillon.
For this latest iteration Breguet have taken to opening up the dial, disposing of anything un-needed and finishing the watch to an extraordinarily high standard. In fact, 50% of the total mass of the movement has been removed from the Caliber 581, creating an airy, opulent wristwatch with an alluring architecture. The resultant watch is perhaps the most Breguet thing Breguet have ever made.
The 18k gold Bridges and base plate are exquisitely finished with Breguet’s signature guilloche or a Clous de Paris respectively and any remaining edges have been hand chamfered to create a 45 degree bevel. Also visible is the manufacture’s name and individual watch serial number which are hand engraved at 9.00 o clock. On the dial you have applied pyramid blue indices and roman numerals which contrast brilliantly against the gold and silver colour of the watch.
This is clearly watch that places the movement as the centre piece, with the rotor reserved for the outer limits of the case to make sure the view from the rear as unobstructed as possible. At just 3mm tall the calibre manages to produce an 80 hour power reserve courtesy of the high-energy barrel, while the silicon escapement has been re-angled to create additional space.
The watch will be available in two versions, either a rose gold case with a silver movement finish or a platinum case with a rose gold movement.
Price & Specs:
Model Name: Breguet Classique Tourbillon Extra-Plat Squelette 5395
Ref: 5395BR/1S/9WU (rose gold), 5395PT/RS//9WU (platinium)
Case: 41mm diameter x 7.7mm height, 18k pink gold or platinum
Movement: Cal. 581SQ, automatic
Power Reserve: 80h
Water Resistance: 30 metres (3 bars)
Frequency: 28,800 bph (4Hz)
Strap: Alligator leather with folding clasp
Price: 220,000 CHF for 8k Rose Gold (Ref. 5395BR/1S/9WU) and 235,000 CHF for platinum (Ref. 5395PT/RS//9WU)
More information at www.breguet.com | 1,265,149 |
WASHINGTON—Providing a lengthy, comprehensive explanation of the factors influencing his decision to declare a national emergency that would send military funding and personnel to the nation’s southern border, President Donald Trump offered a clear, historical precedent Friday for deploying the U.S. military with no provocation. “What the critics who have questioned the validity of my actions seem to be ignoring is that there are abundant examples of instances in the history of this country wherein a president invoked his executive powers to station troops, not to defend ourselves against an aggressor, but simply to further our nation’s economic and political interests,” said Trump at press conference, frequently referencing a chart he had created tracking U.S. military deployments through history both within the country and abroad, specifically citing President Andrew Jackson overriding the Indian Removal Act and the Supreme Court ruling in Worcester v. Georgia in the forced expulsion by the military of the Cherokee from their lands, the secret use of military advisors and support by Dwight D. Eisenhower in the 1953 Iranian coup d’état, and the recent precedent of extraneous invasions of other countries without the approval of Congress in violation of the War Powers Resolution by Presidents Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama. “Listen, folks, I would invite you to consult the history books, where you will see that posting troops at the border in the defense of an exaggerated claim that such security is needed to protect Americans is broadly in line with similar invasions, troop deployments, and other military activities throughout American history perpetuated to annex land, attack countries with governments not subservient to our country, or to further the interests of our client states. What I’m doing is entirely in keeping with the way that the U.S. government usually acts—time and time again, our leaders have ignored the basic conditions that would prompt acceptable military action, so why should this national emergency be treated differently? To this end, I would quote the words of Noam Chomsky, who said that ‘If the Nuremberg laws were applied, then every post-war American president would have been hanged.’ I would additionally invite my critics to consult scholarly texts on William McKinley’s role in the annexation of the Philippines, the rationale used by Lyndon Johnson for ramping up troops in Vietnam, and Richard Nixon’s economic warfare in the 1973 Chilean coup, as I have, if they are interested in understanding why any accusation that I, as president, do not have historical precedent to back me up on this border security effort is without merit.” Trump also added that such precedents, as well as U.S. military activity in Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Cuba, would give him more than sufficient historical justification for any similarly unprovoked, unilateral military action his administration may decide to undertake in Venezuela.
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. This makes way more sense than the other chart. This was a natural result, it seems. Its negative reinforcement — punishing people for doing something will lead to them doing it less or deter them from doing it all together. It’s why most of us don’t steal cars for a living, and how I got my dog to stop peeing on the floor. We can take solace in this. For if the results were different, it might prove our system to be flawed, and perhaps rip a hole in the fabric of our society. Just to be safe, let’s do our due diligence and check the number of pickoff attempts with runners occupying first and third.
Oh dear Lord. Civilization is crumbling! Raid the banks. Hide your kids. Hide your wife. It’s every man for himself! This data, obviously, doesn’t include the third-to-first move. Well, technically it might, but only if that move wasn’t called for a balk (since there were no third-to-first balks called in 2013, remember?), which would be weird considering it should be a rule fresh in the umpires’ minds. It’s just odd how the only situation that can kick that rule into effect has skyrocketed in the very first year.
In Jeff’s piece that I linked above, he quotes Jon Garland making some quips about how the new rule would hurt pitchers — how they would be less able to keep runners on and how it would lead to more stolen bases.
Holy moly. Steals have plummeted in 2013 to the lowest they’ve been since 2005. This is in stark contrast to Garland’s comments, and is probably worth its own article in the not-to-distant future. I will not get into it now, however, since I’m deeply ensconced in the laugh-a-minute world of balks. It is odd, though.
Let’s recap. The ways a pitcher can get called for a balk have increased by one, but the number of balks have gone down. Pickoff attempts were somewhat-predictably down this season. Conversely, pickoffs with runners on the corners had spiked upward in a drastic way, though that can’t possibly include any third-to-first moves since there were exactly zero balks called on said move this past season. I feel like we’ve accomplished so much, yet so little. But, hey, no third-to-first moves. So, despite all the other numerical inconsistencies, it seems as if the rule is doing its job. So … good job? Good job. If it does ever happen, at least that guy can call up his friend from England and tell her definitively why that was, indeed, a balk. | 1,265,151 |
THE FLASH Adds Zack Stentz As Season 3 Producer
As the second season of The Flash approaches its conclusion, it has been announced that a new producer will be joining the fold for the hit CW show!
The second season of The Flash has been wrought with mystery and action for Team Flash, and now the hit CW show has a new behind-the-scenes member. Writer Zack Stentz announced on Twitter yesterday that he has joined up as a consulting producer for the show. Stentz wrote the most recent episode, "The Runaway Dinosaur", which was directed by Kevin Smith (Smith has said he will also return to direct another episode in season 3).
Stentz is no stranger to the live-action superhero world; he worked on the screenplays for both X-Men: First Class and Thor, and is currently credited on the upcoming Power Rangers film. "The Runaway Dinosaur" was also hailed as one of the best episodes of the second season, so this should come as great news for fans!
Not much is known about the third season, though producer Andrew Kreisberg told Collider back in January that he'd like to tackle Gorilla City in a future plotline. “I would liken the Gorilla City thing to Ra’s al Ghul. You know, you hear about 'the man from Nanda Parbat' in [Arrow] Season 1, and 'the man who showed Malcolm the way,' and then you met Nyssa, then in Season 3 you met Ra’s. So, it’s a long-term thing.” Teddy Sears (HunterZolomon/Zoom) also promised a massive revelation regarding 'the man in the mask', so it's possible the reveal could play into season 3 as well.
Are you excited for The Flash's third season? What would you like to see the show adapt? Sound off below!
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Apparently, the person who put together the Rookie League Ogden Raptors’ promotional schedule is a time traveler from the 1950s. It’s really the only viable explanation for a special night the team had planned that makes sense only if you lived in a less-enlightened time.
The Raptors, a minor league team of the Dodgers, announced over the weekend that in August they would have “Hourglass Appreciation Night.” And they weren’t talking about the adornments that use sand to keep track of time. They were talking about women.
From their news release:
“The home team hosts the Billings Mustangs, but the real thoroughbreds will join Raptors broadcaster A.P. Harreld in the booth. Since August is the eighth month of the calendar year, and an 8 looks tantalizingly similar to an hourglass, be there a better way to remind the world that baseball needs no clock than to feature 18 hourglass-shaped color commentators?
“That’s right! Stars Talent Studio of Salt Lake City will provide a different stunner each half-inning. And the Raptors will video-stream the broadcast booth — well, at least the better-looking half of it!
“Fans will have the opportunity to pose for pictures with the lovely ladies as we showcase seriously splendid visual appeal: Utah’s legendary mountains, Dodgers and Reds farmhands — and gorgeous women whose curves rival those of any stud pitching prospect!”
Let’s see, calling women thoroughbreds and mentioning their curves. That’s progressive thinking.
I’m sure the Dodgers, who once had Kim Ng as assistant general manager, one of only three women to hold that position in the majors, were thrilled to learn the news. As were several women currently working in their front office.
The team announced “Hourglass Appreciation Night” over the weekend. By Tuesday, all traces of the promotion had been removed from the site. Apparently that time traveler returned to his more sexist time period, and order has been restored. Tuesday afternoon, the Raptors sent out the following tweet:
"June 6, 2017"
"Statement from Ogden Raptors President Dave Baggott:" pic.twitter.com/nb2g6tR71P — Ogden Raptors (@ogdenraptors) June 6, 2017
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remove the [<Out>] annotation and the argument names, the method is declared as taking single input value of the type string * int byref. It's a single value, but it's a tuple (a pair).
Perhaps it's easier to understand if you see an implementation of this interface method, so here's the English implementation:
member this. TryParse (s, result) = Helper. tryParse Numeral. tryParseEnglish (s, &result)
You can see that, as I've described above, I've inserted a space between this.TryParse and (s, result), in order to highlight that this is an F# function that takes a single tuple as input.
In C#, however, you can use the method as though it had a standard C# argument list:
int i; var success = Numeral.English.TryParse( "one-thousand-three-hundred-thirty-seven", out i);
You'll note that this is an advanced example that involves an out parameter, but even in this edge case, the translation is possible.
C# argument lists and F# tuples are isomorphic. I'd be surprised if this result doesn't extend to other languages.
Parameter Object/tuple isomorphism #
The third isomorphism that I claim exists is the one between Parameter Objects and tuples. If, however, we assume that the two above isomorphisms hold, then this third isomorphism exists as well. I know from my copy of Conceptual Mathematics that isomorphisms are transitive. If you can translate from Parameter Object to argument list, and from argument list to tuple, then you can translate from Parameter Object to tuple; and vice versa.
Thus, I'm not going to use more words on this isomorphism.
Argument lists, Parameter Objects, and tuples are isomorphic. This has a few interesting implications, first of which is that because all these refactorings exist, you can employ them. If a method's argument list is inconvenient, consider introducing a Parameter Object. If your Parameter Object starts to look so generic that you have a hard time coming up with good names for its elements, perhaps a tuple is more appropriate. On the other hand, if you have a tuple, but it's unclear what role each unnamed element plays, consider refactoring to an argument list or Parameter Object.
Another important result is that since these three ways to model arguments are isomorphic, we can treat them as interchangeable in analysis. For instance, from category theory we can learn about the properties of tuples. These properties, then, also apply to C# and Java argument lists.
Next: Uncurry isomorphisms. | 1,265,154 |
Isle of Wight residents make repairs to landslip-hit road Published duration 24 October 2014
image copyright Simon Perry/On the Wight image caption A letter sent by Island Roads said people could be prosecuted for trespassing if they used vehicles on the new road
Residents whose homes have been cut off for eight months have built a new road without the council's knowledge.
A landslide in February caused substantial damage on Undercliff Drive in Ventnor, Isle of Wight.
The OnTheWight website reported that a new road appeared over the weekend and was being used by residents.
The Isle of Wight Council and contractor Island Roads said the road was "unauthorised and unapproved" and access was being blocked.
A letter to residents from Island Roads, which maintains the island's highways under a Public Finance Initiative (PFI) scheme, said Hampshire Constabulary had been notified about potential trespassers on the site.
Gary Smedmore, whose caravan park business has been affected by the lack of access, told OnTheWight: "We're not prepared to just sit back, the council have been so lax."
image caption The land at Undercliff Drive on the south side of the island crumbled away in February
He said 150 tonnes of material had been used in building the new road and dismissed accusations of it being unsafe.
Homeowner Barbara Wright who has been in rented accommodation since February, said the new road was built with the "best of intentions" and reflected the residents' frustrations with a local of action from the council.
The landslide happened during reconstruction of the road.
'Safety not verified'
A four-mile detour was put in place. Eight families are still living in rented accommodation after being evacuated from their homes.
Last month Isle of Wight Council agreed to spend £500,000 researching a solution to the repairing the road, which is on a still-active landslip.
Mrs Wright, who was not involved with building the makeshift road, said: "They're not giving us any information - we have no confidence in them, we don't think they can afford the work needed."
image copyright Gary Smedmore image caption Barriers have been put in place to prevent access to the new road
A joint statement from the council and the road operator about the makeshift road said: "Its safety cannot be verified.
"We cannot allow vehicular access to the site. Therefore we will, as a matter of urgency, take the necessary steps to once again prevent vehicular access whilst we conduct a full safety assessment.
"It remains the intention to undertake a scheme to provide long-term access to these properties."
Further discussions are taking place between councillors, council officials and contractors to decide how to deal with the makeshift road. | 1,265,155 |
We all go through millions of emotions in our relationship, and those emotions create brain chemicals that change the way we feel. Sometimes we are in a positive frame of mind (hopefully most of the time), and other times we can be neutral or even having negative feelings about our partners and ourselves.
Being able to trust your lover with your feelings is part of having a great relationship. When you share something personal—perhaps that you are about something at work—and your partner is supportive, it builds trust. It also gives you more strength to deal with whatever your issue is.
However, if your partner puts you down or is unsupportive, it can make you choose to be less communicative about sharing what you are feeling, both now and in the future. This is an unhealthy dynamic in any relationship and needs to be addressed to prevent damage or conflict.
When conflicts do occur, look at how you are speaking to one another. Certain words can act as triggers for conflict, so both of you need to be careful to avoid saying things that may be offensive or may cause either of you to react negatively or to shut down. If you know that certain words or phrases upset your partner and will trigger a conflict, avoid saying them and learn to speak from your heart, not from a place of.
If you become upset or angry, it can make things very difficult, and it’s also hard to trust someone who is mad at you. If emotional upset happens on a regular basis, your relationship will be unable to grow, and it will slowly degrade if you don’t find a way to be nice to each other again. That can be as simple as making the commitment that you are going to be kinder to the person you are sharing your life with. If you express your commitment out loud, I promise it will make a difference—and please look in each other’s eyes and feel your connection when you do.
One way to fulfill this new commitment is to make sure that you treat your partner better than you treat everyone else in your life, including other family members. This is not to say that you mistreat other people, but you need to make sure that your mate feels special from time to time. That’s really all it takes, and by doing this, your love will grow a little bit every day. It’s a great habit to develop together and will only make you feel closer.
Another tool for creating more closeness is to acknowledge when your partner does something that you find nice, attractive, or special. Validating your partner will strengthen your bond and make you feel closer to each other. We can’t relate in a vacuum, and if you want to create the you both deserve, both of you need to show how much you care. Give it a try and let your positive emotions be your guide. | 1,265,156 |
The committee quickly reinstated Mr. Gillinson and agreed to appoint a lawyer to investigate Mr. Perelman’s concerns. But the tumult did not end there. Mr. Perelman is stepping down this week as Carnegie’s chairman after just eight months; Mr. Gillinson remains in charge but under an internal investigation; and Carnegie, the most important concert hall in the nation, if not the world, finds itself facing an unusual public crisis in the midst of a $125 million fund-raising drive.
It is not how the hall expected to be starting an anniversary season, 125 years after opening with Tchaikovsky conducting his “Marche Solennelle.” The conflict — pitting Mr. Perelman, one of the nation’s wealthiest businessmen, against Mr. Gillinson, a former cellist who was knighted in 2005 for his work as managing director of the London Symphony Orchestra — has transfixed the worlds of music and philanthropy. And it has raised anew questions about the proper roles of boards and staffs at nonprofit institutions.
Both sides have remained publicly silent on the issue. Mr. Gillinson issued a statement when Mr. Perelman’s criticisms first surfaced last month saying that he had served Carnegie Hall “to the best of my ability for 10 years.” But Carnegie and Mr. Gillinson will not comment further “while an internal review is ongoing,” said Synneve Carlino, a spokeswoman for the hall, and Mr. Perelman declined to comment as well. But letters to the board, and interviews with people sympathetic to both camps who were granted anonymity to discuss a matter that is under investigation, provided a fuller, but still incomplete, account of the dispute.
The tumult is adding a dose of unexpected, and unsought, drama to the gala performance (featuring the New York Philharmonic and the pianist Evgeny Kissin) and dinner planned for Wednesday. The evening is expected to draw Mr. Gillinson and members of the board, but probably not Mr. Perelman. And many will be thinking about the board meeting scheduled for the next day, when a new chairman is supposed to be selected.
Image Clive Gillinson, the concert hall's executive and artistic director. Credit... Karsten Moran for The New York Times
The appointment of Mr. Perelman, who has a reputation for being aggressive, and even pugnacious, as chairman after Sanford I. Weill stepped down in February surprised some board members. Some figures in the classical music world were alarmed when Mr. Perelman was quoted as saying that he hoped to stage more pop performances at Carnegie, as was done decades ago; he later sought to reassure people that he understood the importance of classical music at Carnegie, and bought a box for the whole season. | 1,265,157 |
The team behind Netflix.com has switched from a Java-based HTML renderer to a JavaScript one that they can run on both the server and the client.
To decrease the time users spent waiting, Netflix has removed the Java server-based renderer and reduced the amount of HTML sent down the wire. In a post describing the change, Kristofer Baxter, said that by not rendering pieces of the app that the user will never see (among other changes), they've been able to speed up the time til interaction by 70%.
Every time a visitor came to any page on netflix.com our Java tier would generate the majority of the response needed for the entire page's lifetime and deliver it as HTML markup. Often, users would be waiting for the generation of markup for large parts of the page they would never visit.
Dubbed "Universal JavaScript", Netflix architected their new UI renderer so that they can run it in the browser or in a node.js server. Baxter says that this technique "allows for the application to render the exact same output independent of the location of the rendering. The hard separation is no longer present and it's far less likely for the server and client to be different than one another."
As applied to JavaScript, Charlie Robbins presented the idea in 2011. He called it "Isomorphic JavaScript" which has resulted in years of debate over the poor name. In recent months, the term Universal JavaScript has gained acceptance.
Switching to a Universal JavaScript model is not easy and requires a solid foundation. Baxter told InfoQ that code quality is of the utmost importance. "Ensuring the two JavaScript environments have a shared context is paramount. Without a solid architectural solution to this problem, code can easily fracture into server versus client branching," said Baxter.
While Netflix has chosen React.js to provide them with this ability, it isn't the only option. Ember.js has an upcoming technology called FastBoot that promises to do something similar. There are also many other libraries available to try out.
Netflix opted for the Universal JavaScript system after a head-to-head duel inside the company. Baxter says another prototype built using SPA techniques was also considered:
When we started the prototyping phase of this project, we built two complete prototypes of competing designs using different architectures. The first was a client-side only JavaScript architecture based heavily on Backbone and jQuery. The second, a competing early design using Universal JavaScript and React.js. After a three week period, the two architectures were presented to the larger team and Universal JavaScript with React.js was the clear winner. However, we'll continue to try new and differing approaches to building web applications going forward.
The list of companies building with Universal JavaScript is growing. Hotel Tonight, AutoDesk, Tesco, and AirBnb have built or are building products with the architecture. | 1,265,158 |
A top conservative leader is calling on Congress to investigate President Trump Donald John TrumpBiden on Trump's refusal to commit to peaceful transfer of power: 'What country are we in?' Romney: 'Unthinkable and unacceptable' to not commit to peaceful transition of power Two Louisville police officers shot amid Breonna Taylor grand jury protests MORE for sexual misconduct.
Bob Vander Plaats, the president and CEO of conservative group The Family Leader, said the multiple women who accused Trump of sexual misconduct “need to be heard.”
"A lot of these ladies came forth in the election, and for whatever reason, the American people said 'we're going to give the presidency to Donald Trump,’ ” Vander Plaats said in an interview on Iowa Public Radio. “That doesn't mean their issue went away because he became president."
"I think if these ladies need to be heard on this — and I think they probably should be heard, then let's let the facts play out,” he continued. “I don't think it should be really dismissed.”
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Vander Plaats also told IPR that he supports a Congressional investigation into the accusations against Trump.
The conservative leader endorsed Sen. Ted Cruz Rafael (Ted) Edward CruzCruz blocks amended resolution honoring Ginsburg over language about her dying wish Trump argues full Supreme Court needed to settle potential election disputes Press: Notorious RBG vs Notorious GOP MORE (R-Texas) in the 2016 presidential race.
Vander Plaats’s comments come after three women who accused Trump of sexual misconduct united for a joint news conference Monday, calling on Congress to investigate the allegations against him.
"If they were willing to investigate Sen. [Al] Franken [D-Minn.], it’s only fair that they do the same for Trump,” Rachel Crooks, one of the president’s accusers, said at the press conference. Crooks alleged Trump forcibly kissed her 12 years ago at Trump Tower, where she worked as a receptionist.
On Tuesday, the day after the press conference, Trump took to Twitter to claim he didn’t know the women and blast their “false accusations.”
“Despite thousands of hours wasted and many millions of dollars spent, the Democrats have been unable to show any collusion with Russia - so now they are moving on to the false accusations and fabricated stories of women who I don’t know and/or have never met,” Trump tweeted. “FAKE NEWS!”
At least 16 women during the 2016 presidential campaign accused Trump of sexually harassing or assaulting them.
Trump has denied all of the allegations, and the White House has said its official position on the accusations is that all the women are lying. | 1,265,159 |
Ndamukong Suh says he wants to rehabilitate his reputation.
That’s a good start and a smart move for someone who could be one of the most likable players in the game if he can get the opinions about him as a dirty player to change.
Ndamukong Suh's behavior has improved, but he still has work to do on his image with the public. AP Photo/Rick Osentoski
Changing your rep, though, comes from more than words. It comes from decisive and consistent actions over an extended period of time and thus far, Suh has shown some ability to change, although there have certainly been slip-ups.
The biggest has been the $100,000 fine in Week 1 for a low hit on Minnesota center John Sullivan. If another player made that play, he wouldn't have been fined six figures. If it was another player in the league, perhaps the play wouldn't have been seen as an extension of everything else that has happened over the course of his career.
But this is where Suh is. The Suh of the present, the player who has been mostly in check this season while playing more consistently than he ever has in the past, is still battling with the Suh of the past, the guy who appeared to go after quarterbacks often.
He plays harder than anyone else for longer than anyone else, and it culminated in a nationally televised stomp on Evan Dietrich-Smith two years ago on Thanksgiving, resulting in a two-game suspension.
Frankly, it’s hard to come back from that and it is going to take time -- probably longer than Suh will want it to take. Yes, he’s cut down on his penalties on the field and is a well-spoken, intelligent person and pitchman off of it, but the first impression of someone is often the lasting one in today’s culture.
And the first one of Suh, for many, was tossing a quarterback to the ground or stomping on an offensive lineman.
But it also goes to consistency. If Suh can show he can consistently behave and consistently keep himself from getting fined, that would go a long way to rehabilitating his reputation in the league and with the public.
He appeared to be doing well this season, too, after the Sullivan fine. The hit on Cleveland quarterback Brandon Weeden that he was fined for was questionable at best and actually seemed to turn some people in favor of the argument that Suh was being unfairly targeted by the NFL.
The throat-slash gesture penalty he got against Tampa Bay, though, was a step backward.
So rehabbing his image will take time. It will take consistency on the field and in the way he portrays himself -- which has been good for the most part -- off of it. | 1,265,160 |
Jonathan Hickman has confirmed that his upcoming X-Men comics, House of X and Powers of X, will be the start of a line-wide X-Men relaunch, with Hickman writing the main ongoing X-Men title. Hickman made the comments in an interview on ComicBook.com:
At the conclusion of our 12 weeks of HOX and POX, we'll be launching an entire new universe of X-books. Some will be traditional fare, some carry through on ideas presented in HOX and POX. Some books are completely new concepts. I, personally, will be writing the ongoing flagship X-book. Now, we're already in production on all of these 'Wave 1' books and our plan at this moment is to introduce the titles, creative teams, and publishing details around SDCC, which is a week before HOX #1 goes on sale. We also just finished our plans for our 'Wave 2' books that will debut in 2020 and we're getting ready to hire talent for those. It's pretty exciting, and this kind of long-term planning is one of the benefits of knowing what direction you're headed for the next few years.
We already know that Jonathan Hickman would launch two bi-weekly X-Men series in July, House of X and Powers of X, which will run for three months. The Age of X-Man event is also ending that month, and perhaps most importantly, looking at July's solicitations, we predicted that both Uncanny X-Men and X-Force could also end with their July issues, and Deadpool is also likely getting relaunched. X-23 will end this month, and Mr. and Mrs. X will end in June. The rest of the X-Books are mini-series. That clears the stage for one of Marvel's patented X-Men relaunches, just under a year since the last one, and that's apparently exactly what we're getting.
We won't hold our breath for Marvel to let Chris Claremont write something on a regular basis, even though they pay him to remain Marvel EX-X-XCLUSIVE. However, we do know, based on Jordan White's recent comments, that there's a very Emma Frost heavy story coming up, in a comic that we don't know about yet. What else can we expect?
Marvel will probably try to keep some most things under wraps, especially since Hickman's series will run for three months. That will give them some stuff to talk about during convention season, as Hickman noted in his comments, as well as to distribute as "scoops" to their media partners. Of course, we'll do our best to spoil it first.
So what do you think? Are you X-cited for the new era of X-Men? Let us know in the comments. | 1,265,161 |
It’s Friday night and you’re ready to watch some exciting space adventures, but you still have a week to wait. Bummer, right? Fret not, because Variety has an exclusive sneak peek into season three and we’ve shared it here just for you. No, not you, that other person. j/k it’s for everybody. To be fair, I’m not sure if this clip is geolocked or not. I really hope it isn’t because after you’ve seen it you’ll be drooling for more.
It’s a really generous clip, clocking in at almost two and a half minutes. Two and Three are on a station where they meet up with an old friend/new enemy – Ishida Ryo. From the conversation it sounds like something weird happened with the blink drive and everyone’s stuck in a null-space bubble. That’s not the bad part. You see, the bubble is shrinking, annihilating everything that touches the edge as it goes. Watch the clip and see what fresh hell our antiheroes have gotten themselves into.
Man, the Emperor formerly known as Four is sure being an asshat. Would he rather die along with everyone else instead of giving up the blink drive? What would be the point of that? We know he’s the very definition of ruthless with his old memories intact, but he’s not foolish. Tune in next Friday, June 9th at 8/7c on Syfy and Canada’s Space Channel to find out what’s going on!
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Dark Matter season 3 premieres Friday, June 9 at 8/7c on Syfy & Space
Follow Joseph Mallozzi on Twitter (@BaronDestructo)
Check out Joe’s blog. He has something new every single day!
Dark Matter official website at Syfy.com
Like Dark Matter on Facebook
Follow Dark Matter on Twitter | 1,265,162 |
TF2 into an adequate competitive shooter. Because there are so many classes in TF2, each with a wide variety of possible weapon and item builds, the shooter has become a balance nightmare.
Most leagues get around this by creating “whitelists” of permitted weapons and items and by enforcing limits on how many of each character class are allowed onto the battlefield. But this has also led to different rules and standards for what constitutes competitive TF2. Each step in that direction, however, further divorces the competitive game from what casual players enjoy. Competitive matchmaking will impose new standards, which could solve some of the confusion, but at the cost of breaking the painstaking balance the community created in favor of Team Fortress 2's abject chaos.
“So that’s the first dilemma: the whitelist, and how you want to solve that dilemma. And I don’t think it’s particularly solvable,” Wilkinson says. “Even if they balance it as well as they possibly can… it’s a fundamental flaw with the game.”
In the name of making competitive TF2 accessible to the broader community, it’s likely that the competitive community will watch a lot of the barriers they have painstakingly erected around the game’s internal contradictions get washed away. It might just be a phase. With time, Valve and the game’s players could find the right compromise between casual and professional TF2. But it will be a culture shock to the established competitive scene.
It’s a necessary step, however, to close the gap between TF2's competitive and casual communities and make the competitive game popular. With the ongoing mainstream embrace of esports, and the arrival of popular new games that are clearly taking their cues from Valve’s groundbreaking class-based shooter, Team Fortress 2 has been a giant missed opportunity for years. Now, at long last, Valve might be about to fix that.
“There are a lot of people in the TF2 community who think this is way too late. Who think the glory days of TF2 have long passed, and nobody can be bothered with reviving it. It’s too late for all of this,” Wilkinson says. But years of laboring in relative obscurity have allowed TF2's under-appreciated esports community to create an infrastructure and knowledge-base capable of serving a larger, more casual audience.
“[Which should] maximize the benefits that matchmaking will bring,” he says. “So I think there’s never been a better time for the casual side to get introduced to competitive [Team Fortress 2] than right now.”
Rob Zacny is a freelance writer and esports journalist. You can reach him at [email protected]
Advertisement | 1,265,163 |
game unbeaten streak), and finished 2nd in the NHL standings behind the Boston Bruins. The Rangers played the Bruins in the semifinals, and upset the Bruins in a six-game series. With the Rangers trailing two games to one in the series, Kerr posted consecutive 1-0 shutouts in Games 4 and 5 to turn the tide in the series, and the Rangers moved on to face the Toronto Maple Leafs in the Stanley Cup Finals.
1940 Rangers to the Finals
In the early years of the National Hockey League, one of the disadvantages that the Rangers had by playing their home games at Madison Square Garden was that if they made it to the Stanley Cup Finals, they would have to play most of their home games on the road because of the Ringling Brothers Circus that came to MSG every spring. In the Finals, the Rangers played the first two games at home, but had to play the remainder of the series on the road in Toronto. The Rangers won the first two games at home, but then dropped the next two in Toronto.
In the pivotal Game 5, the goaltending duel between Kerr and the Maple Leafs’ Turk Broda dragged the game into overtime, where Muzz Patrick gave the Rangers the victory with his 3rd goal of the playoffs. In Game 6, the Rangers rallied from a 2-0 deficit in the 3rd period on goals by Neil Colville and Alf Pike to send the game into overtime. Two minutes into the overtime period, Hextall took a Watson pass and fired a high wrist shot past Broda to give the Rangers the Stanley Cup.
Why was this team the greatest in Rangers history? First, it’s hard to find a team where nearly half of the roster is made up of Hall of Famers. 6 of the Rangers’ 15 regular players are in the Hall of Fame (N. Colville, Coulter, Hextall, L. Patrick, Pratt, Smith) and coach Frank Boucher and General Manager Lester Patrick are also Hall of Famers. The 1940 New York Rangers also had the 3rd highest regular season winning percentage in team history, and the highest winning percentage for any of the Rangers’ four Stanley Cup Championship teams.
Looking Back on the 1940 NY Rangers
Yet beyond the numbers, this 1940 New York Rangers team, in Boucher’s first year behind the bench, changed the way the game was played. The Rangers were the first team to play a “box defense” on the penalty kill, which is a system used by many NHL teams today. Also, Boucher was the first coach to pull the goaltender during a delayed penalty, which is still done regularly over seventy years later.
Rangers fans may not like hearing 1940, but it’s the year that they had the best team in franchise history.
This article was originally published in June, 2012. | 1,265,164 |
I really want to make fun of Wil Hylton's New York Times Magazine essay on the wonders of Belgian pipe tobacco, but for some reason I'm craving said pipe tobacco. Mission accomplished, Wil.
[I]f the danger of tobacco is undeniable, so is its exceptional flavor. One afternoon, Vincent and Gaëtane invited a neighbor to join us for lunch, a typical Ardennes dish of endive wrapped in ham, then smothered in béchamel and baked to a crispy finish. Vincent set out a sampling of beers, including the legendary Westvleteren, and as we gathered around the large wooden table, the conversation drifted between the savory qualities of Belgian food, beer and tobacco.
I was struck by how unfamiliar the scene would have been to my American friends who have, in a fashion typical of our generation, embraced the current culinary boom with maniacal fervor, boiling obscure reductions to drip onto bits of fruit exploded by bicycle pumps in homage to Ferran Adrià, and yet, despite this globe-trotting gustatory zeal, haven’t the slightest comprehension of the exquisite flavor that haunts tobacco.
If the modern mythos of the kitchen had arrived a decade earlier, before the vilification of tobacco was complete, the pipe might occupy a place on the palate alongside argan oil and hijiki and yuzu. Somewhere in the multiverse, there is an alternate New York City where the Union Square farmers’ market brims not just with heirloom melons and leeks and squash but also with local tobaccos as vibrant as the Cherokee purple tomato. There is a literature still waiting to be written on fine tobacco; tobacco awaits its Julia Child — who, it should be said, loved to smoke, as so many other chefs have and do. It is axiomatic these days that smoking ruins the palate, but this would come as news to Thomas Keller, Anthony Bourdain and all the other celebrated chefs who enjoy a good smoke.
And I imagine many of you can relate to this sentiment:
Part of the experience with any tobacco is the relationship it affords with time. Smoking provides punctuation marks to life. It pauses the careening jumble of events to carve out moments of stillness. To some degree, this is true of all smoking. I am as likely as anyone to wince at the sight of a dozen office workers huddled in a wintry alley, but there is something to be said for the experience of stopping and stepping away. There is no similar ritual in the daily habits of most nonsmokers, and the pipe is especially suited to the task: there is the crumbling of tobacco, the packing of the bowl, the careful nurture of the flame, the false light and first tamp and so on, tooling and tending the bowl as the ember gently falls. | 1,265,165 |
WordPress creator Matt Mullenweg has taken exception to the editor used in Wix’s mobile app, alleging that the do-it-yourself web building service has copied his platform’s editor and failed to give proper attribution and adhere to the general public license (GPL) — basically, to open source the work.
“If I were being honest, I’d say that Wix copied WordPress without attribution, credit, or following the license. The custom icons, the class names, even the bugs. You can see the forked repositories on GitHub complete with original commits from Alex and Maxime, two developers on Automattic’s mobile team,” he wrote in a blog post. “Wix has always borrowed liberally from WordPress — including their company name, which used to be Wixpress Ltd. — but this blatant rip-off and code theft is beyond anything I’ve seen before from a competitor.”
At the center of this controversy is the Wix app that was released earlier this month and allows Wix’s customers to manage their websites while on the go in real time. It comes with features such as the ability to have live chat, manage your ecommerce store, blog on the go, manage hotel bookings, and receive updates around your business operations. The company is in a similar space as WordPress, enabling users to quickly get a website up and running while keeping the content fresh — all without needing to hire a developer.
The issues may not be apparent without digging deeper into the code, but Mullenweg is bothered by the overall transaction. He says it’s not that he minds anyone borrowing the work for themselves, but that it’s important to abide by both the letter and the spirit of the GPL — essentially to pay it forward. It’s through this principle that WordPress’ creator says the platform has been able to flourish. WordPress now powers 25 percent of the web, including VentureBeat, which it has for more than a decade.
Mullenweg puts it this way: “If you want to close the door on innovation, Wix, that’s your decision to make — just write your own code. If you’re going to join the open source community, play by the open source rules.”
He said that Wix can make things right by open sourcing its app under the GPL and having the source code on GitHub so everyone can take advantage of the contributions.
We’ve reached out to Wix for comment and will update if we hear back.
Updated as of 2:07 p.m. Pacific on Saturday: Wix chief executive Avishai Abrahami has responded to Matt Mullenweg’s allegations, denying that his company stole code. | 1,265,166 |
Imagine owning something like a 1931 Ford Model A that's been in your family for generations, whose pristine condition is the result of a painstaking, years-long restoration undertaken with your aging father. Now imagine that car has been destroyed thanks to the disregard of a distracted driver in a Toyota Corolla. That's exactly the nightmare situation that William Smith finds himself in after a hit-and-run crash claimed the pre-war car that's been in his family for over 45 years last week. Smith had street parked the Model A in Orange, California on Friday as he went to work nearby; a while later, the telltale sounds of a terrible car crash reached his ears. Sensing something was wrong, he walked over and came upon a devastating scene.
William Smith
"I think they call it a panic attack, because I was crying and my hands were shaking uncontrollably," Smith told The Drive. A woman in a Toyota Corolla had drifted out of her lane, smashed into the rear corner of the Model A, and shoved it up onto the sidewalk. The impact bent the frame and the driveshaft, split the engine block, snapped all four wire wheels, broke the differential, and sent the hood flying ten feet into the grass. Aside from the obvious body damage, the car's entire structure is buckled and tweaked. It's totaled.
William Smith
But Smith didn't have much time to take it all in. As he approached, the woman hopped back into the Corolla and attempted to escape. "She got back into her car and tried reversing, so I got behind it [to block her], but she wasn't going to be able to get out anyway because her car was stuck in the spokes of my car's wheel," he said. "So she took off on foot, but the cops caught her about 20 mins later in a [nearby] neighborhood."
William Smith
It was at that point that she allegedly confessed to being on her phone at the time of the accident. Eighty-seven years of automotive history, 45 years of a family's stories, all ruined by the scourge of distracted driving. Smith's father got the 1931 Ford Model A as 16th a birthday present in 1973, and it's been a part of his life ever since. "He drove it to high school and college, and he gave it to me for my 18th birthday, and I've driven the car as my daily driver to college and work," he told The Drive. "My dad spent a countless amount of time, money, and effort on this car."
William Smith
It was torn down in the early 1990s for a full restoration, but it sat in pieces until a couple of years ago when father and son hauled it out of storage to finish what they started. The build had only been completed in the last six months.
William Smith | 1,265,167 |
A man has set himself on fire in Oslo outside a court hearing the case of notorious gunman Anders Breivik. The badly injured man was taken away in ambulance after the flame was extinguished by police.
The incident happened near the security examination point as a man doused himself with some flammable liquid from a coke bottle and tried to enter the Oslo District Courthouse building with the flames covering his head and torso.At the doors of the courthouse the man made a u-turn and started running around knocking down security fences and shouting “shoot me, shoot me!”The man then fell on the ground screaming in pain as police stripped him of his burning sweater and hat. The officers poured several bottles of water on him to extinguish the flames.The man is now in Ulleval University Hospital with serious injuries to his chest and stomach. Witness reports suggest he could also have suffered severe burns to his head as he was aflame all the way from the top of his head down to the waist. Latest reports suggest the individual had nothing to do with Breivik’s case and initially came to the same court building to discuss social support issues with his lawyer.After he had been told the lawyer was not in the building, the 49-year-old foreigner left his legal papers at the front desk with the words “just in case something serious happens to me” and walked out, Norwegian News Agency (NTB) reports. The papers reportedly contained a rejection of an application for social assistance.Police confirmed the man had no links to the trial of right-wing extremist Anders Behring Breivik. The individual was a Norwegian citizen of foreign origin, said police spokesman Kjell Jan Kverme. He did not disclose the man’s identity.The criminal trial of Anders Breivik began on 16 April 2012 in Oslo Courthouse under the jurisdiction of Oslo District Court. The trial is scheduled to run until the end of June.Breivik was behind a killing spree that claimed 69 lives at Utoya youth camp last July. He also detonated a bomb near the government headquarters in Oslo, killing eight people. He has admitted to the killings, showing no remorse and claiming he carried out the attacks in self-defense, in a bid to protect Norway from multiculturalism and “Muslim invasion.”The court is set to determine whether Breivik is sane enough to face prison sentence of up to 21 years. If declared insane, he would be kept in a psychiatric clinic for as long as the doctors consider him ill.Medical personnel evacuate the man who set himself on fire outside the courthouse where Anders Breivik is on trial (Reuters/Berit Roald/NTB Scanpix)Medical personnel evacuate the man who set himself on fire outside the courthouse where Anders Breivik is on trial (Reuters/Berit Roald/NTB Scanpix) | 1,265,168 |
One of the arguments for hosting the Olympics is the increased tourism from fans making the trip to a host city.
It's an argument New York City might have made had it won the bid to host the 2012 Olympics. New York was a finalist, but, of course, the bid went to London.
Now that the Olympics are over, Mitchell L. Moss and Carson Qing of NYU's Rudin Center for Transportation Policy compared tourism statistics during the Olympics in the two cities. What they found is that, despite conventional wisdom, New York had better tourism numbers than London during the Olympics and compared with the year before. Here's how the cities compared:
The number of total tourists comes from projections by London & Partners and represents the number of "staying visitors" that stay in the city at least 4 days, the average for a "staying visitors" in London. Throughout the Olympics there were an estimated 5.5 million day visitors. New York's 538,000 total tourists estimate comes from NYC & Company tourism figures from 2011. Not exactly a 1:1 comparison. The official visitor numbers for the Olympics won't be available until September, according to the Associated Press.
So the authors also compared the tourist estimates at popular destinations in both cities: theater and museum attendance. In New York, the Metropolitan Museum of Art had nearly 100,000 more visitors than the British Museum. While on Broadway, there were more visitors attending shows than on London's West End. Plus, New York saw a 7 percent increase over last year, while the number of London theater-goers fell by 30 percent. And the most telling of all, hotel occupancy rates were only about 80 percent in London, about 12 percent lower than usual. On the other hand, New York had a 93 percent occupancy rate, a 2 percent increase.
"London's 2012 Olympics have been a smashing success, with impressive athletic achievements and new athletes emerging on the worldstage," the authors said in their report. "But the huge numbers [of] visitors that watched the athletes compete came while thousands of visitors avoided London's theaters, museums, great shopping streets, and restaurants. Per capita visitor spending in the city's retail and entertainment districts is typically greater than spending by tourists who come exclusively to watch the Olympic Games."
A survey of tourism professionals came to similar conclusions.
It makes sense to compare these two major global tourist destinations. But I would also be interested to know the impact of tourism on smaller cities without the tourism reputation. I doubt that London will see a significant spike in tourism post-Olympics (a possible benefit that would make up for the lower numbers during the Games), but for a city without London's reputation, would there be more of a tourism benefit?
(h/t Transportation Nation)
Photo: Flickr/Gane
This post was originally published on Smartplanet.com | 1,265,169 |
only used up 1/8 of the pre-zoned capacity. Yet another way to put it: the pre-zoned capacity for lane houses is ~16 times higher than the pre-zoned capacity for multi-family housing. This is why we’re seeing lane houses everywhere, but not the other missing middle housing types.
This is also why the lane house policy has allowed individual homeowners to act as the de-facto developer. Citywide pre-zoning can allow new dwellings to be infilled in small increments and even single lots. This stands in stark contrast to the re-zoning approach, which almost always involves lot consolidation and rarely allows existing owners to densify-in-place.
If you want the development of your city to be a more equitable process, and you want to avoid the appearance that only certain communities and corridor residents need to bear the brunt of redevelopment, then the pre-zoned capacity needs to be much much larger than the amount of housing you actually want to build each year.
New zones are great (if you can find them):
Tucked away in the neighbourhood plans for areas like Norquay Village and Grandview Woodlands have been some really interesting new zones created for stacked townhouses and other ‘missing middle’ housing types, but if you zoom out, it becomes clear that these pockets of pre-zoning are few and far between.
The city has 24 neighbourhoods. Of these 24, only six have so far gone through a more detailed planning process that resulted in a pre-zoning map. The other neighbourhoods (Dunbar, etc.) are coasting on CityPlan vision statements from the late 90s while relying on corridor re-zonings (and the lane-house bylaw) for their evolution.
At first glance this corridor approach seems fine, but, as the lane house policy showed, there is a widespread latent demand for new flexibility and new housing options within our one- and two-family zones. A pre-zoning approach (that complements our neighbourhood plans) would spread both the opportunity and impacts more equitably.
As we start a new conversation about the future of our city, we need to acknowledge that the ‘zoned capacity’ argument is – at best – an argument for continuing to focus on larger scale re-zonings, and – at worst – is a misdirection aimed at channeling densification into certain corridors and communities while leaving the zoning of our one and two family neighbourhoods static.
It’s time to acknowledge that the world is changing faster than our plans, and we probably need to revisit our approach to ‘zoned capacity’.
* Bryn Davidson lives and works in Vancouver. His team designs and builds custom homes for individual homeowners and their families.
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The city council of Italian city of Turin has approved a motion in favor of legalizing cannabis on Tuesday, becoming the first major city in the country to make the proposal to allow marijuana to be prescribed for medical reasons.
“This is … a move from a prohibitionist structure to one where soft drugs, particularly cannabis, are legally produced and distributed,” appealed the [Turin] city council to the Italian parliament, reports Italian press.
Though the vote doesn't make cannabis legal to consume, buy or sell for individual use, it brings a more tolerant view to the drug in the eyes of the law.
The vote was narrow, however, as only 15 from the [Turin city council] favored the law, while 13 were against and six abstained.
Center-right politicians and the Catholic wing of the People of Liberty (PDL) party opposed the measure. Even Turin’s Mayor Piero Fassino from the center-left Democratic Party, which leads the ruling coalition, abstained from voting.
Turin is considered to be the first large city in Italy to speak out about the legalization of so-called light drugs, says Marco Grimaldi from the democratic socialist party SEL (Left, Ecology and Freedom), who proposed the law.
“We want to put an end to the political prohibition, which has only served to give illegal traffickers hundreds of billions of euros, and thousands of citizens a criminal record,” says Grimaldi, reports Torino la Repubblica.
The proposal itself consists of two parts. According to its first part, the use of marijuana is permitted for therapeutic and medical purposes.
The second part of the proposal overrules the restrictive 2006 Fini-Giovanardi law on drugs, which abolishes any distinction between soft and hard drugs and introduces the same penalties for possession/use of cannabis and heroin (or cocaine).
Now this part of the law if approved in the Italian parliament may pave the way for legalization of recreational marijuana use in Italy.
The medical use of marijuana has been already allowed in some Italian regions like Liguria, Tuscany and Veneto, but recreational consumption of the drug is still taboo there.
In recent years curbs have been easing on the sale of cannabis-based products for medical use across the world. Colorado became the first US state to legalize the recreational use of marijuana and to allow it to be sold in shops beginning this year.
Last year France also approved some types of marijuana-based medicine, while Uruguay became the first country to fully legalize the sale and production of the drug, despite global criticism.
In the Netherlands, cannabis products are only sold openly in ‘coffee shops’. Though cannabis is technically illegal, the country decriminalized possession of less than five grams of the substance in 1976. | 1,265,171 |
With the announcement of Project Fi and rumors surrounding a Huawei Nexus, I thought I’d have some fun with speculation, for the sake of hypebeasting something, since we haven’t hypebeasted in a while, so let’s let the hypebeasting begin. Hypebeast.
Are you ready? The above image is taken from a Project Fi video guide. This is clearly a phone or a render that we haven’t seen before. Google generally doesn’t use renders from unknown devices in their product videos. Project Fi only works with the Nexus 6, so why not use a Nexus 6 render, the phone that people have to use with the service right now? If you’re not going to use the Nexus 6, then you better show the guide videos on another supported phone, right? That makes sense to me.
Could this phone just be a generic render? Sure. Absolutely. That takes the fun out of hypbeasting though. And we came here to hypebeast, dammit.
What if the Android phone pictured above is the upcoming, rumored Huawei Nexus? It looks like a cross between the Nexus 6, mainly because of the top speaker grill, and a Nexus 5. Could it be a cheaper Nexus, built for Project Fi? A Nexus Fi, if you will, a play on Nexus Five and Project Fi?
Now, hear me out. Project Fi, as a marriage of cellular data and WiFi is cool, but that’s still a tough sell, because you have to buy a $700 smartphone to use the service. Sure, you can finance the Nexus 6 through Fi, but you still end up having to pay for the cost of an expensive phone over the next two years.
What if the rumored Huawei Nexus is a cheaper Nexus, built with Project Fi in mind. Right now, I can go out and buy a Motorola Moto E, Motorola Moto G or upcoming Huawei SnapTo on the cheap and jump on my MVNO of choice, except for Fi of course. While Fi isn’t your typical MVNO, having your MVNO locked down to one expensive phone doesn’t sound very appealing either.
Having a cheaper Nexus phone that worked on Project Fi sounds more Googly to me. Google is about service availability. Having a cheaper Nexus that’s available to budget conscious people, you know, those looking to save money on their wireless bill, sounds a whole lot better to me than the current setup at launch. I think having a Nexus Fi phone could seal the deal on this entire endeavor.
So, what do you think of my speculation? Plausible? Or I am reading too much into the generic render above, for the sake of hypebeasting? Who knows? Either way, I enjoyed confirming the launch of Half-Life 3. Cheers! | 1,265,172 |
California Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown is working with state lawmakers on a proposal that would increase thinning of forests and decrease the likelihood of more devastating wildfires tearing through the state.
Brown’s proposal would let landowners clear out trees up to 36 inches in diameter — up from 26 inches currently — in an area as large as 300 acres without a permit. It would also allow landowners to construct a road no longer than 600 feet without a permit, provided the damaged area later be restored and replanted, The Mercury News reports.
The state’s logging industry is backing the proposal while environmentalists say the law is too lax and could result in the harvesting of oldgrowth redwoods without enough oversight.
“We acknowledge there is a problem,” Defenders of Wildlife’s California program director Kim Delfino told The Mercury News. “The idea of trying to get a handle on it is a good thing. But this is an over reach. You don’t need to be putting such large trees on the chopping block.”
California’s environmental laws were forced into the national spotlight in early August when President Donald Trump blamed “bad environmental laws” for the severity of the wildfires that were coursing through the state.
Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke was soon at the front of the administration’s drive to relax California’s environmental and water laws to promote more active land management policies. Zinke traveled to California to see the damage from the fires and meet with local officials and firefighters.
Zinke also dismissed calls that climate change is playing a significant factor in the wildfires’ intensity. (RELATED: Ryan Zinke Shifts The Wildfire Debate From Global Warming To Anti-Logging ‘Environmental Terrorists’)
“I’ve heard the climate change argument back and forth,” Zinke told Sacramento-based KCRA. “This has nothing to do with climate change. This has to do with active forest management.”
Many of California’s forests are overgrown, some areas with 10 times the number of trees than the space can support. Historically, wildfires were a staple through the California landscape, popping up about every decade and burning through excess fuel while leaving the oldest, healthiest trees to continue growing, The Mercury News reports.
In recent decades, fire suppression has taken priority over active land management, allowing fuel to build up. Now, when a fire does start, it can quickly build to an inferno consuming plentiful fuel and devastating even the oldest, most fire-resistant trees.
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Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact [email protected]. | 1,265,173 |
Parents demanded answers, and action, from the government.
Some 31 samples are now being tested in the lab, from other suspected poisonings. The results are expected in the coming weeks.
By early June, 14 suspects had been arrested and transferred to a prison in Kabul, run by the Afghan intelligence agency, the NDS.
But most of those held have been released, but earlier this week, I was invited inside to meet three of the remaining suspects.
Image caption Coached by an intelligence officer, Najibullah tells the BBC he gave bottles of poison to two girls
There was no lawyer present. And before the interview with each prisoner began, an officer from the intelligence service (NDS) gave him brief directions on how to answer.
The three are accused of being a supply chain that brought two bottles of poison from Pakistan, via Kunar province, to Takhar. They are suspected of carrying out as many as six attacks, including the one on Bibi Hajera school.
One suspect, Najibullah, a school teacher himself, told me he gave two bottles of poison and 50,000 Afghanis ($1,000) to two girls, to use. One of the bottles was used.
"It was wrong," he told me, as the NDS looked on. "It was un-Islamic, and it was my fault. I made a mistake."
Another man, Mullah Yakub, admitted being a member of the Taliban. He said he helped transport the liquids used in the attack. The third, Nooragha, denies any involvement.
He said: "It came from Pakistan, but I don't have more information, so how can I explain it? On the radio, the Taliban have denied they poisoned schoolgirls."
The pressure to find the people responsible for hurting the schoolgirls has been enormous. All three men will soon be handed over to the attorney general for prosecution.
And in the absence of any physical evidence of toxins, others question whether the attacks are real.
Shrafudin Azemi, a lecturer in psychology at Kabul University, believes the stresses of years of conflict, and the power of the media, have caused panic among Afghan schoolgirls.
"It's basically a psychological issue - the medical and criminal investigations indicate mental harm, not physical harm, to the victims. Afghanistan has been at war for 30 years, people here are suffering under great stress," he said.
At Bibi Hajera school, all the girls have returned. They are again drinking from the school well, which many still believe was poisoned.
But the evidence is far from solid, the facts puzzling.
There are some here who want to stop girls going to school, but whether they resorted to poisoning is a mystery that, so far, remains unsolved. | 1,265,174 |
and will be featured in encore presentations on Disney Channel through Tuesday, December 20.
Musical performances include:
“Jolly to the Core,” performed by Dove Cameron, Cameron Boyce, Sofia Carson and Booboo Stewart.
“Descendants 2” star China Anne McClain performing “This Christmas.”
performing “This Christmas.” “Silent Night,” performed by Hollywood Records and Republic Records recording artist Sofia Carson.
Forever In Your Mind performing “Celebrate.”
performing “Celebrate.” Trisha Yearwood and Garth Brooks perform a holiday duet from their newly released album, “Christmas Together.”
and perform a holiday duet from their newly released album, “Christmas Together.” Kelly Clarkson will also be performing a song.
ABC stars and Disney Channel stars Jenna Ortega and Isaak Presley, of “Stuck in the Middle,” and “Bizaardvark” stars Olivia Rodrigo and Madison Hu will join Carson and Boyce in surprising families from around the country, who are dedicated to various philanthropic efforts, with once-in-a-lifetime experiences throughout Walt Disney World Resort.
CHRISTMAS – SUNDAY, DECEMBER 25
“The Disney Parks’ Magical Christmas Celebration” will air on the ABC Television Network (9:00–11:00 a.m. EST; airtimes vary, check listings) and on the ABC and Disney Channel apps. This Christmas, Disney Parks celebrates the joy of the holiday season, as hosts Julianne and Derek Hough take viewers on a magical ride down Main Street and beyond. The Christmas Day celebration will be bigger and brighter than ever before, bringing together the beloved Christmas day parade, magical musical performances, surprise celebrity guests and heart-warming family stories to celebrate the most wonderful time of the year.
Musical performances include:
Solo and duet performances by Trisha Yearwood and Garth Brooks from their newly released album, “Christmas Together.”
and from their newly released album, “Christmas Together.” Kelly Clarkson performing “Underneath the Tree.”
Sofia Carson performs “Silent Night,” featuring an alternate musical arrangement from her performance on Disney Channel, and also hosts from backstage.
performs “Silent Night,” featuring an alternate musical arrangement from her performance on Disney Channel, and also hosts from backstage. “The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on An Open Fire)” performed by Jordan Fisher, who will also make his Broadway debut in “Hamilton” on November 22.
Additional performances will be announced in the coming weeks. | 1,265,175 |
Season 3 of Money Heist just landed on Netflix last month and became the world sensation. However, bigger news recently came in. Only after a month of the premiere, the production for Money Heist Season 4 completed. Its seems like the showrunners don’t want to make their fans to wait. And therefore they immediately started working on next run after finishing the third season.
The first two seasons of Money Heist premiered on Spanish Network Antenna 3. However, in late 2017, Netflix put in more effort on the series and re-released the show worldwide. The show is amazingly succeeding to bring in the audience from all around the world.
The third season of Money Heist turned in to be one of the most popular outings of Netflix. Season 3 averaged over 34 million views in its first week only. As per Forbes, it also marked as the most popular foreign language show of Netflix in 2018. Money Heist became an instant hit just as Netflix picked up the show to air globally. Not just this, with the premiere of the third season, Money Heist broke the eight weeks record of Stranger Things and became the most viewed show of Netflix.
Money Heist Season 4: Production Completed
This happens almost never. The third season of Money Heist (Spanish series La Casa De Papel) released recently in July 2019. And as per reports, the series also finished the production work for Money Heist Season 4. Also, the lead of the show, Alvaro Morte, who plays Professor, shared his picture in a post from the set of the fourth season. The post also revealed that the filming work has completed.
Money Heist Season 4: Plot Details
The Professor and the team were not in a good place by the end of the third season. They are stuck inside the bank they were going to rob. Now the question is, how they will come out of the bank? and what will happen to them? These are some questions that make the audience want more of Money Heist Season 4.
Though one thing is clear, that Tokyo or Silene Oliveira (played by Ursula Corbero) would do something again that will crash everything. Her constant need for power and being in control led to the failure of the entire team, and not just once. She was the reason for the demise of Moscow. And because of her only, the team did not plan much well and hushed for the robbery. Therefore, it seems like Tokyo would again do something destructive for the team.
Money Heist Season 4: Premiere Date
The production work was completed for the fourth season. Therefore, the audience won’t need to wait much for the Professor and the team. As creator Alex Pina confirmed in the press release, the fourth season will premiere soon on Netflix, in 2020. However, an official premiere date for Money Heist Season 4 is yet to be announced. | 1,265,176 |
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Before the NDA government scrapped the 80:20 gold scheme, initiated when P Chidambaram was finance minister, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) had informed the Modi government that the export obligations were mostly met by exporting costly machine made jewelry, such as bangles and chains, which were re-melted in Dubai and cast into primary bars for re-import.The DRI report, according to sources, also said “exports are generally related to front/shell companies in UAE, Hong Kong and Singapore.The practice began after the UPA regime introduced the 80:20 gold scheme and later relaxed it to allow the Star Trading Houses and Premier Trading Houses (STH/PTHs) to import gold, the DRI report said.The DRI report also said “since the actual purpose is to use export as a cover for import” by making machine-made plain chains and bangles, “they are keeping the cost of export as low as possible”. It further said that another reason for exporting plain jewellery and not studded ones was because “Dubai has a custom duty of 0.325% and Sharjah a duty of 0.18% on studded gold jewellery.”This DRI study of the 80:20 scheme has now reached a sub-committee of the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament, after the latter sought it from the concerned government department, sources privy to the development said. The sub-committee headed by BJP MP Nishikant Dubey is scrutinising the scheme in the wake of the Nirav Modi-Mehul Choksi-PNB fraud case.The DRI report was based on the scrutiny it carried out after the finance ministry directed it to closely study the working of the 80:20 scheme between August and September 2014. Chidambaram had relaxed the scheme to introduce STM/PTMs in mid-May 2014.The comparative data of exports DRI studied showed that the quantity of gold export surged to 20,166.89 kg (worth Rs 4,799.80 crore) between January and July 2014, compared to 6,063.92 kg (worth Rs 1,599.45 crore between January and July, 2013, and 1,508.56 kg (worth Rs 404.93 crore) during January and July, 2012.“It is seen from above data that exports of plain gold jewelry in terms of quantity has in 2014 grown at an astronomically high rate of 1236%, compared to the same period during 2012…The data also reveals that the export of plain gold bangles and chains formed a significant part of the exports in 2014. Another aspect noticed in the course of analysis is that substantial exports has been by such exporters who till recently had either no exports or negligible exports,” the DRI report said. | 1,265,177 |
Promotion
Selvi was married at an early age of 14. She thought her life will be the same like several other girls who are victims of abuse. But then she decided to change it all. This is how she transformed her life.
We have heard of young girls getting married at an early age, facing domestic abuse and adjusting with the sad life that has been forced upon them.
And Selvi’s story also looks way too familiar in the start. But neither is Selvi a regular woman, nor is her story like the ones we have heard before.
Selvi was married off at a tender age of 14 in exchange of a pair of earrings and some household utensils. After years of physical and mental abuse by her husband, and even her own mother and brother, Selvi decided to run away.
She initially wanted to commit suicide by coming under a moving bus. But when she reached the highway, she raised her hand and got on bus instead.
“I thought if I die, I won’t be able to prove myself,” she says in a documentary.
And then started her journey of change. She was taken in by the Odanadi women’s refuge in Mysore and was given driving lessons.
Within a few months, Selvi transformed her life. She went on to become Karnakata’s first female taxi driver, and also a truck and bus driver.
Promotion
Selvi gradually started gaining confidence and spoke at various gatherings about women empowerment. She spoke at various meetings, working as an educator on public health issues.
She also gathered enough courage to break old traditions by getting remarried to a person she loves. She has two young children and has big plans for them. She wants her daughter to become a pilot one day.
Selvi’s thrilling story has been beautifully captured by a Canadian filmmaker Elisa Paloschi in her documentary, Driving with Selvi, which took over a decade to make.
The documentary takes you through the life of Selvi and how she has finally emerged a winner. It was premiered at the Raindance Festival in London.
Selvi now goes to different places to talk about the film and her life. Paloschi plans to take the film on the road and have a million people see it. She also wants various organisations in India to use the documentary as an educational tool.
Here’s the trailer of the movie-
[embedvideo id=”HDZcqbT8Ykw” website=”youtube”]
Like this story? Or have something to share? Write to us: [email protected], or connect with us on Facebook and Twitter (@thebetterindia). | 1,265,178 |
If you were still holding out hope that Tim Miller‘s Kitty Pryde movie, code-named 143, would see the light of day, I have some bad news. It looks like the project is officially dead, according to Miller himself. This isn’t entirely surprising, as the movie was announced well before the big Disney-Fox merger threw things out of whack, coupled with the box office disappointment of Dark Phoenix.
Last year, word broke that Deadpool director Tim Miller was developing a Kitty Pryde movie with writer Brian Michael Bendis. The project was going by the working-title 143, a reference to Uncanny X-Men No. 143, one of the first solo Kitty Pryde stories, in which the character goes head to head against a demon inside the X-Mansion. Earlier this year, the project was revealed to still be in the works, with Bendis offering an update stating he was hard at work on the script.
But now it appears that the Kitty Pryde film is dead. Speaking with Comicbook, Miller said: “I don’t expect Marvel to call me and say, ‘Come do the X-Men,’ so I’m not waiting for that. I was really excited about my Kitty Pryde movie. Fuck, I love that movie. It’ll never happen now.”
While Miller doesn’t go into detail as to why the movie will “never happen now,” it likely has something to do with the big Disney-Fox merger. The X-Men were previously the property of Fox, but the merger changed all that. Now, the fate of all-things X-Men related is up in the air. Dark Phoenix was the last film from the Fox era to see the light of day, and it underperformed at the box office, become the lowest-grossing installment in the series.
Then there’s the curious case of New Mutants. That X-Men-related film was set to open in April 2018, but then got pushed to February 2019. It was then pushed yet again to August 2019 – and then shuffled around one more time, landing on an April 2020 release date. Whether or not that actually happens is still up in the air. There’s always a chance Disney could dump it onto their streaming service Disney+. Or they could just push it back even further.
In any case, it’s clear that X-Men-related properties still have to be sorted out now that the Disney-Fox deal is over, and the Kitty Pryde movie is likely an unfortunate casualty of all that. That’s not to say we won’t get a Kitty Pryde movie someday in the future, but whatever it was that Miller and Bendis were cooking up is now kaput. | 1,265,179 |
If you’re not intimately familiar with NSW Liberal Democrats Senator David Leyonhjelm – and look, you probably are at least somewhat familiar – he’s the rootin’ tootin’, firearm kissin’, free speech lovin’ libertarian in Parliament, who revels in causing offence and saying naughty cusses that politicians should not say.
One of his big free speech defences was going in on behalf of Wicked Campers, those campervans notorious for having weird, sexually aggressive decals all over them. Some might call them misogynist. Not Leyonhjelm though, who thinks anyone who criticises them are ‘wowsers’.
Well, the good folks at The Chaser wanted to see how he’d handle a Wicked Camper where all the aggro sexual slogans were directed at him instead. Short story? Not heaps well.
Interesting that a dude who care so much about the intrusion of the apparatus of state power on speech immediately threatens to call the cops. But that’s none of my business.
Apart from his ignoble ‘fuck off’ in the video, he took to Twitter to have a big ole sook about how the camper vans had ‘frightened’ his wife.
Apparently because I don’t find this outside my house amusing, I am a free speech hypocrite. Who knew? pic.twitter.com/A88mRX4uB0 — David Leyonhjelm (@DavidLeyonhjelm) June 29, 2016
.@KirstenDrysdale Were you one of the nasty little homophobes who have frightened my wife? — David Leyonhjelm (@DavidLeyonhjelm) June 29, 2016
He’s then spent a whole bunch of time retweeting rude comments about the Chaser host’s physical appearance, because that’s essentially the only response he’s capable of. Interesting that his wife would be frightened by that but not this:
But, y’know. Keep fightin’ the good fight, my dude.
The Chaser were a little shocked by his response. We genuinely thought Leyonhjelm would find it funny and maybe even come for a spin with us,” said hosts Kirsten Drysdale and Zoe Norton Lodge.
“After all – he’s the one who has said that not finding those slogans funny is ‘particularly wowserish’. At the very least, we thought he’d pretend to be amused. Turns out the Senator’s not quite the chill bro we thought he was.”
Source: The Chaser. | 1,265,180 |
In those days technology was not as developed today. His dives would rely on breathing apparatus not submersibles. Each dive was limited to fifteen minutes each followed by three hour decompression. Following Cousteau discovery of the ship, many questions were been asked. Was she carrying munitions? Did a torpedo or mine sink her? Was there an interior explosion? Cousteau did not find any evidence to suggest that she was carrying munitions. It is supposed that he means that he did not find any weapons on the sea bed. However, with a total dive time of six hours it is hardly surprising. He did however, notice that there a section of hull plating missing. Could this have anything to do with an explosion? Cousteau could give no answers. Probably because the technologies available to him gave him no answers. BALLARDS EXPLORATION The wreck lay undisturbed for a further 20 years until Dr. Robert Ballard dove to the ship with state-of-the-art equipment. His mission was to pick up where Cousteau left off. The wreck would be photographed and filmed. Voyager, the remotely operated vehicle ( ROV) was connected to a 3-D imaging system to bring the ship to life. He found that the ship was actually in good condition. She lies on her starboard side at a list of about 85 degrees (except for the bow, which is more upright). There is a tear down the visible port side of the hull. Ballard noticed that some of the plating is bent upward which could explain an interior expolsion forcing the plating to explode outward rather than a mine blasting the plates inward. However, Ballard is of the opinion that the bending was caused by the impact as the ship hit the bottom of the sea floor. The rest of the ship is in remarkable condition. So much so that there is still glass over the first class staircase. Even the propellers are still in place. However, Ballard's six day exploration did not shed any light on what sank her. There was no evidence of a mine anchor. He explored a radius of 500 feet from the ship. Ballard is convinced that the tear along the hull near the well deck was a result of structural failure not an internal explosion. If so it is still not known why the ship took only 55 minutes to sink. Ballard hopes to return to the wreck someday to send a robot vehicle inside the bow section to learn more about what happened. Since his visit in 1995, the Britannic has been subjected to other expeditions who have stripped her of many of her artefacts. The desecration will probably continue because the wreck lies in international water. There has though been talk that she would become an interactive underwater museum fitted with underwater cameras which would broadcast life pictures of the ship to museums all over the world and perhaps even internet. The Greek authorities restrict the number of dives to the wreck but the damage may already have been done. | 1,265,181 |
of eBay, both arriving at the event
These movers and shakers will discuss, establish and perhaps even unofficially close on deals that could have huge effects on the wider world. Jon Oringer (pictured), the CEO of Shutterstock, at the Allen and Company conference
Previous deals that have their roots at Sun Valley include the 1995 purchase of Capital Cities/ABC by Disney, Comcast's acquisition of NBCUniversal in 2009, the purchase of AOL by Verizon in 2015, and Jeff Bezos' purchase of The Washington Post in 2013. Comcast CEO Brian Roberts is pictured arriving at the 2019 conference on Tuesday
Walmart CEO Doug McMillon (right) and wife Shelley McMillion are pictured arriving at the conference on Tuesday
Previous deals that have their roots at Sun Valley include the 1995 purchase of Capital Cities/ABC by Disney, Comcast's acquisition of NBCUniversal in 2009, the purchase of AOL by Verizon in 2015, and Jeff Bezos' purchase of The Washington Post in 2013.
Many guests arrived by private jet at nearby Friedman Memorial Airport in Hailey before being chauffeured through 15 miles of lush rolling hills to the lodge, where they will remain until Sunday.
Entire families are invited to the event - a move that encourages older business figures to stay for the duration of the event, rather than to bounce back to their homes after just a couple of days.
While a fresh new crop of young entrepreneurs and tech wunderkinds make their way to Sun Valley each year, it is those older attendees who are valued the most, as they are the more experienced and, crucially, the most connected at the gathering. President of Nasdaq, Inc. Adena Friedman (far left) and husband Mike Friedman (at left, on the right) arrived on Tuesday, as did EVP and Executive Creative Director of Energy BBDO Susan Treacy (right)
Stephanie Nevins, a PhD candidate studying genonics at Stanford University in San Franciso, is pictured arriving on Tuesday
Kenneth Gerard Langone Sr., KSG (left) who is best known for organizing financing for the founders of The Home Depot arrived at the conference on Tuesday, as did Blenda von Corswant (right), wife of CEO & Co-Founder at Climendo Jacob von Corswant
CEO of SurveryMonkey Zander Lurie (left) and Mary Barra (right), chief executive officer of General Motors (GM), both arrived separately at the annual Allen & Company Sun Valley Conference on Tuesday
Investor Fernando Rodes Vila is pictured in attendance at the annual Allen & Company Sun Valley Conference on Tuesday
The conference began in 1982, and in its early days founder Herbert Allen - who co-founded Allen & Company with brother Charles - had to beg invitees to come.
Now the festival is a roaring success - and great promotion for the company. | 1,265,182 |
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File this under news you probably missed because of a near total Mainstream Media blackout on anything that doesn’t fit the Leftist gun control narrative.
Dozens of students at Rockledge High School in Florida walked out of class on Friday. These ultra-woke teens weren’t marching in support of common sense gun laws, however. Nor was there a single student in favor of any of the extreme gun control laws that David Hogg and company have been calling for since even before the bodies of their dead classmates had cooled.
No, the students of Rockledge High School were marching in support of the Second Amendment:
The media and the Left keep trying to tell us that the children are fed up with guns and the Second Amendment. These kids are sick and tired of dying at the hands of crazed killers who have been literally handed weapons of war for free by the evil, devious NRA. Never mind the fact that they spend over eight hours every day in what amounts to government mandated shooting galleries (ie, gun-free zones). The guns are the problem, and the children are the ones who are screaming at us to abolish guns and the Second Amendment.
When they can remember their lines, that is:
If one were to look at the opinions of high school students nationally, however, I imagine you would find a fairly diverse cross-section of opinions. Certainly, you’ll find the students who are rabid leftists and want to literally pry the guns from your cold, dead hands. You’ll also find students who are extremely pro-Second Amendment, students who favor a few restrictions that are combined with improvements in school safety, as well as students who just don’t care.
You won’t find the Mainstream Media presenting a balanced view of the current gun control movement, of course. The media and the Left (but I repeat myself) is only interested in using children to push the narrative they want in order to gain power over the citizens of the United States of America. That’s why protests such as the one at Rockledge High School will go largely unnoticed by the likes of CNN, MSNBC, and others. We can’t have anyone thinking about the issues and deciding for themselves. They might start to question the current Leftist narrative.
I have to give credit to the Rockledge High School administration. They could have silenced these kids, kept them in their classrooms, and suspended anyone who walked out. Instead, Rockledge High School took the high road and allowed their students that were opposed to gun control to speak out. This is how the free market of ideas works. Don’t like what someone says? Fine. Tell everyone why your opponent is wrong instead of shouting them down and censoring them.
Perhaps there is hope for the future after all? | 1,265,183 |
the finding that the watershed and its resources would be irreparably harmed―even if (hypothetically) the mine were to operate flawlessly. It confirmed, too, that if there is a breach―from many foreseeable causes, releasing contaminants through a range of exposure pathways in this seismically active and hydrologically complex region―the consequences could be “catastrophic.” While First Quantum may dismiss this multi-year scientific process, the people of Bristol Bay will not.
The unacceptable location of this massive project―whether permitted in twenty-year phases as currently proposed or all at once―is the issue that has most animated the breadth and intensity of Pebble’s opposition, and, as Mitsubishi, Anglo American, and Rio Tinto discovered, it is the issue on which economic and technical feasibility ultimately depends. As Pebble goes, so goes the watershed, with an essentially eternal supply of food pitted against a contaminated mining district. And the people of Bristol Bay have inalterably chosen the food.
Pebble is the wrong mine in the wrong place―not just in the minds of local leaders, but in the consensus of EPA Administrators from every Republican Administration (but Ford) since EPA was created―Nixon, Reagan, George H.W. Bush, and George W. Bush. According to Tiffany and Co., whose “No Pebble Pledge” has been joined by over 60 jewelers around the world, the question is “whether there are certain places where mining simply should never occur,” and its answer is “Alaska’s Bristol Bay is one such place.”
First Quantum ignores this history at its financial and reputational peril. If you proceed in disregard of the unavoidable risk to the greatest wild salmon fishery on Earth and the people and wildlife that depend on it―if you choose to become the financial angel of the uniquely reckless Pebble Mine―you do so with the knowledge that NRDC and the coalition of Alaska stakeholders that we support are committed to continue, for as long as necessary, doing whatever we can to ensure that Pebble is stopped, Bristol Bay is protected, and the watershed that feeds it doesn’t fall victim to the uncaring avarice of Northern Dynasty, First Quantum, and their shareholders.
We urge First Quantum to make the right choice by dissociating itself from this toxic project. We ask you to respect the overwhelming opposition unequivocally expressed over many years by the people of Bristol Bay, bearing in mind that, long after Northern Dynasty Minerals and First Quantum have left the scene, they are the ones who will have to live with the consequences of your actions.
We request, once again, the opportunity to meet with you personally as soon as possible at whatever time and place your schedule allows.
Sincerely,
Joel Reynolds
Western Director
Senior Attorney | 1,265,184 |
If you’re a wavering moderate who’s concerned about the uninsured, then, whatever bill emerges from this month’s negotiations might seem like an opportunity that won’t come round again.
But any legislators voting “yes” should have no illusions about what they’re voting for. This version of reform probably won’t make health care more affordable for most Americans, or place the system on firmer footing for the long run. Despite all the talk about a once-in-a-generation opportunity, our political class will have barely finished congratulating itself before rising costs will force everyone back to the negotiating table to consider more radical approaches.
We know what one such approach would look like. It’s the eventual endgame that liberals pushing a “public option” are aiming for: a federal takeover of the health-insurance sector, paid for by rising tax rates, in which the government guarantees universal access while using its monopoly power to hold down costs.
But there’s another path, equally radical, that’s more in keeping with the traditional American approach to government, taxation and free enterprise. This approach would give up on the costly goal of insuring everyone for everything, forever. Instead, it would seek to insure Americans only against costs that exceed a certain percentage of their income, while expecting them to pay for everyday medical expenditures out of their own pockets.
Such a system would provide universal catastrophic health insurance, in other words, while creating a free market for non-catastrophic care. In the process, it would marry a central conservative insight that we’ll never control spending so long as Americans are insulated from the true price of their medical care to the admirable liberal premise that nobody should go bankrupt paying for life-saving treatment.
The details would vary depending on your political predilections. Under the more free-market approach, championed by Harvard’s Martin Feldstein, the government would provide vouchers for the purchase of private catastrophic plans. Under a more liberal version, like the one sketched out by Berkeley’s Brad DeLong, the government itself would act as the insurer. And liberals and conservatives would no doubt disagree about where to set the income threshold, and what additional interventions to support.
The basic outline, though, could find support across the ideological spectrum. The problem is finding champions in Washington, where the political incentives always cut against reforms that fundamentally disrupt the status quo.
DeLong called his vision “an unrealistic, impractical, utopian plan.” For now, he’s right.
But the system can’t continue as it is. Soon, we’ll need reforms that do disrupt the status quo and a plan that seems unrealistic today might suddenly look like the only sustainable alternative. | 1,265,185 |
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Summary Reviewer Commack Family Dental Review Date 2016-03-30 Reviewed Item Commack Dentist Author Rating 5 | 1,265,186 |
National enforcement authorities will have more powers to detect and halt online breaches of consumer protection laws and be able to coordinate their actions better across the EU, under the revised Consumer Protection Cooperation (CPC) regulation.
The new rules aim to close legal loopholes, which are exacerbated because consumer protection systems differ from one EU country to the next. Investigation and enforcement powers must include, among others:
requesting information from domain registrars and banks to identify rogue traders,
purchasing goods or services as test purchases, including under a cover identity (“mystery shopping”),
ordering the explicit display of a warning to consumers, or ordering a hosting service provider to remove, disable or restrict access to an online interface (e.g. website or app) if there are no other effective means to stop an illegal practice,
imposing penalties, such as fines or periodic penalty payments,
seeking to obtain commitments from the trader to offer adequate remedies to the affected consumers, and informing them of how to seek compensation.
Tackling widespread breaches
The EU Commission will coordinate actions in cases where an infringement does or is likely to do harm to the collective interests of consumers in at least two-thirds of the member states, accounting, together, for at least two-thirds of the EU population.
One of the Parliament’s crucial demands during the negotiations with the Council was to involve consumer organisations more. They will play a proactive role by flagging suspected infringements, since they might know about them earlier than the authorities (“external alerts”).
Quote
Olga Sehnalová (S&D, CZ), rapporteur, said: “The new rules will strengthen and improve cooperation between all consumer protection actors, so that they can more easily monitor compliance and address cross-border infringements. National authorities, the Commission and consumer organisations, all acting together, will create an effective mechanism to combat rogue traders both online and offline and enforce consumers’ rights in the Single Market”.
Next steps
The legislative text, approved by Parliament by 591 votes to 80, with 15 abstentions, still needs to be formally adopted by the Council of the EU. The regulation will apply 24 months after the date of its entry into force.
Quick Facts
Example of past practices that should be tackled better under the new EU rules:
- A cross-border promotion of short duration by an airline which later on cancelled the discounted tickets
- A long-term subscription hidden behind an offer to try to win a phone for 1 €
- An online trader not delivering the design furniture it claims to sell - and who relocated 4 times over 3 years
- Complaints on car rental prices made to European Consumer Centres showing that consumers are discriminated against based on their country of origin | 1,265,187 |
Different between NFB-28.38 and NFB-28.28: The difference is that NFB28.38 has built in ES9038 Pro, NFB28.28 has built in ES9028 pro, other parts are exact the same. As for sound quality, NFB28.38 has slightly better sound transparency. Differences with NFB-29.38: The NFB-29 is a single ended DAC with headamp and preamp (+/- 30V DC high voltage power supply ), The NFB-28 is balance DAC with headamp and preamp (+/-15V DC power supply ). So They had same output power specs and can drive most headphone very well. If customer has headphones with single ended connector (6.3MM), choice would NFB-29 you will get better performance than the NFB-28. If customer has the balance connector headphones or can modify the headphone to balance connector, choice would be the NFB-28. Summarize Fully balanced design built by discrete analog stages. Output for headphone (4-pin XLR or 1/4") and DAC (fixed output) with preamp (variable output) Non- feedback ACSS analog output stage. Large R-core transformers and Hi-fi grade parts like DALE resistors, WIMA caps. Total of 6-groups of PSUs are used to purify the power supply, the analog amp has discrete PSU (power supply ) Four-channel 100 steps digitally controlled relay-based volume control avoid channel imbalance and improves sound quality. Supper Exponential Volume Characteristic with Fast / slow selection, easy match the volume with very different sensitivity headphones / speakers 4 digital inputs: USB / Optical / Coaxial RCA / I2S 2 analog inputs: XLR / RCA (The RCA input can be converted to XLR output natively without extra converter ) DAC output: XLR / RCA / ACSS Headphone output : 4 pin XLR / 1/4" (6.3MM) SE User can change the digital parameter settings 4 types gain modes to drive the high and low sensitivity headphones very easy.
Price: ( Exclude shipping cost) NFB -28.28: USD750 (ES9028Pro) NFB -28.38 TCXO version: USD880 ( ES9038Pro, Femtosecond TCXO ) NFB -28.38 Full clock upgrade version: USD910 ( ES9038Pro, Femtosecond Accusilicon upgrade the stock clock and Femtosecond Crystek *2 upgrade on USB interface) Please send your address, name to [email protected] get the quote. Accusilicon clocks: Crystek clocks: Since Dec. 2018, the model had upgraded two pc OPA+transistor serve PSUs to improved the sound quality | 1,265,188 |
Seal 'helps' bust alleged international drug ring in Australia Published duration 12 September 2019
image copyright EPA image caption Burton Island, where two suspects were found hiding
Australian police believe they have busted an international drug smuggling ring - with the help of an angry seal.
Police were first alerted to the alleged plot when a UK and French national were found hiding on an island the day after their yacht ran aground off Western Australia.
Officers also discovered an estimated $688,000 (£588,000) of illicit drugs.
A second Briton, an American and Australian appeared in court on Thursday in connection with the haul.
Police Commissioner Chris Dawson said the three - named as Jason Lassiter, 45, Scott Felix Jones, 35, and Angus Bruce Jackson, 50 - were allegedly the "shore party" who were "ready to receive" the drugs, news website Perth Now reported.
"We have disrupted a big international drug syndicate here," he added, saying officers were still working with international partners, including the UK's National Crime Agency.
However, things may have been different had the two men aboard the yacht - Antoine Dicenta, 51, from France, and UK national Graham Palmer, 34 - not been prevented escaping by a large seal.
Damien Healy, Geraldton Volunteer Marine Rescue Service vice-commander, revealed how the men were spotted on an island west of the town of Geraldton on Tuesday, 3 September, a day after the yacht was found.
image copyright Getty Images image caption The men's escape was thwarted by a sleeping seal (file photo)
The suspects had reached the island with the help of an inflatable dinghy, and allegedly hidden the drugs - including cocaine, ecstasy and methamphetamine - under some seaweed.
But once they realised they had been found, they made a bid to escape - only to discover a "big, huge seal" was now blocking their way.
"They woke it up and it jumped up with its big chest out and bellowed at them," Mr Healy told ABC radio.
"The guys basically had the choice of going through the seal or getting arrested and they ended up choosing getting arrested."
All five men have been remanded in custody.
Mr Dicenta and Mr Palmer are due to appear in court again on 20 September.
US citizen Mr Lassiter will appear in court on 26 September, while Briton Mr Jones will appear in October and Australian Mr Jackson in November. All three were arrested in Perth.
In the meantime, Police Commissioner Dawson had some advice to share.
"If you are in a hot pink shirt, don't try and hide in low scrub," he told reporters.
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media caption Stalling a plane to fight drug addiction | 1,265,189 |
6 January Hunt meets with News Corp to set out the process he proposes to follow in assessing the takeover deal.
7 January Scotland Yard asks the NOTW for any new material it may have in relation to hacking.
21 January Andy Coulson resigns as Cameron's director of communications, saying he has become a distraction.
25 January Hunt says he considers the merger "may operate against the public interest in media plurality" but before referring it to the Competition Commission he says he will take more time to consider News Corp's proposal to protect the independence of Sky News.
26 January Scotland Yard launches Operation Weeting, a new investigation into phone hacking, under Deputy Assistant Commissioner Sue Akers. Police vow it will leave "no stone unturned".
15-16 February Hunt writes to News Corp saying that unless it amends the Sky News proposal to meet the concerns of the regulators, he will refer the merger to the Competition Commission. News Corp replies with a revised Sky News plan.
February Cameron attends NOTW's Children's Champions reception at Downing Street.
1-2 March News Corp to bypass media plurality concerns by spinning off Sky News into separately listed company. Hunt all but nods through takeover in the long term.
March Meets James Harding, of The Times, for a general discussion.
April Coulson invited to Chequers to thank him for his work for Cameron. This month the PM also meets Mohan for a general discussion; James Harding for a general discussion; and he attends the News International summer party and addresses The Times CEO summit.
5 April Edmondson and NOTW chief reporter Neville Thurlbeck are arrested and bailed on suspicion of conspiracy to intercept voicemails.
14 April James Weatherup, another senior NOTW journalist, is arrested and bailed by Weeting.
20 June NI submits recently rediscovered emails relating to the phone-hacking scandal and new allegations that NOTW executives authorised corrupt payments to police.
June PM Attends The Sun's police bravery awards.
1 July Government says it is ready to give clearance to deal. Jeremy Hunt gives opponents a week to raise objections.
6-12 July Ofcom intervention fuels fears deal will not go ahead. NOTW closed down. Ofcom says it has "a duty to be satisfied on an ongoing basis that the holder of a broadcasting licence is 'fit and proper'".
8 July Coulson and former NOTW royal editor Clive Goodman, who was jailed in January 2007 for intercepting voicemail messages of members of the royal household, are arrested and bailed as part of Operation Weeting and Operation Elveden – the Met's investigation into alleged illegal payments to police officers.
14 July News Corp withdraws bid.
14 July Neil Wallis, former NOTW deputy editor, arrested and bailed by Weeting. | 1,265,190 |
Activision Blizzard Esports Leagues division today shared new details on how the 2020 season of the Overwatch League will work, as it enters its third season in 2020.
The Overwatch League began in 2017 as the first official franchised city-based league in esports with city owners purchasing a spot in the league for millions of dollars. One of Activision Blizzard’s big goals with the Overwatch League was to resemble traditional sports with home based and away based games throughout the season.
Overwatch League started this home/away games idea in 2019 season with Dallas and Atlanta teams hosting a homestead weekend events. For the 2020 Overwatch League season, the entire season will be homestead based — with teams traveling to different cities home stadiums to compete in weekend events. Each team has to play in 28 matches during the season and teams are split in 4 divisions.
Here’s the exact scheduling details with the 2020 OWL:
Each team will host two homestands. On top of those, teams in each division will also collectively host three additional regular-season events in their home territories.
The 2020 season will begin in February next year and conclude in August. Teams will play 28 matches over the course of the regular season, facing in-conference opponents twice each and out-of-conference teams once each. All regular-season matches will be played on weekends, with times optimized for local markets.
Activision Blizzard announced earlier this year that the 2020 Call of Duty esports season will be moving to a franchised based model. Over the last few months, the company has announced a total of 7 cities that have already purchased a spot in 2020 league, with sale price going for $25 million each. Locations confirmed include Dallas, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Toronto, Minnesota, Paris, and New York.
In an interview with ESTNN, OverActive Media Group’s CEO, the ownership company of the Toronto Overwatch League and Toronto Call of Duty league spot, has stated that this homestead style format will be implemented for the 2020 Call of Duty League format as well, later in the 2020 year.
They knew from the beginning that this was going to need to be modeled after traditional sports. If you are going to build big audiences for esports generally and for the Overwatch League, you’re going to have to be present in the local market. So this commitment to regionalization is something we really believe in and it’s central to the idea of the Overwatch League. It will also be true to the Call of Duty League as well, a little later in the year.
Activision Blizzard has not provided many details on the 2020 Call of Duty League format thus far otherwise saying that more details are coming later this year. It’s not clear when exactly the new league season is set to begin. The 2020 season will be played on Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. | 1,265,191 |
Advocacy groups in Israel have criticized the increasing use of DNA tests to determine the ‘Jewishness’ of citizens, saying the practice disproportionately targets immigrants particularly those from the former Soviet Union.
In order for couples to be officially recognized as married in the state of Israel, they must go through the Orthodox-controlled Chief Rabbinate’s office. From there, couples can be referred to the rabbinical courts if insufficient documentation or certification exists proving the mother of the bride or groom was married through the Rabbinate.
Also on rt.com Israeli expulsion of observers from Hebron a ‘wicked’ decision – former UN rapporteur
“It is really terrifying thinking where this could lead,” Elad Caplan, the director of the advocacy center at ITIM, told Haaretz.
“Judaism is about belonging and community – it’s not about race and blood, as our worst enemies have claimed,” Caplan continued, explaining that, under Jewish religious law, or halakha, a Jew is defined as the child of a Jewish mother.
READ MORE: Mass Holocaust-denial ‘infecting’ Eastern Europe – study
Over the past year, ITIM has received complaints from women forced to take DNA tests as they were born late in their mothers’ lives or long into their marriages. By this assessment, somewhere in the region of 400,000 Russian-speaking Israelis are not considered Jewish under halakha.
A 2006 study showed that roughly 40 percent of all Ashkenazi Jews are descended from just four Jewish women, dubbed the “founding mothers,” who lived more than 1,000 years ago. The researchers compared DNA sequences from approximately 2000 Jews with a control set of 11,500 gentiles in 67 populations around the world.
Also on rt.com Israeli mosque worker fired after taking part in bodybuilding contest
Many of those referred to the Israeli rabbinical courts for DNA tests to determine their ‘Jewishness’ were immigrants from the former Soviet Union, or their offspring, seeking to marry.
“Thirty years ago, during the massive wave of aliyah (migration of Jews to Israel) from the former Soviet Union, the attitude… was that if these people say they’re Jewish, we should take their word for it,” Caplan told Haaretz. “But ever since the bar of suspicions is constantly being raised, and this is just the latest example.”
ITIM aims to “help the Israeli public to meet with the religious establishment, and strive to play a significant role in shaping and influencing policy” and claims it has already “helped tens of thousands of people” in this capacity.
Think your friends would be interested? Share this story! | 1,265,192 |
The New Hampshire House of Representatives voted on Wednesday to overturn Republican Gov. Chris Sununu’s veto of a bill that would allow for the home cultivation of cannabis by medical marijuana patients. The measure, HB 364, will now head to the Senate after the House voted 259 to 120 to override the veto.
Earlier this year, the Senate approved HB 364 by a margin of 14 to 10. Two additional votes will be needed in the Senate to override the veto by the required two-thirds majority. The Senate is expected to vote on the veto on Thursday.
All home cannabis cultivation is currently a felony under New Hampshire law. Under HB 364, registered medical marijuana patients and caregivers would be allowed to possess up to three mature cannabis plants, three immature plants, and 12 seedlings. The bipartisan and bicameral measure was sponsored by Democratic Rep. Renny Cushing and Republican Sen. John Reagan.
In the governor’s veto message, Sununu said that allowing home cultivation of cannabis would put a burden on law enforcement agencies in the state and compromise regulations to prevent the diversion of medical marijuana to the illegal market.
Activists Call on Senate to Follow Suit
Matt Simon, the New England political director for cannabis reform advocacy group the Marijuana Policy Project said in a press release that overriding the governor’s veto of HB 364 will help ensure that medical marijuana patients can access their medicine affordably.
“It’s encouraging to see the House vote so strongly in favor of HB 364. This bill is critical for patients who are successfully using cannabis to stay off opioids, but are unable to afford the high-priced products that are available from dispensaries,” Simon said. “Sadly, 10 senators voted against HB 364 earlier this year, putting the preferences of a few police chiefs ahead of the needs of patients and their families.”
The Marijuana Policy Project noted in its release that two polls have shown that 68 percent of New Hampshire’s residents support legal medical marijuana and that all three states that border New Hampshire have already legalized home cultivation for patients, caregivers, and adults 21 and older.
“Residents of the ‘Live Free or Die’ State overwhelmingly support cannabis policy reforms, so it’s clear that any senator who opposes this simple step forward is incredibly out of touch with their constituents,” he said. “Patients, caregivers, and their advocates will be watching the Senate vote closely and hoping that common sense and compassion will finally prevail.”
New Hampshire legalized the medicinal use of marijuana in 2013. As of the end of last year, more than 7,000 residents had registered as patients in the state program. Currently, patients are only permitted to obtain medicinal cannabis at one of four licensed dispensaries, leading many to say that the cost and travel involved make it difficult to access their medicine. | 1,265,193 |
india
Updated: May 22, 2019 22:58 IST
In its third mission of the year, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Wednesday successfully put into orbit an earth observation satellite that can see through thick clouds and enhance the country’s surveillance capabilities in military and civilian sectors to keep an eye also on terror camps across the border in Pakistan. Dubbed as a ‘spy’ satellite, RISAT-2B (Radar Imaging Satellite-2B) will replace its predecessor RISAT-2 which has been actively used by India to monitor activities in terror camps across the border in Pakistan to thwart infiltration bids by terrorists. RISAT was successfully launched in 2009.
The RISAT-2B is equipped with a synthetic aperture radar that can take pictures of the earth during day and night, and also under cloudy conditions, said an official of the Indian Space Research Organisation(ISRO).
“It’s an all-weather satellite which can take images of the earth during the day, night and even cloudy conditions,” ISRO chairman K Sivan said.
The satellite, RISAT-2B, will use radar imaging for applications in forestry and agriculture as well for its five-year mission life. With a lift-off weight of 615 kg, RISAT-2B was launched aboard India’s workhorse rocket, the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV- C46), in the core-alone configuration without any of the six add-on engine.
The lift-off took place at 5.30am. The whole mission lasted just 15 minutes 25 seconds, much shorter than the last PSLV mission carried out this year.
The three-hour-long PSLV C45 mission in April injected into orbit an Indian intelligence gathering satellite, EMISAT, along with 28 international customer satellites. Wednesday’s was the second launch that people witnessed from the viewing gallery.
More than 5,000 people viewed the launch from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) at Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh.
Wednesday’s mission takes to 50 tonnes the payload that ISRO has placed in space by launching 354 satellites, including national, student and foreign satellites.
Sivan praised the efforts of the team involved in the realisation of the piggyback payload carried on-board the mission. “RISAT-2B is an advanced earth observation satellite with an advanced technology of 3.6m radial rib antenna,” he said.
This will be the first mission of the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) Mark III, which was inducted into ISRO’s set of operational rockets after the second successful development flight carrying the 3423 kg communication satellite GSAT-29 in November last year. | 1,265,194 |
He famously starred as Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation.
And 24 years later, Sir Patrick Stewart may boldly go where no one has gone before again.
There have been increased rumblings that the 77-year-old actor is set to reprise his signature role according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Boldly going? There have been increased rumblings that Sir Patrick Stewart is set to reprise his signature role according to The Hollywood Reporter
Signature role: The talented actor - now 77-years-old - starred as Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation 24 years ago
Sources for the publication claim that new Star Trek: Discovery showrunner Alex Kurtzman and Akiva Goldsman (who left the show after season one) are attached to a reboot led by Stewart.
However CBS TV Studios declined to confirm the project to THR as their insiders also say that a deal is far from completed and may not even happen.
Earlier this month the British actor had Trekkies buzzing as he hinted that there was potential for him to return to the franchise.
Set phasers to stun! Sources for the publication claim that new Star Trek: Discovery showrunner Alex Kurtzman and Akiva Goldsman (who left the show after season one) are attached to a reboot led by Stewart
In an interview by Red Carpet News TV, Stewart admitted that he had not seen Star Trek: Discovery yet but'may have good cause to look at it very soon.'
Stewart played Captain Picard throughout all seven seasons of the highly-popular science fiction show from 1987 to 1994.
The exciting news comes just as CBS announced they will expand the science-fiction franchise with new series, mini-series and animation under a production deal announced on Tuesday.
CBS said in a statement that it had signed a five-year deal with producer Kurtzman to supervise a range of new programming related to Star Trek.
The exciting news comes just as CBS announced they will expand the science-fiction franchise with new series, mini-series and animation under a production deal announced on Tuesday as they will be joining CBS All Access streaming service show Star Trek: Discovery (pictured)
Kurtzman is a writer and producer of Star Trek: Discovery, which premiered in September 2017 on the CBS All Access streaming service. A second season is currently in production.
He also co-wrote and produced the 2009 Star Trek feature film and 2013 sequel Star Trek: Into Darkness.
The original Star Trek debuted in 1966 as a U.S. television series depicting the adventures of the Starship Enterprise. It was created by the late Gene Roddenberry and featured characters including Captain James T. Kirk, played by William Shatner, and Vulcan officer Mr. Spock, played by the late Leonard Nimoy. | 1,265,195 |
Manchester United defender Chris Smalling says Louis van Gaal has finally discovered a winning formula ahead of Newcastle's visit to Old Trafford on Saturday. Van Gaal chopped and changed his side at the start of his United reign last season and had to wait four games for his first Premier League win. But 12 months later, the United manager is reaping the rewards of selecting a more settled line-up. And while he may make the odd tweak against Newcastle this weekend, with Bastian Schweinsteiger pressing for a full debut in midfield, continuity appears to be the key. That is particularly the case in defence with the same goalkeeper and back four likely to continue their ever-present records, having played together for every minute of United's two Premier League wins and their midweek 3-1 Champions League play-off first-leg victory against Club Brugge. Smalling is one of those to have benefitted from van Gaal's policy and he should carry on alongside Daley Blind in the middle of United's defence. The England international is convinced the selection policy is paying off as van Gaal's side have kept clean sheets in their league games against Tottenham and Aston Villa this season. "Last season there were that many changes it was hard to get a good run - even though I still don't think we conceded that many goals in the second half of the season," he said. "But that togetherness and that work ethic is showing on the pitch now because we are not letting that many chances in." United will again be without midfielder Marouane Fellaini, who scored in their Champions League win but still has to complete a domestic three-match ban. Goalkeeper David de Gea is again expected to be overlooked as his future at Old Trafford remains uncertain, while defender Phil Jones is also set to be absent through injury. Florian Thauvin hopes to make his Newcastle debut at Old Trafford after sealing his move from Marseille. The arrival of the France Under-21 international on a five-year contract takes the Tyneside club's spending since last season to £47.7 million, and the 22-year-old former Lille midfielder said: "I'm delighted to be about to start my Newcastle career against such a big team with such a great reputation. "I can't wait to get out there, and I'm really looking forward to it. "It's great to know that Newcastle have wanted me for such a long time, and to know they wanted me so badly. It's a massive club." Newcastle's Dutch full-back Daryl Janmaat is suspended after his red card in the 2-0 defeat at Swansea that leaves Steve McClaren's side searching for their first victory of the season, at a ground where they've won just once in 43 years. Steven Taylor is expected to start alongside skipper Fabricio Coloccini in central defence, with Chancel Mbemba switching to right-back. | 1,265,196 |
d never even met) to correct the second edition of Lyrical Ballads for publication. You might, incidentally, illustrate Crystal’s points about the semantic and pragmatic qualities of punctuation with the parenthesis in that last sentence. Consider the different degrees of authorial sniggering conveyed if, between “chemist” and “whom”, you interpolate a comma, a semicolon, a dash or an exclamation mark …
Ben Jonson, on the other hand, went bananas about printers mispunctuating his work, and denounced one in a poem as a “lewd printer” and an “absolute knave”. Mark Twain, on hearing that a proofreader was improving his punctuation, “telegraphed orders to have him shot without giving him time to pray”. George Bernard Shaw was with Cormac McCarthy on the apostrophe: “There is not the faintest reason for persisting in the ugly and silly trick of peppering pages with these uncouth bacilli.” George Orwell took a firm stand against the semicolon; though, poignantly, he worried nobody would notice so wrote to his publisher to boast that Coming Up for Air didn’t contain any.
There might have been room for more of this sort of jollity. A sidebar on rock and pop crimes against punctuation wouldn’t have gone amiss. Whither the spurious heavy-metal diaeresis? Whence the Cranberries’ song “Yeat’s Grave” (shudder)? And WTF was Neil Sedaka’s “Breaking Up Is Hard To Do”, with its refrain “Down dooby doo down down/ Comma comma”, all about?
I slightly yearned for a bit more on the outriders, too: that lovely cavalcade of defunct and obscure marks that are glimpsed in the text and add salt to his fine index: the asterism, the dinkus and the fleuron; the austere pilcrow and the honourable diple; the breve and the manicule (shown to such excellent advantage in Samuel Richardson’s Clarissa); or the caret that helps you see in the dark.
But that is, as it were, in parenthesis. Here is a learned and subtle book that amuses as it instructs, and instructs as it amuses. It deserves to sell three million, and won’t.
• To order Making a Point for £10.39 (RRP £12.99) go to bookshop.theguardian.com or call 0330 333 6846. Free UK p&p over £10, online orders only. Phone orders min p&p of £1.99. | 1,265,197 |
We recently showed that you can use the consumer Intel Optane Memory m.2 devices in a server, and as ZFS cache and log devices. That was an important step because Intel’s product page specifically cites 7th gen Core CPUs and platforms as a requirement for the devices. By showing that we could take a standard server platform and use the m.2 device we open up Intel Optane Memory and 3D Xpoint to a lower price point.
The Intel DC P4800X is a much better, much faster device, but it costs upwards of $1500 in its smallest 375GB form. The m.2 drives are meant for client caching are significantly smaller (16GB and 32GB) but also both cost well under $100 making the technology more accessible.
Using VT-d PCIe Pass-through on Intel Optane Memory
For those unaccustomed to pass-through, it is an advanced virtualization feature. Essentially it allows a PCIe device to be utilized solely by a guest VM in order to improve performance. I/o devices such as network interface cards, GPUs, and storage devices/ controllers are common VT-d virtualization targets. For the Intel Optane Memory used case we are showing here, this is a great way to get low latency storage into a web hosting virtual machine.
Here is a small illustration regarding what we are setting up:
The basic idea here is that we are going to use a Debian Stretch-based (Proxmox VE 5.0) Linux KVM hypervisor. We installed a Windows Server 2012 R2 64-bit guest OS. We are going to use VT-d pass-through to hand the Intel Optane Memory m.2 card from the host Linux OS directly to Windows. Here is a video to see how well this worked.
Intel specs for the 16GB drive are 145MB/s write and 900MB/s read. We essentially hit these numbers using a best case sequential benchmark (ATTO) in the Windows VM so we know that PCIe pass-through is working as intended.
Final Words
We are still likely to recommend getting a bigger/ faster NVMe drive or more RAM over these small devices. These days, m.2 slots are in short supply on most server platforms so it may be difficult even mirroring these devices in a server. If you look at 16GB and 32GB pricing v. performance, you will likely conclude that you want the 32GB model. The 32GB model will leave an Intel DC S3700 100GB drive in the dust in terms of performance (more on this later.)
What we do like about this setup is the ability to get the benefits of PCIe pass-through disks at an extremely low cost. If you just want to learn NVMe pass-through, this may be the least expensive way to do so. | 1,265,198 |
The SP chief took serious exception to party leaders indulging in groupism and politics up to the police station level. The SP chief took serious exception to party leaders indulging in groupism and politics up to the police station level.
THE ruling Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh will lose if Assembly polls are held now, its chief Mulayam Singh Yadav said Saturday. Addressing a party meeting called to discuss the strategy for the coming panchayat polls, Mulayam took to task Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav too.
“I have all the reports. There is no silver lining from anywhere. Officers don’t listen to you (Akhilesh), they are not in control. If polls are held today, we may not be able to win them,” Mulayam reportedly said during the meeting at party headquarters here.
Mulayam served the warning in clear words: “Bahut ghatak parinam aayenge. Sab bantadhar ho jayega (The results will be disastrous. Everything will be ruined)”.
While party did not issue press release on Mulayam’s comments, sources present in the meeting said Mulayam lost his cool when a district unit president tried to defend Akhilesh stating that media distorts things and government was functioning very well. “As if I do not know the reality…you are doing sycophancy…still there is time to wake up and manage the things,” he reportedly said.
Another party leader tried to complain about the SSP and other police officials in his district at which Akhilesh retorted that he was aware about the leader’s role in this episode. Sources said that Mulayam again lost cool and flayed Akhilesh for taking sides with officials instead of the party leader.
The SP chief took serious exception to party leaders indulging in groupism and politics up to the police station level instead of working for people and gave them a month’s time to mend their ways, the sources said. He warned that if there is no improvement, such leaders and workers could also be shown the door.
Mulayam said as the number of complainants were rising at the SP headquarters it was clear that party leaders and workers were not doing the needful at the district level.
Later, party’s state spokesman Rajendra Chaudhary said besides discussing the strategy for the panchayat polls, the meeting decided that the process of constituting booth committees would be completed by August 31.
📣 The Indian Express is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@indianexpress) and stay updated with the latest headlines
For all the latest Lucknow News, download Indian Express App. | 1,265,199 |
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