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NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — A woman who was punched in the face by a stranger at a Brooklyn subway station has opened up about the ordeal as police continue to search for her attacker.
As CBS 2’s Dave Carlin reported, the search is on for the man suspected of punching 70-year-old Judith Maroney in the head before running away.
The attack happened Sunday morning at the 4th Avenue-9th Street station in Park Slope, Brooklyn.
Maroney told Carlin her nightmare began with her sitting on a bench waiting for the “R” train on Sunday morning.
Next thing she knew, a stranger punched her in the face.
“I was a sitting duck,” Maroney said. “It was totally unprovoked. I think I was in shock I had just had my face pummeled.”
The retired public school art teacher said she was able to give police a detailed description of her attacker.
Detectives then found the suspect on security video, Carlin reported.
Maroney said the man who punched her never said a word and then calmly and slowly walked away.
She said sitting on the bench probably saved her life.
“The guy was big enough, the way he hauled off, I could have been knocked onto the tracks,” Maroney said.
She said she’s sharing her story because she wants people to know a dangerous man is on the loose, Carlin reported.
Maroney said she considered taking a cell phone picture of her attacker as he was glaring at her right after the punch, but she worried that taking a picture would bring on more violence.
Detectives said she handled the situation perfectly.
While you can’t see her injuries anymore, Maroney said they are still there.
“I must have gone with the punch because when I went to my chiropractor the next day she said I had something similar to whiplash,” she said.
Maroney said there were a few other people on the platform when she was punched, but they did not help her. She said it was possible they didn’t see the attack, since it happened so fast.
It wasn’t long, though, before Maroney returned to the station, taking the same train trip as part of her daily routine.
She admits she had to take a deep breath and steady herself before going back down to the platform.
Maroney said she refuses to let her attacker keep her from living her life.
Check Out These Other Stories From CBSNewYork.com:
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the new occupancy limits by Jan. 7, but that it will enforce them “the same way we did before.” The city responds only when it gets a complaint. The city will give affected owners until Jan. 7 to bring their ads and property signs into compliance with the new limits.
Michael Keller, a real estate broker and owner of Keller Properties in South Lake Tahoe, said the cap imposed last December and uncertainty over Measure T have already impacted the market, especially large homes designed for families and groups. After the city imposed the 1,400 home limit last December, the waiting list for vacation home permits grew to about two years, he said.
He listed a newly built, seven-bedroom, 6,000-square-foot home on Regina Road near the base of Heavenly ski resort at $2.25 million in August 2017. After seven price cuts, it’s now listed at $1.55 million. At that price, the owner — an investor who built it as a vacation rental — would take “a substantial loss,” Keller said. “The majority of the buyer pool (for that type of property) has disappeared.”
A new owner could rent it out for more than 30 days at a time, but it’s not the kind of property that would be turned into workforce housing.
Lower- and moderate-priced homes have been less affected because many people who buy them as a second home may rent them out as a sideline. They also could be more easily converted to full-time rentals.
Evan Goldin lives in Menlo Park but couldn’t afford to buy a home there, so he bought one in South Lake Tahoe instead. He and his wife use it about half the year and rent it short term the other half. In the five years he has owned it, he has had no violations and paid the city about $50,000 in taxes and fees.
“I’m really disappointed and worried about the future of South Lake Tahoe, the hole it will blow in the budget and all the businesses that have started up in the last few years,” Goldin said. “Personally, it’s disheartening to have my property rights taken away. We are not some giant company, just one married couple that owns one home” and are not sure what to do.
Measure T does not impact homes outside the South Lake Tahoe limits, but El Dorado County has also discussed imposing a moratorium or cap on vacation home rentals in unincorporated areas. “From an economic standpoint that can have some of the same effect” as an outright ban, Keller said.
Kathleen Pender is a San Francisco Chronicle columnist. Email: [email protected] Twitter: @kathpender | 1,265,301 |
in the Middle East by its real name: radical Islam.
The fact that Rubio would even consider framing a demand for Chinese “freedom” as a foreign policy pillar, let alone an “American Value,” should make Republicans roll over and moan with birth pangs. Although China can hardly be labeled a giant of civil liberty, lumping the greatest trade partner of the US in with radical Islamists as those that must be dealt with hardly seems like a way that this Tea Party darling will endear himself to the developed world. While China certainly presents complex issues regarding trade and financial markets, sitting down to talk trade over tea with Xi is a drastically different proposition that inserting ourselves as a global watchdog for reproductive, communicative, and technological freedoms in other countries. Espousing the value of liberty for citizens hardly constitutes making threats against their governments when the same liberties are withheld or watered down.
Stephen Cohen rightly understands and promotes the notion that true patriotism and American strength requires strong partnerships. Rubio’s foreign policy approach is something entirely different. He has no respect or value for partnerships. Instead, he finds value in handicaps and intimidation — keeping other nations and powers down while promoting our interest unilaterally. He forgets that this same unilateral behavior is what created conflicts during the Cold War: call and response; action and reaction.
Reagan’s own military buildup dissuaded Gorbachev from attempting to keep up with the U.S., but that proliferation of American armaments was done in conjunction with a dialogue about how to reduce the very same militaristic tensions. The gradual meeting of wants between Gorbachev and Reagan allowed the aspirations of reform to blossom, even amidst ongoing proxy wars. Consequently, Rubio’s self-proclaimed following in Reagan’s footsteps, while attractive to Republican voters, only embraces one side of the Reagan doctrine: armament and proliferation. The flat-out refusal to engage China, Russia, or Syria in a dialogue entrenches the notion that Rubio is a true hawk, out for blood and unwilling to see American military strength as more than a tool to commit deposition and regional cleansing.
It’s no surprise that Rubio takes a shotgun approach to foreign policy. After all, this is the same candidate who likened his plan for dealing with terrorists to Liam Neeson’s threats in Taken: ‘We will look for you, we will find you, and we will kill you.” If the “world is a better place when America leads,” maybe Rubio should find a way to articulate real leadership, instead of chopping down foreign leaders and powers at the knees under the guise of restoring American strength. There is real strength in military might, but even a weak opponent will throw itself into a losing conflict when confronted by two fists. Rubio must learn to extend both a fist and an open hand, or risk damage to his entire person. | 1,265,302 |
://t.co/B3eU6tLjzV pic.twitter.com/66YOFcDbGX — Tania Gonzalez (@TaniaGlezAZ) July 23, 2018
Tania González/CNET
The bazaar
Immediately upon entry you can grab some fruit, ice cream and water, and get some insight into what you're doing in Yemen. The actors stationed sometimes have mini-missions for you to complete, even though you're still just an analyst.
In my short time there, I was asked to memorize a whole new bio in 30 seconds. I became Sarah Waverly, born April 7, 1982, living at 4335 Ashcroft, San Diego 92101, with my husband and 7-month-old son, Josh (I did not write that down and am now slightly concerned how I remembered all of it almost two days later).
Another operative gave me and a team member a mission to collect a photo of an actor wandering around in a pineapple hat. We collected the selfie probably faster than he anticipated and were slightly let down when there was no "reward" (other than his appreciation!).
While the bazaar was the most filled with actors and story, and it was the tastiest area of the experience, it was also the most quickly completed.
Dark Ops escape room
As the culmination of everything learned throughout the experience, this shortened escape room took my group barely any time (13 minutes, 27 seconds). Without giving too much away, the room was a great immersive pop-up experience on its own, but the escape room aspect really elevated it.
My group escaped, but not before operating a drone, making it through *five* rooms, and getting handcuffed to a chair (though to be fair, I guess I did volunteer for that one). Amazon even managed to integrate Alexa in interesting ways we'll talk more about next week so as not to spoil anything for those still headed to San Diego. It was so much fun I was sad I only got to do it once.
The entire training was one of the best, most immersive activations I've ever experienced. Having now seen the first episode of Jack Ryan, it really did feel like an experiential episode, just maybe with a bit more Alexa.
The bar for activations and experiences has been set this year, between Jack Ryan and Taco Bell and don't relish any of next year's attendees -- but I will definitely be back to experience them!
Caitlin Petrakovitz/CNET
Taco Bell's Comic-Con pop-up was delicious: At Comic-Con 2018 I time-travelled just so I could eat at Taco Bell.
This piece was originally published July 21, and has been updated with new details of the activation. | 1,265,303 |
The committee organizing the Eurovision Song Contest called upon fans to hold on booking flights to Israel, where the contest is set to take place in 2019.
A statement on the contest's official Facebook page said: "Are you already looking forward to next year’s Eurovision? Us too! But don’t go booking your flights just yet, for official updates on where and when it’ll take place, keep an eye out for announcements on our official channels." A debate in the post's comments quickly ensued focused on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and whether or not Israel should host the contest.
>> Dutch TV comedian blasts Israel with spoof of Eurovision winner ‘Toy’ | WATCH ■ Israel lodges official protest over Dutch parody
Sources in Israel's public broadcaster Kan said that the Eurovision management expressed concern over the politicization of the contest. A senior source told Haaretz on Tuesday that the European Broadcasting Union, which organizes the Eurovision, "did not care," according to him, for the remarks made by ministers Miri Regev and Ayoub Kara about hosting and producing the contest in Jerusalem.
"The decisions made by Regev and Kara before even hearing anything about hosting the Eurovision are not deemed customary in the eyes of the Union's officials," said the source. Both Regev and Kara demanded their ministries be entrusted with producing the contest, with Kara even claiming he would invite Dubai to compete, despite having no authority to do so.
Earlier in May, Netta Barzilai won the Eurovision Song Contest held in Portugal with the song "Toy." According to contest regulations, the winning country hosts the Eurovision the following year.
The contest is expected to take place in Jerusalem, but the exact date and location have yet to be determined. The contest's final stage is supposed to take place on Saturday night at 10 P.M., two hours after Shabbat. Deputy Health Minister Yaakov Litzman requested his colleagues in the Israeli government not to desecrate Shabbat for the sake of the Eurovision.
Litzman on Monday wrote to Culture and Sports Minister Miri Regev, Communications Minister Ayoub Kara and Tourism Minister Yariv Levin, asking that the event not impinge on the Sabbath, “as required by law and the status quo.”
In response, the chairman of the European Broadcasting Union committee responsible for Eurovision, Dr. Frank-Dieter Freiling, told Haaretz that the Eurovision contest must be held Saturday night at 10 P.M, which would be only two hours after Shabbat is out in May. The Sabbath, Freiling said, “cannot be really put into consideration with regards to viewers all over Europe."
Israel hosted the Eurovision Song Contest twice in the past, in 1979 and 1999. | 1,265,304 |
It took a rematch with the Buffalo Bills for the New England Patriots to bench rookie center David Andrews in favor of sophomore center Bryan Stork.
The Bills defensive front was out for quarterback Tom Brady's blood and Andrews didn't do much to stay the pass rush. A false start and a few blown blocks later and Stork stepped in and hasn't looked back.
The 6'4, 315 lbs Stork always made for a more impressive physical specimen than the 6'2, 295 lbs Andrews, and the results on the field match the projections in our heads. Stork is the superior player and should be the starting center, while Andrews should remain a viable, quality back-up, offering a similar size as the offensive line captain Ryan Wendell.
The coaching staff is finally putting the best offensive line unit on the field.
"We're always trying to get the right group out there," offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels said. "There have been games where Bryan and David have both played in the same game also. David played this last game towards the end as well.
"I think they're different in terms of the type of player they are, both of them are smart and dependable and tough, do a lot of different things to try and help set the table for the rest of our lineman and get everybody going in the right direction."
Stork left late in the game against the Texans due to a shoe issue, although he is reportedly dealing with a minor ankle injury. Andrews played for six snaps, his only time on the field since he was benched against the Bills.
"Bryans a little bit more experienced certainly at this point having played quite a bit last year," McDaniels continued. "I think both guys have a lot of strengths to them. Both guys certainly work hard to try and improve some of the things maybe they don't do as well as they'd like to. I think they work extremely hard, bring great work ethic to our offense. There's a presence inside, a toughness that they both have.
"Bryan certainly like I said, he's played a lot of good football for us. I think it's a consistent competition there. I think we encourage that at all positions and those guys definitely have embraced that. They go and compete hard in practice each week going forward to try and get better individually and improve the other guy at the same time through competition and we try and put the best guys out there that we can each week."
McDaniels is effectively saying that Stork doesn't just possess more experience, but that the sophomore center competed in practice and earned the starting spot over Andrews.
Andrews played at a commendable level for the first half of the season, but if there is a player that can perform at a higher level, well, that player should be on the field. | 1,265,305 |
soul. But at no point has there been any romance and there hasn’t needed to be.
We now move to the climax. Snake and Liquid have had their battle and Meryl lies there motionless. Snake runs over to her, cradling her, searching for life, but he is too late. Once again, a person he cared for greatly has died. With one heartbroken scream, he lets everything out. The rage and pain at her death, at Fox’s death, at every single reason he shut himself away. He let himself get close again, he let himself feel and he has been burned. This is where Otacon, an unlikely ally who was being held hostage by Liquid, is crucial. With the whole facility facing the threat of an air strike due to the Secretary of Defence wanting to sweep everything under the rug, Snake has given up and is resigned to dying. It is Otacon who gives Snake the push to continue fighting for his life and the pair make it out alive after one final confrontation with Liquid who. Just. Won’t. Die. Seriously, he has four death scenes in the game…
Once Liquid is well and truly dead, Snake and Otacon have time to collect their thoughts after what has been a pretty eventful day. Meryl’s death has made him realise that life is far too short to shut the world away and people with it. It’s a similar result to the super-happy-romantic ending but it’s far more believable. Someone has had to die to make Snake understand this, but not just anyone. A “combat buddy” as he puts it, someone he cared about who reminded him of himself at that age. After all, it could well have been him who died and he would have left the world as a bitter, old man. Once again, Otacon is crucial, as the friendship that blossoms between the two is Snake’s final redemption. His character arc becomes complete because of this unlikely scientist whom he grows to like, respect and, most importantly, trust. In the subsequent games, we see the two as brothers. Both would die for the other and they trust each other with their lives. A stark contrast to Snake at the beginning of Metal Gear Solid. This would never have been possible without Meryl, the camaraderie the two developed and the experiences they shared as Snake slowly opened up after years of hiding within himself. Her death cements this as it is a harsh reminder of how fleeting life is. A reminder that inspires Snake to realise the potential within himself, both as a soldier and as a human being.
And that is why Meryl should die in Metal Gear Solid.
And that was also five things that Jordan Vogt-Roberts shoulder consider when directing the much-anticipated big screen adaptation. Over to you, Jordan. | 1,265,306 |
is to change how women think about conservative political principles and their relationship to the formation of public policy.”
IWF’s legal policy agenda recites the mantra of almost all Koch-fueled groups, including the GOP: “personal responsibility, free markets, and limited government.” As CMD has documented, IWF has deep ties to the billionaire Koch brothers, including shacking up with David Koch’s Americans for Prosperity and its predecessor and being led for years by Koch Industries’ former top DC lobbyist.
CMD’s report illustrates how IWF is not independent, mainstream, and neutral, despite its claims.
As Joan Walsh noted in the Nation: “the IWF website looks like it still shares content with Americans for Prosperity, with posts devoted to lowering corporate tax rates and ending the ‘death tax,’ criticizing food stamps… alongside screeds against Hillary Clinton and on how Title IX hurts boys. On its website, IWV says its five core issues areas are ‘healthcare, responsible government, workplace regulation, energy and economic literacy,’ which are all core concerns of the Kochs and their allies.”
About the Bradley Foundation
IWF’s approach to women’s issues was richly rewarded by Bradley with Dan Schmidt as the foundation’s Vice President. During Schmidt’s tenure, Bradley steered more than $1 million to IWF.
Schmidt has been credited on the right with turning Bradley into “one of the most influential” foundations in the country, working for former RNC lawyer Michael Grebe and Michael Joyce. Bradley’s new leader is Rick Graber, who helmed the Wisconsin Republican party for years shortly before Reince Preibus, who later became the RNC chair and now is Trump’s Chief of Staff.
Schmidt’s recommendations for major funding for IWF and other groups went to Bradley’s Board of Directors, which includes two of the biggest GOP funders in the country: Koch allies Art Pope and Diane Hendricks.
They each have reputations for using millions of their own billions to push aggressively divisive legislative and their personal political wish lists, like right to work in Wisconsin for Hendricks and an array of disastrous legislation in Pope’s home state of North Carolina.
Through their role on Bradley’s board, they now have the ability to have influence beyond even their own vast personal fortunes. They are tasked with helping to direct the nearly one billion in assets of the Bradley Foundation, whose assets exceed the Koch brothers’ foundations, though not the personal wealth of the billionaire Koch brothers, Charles and David, themselves.
CMD’s research team, including David Armiak and Evan James, assisted on this report, with the help of Nick Surgey. | 1,265,307 |
Hong Kong’s government has cancelled all school classes in a U-turn on an earlier statement.
The Education Bureau on Thursday announced the suspension of kindergarten, primary and secondary school classes citing safety concerns arising from the city’s three consecutive days of unrest. A spokesperson said parents could send their children to schools if needed but urged them to be mindful of their safety.
Protesters sleep on an athletics track in the grounds of the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), in Hong Kong early on November 13, 2019. Photo: Anthony Wallace/AFP.
The move backtracks on an earlier statement from Secretary for Education Kevin Yeung who said that the decision to attend class should be left with parents and schools.
The Bureau also criticised an unnamed teachers’ union as failing to condemn protesters and blaming police for the ongoing violence: “The Education Bureau believes such remarks are in opposition to the professionalism that education workers should have,” the spokesperson said.
‘Violence is not the way’
Meanwhile, Chief Secretary Matthew Cheung has condemned the wave of clashes – largely at university campuses – as destined to fail while doubling down on the government’s commitment to end it.
“Regardless of their demands, violence is not the way and it will not be successful,” he said at the Legislative Council on Wednesday.
John Lee and Matthew Cheung. Photo: RTHK screenshot.
Secretary for Security John Lee said the law is applicable everywhere in Hong Kong including at universities: “I hope universities will not become places to foster and incite violence,” he said.
Speaking about the head of the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), Rocky Tuan, who was tear-gassed by the police on Tuesday evening, Lee said police had to act because protesters behind Tuan had weapons.
CUHK was the epicentre of unrest on Tuesday as masked protesters battled with police for control of No. 2 bridge at the Sha Tin-based campus. Police fired volleys of tear gas at demonstrators who threw Molotov cocktails and bricks.
CUHK head Rocky Tuan being escorted away after tear gas was fired. Photo: Stand News.
On Tuesday, Chief Executive Carrie Lam blasted protesters as “extremely selfish” for attempting to paralyse Hong Kong over the course of two days.
Hong Kong has been shaken by 24 weeks of unrest triggered by a now-withdrawn extradition bill which would have enabled fugitive transfer to mainland China. The movement has evolved into wider calls for democratic reform and accountability for the police handling of the crisis.
Hong Kong Free Press relies on direct reader support. Help safeguard independent journalism and press freedom as we invest more in freelancers, overtime, safety gear & insurance during this summer’s protests. 10 ways to support us. | 1,265,308 |
Two groups of Central American migrants marched to the U.S. Consulate in Tijuana on Tuesday with a list of demands, with one group delivering an ultimatum to the Trump administration: either let them in the U.S. or pay them $50,000 each to go home, a report said.
Among other demands were that deportations be halted and that asylum seekers be processed faster and in greater numbers, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported.
The first group of caravan members, which included about 100 migrants, arrived at the consulate around 11 a.m. Alfonso Guerreo Ulloa, an organizer from Honduras, said the $50,000 figure was chosen as a group.
“It may seem like a lot of money to you,” Ulloa told the paper. “But it is a small sum compared to everything the United States has stolen from Honduras.”
He said the money would allow the migrants to return home and start a small business.
A letter from the group criticized U.S. intervention in Central America and asked the U.S. to remove Honduran President Orlando Hernandez from office. They gave the consulate 72 hours to respond.
A letter from the second group of about 50 migrants arrived at the consulate around 1:20 p.m. asking the U.S. to speed up the asylum process and to admit up to 300 asylum seekers each day at the San Ysidro Port of Entry in San Diego. Currently, around 40 to 100 are admitted.
EIGHT-MONTH-OLD BOY PUSHED UNDER HOLE IN BORDER WALL
“In the meantime, families, women and children who have fled our countries continue to suffer and the civil society of Tijuana continue to be forced to confront this humanitarian crisis, a refugee crisis caused in great part by decades of U.S. intervention in Central America,” the letter states.
Of the roughly 6,000 migrants who’ve traveled from Central America to Tijuana, around 700 have returned home, 300 have been deported and 2,500 have applied for humanitarian visas in Mexico, according to Xochtil Castillo, a caravan member who met with Mexican officials Tuesday.
MIGRANT CARAVAN SHELTER SHUT DOWN OVER 'BAD SANITARY CONDITIONS' AS HUNDREDS MOVE TO NEW FACILITY
Others have either crossed into the U.S. illegally, moved to other parts of Mexico or have fallen through the cracks, the Union-Tribune reported.
“A lot of people are leaving because there is no solution here,” said Douglas Matute, 38, of Tijuana. “We thought they would let us in. But Trump sent the military instead of social workers.” | 1,265,309 |
If one were to be honest, the sport of mixed martial arts doesn't have a fantastic track record when it comes to dealing with the LGBT community. Homophobic slurs are still common in MMA (I don't remember the last time a Michael Bisping fight didn't involve him throwing out a slur) and the treatment of the situation usually involves lame "it doesn't mean that when I use it" excuses.
Dana White famously used "faggot" while freaking out about a Sherdog article and the UFC PR department somehow saw no issue allowing the video to be published.
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira made it clear that, while he "has no malice," he doesn't want to train with a gay man because what if the gay man has malice?!
These situations have long been a part of MMA meathead culture. Which is probably why Anderson Silva's comments in a recent Fightland article are so refreshing.
Here's how Silva answered a question about anti-gay prejudice in MMA:
I don’t think there’s prejudice, but there’s a lot of homosexuals in mixed martial arts. There are a lot of them who haven’t yet come out. [If they were to come out,] nowadays it’s so silly to not express your feelings. As long as you respect people’s spaces, and respect their limits. You have to live your life in peace and no one has anything to do with that. I would train with a gay man. As long as he respected me, it’s all right. I don’t think much of it. The fact that guy is gay doesn’t mean he’s going to accost you. He can be gay, have a relationship, live among guys who aren’t gay. he can do whatever he wants with his private life.
Obviously I disagree with the premise that there's no prejudice, but it's nice to see a fighter publicly express even the basic idea that people should be free to live their lives as they see fit.
Silva was then asked about being teased for his vanity:
They tease me. Sometimes people think I’m gay. A lot of people have asked me if I’m gay. I answer, "Look, not to my knowledge. But I’m still young, it could be that in the future I’ll find out that I’m gay. I take good care of my things, I put everything in a bag, I use soap, I put on a cream after training. People think it’s capricious. To each his own. Doesn’t mean you’re more man or less man, more gay or less gay.
Silva returns to action at UFC 183 against Nick Diaz. | 1,265,310 |
We’d like your help plotting the characters in “Game of Thrones,” in two dimensions. First, assess their overall goodness. For example, is Daenerys Targaryen the savior of Westeros or a genocidal maniac? We’re asking you to decide, for Daenerys and for dozens of other characters.
Second, we want you to consider the characters’ external beauty, whether according to your own perception or how they’re viewed in the show. If this sounds superficial to you, that’s because it is. More on that later. For now, we vote! (Swipe up to skip a character.)
Thanks for playing! The chart above represents the aggregate ratings of other New York Times readers and 338 “Game of Thrones” fans surveyed by Morning Consult.
We owe special thanks to Toph Tucker and Anitra Sprauten, two “Thrones” fans who came up with this formulation last summer during some downtime in Brussels; Mr. Tucker posted a photograph of his scatter plot on Instagram around the time this season’s first episode aired.
Compiled with @bxlsprouts last summer A post shared by Toph Tucker (@tophtucker) on Jul 16, 2017 at 12:26pm PDT
“With regard to beauty, we attempted to place characters according to how they are conventionally perceived within the world of the books and show, not our own perceptions of the actors and actresses — although we were definitely personally biased in a couple of cases,” Mr. Tucker wrote in an email. (He believes they were too kind to the Hound, for example.)
As the show has progressed, Ms. Sprauten has already changed her mind about where some of the characters belong on their plot. “Every time I look at this, I disagree with it for a different reason,” she said.
In a way, how the characters are distributed in the plot speaks to how we (or the show’s creators) view the nature of goodness. If the characters lie along a diagonal line from the bottom left to the top right, it means that — whether in how they are depicted or just our perception — we may be conflating moral and physical goodness. If, on the other hand, there's no real trend, it suggests that readers can easily disentangle their perceptions of morality and physical attractiveness.
Readers and survey respondents varied widely in their assessments of the show’s characters. The charts below show the distribution for each character. We’ve highlighted the reader consensus for each, along with your picks for the characters you rated.
A note for fans: Small spoilers (through Season 7, Episode 4) are below.
Your Estimates, and Everyone Else’s | 1,265,311 |
emphasize that it's important for government to enforce laws against unethical behavior by businesses. "I did see bad actors in the business arena," Johnson said of his time as governor. "But for government crackdowns on what I'll call bad actors, you know what, they'd continue" to prey on consumers.
Advisors needed?
On some tech policy issues, Johnson admitted he hasn't worked out all the details. He said he might change his mind on issues like AT&T's acquisition of T-Mobile once he has time to dig into the details. He told us that "my verdict is out on copyright laws." And admitted he has nothing at all to say about spectrum policy.
So we asked the obvious question: who will help him flesh out his tech policy agenda? Presidential candidates commonly assemble a panel of policy experts to advise them on the many complex issues for which they would be responsible as president.
But Johnson is taking a different approach. When he ran for governor, "I never had appointments in mind ahead of time," he said. "It was really an application process." He believes he can learn what he needs to know about these issues during the application process for positions like FCC commissioner. "Within a couple of interviews," he says, "I become much more knowledgeable about what the issues are and how they can and can't be affected."
That strategy might have worked for a governor, but we're skeptical it will work well in the Oval Office. Presidents deal with a wider range of issues and make many more appointments than governors do. If Johnson beats President Obama in the 2012 election, he's going to be extremely busy in the 11 weeks leading up to his inauguration. He'll need to interview hundreds of candidates for dozens of open positions. He's unlikely to have the luxury of in-depth philosophical conversations with each candidate. So it's important that he does at least some of his homework in advance.
Naming a tech policy advisor wouldn't just help Johnson develop his own views, it would also give voters an idea of what they're voting for. If Johnson chose as an advisor a copyright maximalist or a strong supporter of spectrum auctions, that's a clue about the kinds of policies he would pursue in office.
Johnson's views make him an awkward fit for America's two-party system. On many issues, including free speech, government surveillance, and gay rights, he is well to the left of President Obama. On others, including network neutrality, antitrust regulation, taxes, and spending, he is solidly in the conservative camp. As a Republican, his current challenge is to convince primary voters that his liberal views on social issues have a place in the Republican party. So far, he hasn't broken through into the top tier of the Republican field. But his candidacy is a useful reminder that American politics don't always fit neatly on a left-right spectrum. | 1,265,312 |
Over 250 people were killed in a string of bombings in Sri Lanka on April 21. (File)
Indian intelligence agencies are conducting background checks on all Sri Lankan nationals and tourists who visited India in the last four months. Special focus is being paid to ones who visited Kashmir.
The exercise comes amid reports that the Sri Lankan army chief has claimed that terrorists who carried out attacks in Colombo visited India - Kerala, Kashmir and Bengaluru for training and also establishing links with terror groups operating in these areas.
"We are trying to verify the assertion being made by Sri Lankan agencies. As of now nothing has been shared with Indian government. But we are doing our background checks," a senior government functionary told NDTV on the condition of anonymity.
According to him, Kashmir is always on the radar for terror groups that want to expand their base and that is why special focus is being paid to the region while doing checks.
As per the Home Ministry, as many as 15,000 foreign tourists have visited Kashmir this year in the first four months. "Most of them are Malaysians followed by [those from] Thailand," said a senior official.
According to him, only 20 Sri Lankans visited the valley during this period. "We are doing background checks on them. But these are registered tourists," he added.
Sources indicate if these attackers would have visited Kashmir for training, they would have travelled with some local contact. "There would be no record in this case but we are still trying to get information," the official said.
Intelligence agencies are worried about the implications of Sri Lanka blasts in India as it hints at active ISIS ideology. "Even though ISIS has been disseminated in Syria and Iraq but there are still takers of its worldview. There are youngsters who are still being radicalised," he stated.
In 2010, as many as five young men from Kerala were identified for having links with the Pakistani terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba. Officers recall subsequently they were killed in North Kashmir.
According to the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW), as many as 130 Indians have traveled to Syria and have been identified for having links with ISIS. And about same number who have been brought back or have been booked in various cases. "As far India is concerned, all affiliated with ISIS are accounted for," said a senior level officer.
However, agencies are alert as they feel that even if a miniscule fraction of the population is being radicalised, the damages caused by them can be exhaustive. 'It's a wakeup call. We can't be complacent anymore. The threat has come knocking very close to our home it is very serious," a senior functionary in government said.
Sri Lanka has been on edge since the Easter attacks that killed 257 people and wounded nearly 500 others on April 21. | 1,265,313 |
CHICAGO, IL (Dec. 30, 2014) – The Chicago Fire Soccer Club announced Tuesday that the club has signed center back Adaílton from Brazilian Serie A side Bahia. The 31-year-old will be added to the Fire roster upon receipt of his P1 Visa and International Transfer Certificate. Per MLS and club policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.
“Adaílton is a strong, powerful defender,“ said Fire Head Coach and Director of Soccer Frank Yallop. “This is a position we were looking to fill, so I’m pleased that we will be adding a player with his experience to our team.”
Adaílton joins the Men in Red from Brazilian Série A’s Bahia, where he played since June 26, 2014.
"It is with great satisfaction that I will continue my career with the Chicago Fire and play in Major League Soccer," said Adaílton. "I have been watching MLS closely over the past several seasons and ever since 2004 while in France, I made it a goal of mine to play in the United States. I had other opportunities to join MLS clubs in the past but the timing was not right until this challenge with the Fire. I look forward to working with my new teammates and Coach Frank Yallop and his staff to take on the challenge of returning the Fire to the Playoffs and giving the Fire Supporters the trophies they deserve."
Hailing from Salvador, Adaílton began his professional career with his hometown side Vitória in 2003, and made 34 appearances and scored four goals before departing for French Ligue 1 side Rennes in 2004.
Following three seasons in France where he appeared in 42 league and six UEFA Cup matches for Les Rouges et Noirs, Adaílton returned to Brazil and joined Santos in 2007. From 2007-09, Adaílton appeared in 40 Brasileiro Série A and two Libertadores matches for Santos.
In 2010, Adaílton completed a transfer to FC Sion of the Swiss Super League and made 54 competitive appearances, including two in UEFA Europa League play against Celtic in 2011, and scored two goals before departing for a six-month loan to Chinese Super League side Henan Jianye F.C. in 2012, where he made 5 appearances for the Red Devils.
Adaílton returned to Sion and appeared in 41 Super League and two Swiss Cup matches from 2012-13 before he was loaned to fellow Swiss side FC Chiasso, where he played 25 matches prior to joining Bahia.
A youth international, Adaílton captained Brazil in the 2003 FIFA U-20 World Cup, scoring once in the group stages and leading Brazil to the 1-0 victory against Spain in the final match. | 1,265,314 |
THE world premiere of Tony Galati the Musical – based on the one and only Spudshed boss – will be just one of 700 shows featuring at Fringe World 2019 in Perth.
The program was released today with tickets now on sale for the shows from January 18 to February 17.
The third biggest Fringe in the world will take over 138 venues across Perth and festival director Amber Hasler said the 2019 edition promised to deliver a smorgasbord of the hilarious, heart-stopping, surprising and wonderful.
“Last year’s Fringe was our biggest yet – we had close to a million attendances and we were so overjoyed at how much people loved going on a Fringe binge,” Hasler said.
“This year’s program is heavy on a host of Fringe favourites that are returning after sell out seasons, plus new shows that will delight Fringe fans.
“Our artists are the heart of Fringe and we encourage everyone to explore the program, get tickets and support our amazing performers.”
Yagan Square will be Fringe’s newest hub, hosting shows including Le Aerial, comedy hypnotist Matt Hale’s Feelgood Factory, Matt Tarrant: More Unsolved, Gran in a Van, YUMMY Deluxe and Lucy Peach’s My Greatest Period Ever.
The Pleasure Garden returns to Russell Square in Northbridge with a range of performances from circus sensation Rouge and absurdist funny man Sam Simmons to Djuki Mala and the world premiere of Tony Galati the Musical, inspired by the life story of Perthonality and farmer of Spudshed fame.
Fringe Central continues at the Perth Cultural Centre and this year’s adults-only cabaret sensation Club Swizzle will deliver another season to make audiences blush.
Ace’s Cabaret at Downstairs at the Maj is set to entertain, as will the Summer Nights theatre and performance shows at The Blue Room, comedy at the State Theatre Centre and the bubbly Blanc de Blanc at The Pear Tree on William Street.
Fringe World 2019 will extend to the suburbs and beyond with hubs at Scarborough’s Sunset Veranda, Midland’s Pickled Swan, Subi-Licious in Subiaco, Inglewood’s Monday night markets, Leederville’s Leedy-Pallooza, Fremantle and Cockburn Gateway.
Audiences in the regions can also get their taste of Fringe with a bigger program of Funtavia in Geraldton and the Outer Fringe tour of regional WA returns, visiting Merriden, Northam, Ravensthorpe and Katanning with Fringe variety shows in February.
Full program and tickets at www.fringeworld.com.au. | 1,265,315 |
Organizers say it will be late 2019 or 2020 before medical marijuana will be available in Missouri
A firearms expert said Missourians who get a medical marijuana card will not be able to buy a gun."If you are able to get it, get a doctor's prescription, you will no longer be able to purchase firearms, not legally, not through a gun shop," firearms instructor Don Pind said.The federal form required with each gun purchase specifically says that using or possessing marijuana is illegal under federal law, regardless if it is OK for medicinal or recreational use in any state.Pind said he has seen it happen to Missourians who bought pot in Colorado, where it is legal."They came back to Missouri, went to purchase a gun. You have to have a photo ID. When we run your name through the computer, it automatically connects you with buying marijuana in Colorado," Pind said.That's because dispensaries also check identification for marijuana purchases.The organizers of the medical marijuana amendment in Missouri acknowledge that this will be an issue, as it is in the other 31 medical marijuana states."If you have to get a prescription, you have to go to a registered store to buy this. You're going to have to show ID to prove who you are. They're going to have to have records on it. Everybody's going to know it," Pind said.Organizers said it will be late 2019 or 2020 before medical marijuana will be available in Missouri.
A firearms expert said Missourians who get a medical marijuana card will not be able to buy a gun.
"If you are able to get it, get a doctor's prescription, you will no longer be able to purchase firearms, not legally, not through a gun shop," firearms instructor Don Pind said.
The federal form required with each gun purchase specifically says that using or possessing marijuana is illegal under federal law, regardless if it is OK for medicinal or recreational use in any state.
Pind said he has seen it happen to Missourians who bought pot in Colorado, where it is legal.
"They came back to Missouri, went to purchase a gun. You have to have a photo ID. When we run your name through the computer, it automatically connects you with buying marijuana in Colorado," Pind said.
That's because dispensaries also check identification for marijuana purchases.
The organizers of the medical marijuana amendment in Missouri acknowledge that this will be an issue, as it is in the other 31 medical marijuana states.
"If you have to get a prescription, you have to go to a registered store to buy this. You're going to have to show ID to prove who you are. They're going to have to have records on it. Everybody's going to know it," Pind said.
Organizers said it will be late 2019 or 2020 before medical marijuana will be available in Missouri. | 1,265,316 |
Many consumers have never heard of antitrust laws, but enforcement of these laws saves consumers millions and even billions of dollars a year. The Federal Government enforces three major Federal antitrust laws, and most states also have their own. Essentially, these laws prohibit business practices that unreasonably deprive consumers of the benefits of competition, resulting in higher prices for products and services.
The three major Federal antitrust laws are:
The Sherman Antitrust Act
The Clayton Act
The Federal Trade Commission Act.
The following information on these laws comes from the Antitrust Enforcement and the Consumer guide.
The Sherman Antitrust Act
This Act outlaws all contracts, combinations, and conspiracies that unreasonably restrain interstate and foreign trade. This includes agreements among competitors to fix prices, rig bids, and allocate customers, which are punishable as criminal felonies.
The Sherman Act also makes it a crime to monopolize any part of interstate commerce. An unlawful monopoly exists when one firm controls the market for a product or service, and it has obtained that market power, not because its product or service is superior to others, but by suppressing competition with anticompetitive conduct.
The Act, however, is not violated simply when one firm's vigorous competition and lower prices take sales from its less efficient competitors; in that case, competition is working properly.
The Clayton Act
This Act is a civil statute (carrying no criminal penalties) that prohibits mergers or acquisitions that are likely to lessen competition. Under this Act, the Government challenges those mergers that are likely to increase prices to consumers. All persons considering a merger or acquisition above a certain size must notify both the Antitrust Division and the Federal Trade Commission. The Act also prohibits other business practices that may harm competition under certain circumstances.
The Federal Trade Commission Act
This Act prohibits unfair methods of competition in interstate commerce, but carries no criminal penalties. It also created the Federal Trade Commission to police violations of the Act.
Related Offenses
The Antitrust Division also often uses other laws to fight illegal activities that arise from conduct accompanying antitrust violations or that otherwise impact the competitive process, as well as offenses that involve the integrity of an antitrust or related investigation, including laws that prohibit false statements to Federal agencies, perjury, obstruction of justice, conspiracies to defraud the United States and mail and wire fraud. Each of these crimes carries its own fine and imprisonment term, which may be added to the fines and imprisonment terms for antitrust law violations.
Read more about the activities of the Antitrust Division:
Antitrust Enforcement and the Consumer
Price Fixing, Bid Rigging and Market Allocation Schemes: What They Are and What to Look For
Antitrust Division Manual, Chapter 2: Statutory Provisions and Guidelines of the Antitrust Division. | 1,265,317 |
You might remember April 20th, 2018 for the Vancouver Whitecaps 6-0 drubbing at the hands of Sporting Kansas City, which saw both Yordy Reyna and Efrain Juarez sent off. However, what you might not remember from that match is that it was the first this season where Jake Nerwinski was not starting at right (wing)back.
Heading into the eighth match of the season, in Kansas City, the sophomore had started every match thus far. On the surface, it appeared to simply be a situation of rotating players. Jake Nerwinski was left back in Vancouver to rest up for the Caps next match against Salt Lake City.
April 27th came, and for the second straight match, Nerwinski was left out of the Starting XI. However, unlike the previous match, he was on the bench. May 5th and May 11th, veteran Sean Franklin starts with Nerwinski staying glued to the bench.
After starting the first seven matches of the 2017 season, Jake has sat out the past four. We have not been told that he has an injury, and he has been on the bench the past three games, suggesting it is not an injury. Therefore, it begs the question, what is happening?
When Sean Franklin arrived in the offseason, it was expected that he would push Nerwinski while providing some veteran tutelage. During the preseason, Carl Robinson spoke several times about Franklin and that he ‘understood’ his role. It seemed that everything was going well, and that Franklin would be a strong depth player that would get the occasional start. Now though, it seems things have changed.
Looking back at the games prior to Kansas City -2-1 loss to RSL and 2-0 loss to LAFC- there is nothing that really stands out as being evidence that Nerwinski should be benched; let alone for four matches. He does not have an assist yet this season, but to be fair, the Caps have not really been that effective offensively. Moreover, Nerwinski has continued to deliver dangerous crosses.
With the Caps playing two matches this week, I expect Nerwinski to feature in at least one of those matches. However, if he does not, it will certainly raise some questions. If he plays in both, or returns to the starting gig against New England (after this week’s two matches), maybe this will all be a minor blip. Until that occurs though, we are left with the question: Why is Nerwinski Not Starting?
Why do you think he is not starting? Is it because of something Franklin brings that he doesn’t? Has Robbo lost confidence in him? Does he have a nagging injury? Is it just coincidence that it has been four straight matches? Let us know your thoughts in the comments. | 1,265,318 |
;” And “Nationalism would be ruinous for the Russia. Yabloko cannot support nationalists even if they’re popular. We will not change out principles for popularity.” He then told “Navanly’s fans” to shut up about it.
Navalny’s efforts to cajole the nationalists have been less successful. His membership to the Russian March organizing committee notwithstanding, his slogan “Party of Crooks and Thieves” made few inroads among the Russian Imperial flag bearing and Seig Heil-ing crowd. Nationalist like Konstantin Krylov, Vladimir Tor, Dmitrii Demushkin, Alexander Belov see Navalny as an ally, but not their leader.
Plus, liberals and nationalists remain deeply divided within the protest camp. A few hundred nationalists joined the mass protest at Bolontaya, but many in the crowd shouted that they were provocateurs and organizers only allowed Krylov to address the crowd. Both groups are trying to take possession of the movement sparked by the December 4 elections. Protest organizer and human rights activist, Lev Ponomarev is arguing for the necessity to put the nationalists “in their place once and for all.” The nationalists are firing back that they will prevent the liberals from “privatizing” the movement.
Can Navalny unite these forces? He could, and what is more, he might not need the liberal or the nationalist leadership to do it. Both the middle class and Russians with nationalist sympathies share more common ground that their leaders are willing to admit. In fact, the average ROG and the average nationalist might be one in the same. In a response to whether the “anti-corruption pathos plus national idea” had any currency, the sociologist Ovsei Shkaratan said the following:
Yes, [the protesters at Bolotnaya] are nationalists. Of course, those who went to Manezh (the nationalist riot in December 2010) are not their crowd. But they would interact with them. Be as that may, it would not be cause for hysteria if this were to happen. It could come to this. They want to live in a serious stable country where serious and educated people are in power. I repeat: I’m not terribly convinced that they are democrats. But they don’t consider the far right existing in our country as either educated or competent, and to cooperate with them isn’t necessary.
But Alexei Navany is educated and competent. And he’s ready to slit throats.
Sean Guillory is a postdoctoral fellow at the Centre for Russian and East European Studies at the University of Pittsburgh. He blogs about Russia at Sean’s Russia Blog and can be followed on Twitter @seansrussiablog. | 1,265,319 |
Eat beef to have a male child, Malayalam newspaper's six tips for couples wanting son
Mangalam newspaper promotes son preference in a country where female feticide is rampant.
news Gender discrimination
Mangalam, a Malayalam newspaper, published an article on 11 December titled "Do you want a boy child? Some tips".
While all over the world, it's not unusual for expecting parents to have a gender preference, in India and other Asian countries that have a skewed gender ratio, the "preference" actually hides centuries of prejudice and violence towards the girl child.
Kerala has the highest sex ratio (1084) according to the 2011 Census of India. When it comes to child sex ratio (0-6 years), however, the state has shown a decline. Though the figure of 964 is better than the national average which stands at 927, the data shows that the country-wide obsession with sons has breached Kerala too, despite the state's performance in other social indices.
The six tips given by Mangalam to obtain the prized male child are laughable but unfortunately, this is no laughing matter. The article begins with this introduction:
"There's nobody who does not desire a child. Generally they say that one cannot decide the gender of the child in advance. However, people who want a boy child should know these things. There are a few simple techniques to have a boy child. Though it does not guarantee 100% success, it is proven by science."
Ranging from eating beef and having sex only on odd days of the week to asking women to lie down to their left with their faces pointing North, the list of tips may find place in a badly written fantasy novel but not in any scientific journal.
Snapshot of the article
If Mangalam's defence is that these are only "tips" and have nothing to do with son preference and its consequent ugliness, why didn't it also include tips for people who want to have girls? Has their "science" not discovered that yet? Last year, Baba Ramdev's Divya pharmacy was in the news for the "Putrajeevak" medicine - though Ramdev's defence was that the medicine only cures female infertility and will not guarantee a son, the name reveals the aspirations of the consumers it wants to target.
There are many superstitions, across cultures, about gender predictions and influencing the biological sex of the child but as far as science is concerned, the sex of the child cannot be chosen when the conception happens without using artificial means.
In India, the PCPNDT Act of 1994 was brought in to prevent the misuse of ultrasound machines and curb female feticide. But though laws exist, it's clear from such instances that the country has a long way to go as far as changing mindsets goes. | 1,265,320 |
2022.
THE HISTORY BEHIND THE MODERN SPACE RACE
Despite a 1967 agreement by the US and Russia expressly banning the use of antiballistic-missile weapons in space, the Outer Space Treaty has been largely ignored since 2002, when President George W. Bush withdrew to deploy interceptor missiles that would protect the United States from “rogue” attacks by enemy countries like North Korea.
In 2007, China angered the space community after sending a missile to blow up one of its defunct satellites, leaving a debris field of over 3000 pieces to float in space like garbage.
In 2013, they struck again, launching a rocket that reached 6,250 miles into orbit.
“The Chinese have continued to test [anti-satellite weapons] since the year 2007,” US Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James said.
“There have been additional tests that didn’t destroy a satellite since that time. The testing has continued so that is an ongoing concern, something that we are watching.”
WHAT IS THE US DOING ABOUT IT?
In May this year, the US Air Force announced a $5 billion program in the upcoming defence budget, aimed to fund offensive and defensive systems to protect themselves in space.
This month, the Pentagon announced it was “developing war plans and an operations centre to fend off Chinese and Russian attacks on US military and government satellites” in the next six months.
“The ugly reality that we must now all face is that if an adversary were able to take space away from us, our ability to project decisive power across transoceanic distances and overmatch adversaries in theatres once we get there … would be critically weakened,” Deputy Defense Secretary Robert Work told the GEOINT symposium in June.
“If Russian soldiers are snapping pictures of themselves in war zones and posting them in social media sites, we want to know exactly where those pictures were taken.”
Space, according to Mr Work, must now “be considered a contested operational domain in ways that we haven’t had to think about in the past.
CAN THE UN INTERVENE?
Unfortunately attempts to deal with the issue through diplomacy have done little to ease tensions.
In late July, a European Union-drafted code of conduct for space nations failed to see the light, thanks to opposition from Russia, China and several smaller space territories like Brazil, India and South Africa. It is set to put back the debate within the UN General Assembly by years, if ever.
“The bottom line is the United States does not want conflict in outer space,” Assistant Secretary Frank Rose told Scientific American.
“But let me make it very clear: we will defend our space assets if attacked.” | 1,265,321 |
Step 2 is bigger. Now users have “money” saved on their accounts. Facebook already has marketplaces where users can buy/sell products. With tokens, now users can easily buy products right inside of Facebook. With products just a tap away, Facebook could steal market share from Amazon and become the most convenient place to shop online.
This is a challenge though. Since Steem is an open-source community, Facebook can’t just acquire it in the traditional sense. They could, however, “adopt” the community — ensuring a large amount of resources being put into the community are Facebook controlled.
These moves would put Facebook on the frontline of blockchain, improve their user-generated content, and give them influence over other content driven websites.
3. Increasing trust and transparency with MetaX
Facebook has had a really tough time with trust in 2017. Zuckerberg even said it was his focus for 2018.
Facebook is seeking to repair trust by:
Increasing requirements for authenticity, and Making advertising more transparent
The cool thing is that blockchain is often celebrated for fixing these exact same kinds of problems.
A company which might be able to help out with this is MetaX (ADT).
MetaX is a company using blockchain to increase transparency and expose fraud in the advertising industry. They are based out of LA and have partnerships with Consensys and DMA (Data & Marketing Association). Their product works by whitelisting domains, but this process could be used in reverse for Facebook’s application.
By using blockchain to crowdsource which advertisers are good and which are bad, it could make it harder for the bad guys to slip through. Like a game of whack-a-mole — except there are 100 people with sticks waiting and ready.
Also, MetaX can solve problems surrounding impression tracking.
This means less fake news, less scams, fewer bots, AND you have a better idea of what information Facebook is sending to advertisers. Seems like a win, win, win.
Conclusion
Blockchain is an exciting technology with the potential to solve problems that were previously very difficult. It is likely that Facebook will use it in some capacity, but difficult to predict exactly how.
They could use blockchain to improve areas like trust and content generation for their existing platform, or they could use it to expand into new markets and solidify their iron grip on everyone’s lives.
If you know any blockchain companies that could have an interesting synergy with Facebook — leave a message in the comment section below!
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03 2013 14:26 Eusebiu23 wrote:
do any of them stream? the way to make fans is to start streaming, id be interested to see how they play..
Actually we are working on getting them to stream. We're applying for twitch partnership's this weekend and we will see how that goes. Right now also we are moving into a rather beautiful Teamhouse next week, so that should provide a better environment for streaming. Actually we are working on getting them to stream. We're applying for twitch partnership's this weekend and we will see how that goes. Right now also we are moving into a rather beautiful Teamhouse next week, so that should provide a better environment for streaming.
EternaLEnVy Profile Joined February 2009 Canada 203 Posts #15 On July 03 2013 12:57 rabidch wrote:
Show nested quote +
On July 03 2013 12:51 amazingxkcd wrote:
My favorite character in Touhou is Reisen, so I decided on that name
EE would have a field day with this guy EE would have a field day with this guy
afaik EE doesnt do touhou that much, could be wrong though afaik EE doesnt do touhou that much, could be wrong though
I'm a huge fan of Touhou music but I don't play the games nor do I know much about the characters ;D. I'm a huge fan of Touhou music but I don't play the games nor do I know much about the characters ;D. Progamer Hell in my head
SilverStar Profile Joined January 2012 Sweden 9681 Posts #16 Nice interview, next time take some pictures too
crayhasissues Profile Joined July 2010 United States 139 Posts #17 I look forward to seeing these guys in action! Good interview :D twitch.tv/crayhasissues ||| @crayhasissues on twitter ||| Dota 2 Streamer that loves to help new players!
evilfatsh1t Profile Joined October 2010 Australia 1374 Posts #18 dear god i hope february wasnt being serious about him beating everyone. He doesnt even come in top 2 in korea...
Windexlol Profile Joined May 2013 United States 83 Posts #19
http://dotabuff.com/players/102525542
This account has no games since four months ago. I can't find any of his other accounts! I'm trying to stalk this reisen guy but all i found so far wasThis account has no games since four months ago. I can't find any of his other accounts! www.twitch.tv/windexlol
Stancel Profile Joined June 2011 Singapore 8898 Posts #20 or he didn't enable 3rd party tracking maxed in runescape 3
1 2 Next All | 1,265,323 |
user claims to have. We all have the right to use this earth, challenge ourselves, and have fun so long as we respect this land and the other people using it. The moment we stop respecting, is the only moment we lose our right to be there, no matter what user group we are. Any one can litter, any one can do damage to a place. Even hikers can do damage. I mean, existentially speaking, what damage could a motorcycle do to the side of a mountain worse than the meter wide, and in some places meter deep scar I’ve already left in the side of it when I decided to dig a “trail”? To the earth, my work might be interpreted as an act of vandalism in itself!
I also thought about how different that situation could have been. I could have gotten angry and told him that he was going to wreck my trail, (as if I own it or something,) told him he shouldn’t be there and should leave. I wonder what would have been the result of that? What respect would he have for mountain bikers, and all the work they do out here if I had done that? Less, for sure, and if he is to encounter enough mountain bikers like that, he is sure to lose any respect he had, may even grow to hate us and take pleasure in ruining our trails. What’s worse than a motor biker on your trails? A motor biker that thinks mountain bikers are all a bunch of ass holes! I know that in that moment, I worked to help create less conflict between motor bikers and mountain bikers. I know that he will try to be even more mindful of the trail he is riding and the other users on it.
Most people’s first reaction is to create controversy by telling them that they’re not allowed to be there. The result is a loss of respect and ultimately more controversy. These are how wars are started, and in war there are no winners, only dead soldiers. I can only hope that the others he is bound to encounter on the trail in his pursuit of freedom via motorized machine will not be the type that cause him to lose respect for us. I hope that he will go forth as an example to others of his kind, and so grow a community of trail conscious motor bikers, as opposed to renegade ones. We can’t keep them all off the mountain bike trails, anymore than you can keep all the mountain bikers off the hiking trails, (come on, don’t play innocent, I know you have!) but we can form a friendly relationship with them, open up a peaceful and mutually respectful dialogue with them. Who even knows, but that we might be able to join with them for a common cause, because after all, we are probably more alike than we are different. | 1,265,324 |
india
Updated: Jun 09, 2020 04:22 IST
Air India has capped fares of all its flights from Delhi to Srinagar and vice versa till August 15, a spokesperson for the airline said on Sunday.
The revision in fares comes in view of the advisory issued on Friday directing tourists and Amarnath yatris to leave the Valley immediately citing security concerns.
Speaking to ANI, Dhananjay Kumar said Air India flights from Srinagar to New Delhi will cost Rs. 6,715, while flights from New Delhi to Srinagar will cost Rs. 6,899.
Watch: Tight security in J&K after terror threat intel, Amarnath Yatra curtailed
The Ministry of Civil Aviation has advised airlines to rein in surging airfares for pilgrims returning from Amarnath Yatra.
Airfares for flights from Srinagar over the weekend shot up to abnormally high levels following the security advisory for tourists and pilgrims.
For a one-way direct flight from Srinagar to Delhi, even low-cost airlines such as IndiGo, SpiceJet, GoAir and AirAsia charged between Rs 10,000 to Rs 22,000, according to travel portals, as against around Rs 3,000.
Similarly, from Srinagar to Jammu, flight rates on Saturday were Rs 16,000. Other places like Amritsar, Chandigarh, and Jaipur also witnessed a jump in airfares ranging between Rs 10,000 to Rs 19,000.
Also read: Specific terror threats led to decision on calling off Amarnath Yatra
Web portals of several airlines with flights from Srinagar on Saturday and Sunday showed that virtually all seats were sold out.
The advisory to Amarnath yatris was issued after it was announced in a joint press conference of the Army and police forces in Srinagar that weapons and ammunition were recovered in the Amarnath Yatra route.
They also said terrorists from Pakistan were planning to launch an attack on Amarnath Yatra pilgrims, based on credible inputs.
In view of the additional rush of passengers, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had on Friday asked Indian airlines to be prepared to operate extra flights to and from Srinagar to fly out Amarnath Yatris and tourists from the Valley.
Also read: Indian army offers to return bodies of Pakistanis killed in JK’s Keran area
Soon after DGCA’s directions, airlines made announcements to give a full fee waiver on rescheduling/cancellation for all its flights to/from Srinagar.
(This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.) | 1,265,325 |
Some mysterious mischief has been happening in the basement of the Ryerson Communications Centre (RCC).
Even with a lock on a locker, students’ items don’t seem to be safe anymore.
After a few complaints to the journalism office and Ryerson security, it has been suggested that there’s a Ryerson locker bandit on the loose, wandering the isles of the RCC basement, cutting off locks, and breaking into lockers.
Journalism student Samantha Cumerlato is one of three victims of the alleged locker thief.
“I noticed my stuff missing on Jan. 22. I went down to the basement to grab something from my locker and realized someone else’s lock was on it. I went up to the journalism office to see what was going on, turns out the girl who had put her lock on my locker had found it totally empty a week or so before, which means my stuff went missing some time during winter break,” she said.
Cumerlato said the journalism office was extremely helpful, but there was not much security could do.
“The guard came down to the RCC basement with me. He said most of the locks down there were useless and could be broken quite easily. He also told me I shouldn’t leave anything valuable in the lockers at school because there [are] no guarantees,” she said.
The RCC’s customer service and communication officer, Daniela Olariu, received all three complaints after the winter break.
“We haven’t really had this happen before and it’s scary because you’re taking a locker out, you’re putting a lock on it and you think that no one’s going to get in there, but after this happened, now we can’t guarantee anyone’s stuff is safe anymore,” she said.
Another victim of the locker mischief is journalism student Victoria Shariati who was sharing a locker with a group of students. She said nothing was stolen but the locker was left in a mess.
“We did have a lock on it. When I saw it, there was no lock and our things looked like they had been rummaged through. It was kind of a mess in there. If there’s not already cameras down there, there should be,” said Shariati.
Campus security spokesperson Tanya Poppleton told the Ryersonian she will be reviewing all information and sharing information with the Toronto Police Service, if needed. To prevent any more locker break-ins, “we increase patrols, and we would utilize security system measures to assist in monitoring the area. There are cameras and they are visible to the community,” said Poppleton. | 1,265,326 |
North Korea launched its first ICBM yesterday, putting the world on the brink of nuclear war. But in the rush to get news printed, some journalists were a bit sloppy. The New York Times mistook a tweet from the North Korea parody account DPRK_News as real. And this isn’t the first time news outlets have been suckered by “news” from this Twitter account.
The New York Times story was first published on Tuesday and updated to include this:
On Wednesday morning, [Kim Jong-un] taunted the United States, saying the launch was a Fourth of July “gift” to the Trump administration. “We should send them gifts once in a while to help break their boredom,” he said, according to the North Korean state-run news agency. On Twitter early Wednesday, the North Korean government belittled the joint exercise as “demonstrating near total ignorance of ballistic science.”
The reporters apparently saw this tweet from the parody account, which shows a GIF of US and South Korean missile tests at an undisclosed location in South Korea, not unlike the ones that happened earlier today.
The New York Times had to issue a correction:
Correction: July 4, 2017 Because of an editing error, an earlier version of this article attributed incorrectly a Twitter statement to the North Korean government. The North Korean government did not belittle a joint American-South Korean military exercise as “demonstrating near total ignorance of ballistic science,” that statement was from the DPRK News Service, a parody Twitter account.
The account has been run for years by two anonymous authors associated with attorney Ken White, known online as Popehat. Gizmodo even reported on it being fake in January of 2015 in a post that got this blogger blocked from following the account.
But this is far from the first time that some respectable news outlets have been taken in. Newsweek, the Washington Post, Reuters, HuffPost, the Verge, and Buzzfeed have all been tricked by the account.
It was an embarrassing mistake for a major news outlet like the New York Times, but understandable since the account isn’t that funny. (Calling it not funny is precisely what got me blocked, by the way.) As I’ve pointed out before, Kim Jong-un’s absurd and over-the-top pronouncements are just that, absurd and over-the-top. So when a Twitter account is maybe just 5 percent more absurd it’s not exactly a great parody.
But the account has been around long enough that there’s really no excuse anymore. If you’re going to use Twitter as a source, you should know what the dependable sources of news are. Whether you think it’s funny or not, DPRK_News is totally fake. | 1,265,327 |
KUWAIT: The National Assembly’s financial and economic affairs committee yesterday defied advice from the Central Bank, the government, experts and the Assembly’s legal panel and approved a draft law to impose taxes on remittances by foreigners living in Kuwait. Members of the committee voted four to one in favor of the draft law, which will become legislation only if the National Assembly passes it and the government accepts it.
Rapporteur of the committee MP Saleh Ashour said the six-article bill stipulates that expatriates must pay a percentage on all their money transfers abroad, but the proposed legislation takes into consideration low-income workers. He said that the draft law states that transfers of up to KD 99 will be taxed 1 percent, those between KD 100-299 will be charged 2 percent tax, amounts between KD 300-499 will incur a 3-percent tax, while amounts of KD 500 and above will be taxed 5 percent. This means that a person who sends home KD 1,000 will be asked to pay KD 50 in tax above the commission charged by moneychangers and banks.
Ashour said the bill proposes that the taxes will be collected by the Central Bank and paid to the finance ministry. He said the bill stipulates that all money transfers must be made through official moneychangers and banks and not through illegal channels. The law stipulates a jail term of up to five years and a fine of at least double the money transferred for those who violate the law and make the transfers through the black market. Some expatriates send their remittances through illegal channels because of speed and cheaper rates they are offered.
Ashour said the main objective of the law is to encourage expatriates to keep their money in the country and invest it here. Head of the committee MP Salah Khorshid said the proposed bill was selected from four draft laws submitted by various groups of lawmakers. He insisted that the committee was told by the Assembly’s constitutional experts that the action does not involve any constitutional suspicion and is entirely in line with the Kuwaiti constitution and laws.
Khorshid, a former commerce minister and businessman, said the government expressed reservations on the draft law because it wanted the tax to be levied on Kuwaiti citizens as well. He said that the committee rejected the government proposal and decided to impose the tax on expatriates only. The lawmaker said that in the past five years, expatriates remitted some KD 19 billion, which is a huge amount and the aim of the bill is to boost the government’s non-oil revenues.
If the law goes through, it will be the first time Kuwait imposes a tax on foreign remittances and this could trigger a black market for money transfers and foreigners to start leaving the country. The law exempts transfers by foreigners related to investment protection.
By B Izzak | 1,265,328 |
Mayawati is believed to have conveyed her desire to be Prime Minister to a south leader
Prominent leaders from the south have been busy talking to various opposition parties to prepare for a scenario - unlikely according to exit polls -- that the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) falls short of a majority. Uttar Pradesh politician Mayawati is believed to have conveyed her desire to be Prime Minister to one of the southern leaders who met her recently.
Sources say Mayawati has clearly told the politician that her party's support would go to "whoever supports me for Prime Minister".
For the opposition, that telegraphs the possibility that Mayawati, one of the opposition's leading players, could swing both ways, depending on who is willing to give her the top job.
Mayawati's reported condition reflects the challenges that non-BJP parties will face in attempts to consolidate and stitch up a majority if that occasion arises.
Mayawati, who tied up with old rival Samajwadi Party against the BJP in this election, has not been subtle about her ambitions.
Earlier this month, she told her workers that she "may have to" contest the Lok Sabha election from Uttar Pradesh's Ambedkar Nagar "if all goes well". That was read as a signal that she wants the top job.
"If all goes well, I may have to seek election from here because the road to national politics passes through Ambedkar Nagar," she said, addressing a public rally against a giant cutout of herself in front of the parliament building, captioned "Prime Minister".
In March, the BSP chief had given a similar hint while explaining to her party workers that they should not lose heart at her decision not to contest the Lok Sabha polls.
She said if required, she would contest later from any seat held by her party. "When I became UP Chief Minister the first time in 1995 I was not a member of either the UP Assembly or Council. Similarly there is a provision at the Centre where a person have to be a parliament member within 6 months of holding office of minister/PM. Don't be disheartened from my decision not to contest LS poll now (sic)," she tweeted at the time.
Mayawati's bitter rival turned ally, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, has indicated more than once that he would back "behenji (as Mayawati is popularly known)" for Prime Minister.
Last week, the Bahujan Samaj Party chief said the Congress's NYAY election promise was not a permanent solution for poverty and said: "If we get an opportunity to form government at the centre then instead of providing Rs. 6,000 per month to extremely poor families, we'll give them permanent jobs in government and non-government sectors." | 1,265,329 |
After MSNBC counterterrorism analyst Malcolm Nance confronted Breitbart editor Alex Marlow on Friday's Real Time show, demanding that he retract an article from last April which accurately highlighted Nance "nominating" a Donald Trump property for a terrorist attack, actor Mark Hamill was so impressed with the liberal MSNBC analyst that the Star Wars icon praised him on Twitter and dubbed him a "Jedi master."
After MSNBC's Joy Reid highlighted Hamill's tweet on her AM Joy show on Sunday, Hamill also threw some Twitter praise toward the far-left MSNBC host.
At 11:46 a.m. ET on Sunday's AM Joy, host Reid excitedly brought up the exchange from Friday's "Overtime" segment of Real Time with Bill Maher on HBO. Nance was seen complaining that he received death threats after a Breitbart article about him:
MALCOLM NANCE, MSNBC COUNTERTERRORISM ANALYST, CLIP #1: There was this article about a 35-year counterterrorism expert who claimed that they wanted Trump Tower attacked that was written in Breitbart. I got 31 death threats from that, and that came from your website. So are you going to secure that right now? Are you going to apologize to me? NANCE CLIP #2: Your followers threatened my family, my children, my wife.
After an edit, the exchange between Marlow and Nance continued:
ALEX MARLOW, BREITBART NEWS EDITOR: Are you really suggesting that Breitbart doesn't get death threats, that our lives aren't put in danger -- NANCE: Well, no, no, no, no, no, you can apologize to me now, all right? I'm not threatening you. MARLOW: Show me the story, and if the story is as you describe, I'll be happy to offer an apology to you -- NANCE: I will come to your office to see that retraction.
The MSNBC analyst did not quote or clarify the tweet in question which Nance deleted soon after its publication.
Nance's tweet from April had read: "This is my nominee for first ISIS suicide bombing of a Trump property."
After the HBO clips had concluded, MSNBC host Reid then excitedly added:
Boom! For that clip, Malcolm got a shout out from the one and only Mark Hamill: "Thank you for your service, Malcolm Nance. Watching you calmly kicking Breitbart butt was hysterically satisfying! Hashtag 'Don't mess with Jedi Master Nance.'"
She continued:
Luke Skywalker called Malcolm a Jedi master, to which Malcolm replied: "The force is strong when the last Jedi backs a brother up!"
After being mentioned on her show, Hamill tweeted: "You swing a pretty mean lightsaber yourself, @amjoyshow. Thanks for fighting the good fight!" | 1,265,330 |
US Under-23 Men's National Team head coach Andi Herzog has named 19 players to the roster for the 2015 Toulon Tournament, including five from MLS; NYRB II's Dan Metzger; and Sounders Academy product Jordan Morris. The tournament runs from May 27-June 7 in the south of France.
World Cup veteran Julian Green was also named to the roster following a disappointing year on loan with Hamburg in the Bundesliga.
Herzog will make one as-yet unnamed addition to complete the 20-player roster, which will officially be submitted on Tuesday evening.
"Toulon is one of the most prestigious tournaments in the world at this age level, and we're fortunate to have the opportunity to compete against some of the top teams in the world," said Herzog. "Having seen matches here many times before, I know the type of talent we will face. This is huge for us as we get ready for qualification this October, and is another step in the development of our players in international competition."
The tournament was first held in 1967 and became an annual affair in 1974, often contested with U-20 rosters.
The best the US have ever placed was third, back in 1989. The most recent US trip to Toulon was in 2013, when they went 1-0-3 in the group stage with losses to France, Colombia and South Korea and a win over DR Congo.
GOALKEEPERS (3): Cody Cropper (Southampton; Maple Grove, Minn.), Charlie Horton (Cardiff City; Cleveland, Ohio), Tyler Miller (Zweibrücken; Woodbury, NJ)
DEFENDERS (7): Juan Pablo Ocegueda (Alebrijes de Oaxaca; Riverside, Calif.), Boyd Okwuonu (Real Salt Lake; Edmond, Okla.), Shane O'Neill (Colorado Rapids; Boulder, Colo.), Will Packwood (Unattached; Concord, Mass.), Jalen Robinson (D.C. United; Catonsville, Md.), Dillon Serna (Colorado Rapids; Brighton, Colo.), Sam Strong (UCSB; Santa Barbara, Calif.)
MIDFIELDERS (4): Fatai Alashe (San Jose Earthquakes; Northville, Mich.), Benji Joya (Santos Laguna; San Jose, Calif.), Dan Metzger (New York Red Bulls II; Holmdel, NJ), Marc Pelosi (Liverpool; Sunnyvale, Calif.)
FORWARDS (5): Julian Green (Bayern Munich; Tampa, Fla.); Alonso Hernandez (Monterrey; El Paso, Tex.), Jerome Kiesewetter (Stuttgart; Berlin, Germany), Alfred Koroma Shams (Austin Aztex; Southlake, Tex.), Jordan Morris (Stanford; Mercer Island, Wash.) | 1,265,331 |
news stories from around the globe, NewsReader provides a solution to the data volume problem, by partly mimicking how humans read text and integrate new information with what is known of the past. Like human readers, NewsReader will reconstruct a coherent story in which new events are related to past events.
In contrast to human readers however, NewsReader will not forget any detail, keeping track of all existing facts and will even know how stories differ from source to source.
Likewise, NewsReader will be able to present the essential knowledge and information both as structured lists of data and facts but also as abstract schemas of event sequences that represent stories going back in time, as humans do. This allows us to detect trends, events with impact and social networks of people over time and regions. We can query long-term developments spanning decades for individuals or types of individuals to discover events that remained unnoticed.
Use case: The polarizing vaccination debate
The importance of proper access to unstructured data becomes clearly visible when we look at the fierce vaccination debate that is happening in our society at the moment. Not having access to information or worse, having access to false information, could literally mean the difference between life and death. Despite significant potential to enable dissemination of factual information, social media are frequently abused to spread harmful health content. This potentially reduces vaccine uptake rates and increases the risks of global pandemics, especially among the most vulnerable.
Recent outbreaks of measles, mumps, and pertussis and increased mortality from vaccine-preventable diseases such as influenza and viral pneumonia show how important it is to combat online misinformation about vaccines. In 2015 for example, Québec was hit with an outbreak of measles even though a free vaccine which can prevent this childhood infection is freely available. Unfortunately, due to doubts that currently hang over vaccination, new episodes have emerged. Findings revealed that 83% of parents who hesitate to vaccinate their children are concerned with the potential side effects of the vaccines and 77% doubt their efficiency: two misconceptions that tend to spread through social media.
Studies have shown that access to a wide amount of content through the Internet without intermediaries resolved into major segregation of the users in polarized groups. Users select information adhering to theirs system of beliefs and tend to ignore dissenting information. In other words, we fit logic to our perspective instead of our perspective to logic.
Since we only tend to see what we want to see, we cannot rely on the subjective nature of our own skewed perspective to determine right from wrong. Fortunately, using NewsReader, we are able to objectively map the unstructured data available from both sides. First, we start by scraping a plethora of websites in regard to vaccinations and run the content through our NLP pipeline. By connecting the information of the processed data and turning it into event-centric knowledge graphs we are able to generate a so-called perspective web. | 1,265,332 |
Jeb Bush’s campaign and allies have spent nearly a whopping $33 million in TV and radio advertisements so far this election cycle – almost more than the rest of the current Republican field combined, according to ad-buying data from SMG Delta.
The biggest overall advertiser in the 2016 race is Right to Rise, the Super PAC backing Jeb Bush, which has spent $31.7 million in the contest, while the Bush campaign has chipped in an additional $800,000.
By comparison, all other current Republican campaigns and the outside groups supporting them have spent a combined $36 million-plus in TV and radio ads.
The numbers:
Team Marco Rubio: $13.1 million
Team John Kasich: $8.4 million
Team Chris Christie: $7.0 million
Team Lindsey Graham: $2.7 million
Team Ben Carson: $2.4 million
Team Carly Fiorina: $1 million
Team Rand Paul: $900,000
Team Ted Cruz: $850,000
Team Donald Trump: $216,000
Hillary Clinton and her allies are the biggest advertisers in the Democratic race, having spent nearly $11 million in TV ads -- $10.6 million from the campaign and additional $200,000 from a pro-Clinton Super PAC.
And Bernie Sanders has spent $6.2 million in ads, all from his campaign.
Total ad spending to date
Team Bush: $32.5 million ($31.7 million from Right to Rise Super PAC, $800K from campaign)
Team Rubio: $13.1 million ($8.6 million from Conservative Solutions Project, $3 million from campaign, $1.4 million from Conservative Solutions Project)
Team Clinton: $10.8 million ($10.6 million from campaign, $200K from Priorities USA)
Team Kasich: $8.4 million (all from two outside groups)
Team Christie: $7 million ($6.6 million from Super PAC, $400K from campaign)
Team Sanders: $6.2 million (all from campaign)
Team Graham: $2.7 million ($2.6 million from Security Is Strength Super PAC, $172K from campaign)
Team Carson: $2.4 million ($2.3 million from campaign, $111K from Super PAC)
Team Fiorina: $1 million (all from CARLY for America Super PAC)
Team Paul: $900,000 ($780K from America’s Liberty PAC, $125K from campaign)
Team Cruz: $850,000 ($640K from campaign, rest from Super PACs)
Team Trump: $216,000 (all from campaign)
SOURCE: NBC/SMG Delta | 1,265,333 |
The military released the names of the two Green Berets who were killed Wednesday during combat supporting Operation Freedom's Sentinel in Afghanistan.
Master Sgt. Luis F. Deleon-Figueroa, 31, and Master Sgt. Jose J. Gonzalez, 35, died as a result of small arms fire in northern Faryab Province, the U.S. Army’s Special Operations Command told Fox News.
Both were members of 7th Special Forces Group, based at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida.
LINDSEY GRAHAM TO OFFER BACKSTOP PLAN FOR AFGHANISTAN, AMID TROOP WITHDRAWAL CONCERNS
Deleon-Figueroa was from Chicopee, Mass., and served in the Army for more than 13 years. He became a Green Beret in 2014 and was deployed twice to Afghanistan and twice to South America.
Gonzalez, a native of La Puente, Calif., joined 7th Group in 2014. He was posthumously promoted to Master Sergeant. His family requested that no photo or additional information be released.
"It was an honor having them serve within the ranks of 7th SFG (A). They were a part of our Family, and will not be forgotten," said Col. John W. Sannes, 7th SFG (A) commander in a statement to Fox News.
"Our Priority is to now provide the best possible care to the Families of our fallen warriors" added Sannes. "We ask that you keep their Families and teammates in your thoughts and prayers."
The deaths came as U.S. envoy Zalmay Khalilzad resumed negotiations with the Taliban aimed at ending America’s longest war. There have been eight previous rounds of negotiations over the past year, and key issues include the withdrawal of American troops, a cease-fire, intra-Afghan talks, and Taliban guarantees that Afghanistan will not once again become a launch pad for global terror attacks.
There are still about 14,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan, and persistent attacks by both the Taliban and the Islamic State group affiliate continue to plague the country. The U.S. and NATO ended combat operations in Afghanistan in 2014, but troops remain to train and advise Afghan forces and to conduct counterterror operations against insurgents.
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The two deaths bring the number of American military fatalities in Afghanistan this year to 14, exceeding the 2018 total.
More than 2,400 U.S. service personnel have died in Afghanistan since the U.S.-led invasion in 2001 to topple the Taliban, whose government had harbored Al Qaeda leader Usama bin Laden.
Fox News' Jennifer Griffin, Lucas Tomlinson and The Associated Press contributed to this report. | 1,265,334 |
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., told Fox News Tuesday he cannot wait to debate health care during the 2020 elections, particularly what he called the "Medicare for None" proposal put forth by many Democratic candidates.
"We’re really happy to have that argument -- that debate with the American people in 2020. I can’t wait to engage on the 'Medicare for None' proposal," McConnell said in an exclusive interview on "The Story with Martha MacCallum."
MCCONNELL: TIME TO PUT THE MUELLER INVESTIGATION TO REST
"It’s not just Bernie Sanders, McConnell added. "There are four other credible colleagues of mine running for president saying they’re signed up for the 'Medicare for None' and they’ve also signed up for the Green New Deal. So we’re happy to have that debate.
Sen. Sanders, I-Vt., has a proposed a single-payer health care system with a single government-run plan.
The much-debated Green New Deal contains several controversial policy proposals meant to blunt the impact of climate change and is sponsored by Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y.
McConnell also questioned why Democrats were pushing a new health care overhaul less than a decade after the Obama administration enacted the Affordable Care Act.
"I don’t know why the Democrats are unhappy with Obamacare. They worked on it for a long time and we were unable to replace it," McConnell said. "It’s there and they’re not even satisfied with the principal accomplishment, they said, of the Obama years?"
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MacCallum pressed McConnell on why Republicans didn't have a health care plan to replace ObamaCare, but the Republican leader deflected his response toward the Democrats.
"If they are willing to admit that there are problems with Obamacare related to the cost, the deductibles, the copayments, we’ll be glad to work with them on that," said McConnell, who added that Republicans would have problems implementing any health care plan the Senate passes due to the Democratic-controlled House.
SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN DISMISSES MCCONNELL
McConnell said Republican candidates in 2020 will not just run on the economy, which he said was "about as good as it’s been in 50 years," but against America becoming "a socialist country."
"We need to stop America from becoming something it's never been," he said. "Things like the Green New Deal and 'Medicare for None' will fundamentally change America into something it’s never been before." | 1,265,335 |
. For example, one of the more meticulous surveys of the matter found that 83 percent of voters favored neutrality, including 75 percent of Republicans, 89 percent of Democrats and 86 percent of independents. So, this is an issue that appeals to nearly all Democrats and independents. It also matters to younger voters, who might not drag themselves to the polls to express their views on NAFTA or rescission, but who generally care an awful lot about technology issues (well, that and legal pot). Any Democratic leader who does not try to ride this for all it's worth is guilty of political malpractice, and should be immediately stripped of his or her donkey pin. (Z)
One of the main reasons that Jimmy Carter won the Nobel Peace prize was his efforts to ensure democracy around the world by safeguarding the integrity of elections. The United States could probably use his services, as the country continues to have issues with the voting process more worthy of a banana republic than the world's mightiest democracy.
For example, there is Virginia, where a tie vote in HD-94 several months back forced the two candidates to draw lots. The Republican, David Yancey, won that contest, and thusly preserved the GOP's tenuous majority in the Virginia House of Delegates. Now, the Washington Post has discovered that 26 voters that should have been assigned to HD-94 cast their ballots in HD-93 instead. It appears to be an honest mistake by the registrar, but those 26 voters happen to come from a predominantly black community, and black voters tend to vote overwhelmingly for Democrats. So, the mistake appears to have handed the GOP an unexpected—and undeserved—win.
Then there is California, generally known for its efforts to preserve voter rights, but in the midst of a mini-scandal over that same issue. The problem is the state law governing vote-by-mail ballots. It says that the signature on an absentee ballot must match the signature on that voter's registration form. That's all good and well—it's an attempt to stop the selling of mail-in ballots—but the judgment is made by poll workers who have no training in handwriting analysis, don't have enough specimens to work with (it takes 10, according to experts, to make an accurate determination), and who don't necessarily advise a person if their ballot has been rejected. As many as 46,000 ballots were tossed in 2016 (disproportionately belonging the Asian voters). The ACLU has sued, and won, only to have Attorney General Xavier Becerra (D) and Secretary of State Alex Padilla (D) appeal the ruling and ask the judge to put his decision on hold for the upcoming primaries. These are the same folks who have (rightly) accused Donald Trump and the GOP of disenfranchising voters. Apparently, what's good for the goose is not what's good for the gander. (Z) | 1,265,336 |
Louisville, Ky.—It is time to shed light on why some Metro Council members keep pushing new food truck regulations. This morning, the Institute for Justice (IJ) sued four Metro Council members who are refusing to turn over public records. This is the latest action in a legal battle that began in 2017 when two Louisville food truck owners filed a federal lawsuit challenging the city’s rule barring them from operating within 150 feet of any restaurant selling “similar food.”
As a result of that lawsuit, the Louisville Metro Council repealed the law in March 2018 and entered into a court-ordered consent decree. That decree prohibits Louisville Metro from reinstituting its 150-foot ban on food trucks or singling out food trucks for treatment different from other commercial vehicles.
With this agreement, Louisville food truck owners thought they would be free to focus on serving hungry customers. But just a few months later, council members Brandon Coan, Barbara Sexton-Smith, Pat Mulvihill and Scott Reed introduced a new ordinance that would cripple food trucks’ business. Concerned that the proposed ordinance would violate the decree and curious as to the council members’ motivations, in November 2018, IJ filed an open records request seeking each council member’s emails and other documents related to food trucks and restaurants.
The council members indicated that they had over 8,300 responsive documents but refused to make any records public. IJ appealed and in May 2019 the Office of the Attorney General of Kentucky ruled that “the Council members violated the Open Records Act,” and mandated that they turn over the documents. But even as the bill sponsors continue to ignore this request, the Metro Council Public Works, Facilities, Transportation and Accessibility Committee, chaired by Brandon Coan, is set to consider a revised version of their ordinance in its public meeting this afternoon.
“It’s time for the stonewalling to stop,” said Arif Panju, IJ managing attorney. “Since the four Metro Council members who have been pushing crippling new regulations on food trucks don’t seem to be listening to us or the Attorney General’s Office, today we’ve asked a court to order them to follow Kentucky’s Open Records Act. Transparency ensures the public can better understand why the council members keep pushing for a new ordinance that would cripple food trucks and reduce lunch options.”
The Institute for Justice is being represented in this legal action by attorneys April A. Wimberg and Brent R. Baughman at Bingham Greenebaum Doll, LLP.
“Kentucky’s Open Records Act is critical to ensuring good government in our commonwealth,” said Wimberg. “We’re pleased to work with the Institute for Justice to fight for transparency in Louisville’s government.” | 1,265,337 |
On 'Black' Monday, thousands of Polish women dressed in black took to the streets to protest against a proposed ban on abortion sponsored by the Catholic Church and the conservative ruling party. The protesters were outraged by the state's encroachment on their reproductive rights and their bodies.The protests were coupled with a crippling strike, as thousands of women in Poland did not show up for work. There were protests in solidarity in other capitals.The protests were a stellar demonstration of what women, fed-up with the patriarchy still not going anywhere, can collectively achieve -- although it remains to be seen whether the Polish government will scrap its plans.Women in the Arab world could benefit from the lessons and tactics of Black Monday, especially where large-scale protests and strikes can be replicated, for example in Lebanon.But that's not the only reason Lebanon is a prime candidate for its own Black Monday.Despite all its faux, superficial liberalism, Lebanon is arguably one of the worst places to be a woman. Discrimination against women is institutionalised, from personal status matters, pay equality, reproductive rights to political representation, and everything in between.Arguably, little progress on gender equality has been achieved since 1952, the year Lebanon extended suffrage to its women.Meanwhile, anecdotal evidence suggests women in Lebanon significantly outnumber men who still reside in the country, that is, have not migrated permanently or temporarily. It is possible to envisage that many sectors of the economy are therefore dominated by women.Women in Lebanon have been trying to push for the right to pass their citizenship to foreign spouses and their children, not having this right being one of the many ways they are discriminated against, but their efforts have failed so far to gain traction in the face of government-sponsored racism and misogyny There has been some progress made on domestic violence, but murders of women continue with little deterrence.But there is a bigger picture, one that has to do with social and political representation. The Lebanese government currently has no female ministers, and the female MPs are little more than tokens.The situation is similar at the level of municipalities and local councils.In matters of marriage and inheritance, Lebanon outsources the whole affair to religious courts, which are by default anti-women.In 2014, Lebanon was ranked eighth worst for gender equality, including for its huge gender pay gap. Abortion is illegal, and rape laws punish women for being raped. Single mothers cannot register the birth of children out of wedlock.There is no glass ceiling in Lebanon, as much as there is a very visible steel barrier for women.Therefore, a "corrective movement" by women in Lebanon to reform laws and abolish practices that directly harm them is overdue, and they have a lot of leverage to use.Perhaps if thousands of Lebanese women go on strike, like women did in Poland or Iceland, Lebanon will finally listen, and they will succeed in driving real change where single-issue efforts have failed in the past few years. | 1,265,338 |
Professionally filmed video footage of RATT's entire October 20 performance at the Monsters Of Rock festival in São Paulo, Brazil can be seen below.
The band's setlist was as follows:
01. Wanted Man
02. I'm Insane
03. In Your Direction
04. You Think You're Tough
05. Way Cool Jr.
06. Nobody Rides For Free
07. Lack Of Communication
08. Lay It Down / You're In Love
09. Body Talk
10. Back For More
11. Round And Round
Speaking to "The Blairing Out With Eric Blair Show" this past January, RATT drummer Bobby Blotzer stated about the band's current status: "We're getting ready to do a new record with Brian Howes, this producer that produced NICKELBACK, we have new management, we have Juan Croucier [bass] back in the band, and we're gonna tour this summer and hopefully get along and be happy, which would be amazing."
He added: "Brian Howes is a great guy, great producer, and he's top notch, dude. He's a current A-lister, and we're very excited."
Regarding the songwriting process for the new RATT album, Blotzer said: "Everybody's been writing and everybody has a backlog of material. So we'll just get in like we did with the last record, and there's, like, boom, 35 songs, and then we'll let the producer go, 'OK, let's work these up.' He's got the final say on that. I mean, the last record we worked up in two weeks."
He continued: "I don't think [the new RATT CD is] gonna be super overproduced. I think we're trying to do something new, and really, on all levels of RATT — have everything come out and be a new RATT. [We'll still have] classic-sounding songs, but it's gonna be, obviously, a twist in the production with the way that [Brian] produces."
Original RATT bassist Juan Croucier rejoined the Californian rockers for their show at the M3 Rock Festival on May 12, 2012 at the Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland and he has been performing with them ever since.
RATT's first studio record in 11 years, "Infestation", sold around 14,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 30 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD was issued on April 20, 2010 via Loud & Proud.
"Infestation" has sold more than 50,000 copies in the U.S. so far, according to Nielsen SoundScan. | 1,265,339 |
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Part of £1.1billion of a new raft of European funding will help pay for improvements to the A55.
Finance and Government Business Minister Jane Hutt announced the European Commission’s approval of the new £1.1bn European Regional Development Fund programmes to help boost the Welsh economy and create jobs in Wales over the next six years.
It includes £252m for transport that will fund improvements to the A55 and the A40 and towards the Metro in the Cardiff Capital City Region.
There is £310m for Research and Innovation; £198m to boost competitiveness, including through business finance; £439m for Connectivity and Urban Development, (which includes the transport budget) and £154m for renewable energy and energy efficiency.
A vast majority of the money (£960m) will go to West Wales and the Valleys, which includes Anglesey, Gwynedd, Conwy, Denbighshire, and Ceredigion. A further £162m will support projects in East Wales, which includes Flintshire, Wrexham and Powys.
The Minister, speaking at the Glasdir centre in Llanrwst this morning, said: “This is a huge opportunity.
"This will be more focused and strategic (than the previous EDRF funding) and it has to be a game changer.
"It is about making an even bigger impact and we will see more concentrated and more focused projects.
"It has to be the public and private sector working together to deliver the maximum impact.
“There is great hope and strong ambitions. It can help the areas targeted catch up, we know we have to increase productivity and wage levels and you can only do that by building skills, getting the right businesses and backing communities and people.”
EU projects supported through the 2007–2013 programmes created over 30,100 (gross) jobs and over 10,400 enterprises across Wales. One of those was the Bee and Station business centre in Rhyl which was developed with £500,000 from the European Regional Development Fund.
The EU funds enabled the derelict hotel to be transformed into a hub for enterprising ventures.
Currently, based at the centre is community interest company, G2G.Set up by Bill and Moira Lockitt in March 2010, the company employs some 12 staff as well as a number of volunteers.
It is helping people into work or to start their own business; it is also supporting businesses to drive innovation within their existing activities to increase their growth prospects.
They use many multi-media resources as part of their innovative training techniques to encourage people to study science, technology, engineering and maths. | 1,265,340 |
An elderly brown bear in the Pyrenees is facing castration or segregation amid fears that his sexual dominance is threatening the species' survival in the region by limiting genetic diversity.
Pyros, one of the oldest of the 30 or so bears who roam the mountains between France and Spain, is the father, grandfather or great-grandfather of nearly all of the cubs born in the Pyrenees over the past two decades. There are four other males in the colony – only one of them is not related to Pyros – and none of them have fathered any offspring.
Spanish officials said they were being forced to decide between castration or segregation for Pyros after the recent birth of a cub who was both his daughter and grand-daughter.
"If he keeps up this sexual vigour and dominant attitude for a few more years, the other males in the mountains have no chance of mating with any of the females," José Enrique Arró, the councillor who oversees environmental issues in the Val d'Aran, told La Vanguardia.
Officials in Spain and France have been working for more than a decade to reintroduce brown bears to the mountain range. Now the colony's survival is threatened by serious inbreeding, much of it directly linked to the continued sexual dominance of Pyros. Most brown bears are sexual active until they reach 19 years of age. But Pyros, now aged 26, shows no sign of slowing down.
At a recent meeting in France, several strategies were suggested to deal with Pyros's sexual dominance. Arró is pushing for a solution to the problem before a new male bear, probably from Slovenia, is introduced to the area next spring.
Two possibilities were being considered, Ignasi Rodríguez, from the Catalan regional government, told La Vanguardia. "One of them is the capture of Pyros and finding him a new home, perhaps in a sanctuary for bears," he said. The cost of this plan and, more importantly, whether tranquillising and moving Pyros would affect his health or cause possibly fatal stress, have yet to be determined. If he did survive the move, another question is how Pyros would adapt after 26 years of living in the wild.
The other possibility, said Rodríguez, would be to "sterilise him and leave him in the mountains". However, there are concerns that Pyros's dominant behaviour would continue, in effect hindering the chances of other males without offering any kind of viable alternative.
Local officials are hoping that Pyros will be spared either fate by his biological clock. As bears age, they lose their teeth, making it difficult to eat and making them appear less vigorous to females. For most bears this decline begins in their late teens. Now regional officials are keeping their fingers crossed that old age might just be what saves this colony of bears. | 1,265,341 |
Opening Minutes TWD 909 pic.twitter.com/SFBZwYEx82 — spoiledrottenfans (@spoiledrottenwd) January 28, 2019
AMC has released the opening minutes of The Walking Dead's Mid-Season Nine premiere episode.
The Walking Dead Episode 9x09 is titled, "Adaptation." The official synopsis for Adaptation reads, "The recent loss of one of their own drives the communities to band together. New leaders rise when a disturbing and dangerous threat is unmasked. An escaped captive revisits his past."
As seen in the video above, the episode will pick up with the Mid-Season Nine finale left off in 2018. The shocking death of Jesus rattled the survivors to their cores and the Hilltop's leader is still left laying on the ground with no signs of life after being stabbed by a Whisperer. Meanwhile, the group contemplates what just happened, as what they thought were walkers are now carrying weapons and fighting back.
As Michonne sends some of the group back behind the gate, she and Daryl elect to talk out the comprised of a Whisperer and walker mix. Eventually, the whole group flees. It's a dark start to 2019's run of The Walking Dead episodes but certainly a sign of things to come.
"The Whisperers story in the comic is one of my favorites from the comic," Kang said. "That storyline was coming out in the comics as I was working on the show. We were literally reading - we get the individual issues in the office and we were reading them and were like, 'What is he doing? What's happening? What's happening?' We were literally, 'What's happening? Could this be it?'"
Kang is aiming to keep a steady, interesting pace along with a level of interest within the AMC series which she took over as showrunner in its current season.
"And then it's like, I just feel like the answer was so much more strange and rewarding than I thought it would be," Kang said. She stayed true to this vibe in the Mid-Season Nine finale which took Tom Payne's Paul "Jesus" Rovia from the land of the living but will inevitably have to deviate as certain comic book characters are no longer alive on the TV series. "So that's really fun, I think to delve into," she said. "So I'm really excited for the people who don't know the story to hopefully see the twists unfold."
The Walking Dead returns for the back half of its ninth season on February 10, 2019 at 9 pm ET. Fear the Walking Dead will return for its fifth season in 2019. For complete coverage and insider info all year long, follow @BrandonDavisBD on Twitter and watch ComicBook.com's After The Dead each Sunday night following new episodes. | 1,265,342 |
MakerDAO (MKR) Partners with Simplex to Enable Dai (DAI) Purchase with Fiat
MakerDAO, Ethereum-powered decentralized finance (DeFi) heavyweight, has joined forces with Simplex, a European Union-licensed firm that provides a fiat gateway to leading bitcoin trading venues. The deal will enable Simplex to create a fiat on and off-ramp for the DAI dollar-pegged stablecoin, according to reports on March 3, 2020.
Simplex Facilitating DAI Purchases with Credit Cards
Members of the MakerDAO DeFi ecosystem can now quickly purchase the Dai (DAI) decentralized stablecoin in a more convenient manner, thanks to the new alliance between the former and Simplex.
Per sources close to the matter, the deal makes it possible for anyone to buy DAI with credit and debit cards. For the uninitiated, DAI is one of many dollar-pegged stablecoin that fuel the exponentially budding DeFi space.
Established in April 2014 by Erez Shapira, Netanel Kabala and Nimrod Lehavi, Simplex solutions currently being used by top exchanges in the crypto industry, including Binance, Huobi, and Poloniex, among others. Already, users of the Simplex platform can purchase a handful of altcoins including TRON (TRX), DASH (DASH), and Cosmos (ATOM), with their credit or debit cards.
Commenting on the latest development, Gustav Arentoft, Maker’s business development representative in Europe said:
“Integrating Dai into Simplex is a benefit o both current and future users. It provides them with a straightforward fiat on-and off-ramp with access to the industry’s top players.”
At press time, out of the entire $963.3 million locked inside decentralized applications (dApps) in the DeFi ecosystem, MakerDao dominates the league with a massive $547.6 million (56.85 percent), followed by Compound at $155.4 million and Synthetix at $144.5 million, according to data available on DefiPulse.
Earlier in October 2019, a blockchain researcher was awarded the sum of $50,000 by MakerDAO for alerting the team about a serious bug that would have allowed hackers to steal all users’ funds locked as collateral in the MakerDAO ecosystem.
In related news, BTCManager informed in December 2020 that Dragonfly Capital and Paradigm are now part of the governance team of the Maker protocol after investing $27.5 million MakerDAO.
In December 2019, OKEx exchange integrated Maker’s internal savings product, the DAI Savings Rate (DSR) into its platform, in a bid to foster stability of the Asian markets. | 1,265,343 |
on the map."
Nome also replied to a comment that Summoner's Rift had lost it's vibrant colors with this update, also replied to a comment that Summoner's Rift had lost it's vibrant colors with this update, saying
"It's disingenuous to say that the update to SR is getting rid of vibrant colors. It's not entirely an art decision either; in many ways, it's as much--or more--about gameplay clarity as it is about art. We specifically chose this direction to create a visual hierarchy: particles > characters > environment. All of the recent VUs, champions, and skins have been designed with this update and hierarchy ind mind, so we hope you'll be pleasantly surprised to see how well they pop off the map--and of course, this applies retroactively to older assets as well.
Of course, the map IS still in progress--we haven't done a lighting pass yet, for example; and plenty of features and assets have even yet begun being worked on. So just hang tight--and we do appreciate the feedback!"
Ever since the massive visual overhaul of Summoner's Rift was announced, Rioters have been flocking to the forums to chat about the beautiful new map and all the hard work that's gone in to it. From revealing the names of the new jungle camps to reassuring players their computers will run the new map just as well as the current map, this morning's red post collection is dedicated toContinue reading for more information.Before we get started, be sure you've looked over the following posts to get yourself better acquainted with what's in store forYou'll also probably want to give the Update to Summoner's Rift -Pre Beta Footage video another whirl, just so everything is fresh in your mind for the discussion!Now let's get on to the show! I've sorted out all the posts and information in to similar categories and tried to provide in-video references for the topic at hand. All posts come from Reddit, the LoL forums, or Twitter.Enjoy!When asked how long theupdate has been in the works, commented both it and Howling Abyss started at the same time:Most noticeably, the map is now Red vs Blue instead of Blue vs Purple. explained this decision as:also commented on this, explaining also commented on concern that the map will "feel" different gameplay wise, saying:He continued, noting the camera angle is a little different:He continued also noted that nearly all the walls widths will be unchanged in the update: expanded on this, noting the walls are more clear:In response to a comment about being able to see dragons flying around ( ~1:28 ) in the background of Summoner's Rift,When asked if one of these might include an Urf the Manatee reference, he noted As for a tentative date we can expect this to all hit the PBE, | 1,265,344 |
It's often difficult to remember that, just like any other clan, the Royal Family have their own fair share of football supporters among them.
Nobody encapsulates that fact more than Prince William, with the second in line for the throne an ardent Aston Villa fan.
Prince William is currently expecting his third child with wife Kate ahead of both the FA Cup final and brother Harry's wedding to Meghan Markle and, if a slip up by the Prince published in the Daily Mirror is anything to go by, it appears that he may be set to welcome a second son.
The Duke of Cambridge was spotted celebrating a late Villan winner against fellow Championship promotion hopefuls Cardiff City on Tuesday evening and was asked by the press after the contest what names he and Kate had picked out for their unborn baby.
And the Prince made an unusual gaffe by stating: “I’m going to insist the baby is called Jack,” before pausing and quipping “... or Jackie.”
The amusing response was down to the fact that Villa academy product Jack Grealish was the star behind the match-winning strike against the Bluebirds, but it could well be that William returns home to Kate with a couple of apologies to make.
Prince William giving a wave as he leaves Villa Park on Tuesday night
@queenb8099#AVFC #AstonVilla pic.twitter.com/FWqaLaHWeo — 1874 AV (@1874_av) 12 April 2018
(You may also be interested in Aston Villa's Hopes of Signing England International Rest on Securing Promotion to Premier League)
The couple are said to be remaining tight lipped on the gender of their third child, despite the speculation within the British media.
Grealish also handed William his winning jersey as the Prince - and president of the Football Association - mingled with Villa's players in the dressing room after the game, but it won't prove to be much of a peace offering if William has indeed let the cat slip out of the bag in Kate's opinion.
Shock Results: What Was the Greatest Comeback in Champions League History? AS Roma 3-0 Barcelona (4-4 Aggregate, Roma Through Via Away Goals) 2018 Deportivo La Coruna 4-0 AC Milan (5-4 Aggregate) 2004 Barcelona 6-1 PSG (6-5 Aggregate) 2017 Liverpool 3-3 AC Milan (Liverpool Win Via Penalty Shootout) 2005 Monaco 3-1 Real (5-5 Aggregate, Monaco Through Via Away Goals) 2004
Villa find themselves in fourth position in England's second tier with five matches of the season left to play.
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the Iraqi army battalions.
The Black Tigers hold a 120-kilometer section of the front southeast of Irbil.
“It’s the hottest sector on the frontline,” Barzani said. “Almost half of the attacks are against my sector.” The Black Tigers have used MILAN rockets and rocket-propelled grenades to destroy 16 car bombs in the past year, he said.
The latest fighting is happening just up river from a U.S. Marine Corps outpost — Fire Base Bell — that was set up to protect coalition troops helping train Iraqi forces near the town of Makhmour.
A Marine there was killed by a Katyusha rocket last month and the base came under small-arms attack in the days that followed.
Barzani said the base is still threatened by Katyushas since it’s close to enemy forces near the Tigris and well within the rockets’ 20-kilometer (12-mile) range.
U.S. special operators have been teaching first aid and explosive ordnance disposal and giving tactical training to the peshmerga. In recent days, U.S. forces have moved closer to the front lines, operating unmanned aircraft to gather intelligence, Barzani said.
The Black Tigers are prepared to help retake Mosul but there is confusion over just how that will happen, Barzani said.
Asked at the April 1 briefing about Iraqi assertions that they could retake Mosul by the end of this year or early next year, Warren said while that would be welcome, “we’re trying to stay out of the timeline business, primarily because almost every time we give it, the time line estimate is wrong.”
“We’ve got a saying in the Army,” Warren said. “It says, the enemy gets a vote. So... it is really tough to predict exactly how a battle is going to unfold.”
The uncertainty about when the battle for Mosul might begin in earnest is affecting the situation near Makhmour. For example, a key bridge that crosses the Tigris near the town remained in place for 18 months because of a plan for Iraqi army troops to drive over it on their way to Mosul. However, on March 7, the bridge was destroyed in an airstrike, signaling that the plan had changed, Barzani said.
“Nobody knows what the plan is to retake Mosul,” Barzani said. “They have changed it five times. The peshmerga are ready but it’s not certain how many will participate and from which sector.”
Stars and Stripes reporter Corey Dickstein contributed to this report.
[email protected]
Twitter: @SethRobson1
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Forget Brexit, a major pan-European stoush over copyrights is set for its final phase as music makers and tech giants pitch their final arguments.
A cadre of music creators and industry stakeholders, including tens of thousands of songwriters, peak bodies, broadcasters and the three major music companies, are lobbying the European Parliament to approve a sweeping overhaul of copyright legislation and finally close the value gap.
Electronic music giants David Guetta, Ennio Morricone, Jean-Michel Jarre and movie director Pedro Almodóvar are among the 32,000-plus signatories to a petition ahead of a plenary vote in Strasbourg next Thursday (July 5) on the reforms, which were provisionally passed on June 20.
Reps for creators are describing the scenario as a once-in-a-generation vote which will decide whether user-generated services like YouTube and Facebook will be required to remunerate authors fairly for the content hosted on their platforms.
“After three years of debate, one of the most controversial pieces of legislation ever to come before the European Parliament is about to go to the vote,” explained Robert Ashcroft, Chief Executive of U.K. rights body PRS for Music, in a statement.
“This is about copyright and specifically about the rights of creators versus those of the Internet giants; it is about the way the Internet functions as a fair and efficient marketplace. It is a debate we must win if we want to secure our creative community into the next decade.”
The European Parliament’s Legal Affairs Committee last week adopted the so-called “Directive on Copyright in the Digital Single Market,” which clarified and confirmed the copyright liability of services such as YouTube. But it must be ok’d by the European Parliament before it becomes law. And opponents won’t go down without a fight.
In an open-letter to European decision-makers, Impala, the Brussels-based umbrella body, warned of a “cynical campaign” from tech companies “flooding the inboxes of MEPs with scaremongering that the copyright directive would be the end of the Internet.”
It’s a bogus call, notes Impala, which argues: “We represent 4.5% of EU GDP and 12 million European jobs. We are the heart and soul of Europe’s plurality and rich identities.”
Much of the controversy centres on Article 13, which would require online platforms such as YouTube to install filters to prevent users from uploading copyright-protected content or obtain licences.
Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales and Internet inventor Tim Berners-Lee are among the high-profile opponents of Article 13, which critics say could put an end to remixes and memes.
Watch this space. | 1,265,347 |
The Norwegian government is seeking to prohibit face-covering garments in all schools nationwide, having sent the proposal for comments to educational institutions. The ban’s advocates say the garments prevent students from communicating with each other.
The bill, put forward Monday, would cover both private and public institutions, including kindergartens, schools, colleges and universities. It would apply to students and staff alike.
"We do not want clothes covering the face in nurseries, schools and universities," said Education Minister Torbjorn Roe Isaksen, who introduced the bill along with Immigration Minister Per Sandberg. The ban will also affect newly arrived immigrants taking part in language courses and educational programs for refugees.
Read more
“Garments cover the face prevent communication, which is key for pupils and students in their learning,” Isaksen said in a statement, adding that Norway is “an open society where everyone should be able to see each other's face.”
“Face-covering garments such as the niqab or burqa do not belong in Norwegian schools. The ability to communicate is a basic value," said the minister of immigration, who is from the Progress Party, known for its anti-immigration policies.
The ban implies only those garments which cover the face, such as Muslim full-face veils called niqab, balaclavas or face masks. It won’t apply to hijabs or any other headscarves that leave the face exposed, the government says, adding that exceptions will be made for those wearing face-covering items for educational, health, climatic or safety reasons.
With the ban already being implemented by several schools in Oslo, Østfold and Akershus, the government says it now wants the regulations to be nationwide.
The draft bill has been sent to the institutions that. would be affected, inviting their comments before September 20.
"We have every reason to believe this will be approved by parliament," Torbjoern Roe Isaksen told Reuters.
However, the proposal has already been denounced by the country’s student association, with its leader saying: “If a single piece of clothing is not an obstacle to teaching, there is no basis to prohibit it.”
Marianne K. Andenæs from the Norwegian Student Organization says that right to education must be applied to everyone, including those whose personal choices are difficult for politicians to understand.
With France becoming the first European nation to introduce restrictions on wearing full-face coverings in public in 2011, other countries across Europe such as Belgium, the Netherlands, Bulgaria and German state of Bavaria picked up the policy. Earlier this month, Austria adopted a law that will fine women wearing Islamic veils, burqas and niqabs, starting from October. | 1,265,348 |
this type of hand.
Also, when using your HUD, watch out for the people who have a 2% 3-bet range, because they’re only 3-betting AA/KK, so it becomes super-profitable to call for set-mining purposes (because now you flop a set 18% of the time), and stacking off with only AA versus these players becomes the ultimate exploitive strategy. I’m even folding AK pre-flop because if we call the 3-bet and we hit a king, he’s most likely holding aces, and if we hit an ace, he’s most likely not paying us off with KK. AT and AJ lose a lot of their power, but AK becomes much stronger. I’d never 3bet AQ though, because we’re never, ever getting called by a worse ace if we are up against a decent player.
Conclusion
new Hold’em and it will be a worthy breath of fresh air for all of us that have been playing the same game for years and years. I hope you found these Six Plus Hold'em rules easy to follow and useful as an introduction to the game.
All in all thiswill be a very interesting, action-filled game and I can’t wait for it to become an official format adopted by the major sites, because I really believe this is theand it will be a worthy breath of fresh air for all of us that have been playing the same game for years and years. I hope you found these Six Plus Hold'em rules easy to follow and useful as an introduction to the game.
To wrap it up, I leave you with the words of wisdom from a great man:
We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths. Walt Disney
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The Ace is still low,making the lowest straight or the wheel as you may know it, and it’s still high making TJQKA.There are also some differences in hand strength, likea straight and a(since it’s harder to make one because you only have 9 suited cards out of 36 with which you can make a 5-card flush from).Although Six Plus Hold'em is for the most part played as the traditional Hold'em in terms of streets, the main difference comes on the river, at least in some variations of the game, when, instead of dealing a community card, every player is dealt one extra card. In the final round of betting, every player still in will haveand will need to combineof those with theto create the best possible. In other variations, it is played with a traditional river. | 1,265,349 |
Only the best deals on Verge-approved gadgets get the Verge Deals stamp of approval, so if you're looking for a deal on your next gadget or gift from major retailers like Amazon, Walmart, Best Buy, Target, and more, this is the place to be.
Whether you’re hoping to gift a capable gaming laptop to a loved one for the holidays or you just want to get one for yourself, Amazon has some great deals today. Of this batch of sales, the one that sticks out the most is the model equipped with the Nvidia RTX 2060 graphics chip that dips just below the $1,000 mark.
If you want to check that one out, it’s the $979.99 Asus TUF (15.6-inch IPS FHD display, quad-core AMD Ryzen 7 processor, 16GB of RAM, 512GB of PCIe SSD storage, and, of course, the RTX 2060). Unlike the others in this post, this machine lacks a fast refreshing display. So while it’s powerful, you won’t see above 60 frames per second displayed on-screen.
Acer’s Predator Helios 300 gaming laptop is mostly the same in terms of specs to the model above, differing slightly with some design tweaks. It’s $1,299.99, and that bump up in price gets you an Intel Core i7-9750H processor and a 144Hz refresh rate display, which provides a smoother experience when gaming. Today’s sale makes this particular model more affordable than the version with a lesser GTX 1660 Ti graphics chip.
For a souped-up model, Asus’ ROG Zephyrus S gaming laptop (15.6-inch IPS FHD display with 144Hz refresh rate, Intel’s Core i7-9750H CPU, and Nvidia’s RTX 2070, all other specs are similar to the model above) is $1,499, $500 off of its usual price. This one features a keyboard at the front of the chassis, which is an ergonomic whiff if you ever try to use it on your lap. But this is still a good deal if you want a lot of power for the money.
Finally, if you have more money to burn, Razer’s Blade Pro 17 (17.3-inch FHD display with 144Hz refresh rate, 16GB of RAM, Thunderbolt 3 ports, 512GB of solid-state storage, and Nvidia’s RTX 2070) is $2,099. It usually costs $2,800, so that’s quite a steep price drop. We reviewed the option with a 4K 120Hz display (pictured above) with much better specs, but you can check out the photos within to see what to expect with the discounted machine’s design. | 1,265,350 |
other player regardless of position in the last five seasons. Seeing him go up against Martin, Frederick and Williams make for an intriguing battle, to say the least.
There isn’t anything particularly interesting about this matchup from a schematic standpoint, aside from the usual gamesmanship that comes when worrying about how to deal with a running back that can make as much of an impact in the receiving game as Bell can. This matchup makes the list for the revenge factor. Clearly, Bell wanted more money from the Steelers than they were willing to give him to the point that he sat out the entirety of last season rather than play on the franchise tag. The debate over the value of the running back rages on, with Melvin Gordon being the most recent name thrown onto the flame, but the situation creates for an interesting matchup with Bell’s former team.
You can argue about how much value Bell brings to an offense, but there aren’t too many people arguing that he isn’t one of the top players at the position when on the field. Despite all the injuries and voluntary time off he has taken, Bell still ranks first among all running backs in wins above replacement – a metric which takes into account availability – since entering the league. In the passing game, the Steelers should be better equipped this year to deal with a receiving threat out of the backfield after trading up for Devin Bush in the first round of this year’s draft. Bush recorded a coverage grade of 87.7 last season at Michigan and 65 percent of his targets over the last two seasons came against running backs. The battle between those two should lead to some interesting moments in Week 16.
Kelce is a mismatch weapon. Someone his size shouldn’t be able to run routes the way that he does. It’s the reason that he has three straight seasons with a receiving grade of 87.0 or higher. Kelce trails only Gronk in receiving grade since entering the league in 2014 at the tight end position. His 2,904 receiving yards after the catch dwarf all other tight ends. The next closest yards-after-the-catch totals are 2,043 (Gronkowski) and 1,556 (Zach Ertz). Put all that together and Kelce is a problem that every defense which faces him must deal with in some fashion.
The Chargers are perhaps better equipped to deal with a player like Kelce than anyone else after having Derwin James fall in their lap in the 2018 NFL Draft. Last season, Kelce’s production did see a dip against the Chargers. In two games, he had just eight receptions for 67 yards against Los Angeles. Specifically against James, Kelce had just two receptions for two yards. This game figures to have playoff implications, and the matchup between the only-improving Kelce and James will likely play a part in determining the winner. | 1,265,351 |
In ‘The People vs. Democracy,’ Trump Is Just One Populist Among Many Books of The Times By JENNIFER SZALAI MARCH 14, 2018 The title of Yascha Mounk’s new book, “The People vs. Democracy,” makes clever use of what looks like a glaring oxymoron: After all, what is democracy if not rule by the people? When democracy is under siege, the belligerents are supposed to be dictators, oligarchs and autocrats; the people are supposed to be the guardians (if all goes well), or else the victims (if it doesn’t). But that’s just the delusions of liberal democracy talking. Mounk, who lectures on political theory at Harvard and builds on the important work of scholars like Jan-Werner Müller and Cas Mudde, shows how populist insurgencies can undermine democracy — in the long run, that is. At first, populist movements often present themselves as deeply, even radically, democratic. The 2016 Brexit referendum is a case in point. Inviting citizens to vote on such an enormous policy change was a simple enactment of direct democracy. Those who voted for Britain to leave the European Union declared they were wresting autonomy away from the bureaucratic clutches of an unresponsive, Brussels-based elite. A characteristic slogan of the pro-Brexit campaign was “Take Back Control.” Much of this rhetoric baldly exploited anti-immigrant bigotry — a classic tactic in the populist playbook.
From the New York Times:The link in the NYT leads to an article about the UKIP poster featuring a photograph of Merkel’s Marching Million:
For all that populists purport to champion the will of the people, their definition of the people is often restrictive and “deeply illiberal,” Mounk writes, if not downright exclusionary.
For example, populists have the idea that the German Chancellor’s whim should not necessarily determine who gets to be the people of your country. But what could be more illiberal and restrictive than displaying a photograph of the result of the Chancellor’s brainstorm? It’s downright exclusionary to let the current people of a country vote to not let in all the potential millions who might want to move there and vote.
Why should the billions who live in other countries be denied a vote in your country just because they haven’t arrived yet? It’s like the downright exclusionary way that JP Morgan Chase excludes me from receiving dividends on their stock just because I don’t own any — even though I might get some in the future. So where’s my check?
The fundamental problem today is that the anti-populists have become such extremist radicals on immigration policy.
[Comment at Unz.com] | 1,265,352 |
, Mohammad bin Salman, on Sunday.
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Maj Gen Ahmed al-Asiri accused Saudi Arabia’s critics of being duped by Houthi extremists. Photograph: Faisal Nasser / Reuters/Reuters
The Saudis called the attempted citizen’s arrest an attack against a representative of their government, according to the English-language Middle East Eye website. The Bahraini government, a close ally of Riyad and a country accused of severe human rights abuses, called it a “barbaric assault” by a “group of terrorists”.
At the seminar, Asiri accused Saudi Arabia’s critics of making allegations without evidence and being duped by Houthi extremists.
May’s visit comes as the chancellor, Philip Hammond, and the Bank of England governor, Mark Carney, head to India to “bang the drum for British business” in preparation for Brexit.
May has also visited India, the US and other countries to press her desire for a “global Britain”. This week’s trip to Jordan and Saudi Arabia will be about pursuing close links.
Does UK’s lucrative arms trade come at the cost of political repression? Read more
Downing Street said Saudi Arabia was the UK’s largest trading partner in the Middle East, with exports of British goods at £4.67bn and services at £1.9bn in 2015.
“As the United Kingdom leaves the EU, we are determined to forge a bold, confident future for ourselves in the world. We must look at the challenges that we, and future generations, will face and build stronger partnerships with countries that will be vital to both our security and our prosperity,” May has said.
But Human Rights Watch last week said Saudi Arabia may have committed a war crime on 16 March when a helicopter fired on a boat, killing at least 32 of the 145 Somali migrants and refugees on board and one Yemeni civilian. The attack occurred off the Yemeni port city of Hudaydah.
Asiri said Saudi helicopters did not hold the ammunition found at the site and told campaigners from Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch: “Stop communicating what the Houthi people put in the social media. To be constructive, give us evidence and we will engage with you.”
An FCO spokesperson said the UK was not a member of the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen but supported the intervention. “We regularly raise the importance of compliance with international humanitarian law with the Saudi government and other members of the military coalition and we do not shy away from raising legitimate human rights concerns with our friends.”
The Ministry of Defence monitors alleged violations of the law, which “informs our overall assessment” of compliance with international humanitarian law in Yemen, the spokesperson said. | 1,265,353 |
Modern life may be going to your head.
It's not clear why—medicine? cars? supermarkets?—but the skulls of white Americans, and perhaps of other races and nationalities, have become slightly taller and roomier, according to new forensic research.
(See more health news.)
New measurements of hundreds of skulls of white Americans born between 1825 and 1985 suggest that their typical noggin height has grown by about a third of an inch (eight millimeters).
It may not sound like much, but the growth translates to roughly a tennis ball's worth of new brain room.
"I can't guess the implications of this jump in cranial size, but other research shows a bigger cranium doesn't necessarily mean more intellect," said University of Tennessee biological anthropologist Richard Jantz, who presented the findings with colleagues at an American Association for Physical Anthropology meeting in April.
Ups and Downs of Evolution
Beginning with the dawn of the first Homo species, human skulls evolved to be increasingly bigger until about 30,000 years ago, when head size plateaued.
And about 5,000 or 6,000 years ago, when agriculture took off in earnest, skulls began shrinking. The cause of the shrinkage is a mystery, but scientists have tentatively fingered more efficient brain wiring and easier access to food and safety—the idea being that people no longer had to be especially smart to survive (aka the Idiocracy theory).
About ten years ago Jantz and colleagues were measuring skeletons and saw signs that the shrinking trend may be reversing. Since then, they've amassed data on 1,500 skulls spanning 160 years.
The specimens came from three collections to which only adult skeletons could be donated. And since mostly adult Caucasian Americans regularly donated to the collections, the researchers' conclusions so far are known to apply to that group alone.
Americans Experimenting on Themselves?
Jantz cautioned that American life has changed in too many ways to pinpoint a single cause for the skull growth.
"I am absolutely certain, however, that it's due to the unparalleled environment that we now live in," he said.
"Americans drive cars, vaccinate their children—and an excess of food is now a bigger problem than undernutrition, among many other things. It's almost as if we're conducting an experiment on ourselves to see how we'll respond to a totally new environment."
University of Texas demographer Corey Sparks said the new conclusions seem to be valid but was equally cautious not to suggest an exact cause.
"I grabbed a ruler to physically see the changes they describe, and eight millimeters is not much change at all. An inch? That'd be huge," said Sparks, who helped Jantz with skull-measuring scientific work many years ago but was not involved in the new research. | 1,265,354 |
Phoenix, AZ; Life is tough. With cities closing down and communities barring themselves inside their homes, it's going to be a long and bumpy road. This new way of living will really impact day to day workers. One of the unfortunate casualties will be the artists, theaters, musicians, and talent around Arizona who rely on public performances to earn a dollar. Having to close doors, halt rehearsals, and shutter productions altogether has left a heavy burden on those who perform for their pay.
However, local puppet anarchists the All Puppet Players have a way to keep the lights on, help theaters in need and still adhere to the strict guidelines of the CDC. With their low-budget approach to everything they can get their hands on, they have created a weekly live television show that is part sketch, telethon, clip show and more. Each show they are asking local artists, musicians, theaters to send in their submissions and they will show the clips and link their audience to that artists PayPal, Venmo, or online business.
"It's a way to give back to a community that is scared. We get to make them laugh. It's live, they can talk to us, we can talk to them, we can do a community outreach while not venturing into the community", says Shaun Michael McNamara, creator of All Puppet Players.
So far, the experience has worked. Their first show ran for over 39 minutes and in that time they raised some money and hopefully made people laugh. They have pledged to do shows every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 8pm (facebook.com/allpuppetplayers). They will be live streaming their shows to Facebook Live for now, until they can find a better, interactive provider.
They already have a slew of guests booked including Great Arizona Puppet Theater, a Reiki Master, Craig Foughy from ABC 15 Sports, and loads of local musicians and community theaters asking to join in the fun. They have even booked a live wedding that will be taking place on their Friday broadcast. The couple had their wedding plans dashed and because of it are going to get married live so their family can see it...and experience a little puppet comedy to boot.
"In our darkest days, it is the artist we reach for to make us feel better. We are not good at anything else but making people laugh. So... that's what we'll do."
WARNING! All Puppet Players shows are for mature audiences with exceedingly immature tastes. They contain strong adult language and situations. Puppets can be unpredictable—so if you are of a sensitive nature or are easily offended—puppets don't care.
Check out a review from their first show: HERE
Watch them live at facebook.com/allpuppetplayers
Donate to them by on PayPal at [email protected] | 1,265,355 |
major. It was true the baby would be born with the odd-looking mouth, and that the child might always have a noticeable lip scar. But this was not a child with a fatal disease or anything. Yet the father was flipping out, saying to his wife and the social worker, "I can't handle this! I can't handle this!" He wanted to abort for this.
My friend and I both were both thinking: Come on! If you can't handle this, what are you going to do when your kid smokes a little dope? What are you going to do if she ends up pregnant at 16? What are you going to do if she sucks at math or suffers from a lot of acne? Sure, abort. But don't have any children if you can't handle this.
The problem with such a parent is that he is planning to live his entire existence with his child on the shame-pride axis, where everything his child does is rated according to whether it makes her father proud or ashamed. You want a child who never makes you anything but proud? Please. Don't bother taking on if you can't handle the fact that sometimes your child's won't be what you would have chosen. And if you want to prevent a child from ever suffering? Well, then don't have a child. No one is born into the world never to suffer.
Is having a child with a less-than-idealized identity or anatomy sometimes really hard? Yup. And when you sign up for parenting, that's part of what you're signing up for. You can't seriously expect your whole parenting experience to consist of softball trophies and bumper stickers that brag about your Honor Roll child. It is not your child's job in life to make you proud. It is your job to make your children proud of you as their parent.
5. Relatedly, if you want to be a parent, start getting used to the fact that your children will change you as much as you change them. I now know far more than I ever thought I would about trains, airplanes, and Australian native species thanks to my son. I am also more patient, more organized, more disorganized, more sleep deprived, and more in love with him than I ever thought I'd be. If you would not have your child explicitly manipulate your identity as a condition of loving you, do not begin your relationship with your child by doing the same.
To paraphrase Ghandi, be the child you want to see in the world: open to possibility, open to love, open to learning what love really means.
6. Puppies make great grandchildren, not least because if your child goes away and you're too busy to care for them, you can put them in a kennel.
My online writings on are now collected at Sex Research Honeypot. | 1,265,356 |
Related
PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The leader of Philadelphia’s police union is both condemning the racist and violent Facebook posts allegedly made by city police officers, saying they should be closely examined, and supporting the cops being investigated.
"The bottom line is you can't be posting things that are truly vile and racist and promote hate. It doesn't work well when you're out trying to represent the community," says Philadelphia Fraternal Order of Police President John McNesby.
As top city officials and an outside law firm interview and examine the posts of at least 72 officers who were pulled from duty because of their alleged social media posts, McNesby says the union has been with them, hoping to salvage their jobs.
"It does put us in an awkward position because we have the fine line between person's right to speech and where they are as far as representing the city of Philadelphia and the community," he told KYW Newsradio.
The posts - mined and researched for more than a year by the Plain View Project - include calling certain groups "savages" or "animals." The worst call for violence against those people.
Others say things like "death to Islam."
"Some of the other ones are just way overly broad and I don’t believe that there should be any discipline," McNesby said.
McNesby questions whether the investigation comes down to freedom of speech.
"People say racist Facebook posts, do we know they are racist? There may have been a few. A lot of this stuff though I think is just cops being cops and venting," he said.
But he concedes he hasn’t seen all the posts.
"I understand there was maybe five, six, seven individuals who were really, had some bad statements on there and bad posts, but I have not seen those," he said.
When pressed about whether the union can sometimes perpetuate a similar underlying tone, McNesby says no.
"There's negative in every profession. You don't see the good things," he said.
"You don't see the cops in the street at Thanksgiving handing out turkeys to the people that can't afford it. You don't see at Christmas time, not only the FOP, but the police, giving things away. There's never anybody out when we're out in Kensington handing out gloves and sweatshirts in the winter time, and food."
However, he said, all cops must remember that they represent the city.
"When you are a police officer, you're held to a higher standard. So, to be writing things on there, no matter what your personal feelings are, it doesn’t mix well with your occupation, so you have pick or choose," he said. | 1,265,357 |
With their first significant upgrade of the season, Williams made their first noticeable performance gains last time out at Silverstone. Although the cars remained at the back, the team’s percentage deficit to the rest of the field was reduced considerably. It suggests that Williams may finally have found a productive development direction – and it may be the foundation of further gains in the coming races as the team exploit it more fully.
The chart above illustrates that at the last race, Williams were closer in percentage terms to both pole position and to the next-slowest car than at any previous race, suggesting that the upgrade worked. This upgrade came around the barge board, which was extensively reworked in two major areas: Around the lower barge boards The big bridge vane ahead of the sidepod inlet
The circled area on the left shows the'steps' on the chute leading down to the outer guide vanes. The illustration of the upgrade on the right reveals that this design idea has now been removed completely
In the lower barge boards, there was previously a grouping of two major assemblies. The forward-most one remains (albeit modified slightly in shape), but the second assembly aft of that (shaped like a chute, with steps in it leading down to the outer guide vanes) has disappeared entirely. In its place are a series of conventional vertical guide vanes which – visually at least – link up the first assembly with the sidepod area much better. It would appear to give the airflow a better, more progressive transition as it feeds through the gap between the nose and front wheel then curves outward around the sidepod’s radiator inlet. READ MORE: The tiny change that is pushing Red Bull closer to pole Just ahead of that inlet, the big bridge vane (onto which the mirror is mounted) has been split with the vertical and horizontal parts no longer meeting up at the corner. The profiling of the upper of the two horizontal vanes is much more extensive and the mirror casing itself has been changed, both of which will give a better flow to the top of the sidepod, helping counter the aerodynamic lift which those surfaces invariably induce.
The upgrade helped Williams close the gap to pole position in Silverstone
The extravagant curvature of the top vane at its outer tip, together with its close proximity to the corner of the vertical vane (to which it was previously joined), will create a vortex of spinning air that will travel down the side of the car, helping accelerate the airflow there as it makes its way down the sides of the pods towards the sides of the diffuser. The faster this air can be induced to move, the harder it can pull on the airflow exiting the diffuser from the underbody, and therefore the greater the downforce creation. Hopefully this is the beginning of a more productive development path for Williams in the second half of the season. | 1,265,358 |
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You may have heard of Conover Kennard, who writes under the pen name Anomaly at FreakOutNation. Her work is timely, brilliant, and sometimes rubs bigots and assholes the wrong way. Which in my book is all the more reason to love and support her. We at Liberal America are constantly inspired and amazed by the sheer enormity of her awesomeness.
And it turns out that Kennard has some very powerful friends in high places on the World Wide Web. Perhaps you’ve heard of the hacktivist group Anonymous?
Just recently, someone going by the name “Thomas Klan” began harassing Kennard on Twitter, and in return “Amped Attacks” decided to come to the defense of Kennard. How “Amped” took revenge is nothing short of superb perfection: He took down Klan websites online. As Kennard explains of her friend:
“He’s not a partisan guy and usually aims at ISIS sites – but we’re friends. So, he saw the Klansman that usually trolls me.”
Faster than you can say the Klan is evil and ignorant, KKK web sites began to disappear from the face of the Internet.
Take a look at some of the tweets posted by “Amped Attacks” shortly after he began his delicious payback on “Thomas Klan” and his knuckle-dragging minions:
Then the birdbrained “Thomas Klan” dared to mention which Klan site he preferred to hang out on, and that was akin to waving a red cape in front of an angry bull. Kennard noted:
“The KKK guy said which site he goes to. Well, that was like inviting Amped to take it down…so he did.”
The site “Thomas Klan” referred to is the online home of the Traditionalist American Knights of the KKK, which threatened the lives of members of Anonymous during the protests which erupted after Michael Brown’s murder in Ferguson, Missouri.
Once again, “Amped Attacks” took to Twitter to taunt “Thomas Klan”:
Moral of the story: Careful who you make enemies with online. A friend of a friend may just decide to declare cyberwar on you. And here’s a special message for “Thomas Klan” and all the tiny-brained asshated jerkweeds like him who feel a need to hate and then hate some more: You got what you deserved, and in my humble opinion it wasn’t nearly enough.
h/t AddictingInfo
Featured image by Flickr, available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial license. | 1,265,359 |
Defense Secretary Jim Mattis approved the recommendation from the services that lifting the ban be delayed. | AP Photo Pentagon delays lifting of transgender troop ban
The Pentagon announced Friday night that it will delay allowing openly transgender troops to join the military until Jan. 1, 2018.
Defense Secretary Jim Mattis approved the recommendation from the services that lifting the ban be delayed to allow them time to review the impact on “the readiness and lethality of our forces,” Pentagon spokeswoman Dana White said in a statement.
The six-month delay will only impact new transgender recruits, not the estimated 15,500 already serving. It follows reports last week that the service leaders requested the delay.
Former Defense Secretary Ash Carter made the decision to allow transgender troops to serve openly on June 30, 2016, with an implementation deadline of July 1, 2017.
Rep. Vicky Hartzler, R-Mo., said allowing transgender troops to serve openly is “ill-conceived and contrary to our goals of increasing troop readiness.”
“This delay is indicative of a policy that was rushed and never clearly thought out and I am pleased that Secretary Mattis has decided to delay the accession policy,” she said in a statement.
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Hartzler introduced and then withdrew an amendment to the House’s defense authorization bill in committee this week that would repeal the policy that allows transgender troops to serve openly. While she withdrew the amendment, she said she may bring it up again during debate in the full House in July.
The move faced immediate blowback from gay-rights advocates. The American Military Partners Association called it “disappointing” that qualified transgender people can’t be open about their identity when enlisting or commissioning.
“It has been unequivocally proven that allowing qualified transgender people to serve openly strengthens our military and creates a more inclusive and diverse force. The issue has been thoroughly studied and moving forward with this new recruitment policy is imperative in order for the military to be able to recruit the best talent our nation has to offer,” the association’s president Ashley Broadway-Mack said in a statement.
OutServe-Service Members Legal Defense Network also issued a statement, saying that they still expect the ban on transgender service to be lifted at the end of the six-month delay.
“We reiterate that the services are prepared for transgender individuals and assert that delays beyond January 2018 will have a negative impact on military readiness---that we cannot tolerate,” the group said in a statement.
| 1,265,360 |
We can finally lay months of rumors and speculation to rest. The iWatch is real and it's called the Apple Watch. Tim Cook describes it as the next chapter in Apple's history. It's a "comprehensive health and fitness device," says Cook, much as it was expected, but it's also "an extremely precise and customizable timepiece." It is the most personal device that Apple's ever created. The key innovation that Apple is touting is a breakthrough in input mechanics, using a Digital Crown on the Watch that can scroll, zoom, and navigate the user interface without obstructing the display.
Apple's teaser videos show a variety of different straps attached to the Apple Watch, with a wide range of both materials and colors. Apple has designed six different straps and a special mechanism for swapping them around. The Apple Watch will come in two sizes and three different finishes, and it will include inductive wireless charging.
Update: Read our Apple Watch review.
The glass covering up the Watch is made of sapphire crystal, the hardy scratch-proof material that was speculated to be used in the new iPhone 6 models' displays. Sapphire is a relatively common material in high-end watchmaking and it makes perfect sense for it to be used here. The actual display is a flexible Retina panel that has been laminated to the sapphire.
The Apple Watch has a built-in gyroscope, accelerometer, a heart rate sensor, and a Taptic Engine for input sensing. The Apple Watch can recognize the difference between a tap and a press, offering another subtle way to make different inputs without needing additional input points or buttons. Calling the harder press Force Touch, Apple is essentially defining the smartwatch equivalent of the right-click on a mouse.
"It'll redefine what people expect from a watch."
On the software side, the voice-activated Siri assistant will come integrated, along with dedicated Maps and Photos applications. Brand new Fitness and Workout apps will serve to collect your daily biometric data and encourage a more active lifestyle. There's also a WatchKit for developers to help them make apps tailored to the Apple Watch. In closing his presentation of the new Watch, Tim Cook noted that he's been using his to control Apple TV, while others were excited about its walkie talkie functionality and the ability to serve as a remote viewfinder for a camera.
And yes, Apple Pay will work with Apple Watch.
Three collections will be made available: an Apple Watch with a stainless steel case and sapphire crystal display, the Apple Watch Sport in an aluminum case with a selection of sportier straps, and the luxury Apple Watch Edition that comes in an 18-carat gold case and also features a sapphire display. The starting price for the Apple Watch will be $349 when it goes on sale early in 2015. | 1,265,361 |
Advertisement Teen witness in shooting that killed unborn child fatally shot in Duquesne Detectives say Leroy Powell, 15, was ambushed on Crawford Avenue Share Shares Copy Link Copy
A 15-year-old boy who testified against his friend in the death of a pregnant teen's unborn child was shot and killed Wednesday afternoon in Duquesne.VIDEO: Watch Sheldon Ingram's reportDetectives said the victim, identified by the medical examiner's office as Leroy Powell, was ambushed about 2 p.m. in the 1000 block of Crawford Avenue.Sky 4 flew over the neighborhood, where police were blocking part of the road and a pool of blood could be seen in the street. Powell, of Duquesne, was pronounced dead at an area hospital. An autopsy is planned for Thursday.Police have not yet released a description of any suspects.One week ago, Powell testified that he and Eric Taylor were together moments before DaRae Delgado was shot four times -- three in the stomach -- at her home, on Friendship Street in Duquesne, in the early morning of May 26.Delgado, 15, was seven months pregnant and had planned to name her son Darren, but he did not survive.In video testimony, the witness said he saw Taylor walk up to Delgado’s house and onto the porch before he heard three to four shots and saw Taylor run away with a gun in his right hand."It's hard to get people to come forward because they're afraid of retaliation," said Center for Victims CEO Laurie MacDonald, who did not know if Powell was in witness protection. "It appears (that's what happened) and it's unfortunate because it sends a bad message."Center for Victims offers support and guidance to victims and witnesses to violent crimes. The agency supports about 15,000 people each year, making it the largest victim's support group in the state."We can only advocate for them to be in witness protection if they want to or to not be in witness protection, if they don't want to be. Ultimately it's up to the detectives on the case to decide if they go into witness protection, said MacDonald.Mike Manko, spokesman for Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen Zappala, issued this statement:"When crimes like that involving the death of this unborn child are alleged to have been committed by a person with known criminal associates, the protection of other potential victims and known witnesses is a top priority. Whether that protection is afforded through witness protection or otherwise is a decision made with the investigating police agency and the families of the affected persons. Given the ongoing investigation of the circumstances of this teenager’s death, further comment is not appropriate at this time."Taylor is charged with homicide of an unborn child, attempted homicide, aggravated assault and recklessly endangering another person.Breaking news: Get alerts from WTAE by phone or emailStay connected: Download the WTAE mobile app | 1,265,362 |
I’ll sing ye a story o’ trouble an’ woe,
That’ll cause ye to shudder and shiver,
Concernin’ a Chinese bumboat man that sailed the Yangtze river.
He wuz a heathen o’ high degree, as the joss-house records show,
His family name was Wing Chang Loo,
But the sailors all called him Jim Crow-ee-eye-oh-ee-eye!
Hitch-y-kum, kitch-y-kum, yah, yah, yah
Sailormen no likee me
No savy the story of Wing Chang Loo
Too much of the bob-er-eye-ee, kye-eye
Now Wing Chang Loo he fell in love, with a gal called Ah Chu Fong,
She `ad two eyes like pumpkin seeds, an’ slippers two inches long,
Rut ah Chu Fong loved a pirate bold with all her heart an’ liver,
He wuz the capitan of a double-decked junk,
An’ he sailed the Yangtze river-eye-iver-eye!
[Chorus]
When Wing Chang Loo he heard o’ this, he swore an’ `orrible oath:
If Ah Chu marries that pirate bold, I `ll make sausage meat o’ them both!
So he hoisted his blood-red battle flag, put into the Yangtze river,
He steered her east an’ south an’ west,
Till that pirate he did diskiver-eye-iver-eye!
[Chorus]
The drums they beat to quarters an’ the cannons did loudly roar,
The red `ot dumplin `s flew like lead, an’ the scuppers they ran with gore.
The pirate paced the quarterdeck with never a shake nor a shiver,
He wuz shot in the stern wid’ a hard-boiled egg,
That penetrated his liver-eye-iver-eye!
[Chorus]
The dyin’ pirate feebly cried, “We’ll give the foe more shot,
If I can’t marry Ah Chu Fong, then Wing Chang Loo shall not!”
When a pease-pudden `ot hit the bumboat’s side, it caused a `orrible scene,
It upset a pot of `ot bow-wow soup,
An’ exploded the magaye-eenee-ayeeenee! | 1,265,363 |
capable of doing.
That’s why it’s so troubling that the media reported Trump’s lie as truth. BoingBoing points to Oliver Willis’ blog, where he chronicled the major news agencies that “repeated [Trump’s] absolute lie in their headlines.” The list includes CNN, New York Times, USA Today, Washington Post and Reuters, among others.
[[{“type”:”media”,”view_mode”:”media_large”,”fid”:”619371″,”attributes”:{“alt”:””,”class”:”media-image”,”height”:”319″,”typeof”:”foaf:Image”,”width”:”480″}}]]
As journalist Dan Gillmor noted on Twitter, in a year in which fake news was treated as the cause of everything from Trump’s sure-to-be-horrific presidency to the end of Western civilization as we know it, it’s a particularly disturbing media moment. After equating the unquestioned press reiteration of Trump lies with “propaganda,” Gillmor accused the press of engaging in the very thing it has accused various bad actors of since the election.
“When journalists knowingly publish lies they're publishing fake news,” Gillmor wrote. “When they can't be bothered to check, it's false news.” In the case of Trump, if the media ever expects to avoid either, it’s critical that the starting point for every PEOTUS quote begin with a reality check.
We’re in for a lot more of this, though we’ve already endured plenty, and certainly enough to know better. People who valued white supremacy over truth put a man in the Oval Office who has shown us countless times who he is: someone willing to lie and obfuscate at every opportunity as long as he looks good in the end. (Sprint’s complicity in spreading Trump’s lie means we should be skeptical even when he seems to have an alibi.)
The people who voted for Trump don’t care if he’s telling the truth, but the rest of us should. Authoritarians are bad at the truth, and capitalize on complacency and confusion. The demagogue in our midst is counting on us growing so accustomed to the atmosphere of lies that we breathe them in like air without noting its choking toxicity. The best strategy for the media, and for all of us, is to regard every Trump statement as a lie waiting to be disproved. | 1,265,364 |
Deepening losses from train operations and engineering services drove net profit down at transport operator SMRT Corporation for the first quarter of financial year 2017.
DEEPENING losses from train operations and engineering services drove net profit down at transport operator SMRT Corporation for the first quarter of financial year 2017.
In its first quarterly results since the announcement of transitioning to the new rail financing framework and state investor Temasek Holdings' bid to take it private, SMRT reported on Monday after trading closed that net profit for the three months ended June 30 was at S$15.5 million. This is 22.9 per cent lower than that of a year ago.
Total revenue fell to S$313.9 million, a 2 per cent drop at S$320.3 million from a year ago.
Earnings per share thus dropped to 1.02 Singapore cents, from 1.32 cents in Q1 FY16.
Losses from train operations in particular weighed on SMRT's results.
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This segment saw its losses widen by 110.1 per cent to hit a loss of S$7.7 million. The loss was at S$3.7 million the same period a year ago.
Losses from LRT operations remained similar at about S$1.6 million.
These two segments account for rail operations. This section saw a total operating loss of S$9.4 million in Q1 FY17, some 76.8 per cent deeper from a year ago.
Engineering services incurred losses more than four times than that seen a year ago. It lost S$2.7 million, or 439.8 per cent deeper than Q1 FY16.
Buses chalked up a thinner operating profit of S$0.2 million. This is 86.3 per cent lower than the same period a year ago.
Taxis, despite performing "better than industry average" according to chief executive officer Desmond Kuek, saw operating profits of S$4.5 million, a 17.9 per cent drop from Q1 FY16.
Rental and advertising recorded an operating profit of S$20.6 million and S$4.9 million respectively in Q1 FY17, a decrease of 2.4 per cent and an increase of 0.3 per cent respectively compared to Q1 FY2016.
Other services increased 164.2 per cent to S$1.4 million, mainly due to higher contribution from charter services and external fleet maintenance.
SMRT shares closed flat on Monday at S$1.63 apiece. | 1,265,365 |
on the GI Bill, studying native dialects. I went to Mexico partly because things were becoming so difficult with the drug situation in America. Getting drugs in Mexico was quite easy, so I didn’t have to rush around, and there wasn’t any pressure from the law.
INTERVIEWER
Why did you start taking drugs?
BURROUGHS
Well, I was just bored. I didn’t seem to have much interest in becoming a successful advertising executive or whatever, or living the kind of life Harvard designs for you. After I became addicted in New York in 1944, things began to happen. I got in some trouble with the law, got married, moved to New Orleans, and then went to Mexico.
INTERVIEWER
There seems to be a great deal of middle-class voyeurism in this country concerning addiction, and in the literary world, downright reverence for the addict. You apparently don’t share these points of view.
BURROUGHS
No, most of it is nonsense. I think drugs are interesting principally as chemical means of altering metabolism and thereby altering what we call reality, which I would define as a more or less constant scanning pattern.
INTERVIEWER
What do you think of the hallucinogens and the new psychedelic drugs—LSD-25?
BURROUGHS
I think they’re extremely dangerous, much more dangerous than heroin. They can produce overwhelming anxiety states. I’ve seen people try to throw themselves out of windows; whereas the heroin addict is mainly interested in staring at his own toe. Other than deprivation of the drug, the main threat to him is an overdose. I’ve tried most of the hallucinogens without an anxiety reaction, fortunately. LSD-25 produced results for me similar to mescaline. Like all hallucinogens, LSD gave me an increased awareness, more a hallucinated viewpoint than any actual hallucination. You might look at a doorknob and it will appear to revolve, although you are conscious that this is the result of the drug. Also, van Goghish colors, with all those swirls, and the crackle of the universe.
INTERVIEWER
Have you read Henri Michaux’s book on mescaline?
BURROUGHS
His idea was to go into his room and close the door and hold in the experiences. I had my most interesting experiences with mescaline when I got outdoors and walked around—colors, sunsets, gardens. It produces a terrible hangover, though, nasty stuff. It makes one ill and interferes with coordination. I’ve had all the interesting effects I need, and I don’t want any repetition of those extremely unpleasant physical reactions. | 1,265,366 |
// 2 "emitDecoratorMetadata": true // 3 }, "files": [ "src/test.ts", "src/polyfills.ts" ], "include": [ "src/**/*.spec.ts", "src/**/*.d.ts" ] }
Register Jest's type definitions files with the TypeScript compiler. Enable the esModuleInterop option of the TypeScript compiler otherwise Jest will output a lot of warnings in the console. Enable the emitDecoratorMetadata option of the TypeScript compiler otherwise Angular's Dependency Injection won't work with Jest.
Run the tests
We can now run our unit tests using the following command from the root of our project:
npx jest
All tests are green :)
3. Remove Karma
Now that we've successfully set up Jest we can remove Karma.
Remove dependencies
npm uninstall karma karma-chrome-launcher karma-coverage-istanbul-reporter karma-jasmine karma-jasmine-html-reporter
or if you are using yarn as package manager:
yarn remove karma karma-chrome-launcher karma-coverage-istanbul-reporter karma-jasmine karma-jasmine-html-reporter
Remove the Karma configuration file
rm karma.conf.js
Remove the test target inside the angular.json file
Instead of ng test we will now run npx jest to launch our unit tests. Therefore the test target inside the angular.json file is useless. You can remove the section projects.my-app.architect.test from your angular.json file:
"test": { "builder": "@angular-devkit/build-angular:karma", "options": { "main": "src/test.ts", "polyfills": "src/polyfills.ts", "tsConfig": "tsconfig.spec.json", "karmaConfig": "karma.conf.js", "assets": [ "src/favicon.ico", "src/assets" ], "styles": [ "src/styles.css" ], "scripts": [] } }
Summary
In this article, we saw how we can set up Jest for our unit tests. This can be certainly automated using Angular schematics, but it's not that hard to do it manually.
You can for example add Jest to your Angular project by using Briebug's Jest schematic by running the following command: ng add @briebug/jest-schematic
The full source code for this article can be found in this Github repository.
If you enjoyed this article, follow @ahasall on Twitter for more content like this. | 1,265,367 |
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Gunman Killed at Tennessee Movie Theater Had Hatchet and Fake Bomb, Police Say Police confirmed a suspect had died.
-- A man wielding an air gun, a hatchet and a fake bomb was killed by cops after he unleashed pepper spray in a Tennessee movie theater, police said.
The mayhem -- the motive for which was unknown -- unfolded during an screening of "Mad Max: Fury Road" at the Carmine Hickory Theater in Antioch around 1:13 p.m.
Police said around 8 people were inside the theater when the 29-year-old suspect, Vicente David Montano, unleashed pepper spray. Police, who initially gave his age as 51, said that he suffered from "significant" psychiatric issues.
Three people were treated for exposure to the chemical.
"Their faces were blasted with pepper spray," Metro Nashville Police spokesman Don Aaron said of one of those injured.
Aaron said that the suspect, who bought a ticket to the movie, was wearing a backpack on his chest and had a surgical mask on his face when he sprayed pepper spray containing red dye inside the theater.
One member of a team of police encountered the gunman in the back of the theater and opened fire on him after seeing him raise a gun, according to Chief Steve Anderson.
Police later said the gun was a "very realistic" airsoft pistol. When Montano pulled the trigger, it made a noise and the officer fired, Aaron said.
The officer then retreated from the theater as the SWAT team arrived.
After that, the gunman made his way outside the theater, came at them in a threatening manner and officers opened fire, Anderson said.
It was not clear if the gunman got off any shots, according to the chief. Earlier, police said that he fired at the first responding officer.
It was also not clear if the first officer's shot hit him.
Three people were treated for exposure to pepper spray and one of them, a man, suffered a cut from the suspect's hatchet.
The bag on the suspect's chest was not the only backpack that he reportedly brought to the scene. The bomb squad later detonated one of the bags after determining that there was a fake bomb inside. The other had nothing harmful inside.
Police said Montano was committed four times - twice in 2004 and twice in 2007. He was reported missing on Aug. 3 and identified via fingerprints and a Tennessee ID card.
A man who said he was inside the theater at the time of the attack said that he and his daughter were pepper sprayed and were helped by people outside the theater.
"It really did help give me faith in humanity again," the man, who did not reveal his name, said of the bystanders.
"I would ask anyone to pray for his family," he said of the shooter. | 1,265,369 |
Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 6/7/2010 (3739 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
BRANDON -- A Brandon man has been acquitted of impaired driving on his snow machine because an RCMP constable went too far when he pulled his gun on the accused, a provincial court judge has ruled.
Judge John Combs acquitted Joel Donald Kempthorne, 49, of impaired driving and driving with his blood alcohol level over the legal limit, because the arresting officer's actions were "excessive."
The judge said the nervous constable could have waited for backup to arrive, instead of trying to arrest Kempthorne and his buddy by himself.
"His doing so with his firearm pointed at them was, in my view, unnecessary and potentially very dangerous," Combs stated in a written decision delivered this week.
Kempthorne and his friend were arrested in the early morning of Jan. 6, 2008.
During his trial on Dec. 16, 2009 and March 24 of this year, Kempthorne testified that he and a friend went on a snowmobile ride.
He had a beer before leaving Brandon, then four drinks during two hours at a Carberry bar.
Kempthorne and his buddy then rode away from the bar, stopping just outside Carberry, where they had two beers each.
Kempthorne also swigged from a bottle of schnapps after his snowmobile got stuck at that spot.
It was then that he and his friend were arrested. Kempthorne testified that a pistol was put to his neck as he lay on the ground.
The arresting officer told court he pulled out his gun because he was concerned for his safety. He believed he was dealing with two riders who had "fled" after the officer spotted them in Carberry.
Combs ruled that the officer didn't have reasonable grounds to conclude Kempthorne was one of the elusive snowmobile riders.
At the time, Kempthorne was told he was being arrested after showing signs of impairment and because he was found with a quarter-full bottle of schnapps and a pair of beers.
Breathalyzer tests later placed his blood-alcohol level at more than double the legal limit.
Combs agreed Crown attorney Garry Rainnie proved Kempthorne's blood-alcohol level was over the legal limit when he rode his machine.
However, the evidence of impairment and the breathalyzer results can't be accepted, Combs ruled.
The gunpoint arrest was arbitrary and unnecessary and breached Kempthorne's rights under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the judge wrote.
"The public would be concerned if evidence was admitted which was obtained in the manner of this case."
--Brandon Sun | 1,265,370 |
ivity pillar: Time management
This is the oldest book on the list, dating back to 1908. Bennett’s message is just as clear and apt now as it was then. We all get the same 24 hours and we can’t save it. You’ll never have more time than you do right now, so focus on the important stuff.
While the basic principles of the book sound very familiar, there are a few interesting warnings that he offers:
Don’t insist that other people follow your productivity program. Everyone has unique needs.
Don’t become a slave to your own program. Make sure it is strong enough to keep you accountable, but flexible enough to give you space to live.
Living from task to task isn’t really living. Don’t try to do everything. Be realistic in your limits.
Start any new system slow. Don’t overdo it at the start.
10. Indistractable by Nir Eyal
Productivity pillar: Focus and time management
This is one of the best books out there on learning about how to handle distractions.
Eyal says that the key to living a focused life is to learn to deal with discomfort. We get distracted because we get uncomfortable and go out seeking a fix.
Instead of indulging in distractions, or feeling guilty about them, Eyal says that we should observe them and allow them to dissolve. We should examine what lead up to the distraction and explore it curiously. Rather than saying, “No, you can’t check Facebook now,” allow yourself the permission to check it, but only after 10 minutes. Usually over that time, the need will dissipate.
He also focuses on the importance of identity and promises you make to yourself. Rather than saying, “I’m not going to look at my phone for the next hour,” Eyal suggests saying, “I’m not the kind of person who needs to check his phone every hour.” That’s a much more positive, aspirational statement and much more likely to help us.
Eyal says, “Time management is pain management.” If you can learn to be uncomfortable, you will be able to get a lot more done.
Missed one?
I usually read 1-2 productivity books a year to refresh my mind on what’s important. Most of the ideas in these books aren’t something you couldn’t figure out on your own, but the authors present the material in a way that encourages you to take a fresh start.
Everyone has their own favorite productivity book. What’s yours? Tag @WorkMinus on LinkedIn and we’ll add it to the list! | 1,265,371 |
Undefeated boxer Floyd Mayweather defeated UFC champion Conor McGregor in 10 rounds in their much-anticipated fight Saturday night.
Mayweather figured out a 50th opponent Saturday night, letting McGregor have the early rounds before stalking him late and leaving the mixed martial artist defenseless and exhausted on the ropes in the 10th round.
It was a smashing end to a career that earned Mayweather more money than any fighter before him - including an estimated $200 million for his last bout.
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"I think we gave the fans what they wanted to see," Mayweather said. "I owed them for the (Manny) Pacquiao fight."
Mayweather battered McGregor around the ring in the later rounds, finally stopping him at 1:05 of the 10th with a flurry of punches that forced referee Robert Byrd to stop the fight.
Before a pro-McGregor crowd that roared every time the UFC fighter landed a punch, Mayweather methodically broke him down after a slow start to score his first real stoppage in nearly a decade. He did it in what he said would be his final fight, against a man who had never been in a professional boxing match before.
McGregor boxed surprisingly well but after landing some shots in the early rounds, his punches seemed to lose their steam. Mayweather then went on the pursuit. McGregor backpedaled most of the way, stopping only to throw an occasional flurry as Mayweather wore him down.
"I turned him into a Mexican tonight," McGregor said. "He fought like a Mexican."
Though Byrd cautioned McGregor for hitting behind the head on two different occasions, there were no real fouls in the fight and McGregor never tried to revert to any MMA tactics
McGregor had vowed to knock Mayweather out within two rounds, and he won the early rounds with movement and punches to the head. But the tide of the fight turned in the fourth round as Mayweather seemed to figure out what he had to do and began aggressively stalking McGregor.
Mayweather, a five-time world champion, was coaxed out of retirement to face McGregor, a mixed martial arts champion who had never boxed professionally.
The verbal sparring began long before the first punch is thrown. For the last two months, Mayweather and McGregor have been on a trash-talking tour promoting the unusual match-up between a mixed martial arts champion and a man who many consider to be the best pound-for-pound boxer in history.
Mayweather, who was the overwhelming favorite, is eyeing a $200 to $300 million payday. McGregor could earn up to $100 million -- win or lose. But McGregor had to stick to boxing rules, which means no kicking and no grappling.
The build-up Saturday night was so intense that the fight was delayed due to pay-per-view problems. | 1,265,372 |
Texas mom warns home intruder that she's 'locked and loaded'
Posted by Maria Luce on Thursday, May 4, 2017
Don't mess with a Texas mom or her kids. That's the message a woman in McKinney, Texas hopes to send on Facebook after she caught someone breaking into her house.
Maria Luce walked into her living room to find someone walking in through a back door. In the surveillance video obtained by WFAA, the trespasser can be seen quickly running back outside as soon as they spot each other.
After the encounter, Luce posted a video on Facebook with a message to the person who walked into her home. Holding a shotgun, she says: "Just to make something clear, to the kid who broke into my home last night, not sure if you know what this is, but I am locked and loaded. And by the way, thank you for leaving all the evidence behind because guess what? You are on camera breaking into our home, and you're so smart that you left your fingerprints everywhere."
STRANGE BREAK-IN: Houston-area man faces charges of burglary with intent to fondle himself, sexually assault homeowner
The video goes on to point out that her home is equipped with surveillance cameras inside and out, and that the McKinney Police Department will have plenty of evidence available.
"Don't mess with my home. It was not smart on your part, young man, you committed a felony and you will be found. Period," the video concludes.
Luce explained that her 12-year-old twins were upstairs at the time. She said that her son had recently flaunted his expensive shoes, called "Yeazys," on social media just prior to the incident. Luce said that might have prompted the break-in, although police have not confirmed any possible connection.
"This all for tennis shoes?" she asked on the Facebook post accompanying the video. "Be glad I didn't have this shotgun in my hand when I came face to face with you. I can guarantee the winner and outcome on that. All McKinney middle school parents -be aware if this is your child -he's in VERY SERIOUS TROUBLE."
ANOTHER TEXAS BREAK-IN: Police: Man in Austin wipes feces on woman's apartment after breaking in
She's asking for her community to "spread the word" to help find the trespasser.
Luce is now the target of some criticism from people who think she went too far with the video. She's responded to some criticism explaining that she took adequate measures to protect her family.
Image 1 of / 27 Caption Close Texas mom warns home intruder that she's 'locked and loaded' 1 / 27 Back to Gallery
See the gallery above for a look at how women feel about guns. | 1,265,373 |
FORT COLLINS, Colo.-- Colorado State University interim director of athletics John Morris will be the new director of athletics at Tufts University, it was announced by Tufts. Morris, who joined the CSU Athletics staff in 2012 as deputy athletics director, has served as interim director of athletics since August 2014.
Morris will maintain his position at Colorado State at least into spring to assist with the transition to a new director of athletics.
"My family and I are very excited about the terrific opportunity that awaits us at Tufts University," Morris said. "At the same time, it is very difficult to leave a place as special as Colorado State. Fort Collins has been a great home for us, and it has been an honor to serve at this world-class university under President Tony Frank's leadership. I am pleased that the timing of my move to Tufts will enable me to help assure a smooth transition for the new A.D."
Prior to coming to Colorado State, Morris served as the senior associate athletic director for eight years at the University of Washington, where he managed several sports programs, in addition to overseeing the athletic department's NCAA rules compliance program and the student-athlete academic support unit.
"I will always cherish my time at CSU," Morris continued, "and I am grateful I was able to share a few years with a group of extremely talented and dedicated coaches and staff, who are passionate about developing and educating young people and providing them with the best possible student-athlete experience. I also will miss the incredible Ram student-athletes, who inspire me daily and remind me how lucky I am to do what I do."
The university is presently in the process of hiring a new athletics director. With strong interest in the job nationwide, the search committee expects to complete its work within the next month.
"I'm tremendously thankful to John for all that he's accomplished at CSU during his time as both interim athletics director and deputy athletics director," President Tony Frank said. "John has been a rock solid performer, and I encouraged him to stay in the candidate pool for the permanent athletics director role. But John believes that this move is best for him both personally and professionally, and I respect that. I will personally miss his leadership and friendship, and the entire Ram family joins me in wishing John and his family the very best in the future."
"Dr. Frank has been a great leader, mentor and friend, and I'm appreciative of his encouragement to compete for the privilege to be the next A.D. at Colorado State," Morris said. "While the decision to leave CSU did not come easily, I feel very strongly that this opportunity at Tufts is the right fit for my family and me. My experiences here at CSU have helped prepare me for this new adventure and I'm very excited to take on the challenges ahead." | 1,265,374 |
DESCRIPTION
The scientific discoveries and technological innovations produced by Bell System research and engineering were critical not only to the evolution of global telecommunications but, more widely, they had a considerable impact on the technological base of the global economy and, indeed, on our daily lives.
Bell Labs is the source of many significant contributions, of course, in the area of telephony, but also in memory devices, imaging devices, system organization, computers and software technology, as well as acoustics, optics, switching, transmission, wireless and data communication. New principles, new materials, new devices, and new systems from Bell Telephone Laboratories resulted in new industries, hundreds of new products, and thousands of new jobs. The invention of the transistor in 1947, and subsequent advances in related solid-state device and circuit technology formed the basis of a multibillion dollar global industry and ultimately enabled the digital world. Shannon's seminal paper titled >"A Mathematical Theory of Communication," published over 60 years ago, gave birth to Information Theory and has stood as the guiding foundation for communications scientists and engineers in their quest for faster, more efficient, and more robust communications systems ever since. The charge-coupled device (CCD), a technology that transforms patterns of light into useful digital information, is the basis for many forms of modern digital imaging. It has launched entirely new industries and markets and is widely used in devices as diverse as digital cameras, video cameras, and bar code readers as well as in security monitoring, medical endoscopy, modern astronomy and video conferencing. Optical technology and systems, from earliest advances in lasers to low-loss fiber, opto-electronic waveguide devices, and high capacity WDM transmission systems have enabled worldwide connectivity to build a truly global community. Cellular telephone service, the concept that multiple lower-power transmitters could be spread throughout a region employing automatic call handoff and frequency reuse changed the face of communications. Multiple input multiple output (MIMO) smart antenna technology in concert with LTE, based on OFDM technology, will define next generation wireless, delivering wider coverage and higher throughput.
"Technological innovation" is more than just invention. It is a process, often long and costly, of transforming new scientific knowledge into feasible technology, introducing it to use, and making its benefits available to the public. âTechnical integrationâ is intended to emphasize the more subtle flow of an intangibleâengineering information and understanding. Not only has Bell Labs innovated, but it also showed the world technical integration of the innovations. The Bell System Technical Journal was a key enabler for this achievement.
With this posting of the Bell System Technical Journal from volume 1 issue 1 in July 1922 to the final issue published in December 1983, we are pleased to be able to open the vault of this knowledge to our global technical colleagues.
Rod Alferness
Chief Scientist, Bell Labs
| 1,265,375 |
The meetings at the United States and the Chinese space agencies conceded an agreement at the 56th session of Scientific Technology Subcommittee meeting of UN Committee of Peaceful Uses of Outer Space meeting in Vienna, Austria to release the findings publicly, from 11-22 February. In a press release on Friday, NASA said:
Last month, NASA discussed with the China National Space Administration (CNSA) to explore the possibility of observing the signature of the landing pad of their lunar lander, Chang & # 4 and 4, using the LRO tool of the LAMP: Science has gathered on how the moon dust is ejected to the top during the landing of a spacecraft could inform future missions and how they arrive on the lunar surface.
The statement by NASA stressed on the point that any joint operation with China would be “mutual, transparent, and mutually beneficial”, in accordance with the guidelines of Congress and Trump administration.
I see you and you see me! Chang'e-4 and Yutu-2 take pictures of each other on the far side of the Moon #ChangE4 pic.twitter.com/QUZBFJhapQ — China Xinhua News (@XHNews) January 11, 2019
According to the published reports, an American law demands NASA to get advanced approval of any cooperation efforts it intends to do with Beijing on the space exploration. But that publication gave no denotation that that law would, or would not apply, to next flyover.
Congratulations to China’s Chang’e-4 team for successfully landing on the far side of the Moon! This picture from @LRO_NASA shows the area where the Chang’e 4 touched down. The next opportunity to image the landing site will come at the end of January: https://t.co/ShOFOwyOrv pic.twitter.com/BwGI61NnC9 — Thomas Zurbuchen (@Dr_ThomasZ) January 3, 2019
The Chinese spacecraft Chang & e-4, made the historic landing on the moon on January 3. It sent first images from farthest side of Earth’s natural satellite a few hours later. Located on the north-western side of most known lunar craters, the basin of South Pole-Aitken, the device made its landing in Vom Karman crater. The position of aircraft will allow studying mineral composition of the surface of the moon and also obtaining new data on the mantle of the moon, according to the Chinese scientists.
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NASA was not able to pull down the orbit of its lunar vehicle to be in optimal position during the landing of Chinese probe on the dark side of the moon for many reasons. It was said by NASA that the detection of the plume of the dust during January 31 flyover might still be possible. | 1,265,376 |
Most people take the partitions that divide the traffic on U.S. highways for granted. But these seemingly simple barriers are actually deceptively sophisticated: Their designs have been well-tested and tweaked to ensure driver safety on both sides of the road in the event of a crash. The most common name for these ubiquitous concrete slabs is “Jersey Barriers”—but why?
Concrete road barriers were first used in California in 1946; they replaced the standard (but weak) wood beam guardrails on the treacherous Grapevine section of the state’s Ridge Route highway—the home of the original “Dead Man’s Curve”—where the roads had a 6 percent downgrade that led to many head-on collisions. Then, in 1949, the state of New Jersey adopted comparable concrete structures and installed preventative parabolic median barriers on the Jugtown Mountain section of US Route 22 in Hunterdon County, which had a similarly hazardous downgrade to the Ridge Route highway.
These original barriers measured 19 inches high and 30 inches wide, with 2 inches buried in the road to provide stability. Each was anchored to the roadbed by steel dowels and consisted of a 2-inch thick outer layer of white concrete to make it more visible at night. Though the initial barriers were somewhat successful in reducing the impact of collisions, New Jersey state highway engineers continued to tinker with the design, creating progressively larger prototypes based on amounts of observed accidents (as opposed to performing controlled crash testing). Eventually, in 1959, they settled on a standard barrier height of 32 full inches above the pavement with a 24-inch-wide base. The base is 3 inches high and is followed by a 13-inch side slope before the barrier becomes vertical. These barriers would be implemented in various states, but would bear the name of the state in which they were developed.
Jersey Barriers are designed to redirect a crash, using the car’s momentum to absorb the impact and slide the vehicle up parallel along the side of the barrier to prevent a rollover. In high-speed crashes with small cars along Jersey Barriers, however, there is a greater likelihood that the car will roll over, so an alternate barrier was created. According to the Federal Highway Administration, the F-Shape barrier has the same 3-inch-high base, but features a side that slopes 10 inches above the pavement—three inches less than the side slope of the Jersey Barrier—and is thus able to better absorb proportional impacts from smaller chassis to prevent a rollover. Though the F-Shape is generally preferred, the use of Jersey Barriers—as well as other barrier designs, including constant slope, single slope, and vertical—are still acceptable, because they adequately pass crash tests administered by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Additional Source: Federal Highway Adminstration [PDF]; primary image courtesy of NYC Dot Flickr. | 1,265,377 |
Seeking Arrangement website has more than 200 members at Queen's University Belfast
Hundreds of skint Northern Ireland students are ditching their part-time jobs and searching for a sugar daddy to help ease their financial woes.
Over 200 female students at Queen’s University have signed up to the Seeking Arrangement website where rich men pay cash-strapped young women, known as sugar babies, on average £5,000 for their company, or more often, for sex.
Last week the website released its annual ranking of the fastest growing sugar baby schools of 2015, placing Queen’s at number 10 in the UK with a 49.41 per cent increase on signs ups from last year.
So what’s behind this upsurge in Belfast sugar babies?
Seeking Arrangement CEO Brandon Wade, who once said “love is a concept created by poor people,” believes crippling university fees are to blame.
“Tripling tuition fees are crippling students, who are left to sort out how to afford their education.
“True, they can do it the hard way, but why struggle when there are people who are happy to help?” he said.
attractive
“Three-quarters of graduates won’t even be able to pay off their debt.
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“Sugaring not only aids in the cost of pursuing an education, but a large majority of these men and women will have a more solid financial situation upon graduation - maybe even a job.”
Seeking Arrangement and the hundreds of sites out there like it sell the sugar daddy/sugar baby relationship as a quid pro quo arrangement.
And it works - Seeking Arrangement is the biggest site of its kind in the world boasting four million members across 139 countries.
On the website, sugar daddies are described as: “Successful men who know what they want. They’re driven, and enjoy attractive company by their side. Money isn’t an issue, thus they are generous when it comes to supporting a sugar baby.”
Meanwhile a sugar baby who can sign up for free using a university email address is said to be: “An attractive person looking for the finer things in life. They appreciate exotic trips and gifts.
“Sugar babies get to experience a luxurious lifestyle, and meet wealthy people on a regular basis.”
Seeking Arrangement claims to offer a “relationship on your terms” between the two parties.
Brandon Wade said: “An arrangement is where people are direct. It allows people to immediately define what they need and want in a relationship - everyone gets what they want.”
Belfast Telegraph | 1,265,378 |
Wax and Soap Combo Could Lead to Cheaper Lithium-Ion Batteries
August 20th, 2010 by Tina Casey
Researchers at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory have discovered that cleanliness is next to cheapliness. They have developed a simple one-step method, based on wax and soap, that will enable researchers to develop a wide variety low-cost materials for use in lithium-ion batteries.
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The high price of lithium-ion batteries is a big roadblock to mass commercialization of electric vehicles, so any success in bringing down costs at the research and development end could have a significant impact on the consumer market and help the way for introducing electric fleets into more businesses.
Wax and Soap and Electrodes
The researchers fround that paraffin is an excellent medium on which to grow materials for use in electrodes, a key component of lithium-ion batteries (paraffin is a waxy solid consisting of alkanes, which are organic compounds composed of hydrogen and carbon). Researchers at Pacific figured out that conventional electrodes were losing capacity due to the thickness of the material, but the problem was how to grow smaller particles arranged in neat crystals. They hit upon a method for growing crystals on melted paraffin with a form of soap called oleic acid, then slowly raising the temperature until the wax and soap boil off (for a colorful description of the way lithium-ion batteries work, check out “The Recharge Tale” in Pacific Lab’s press release).
Many Paths to Cheaper Battery
The research also lead to a a significant improvement in the storage capacity of a test battery, but only if the battery was charged over a long period of time, which means that it is not suitable for many consumer uses. However, the paraffin-and-soap growing method itself has value, as a research tool for testing and developing different low-cost metals for use in electrodes. Other low-cost developments are on the way, too, not only in terms of the materials used but also in the manufacturing process. For example, International Battery uses a water based method for creating the slurry of binders that coat the electrodes, which saves 85% on waste management expenses.
Image (altered): Flakes of lithium manganese phosphate by Daiwon Choi, PNNL on flickr.com.
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On this day, Aug. 2 …
2019: President Trump decides to withdraw the U.S. from the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty, the historic arms-control treaty signed by President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev.
Also on this day …
1876: "Wild Bill" Hickok is shot and killed while playing poker at a saloon in Deadwood, Dakota Territory, by Jack McCall. (McCall would be hanged.)
1921: A jury in Chicago acquits several former members of the Chicago White Sox baseball team and two others of conspiring to defraud the public in the notorious "Black Sox" scandal linked to the 1919 World Series.
1923: Warren G. Harding, the 29th president of the United States, dies while in office of a heart attack in San Francisco; Vice President Calvin Coolidge becomes president.
Warren G. Harding, the 29th president of the United States, dies while in office of a heart attack in San Francisco; Vice President Calvin Coolidge becomes president. 1939: Albert Einstein signs a letter to President Franklin D. Roosevelt urging creation of an atomic weapons research program.
Albert Einstein signs a letter to President Franklin D. Roosevelt urging creation of an atomic weapons research program. 1939: President Roosevelt signs the Hatch Act, which prohibits civil service employees from taking an active part in political campaigns.
President Roosevelt signs the Hatch Act, which prohibits civil service employees from taking an active part in political campaigns. 1974: Former White House counsel John W. Dean III is sentenced to one to four years in prison for obstruction of justice in the Watergate cover-up. (Dean would serve up to four months.)
Former White House counsel John W. Dean III is sentenced to one to four years in prison for obstruction of justice in the Watergate cover-up. (Dean would serve up to four months.) 1990: Iraq invades Kuwait, seizing control of the oil-rich emirate. (The Iraqis were later driven out by a U.S.-led coalition in Operation Desert Storm.)
Iraq invades Kuwait, seizing control of the oil-rich emirate. (The Iraqis were later driven out by a U.S.-led coalition in Operation Desert Storm.) 2000: Republicans nominate Texas Gov. George W. Bush to lead their 2000 presidential ticket at the party's convention in Philadelphia and ratify former Defense Secretary Dick Cheney as his running mate.
Republicans nominate Texas Gov. George W. Bush to lead their 2000 presidential ticket at the party's convention in Philadelphia and ratify former Defense Secretary Dick Cheney as his running mate. 2018: Pope Francis changes Roman Catholic Church teaching on capital punishment, decreeing that the death penalty is "inadmissible" under all circumstances.
2018: Apple becomes the world's first publicly traded company to be valued at $1 trillion. | 1,265,380 |
, the same 4 point gap as in the four-way estimate.
Family Assets
An additional result finds a slight edge to Trump in whose family has been the greatest asset to the candidate in the campaign. By 46 to 41 percent, likely voters pick his family over hers on this question. The chief reason is that 85 percent of Trump supporters see his family as the greater asset, while fewer Clinton supporters, 75 percent, say the same of her family.
In another gap, women divide essentially equally, 44 percent Trump to 43 Clinton, while men are more apt to see his family as having been asset to him in the campaign, 48 to 39 percent. In the sharpest division, non-college-educated whites, Trump’s core support group, see his family as a better asset by 60 to 27 percent. College-educated whites pick his family far more narrowly, again 48 to 39 percent.
Groups
Results among groups, beyond the racial groups described above, underscore the country's deep, if typical, political divisions. Among Democrats and independents who lean toward the Democratic Party, 85 percent back Clinton; among Republicans and GOP-leaning independents, 82 percent favor Trump, matching his low in tracking. Pure independents — those who don't lean toward either party, 7 percent of the electorate — divide closely, 40 percent Trump to 36 Clinton, with 18 percent for other candidates (chiefly Johnson or Stein).
Education is another key factor. Clinton leads by 54 to 35 percent among those who have a four-year college degree. Among those with less education, nearly 6 in 10 likely voters, it's 48 percent Trump to 43 Clinton.
The education gap is especially wide among whites. Among those with a college degree, it’s 47 percent Clinton to 41 Trump. Among whites without a college degree — Trump's mainstay, it’s 62 percent Trump to 29 Clinton. On this result, as in others, what matters ultimately is how many in each group — whether with positive motivations or negative ones — get out and vote.
Methodology
This ABC News/Washington Post poll was conducted by landline and cellular telephone Nov. 2 to 5, 2016, in English and Spanish, among a random national sample of 1,937 likely voters. Results have a margin of sampling error of 2.5 points, including the design effect. Partisan divisions are 38-31-27 percent, Democrats-Republicans-independents.
Questions 7, 10 and 11 were asked Nov. 3 to 5 among 1,773 likely voters; those results also have a 2.5 point error margin.
The survey was produced for ABC News by Langer Research Associates of New York, N.Y., with sampling, data collection and tabulation by Abt-SRBI of New York City. See details on the survey’s methodology here. | 1,265,381 |
Obama Takes To Twitter To Promote Obamacare Enrollment
Enlarge this image Get America Covered/Screenshot by NPR Get America Covered/Screenshot by NPR
Former President Barack Obama took to Twitter Wednesday morning to encourage people to shop for Affordable Care Act health insurance.
Obama's rare appeal comes as his signature health care law is under attack by his successor, President Trump, and Republicans in Congress.
Obama's tweet to his more than 95 million followers includes a short video, set to jaunty music, where the former president urges people to log on to the federal insurance exchange, HealthCare.gov, and sign up for coverage for next year.
"It's November 1, which means today is the first day to get covered for 2018," Obama says. It's not clear where he's standing, but the ocean is in the background.
While the point of the video, which is on Obama's Facebook page, too, is clearly to gin up business for HealthCare.gov, Obama takes the opportunity to defend his signature achievement. He mentions two of the law's most popular provisions, both of which have been threatened by Republicans.
"Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, insurance companies can no longer charge you more just for being a woman, or having a preexisting condition — and that's a good thing," he says.
Republicans in Congress have tried over and over this year to repeal the Affordable Care Act and replace it with an alternative plan. Those efforts have failed in large part because most of the alternative ideas would end with millions fewer people having health coverage.
Still, President Trump has repeatedly said the Affordable Care Act markets are collapsing. Critics say Trump's actions have weakened those markets because they've injected uncertainty into the system, leading companies to either raise premiums or pull out of the system altogether.
Average premiums for 2018 will be higher than in 2017, according to the Department of Health and Human Services. But those higher premiums are more than offset by higher government subsidies, for the 85 percent of consumers who buy insurance on the ACA exchanges and qualify for financial assistance.
An HHS analysis released this week shows the average premium for a 27-year-old making $25,000 a year is 37 percent higher, but the average subsidy rises by 73 percent.
One of Trump's actions was to cut the budget for outreach and education surrounding this open enrollment season by 90 percent.
The Obama Twitter video is part of an effort by nonprofit groups to make up for that loss. A group of former Obama administration officials launched a campaign called Get America Covered to get the word out that open enrollment begins November 1 and runs for six weeks.
Using Obama's star power to spread the word could be pretty effective. But it's far from certain that a Twitter video can make up for the millions of advertising and outreach dollars cut by the Trump administration. | 1,265,382 |
ANN ARBOR, MI -- Their head coach once famously noted, "Pride comes before the fall," in reference to the Wolverines, but how the tables may have turned. Michigan State and Michigan are currently on different trajectories, much as they were in the late-2000's when Mark Dantonio uttered that idiom.
With the rivalry set to renew on Saturday in East Lansing, Michigan is ranked second in the country, and the Spartans have lost five straight and are currently winless in the Big Ten. It's not how the prognosticators saw the season unfolding, exactly.
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While Michigan was expected to have a contending season, so, too, were the Spartans. Both were ranked highly in preseason polls, with Michigan starting at eight and the Spartans eleventh in the Amway Coaches Poll. Before the season had begun, this matchup was expected to be a veritable best of of two top teams in the Big Ten's eastern division.
So much so, that Michigan State's players did a little talking in the offseason. Their confidence remained high, as they were coming off a Big Ten championship season and played in the second ever College Football Playoff. Michigan State linebacker Jon Reschke said, in a tweet that's since been deleted, "100 days till they get locked in our stadium for 60 minutes again" [@J_Reschke33, July 21, 2016]. A few of his fellow teammates followed suit:
Since my boys tweeting about it.. Y'all boys got 100 days until y'all feel the same pain y'all been feeling.. #-48 I ain't forgot — RJ Williamson (@RogerThat_26) July 21, 2016
Michigan All-American senior cornerback Jourdan Lewis noticed this, and said that he chose not to involve himself in the war of words.
"They actually did [trash talk us], in the summer," Lewis noted. "They had this little series of tweets. '100 Days.' 100 days until we're locked in their stadium and stuff like that. I didn't really pay attention to it. I was just ready for the game.
"People tag me in stuff like that, but it's kind of annoying. Let's focus on the game. I'm not trying to chirp you. Let's just play the game, have the game on the field instead of on Twitter."
Lewis and his second-ranked Wolverines will indeed be locked in Spartan Stadium for 60 minutes on Saturday, in a game in which Michigan is currently favored by 21.5, according to the Westgate SuperBook.
Be sure to enjoy VIP access to Wolverine247 until January 2017 with our FREE trial promotional offer. | 1,265,383 |
SpaceIL, the team behind the Beresheet spacecraft, will not be reattempting its mission to land on the Moon, the non-profit announced on Tuesday.
Following a lengthy debate, SpaceIL decided that landing on the Moon was "not a sufficiently great challenge."
"The journey of Beresheet to the Moon, despite the hard landing, will last in the memory of Israel and the world as a successful one, a breakthrough, and very significant for future human journeys to the Moon," SpaceIL said in a statement.
"Feedback that we received from across the world in the weeks following the landing pointed toward the mission being considered an extraordinary success and breaking many world records."
As a result, the committee decided, SpaceIL would search for a new challenge. It will also keep the public informed of any decisions made and continue its educational "Beresheet Effect" projects for schoolchildren.
SpaceIL’s first, ill-fated Beresheet project, crash-landed in the Sea of Serenity on April 11.
Engineers lost contact with the spacecraft only minutes before it was due to complete the historic landing – a feat previously achieved only by the United States, Russia (then the USSR) and China – after an epic seven-week, 6.5 million km. journey since Beresheet blasted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida on board a SpaceX rocket on February 22.
cnxps.cmd.push(function () { cnxps({ playerId: '36af7c51-0caf-4741-9824-2c941fc6c17b' }).render('4c4d856e0e6f4e3d808bbc1715e132f6'); });
While the spacecraft attempted to restart its engine several times after losing contact, the attempts proved unsuccessful, making a high-velocity crash landing on the moon inevitable.
Days after the failed landing, SpaceIL announced Beresheet 2, a second mission to land an Israeli spacecraft on the Moon. The Science Ministry’s Israel Space Agency (ISA) announced that it would contribute NIS 20 million, double its contribution to the first effort.
The ISA also requested NASA's further involvement in the second lunar effort, after the US agency provided the original mission with laser retro-reflector technology to improve communication with the module before, during and after its intended landing.
The first Beresheet mission budget stood at approximately NIS 350 million – financed almost entirely by private donors and costing a fraction of the missions sponsored by governments of the three countries that have successfully reached the Moon to date.
While SpaceIL and its lead donor, Morris Kahn, then stated their ambition to complete the second mission within two years, the organization will now formulate new objectives. | 1,265,384 |
have no doubt we will win,” Carpenter said.
Representative Paul Poirier has been involved in Vermont politics since the 1980's and has seen single-payer efforts come and go. As a member of the State's Health Committee, who feels Obamacare doesn't go far enough, he has been happy to see the Healthcare as a Human Right movement pick up steam, in spite of the many business interests that have been pushing against it. "The only reason I keep getting re-elected is because I do what my constituents want," he said, "and they have been telling me very clearly that they want universal healtcare."
Act 48, won by these grassroots efforts, commits to setting up a publicly financed system by 2017. Using a waiver provision in the ACA, states can opt out of Obamacare and administer their own statewide health program, if they can demonstrate that the state’s access to healthcare will be at least as good as under the ACA. The “Healthcare Is a Human Right” campaign is working toward an innovative new system where insurance premiums are done away with and all state residents become automatically eligible for publicly financed healthcare that covers the care they need, when they need it. While Act 48 puts Vermont on a path to a universal healthcare system, the state must accomplish several steps to realize that goal. Most importantly, the details of which revenue streams Vermont will use to pay for the new system and how it will be administered must still be worked out.
In a concession to the insurance industry, Obama took a single-payer option off the table at an early stage of negotiating the ACA. Now, the people of Vermont have shown that lots of people in this country will not stop organizing until they get the universal healthcare they feel we all deserve. Pressure on Vermont’s politicians who have embraced the new system is mounting. Elections are this November. With insurance and pharmaceutical companies mobilizing to prevent universal healthcare from moving forward and the Koch brothers heavily financing pro-Republican campaign spots that seize the opportunity created by the failings of Obamacare, the battle in Vermont is set to intensify. As people continue to occupy political spaces, reach out to their neighbors and take action, it remains to be seen if people power in Vermont will triumph over the traditional healthcare industry victors.
As the first state to create a universal health care system for its residents, the eyes of the country will be focused squarely on Vermont as it goes forward. Much like gay marriage and medical marijuana, universal healthcare could be won on a state-by-state basis. With the limitations of Obamacare becoming ever clearer, people in other states are looking to Vermont to learn how they can make their elected officials institute universal healthcare. Grassroots groups in Maine, Maryland and Pennsylvania have picked up the VWC’s “Healthcare is a Human Right” banner and are borrowing some of their organizing tactics to build their own movements. | 1,265,385 |
Psytronik Software proudly presents ORGANISM, an immersive sci-fi arcade action adventure game for the C64 from Trevor Storey & Achim Volkers with atmospheric soundtracks by Saul Cross. Explore the decks of the doomed transport ship Heracles and try to find a means of escape by finding pass-keys, data disks and terminals that will give you access to other areas on the ship. Be wary of crew-members that may have been infected by something that is lurking on the ship... Something that you must evade or destroy at all costs!
ORGANISM is also available in the following formats for the C64:-
The COLLECTOR'S EDITION is presented in a stunning fully printed glossy box that contains the game on floppy disk, artwork stickers, a deluxe art card, badges, glossy game artwork poster and a printed Heracles deck map.
The PREMIUM PLUS DISK EDITION of the game is presented with full colour double-sided artwork in a clear plastic disk case.
The BUDGET DISK EDITION features a 5.25" floppy disk presented in a full colour glossy disk-sleeve with a glossy disk label and printed instruction booklet.
The C64 TAPE EDITION features the game on cassette tape presented with a glossy full colour double-sided tape inlay.
** ORGANISM STORY **
United transport shipping vehicle 'The Heracles' travels on the edge of known space. It's destination the military station Damocles. It's cargo classified.
When a breach in the cargo containers sends the ship into high alert and the crew are awoken from their hypersleep only horror awaits them in the dark and silent corridors.
Now it's up to you, as a member of the Heracles crew, to investigate what triggered the breach. As you climb into your UV suit you hear the screams of your crew-mates echoing from deep within the ship.
** ORGANISM FEATURES **
· Detailed hi-res graphics
· Huge multi-deck ship to explore
· Atmospheric music
· Immersive movie-style story
· Intro & end sequences
· Terminal hacking sub-game
· SD2IEC compatible
· PAL and NTSC compatible
** ORGANISM CREDITS **
Game Design & Graphics by Trevor Storey
Coding by Achim Volkers
Music by Saul Cross
Packaging Artwork by Trevor Storey
Additional packaging design by Jason 'Kenz' Mackenzie
Compatible with THEC64 MINIi!
Note: This release is not endorsed by or officially linked to THEC64 MINI but is fully compatible with the system.
larger image | 1,265,386 |
The Beef Jerky Outlet In North Carolina Where You’ll Find More Than 100 Tasty Varieties
Love all things jerky? Then this jerky haven in the Tar Heel State is just the place for you! With more than 100 varieties of the meaty snack, this Beef Jerky Outlet is the perfect spot to relish in a jerky wonderland that also has some other hard-to-find snacks.
We’re aware that these uncertain times are limiting many aspects of life as we all practice social and physical distancing. While we’re continuing to feature destinations that make our state wonderful, we don’t expect or encourage you to go check them out immediately. We believe that supporting local attractions is important now more than ever and we hope our articles inspire your future adventures! And on that note, please nominate your favorite local business that could use some love right now: https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/nominate/
Locally owned and snuggled into the heart of Kitty Hawk, this jerky paradise has wall-to-wall jerky snacks perfect for any road trip, Netflix binge, or just snacking at your desk! Google Maps/Skip Rowland Whether you're seeking meat strips or meat sticks, the awesome selection of flavors and meats will astound you (and probably make your mouth water a little). Facebook/Beef Jerky Outlet Outer Banks From too hot to handle to milder flavors (think BBQ) and more, you're sure to spend quite a while in here deciding which ones to take home. Luckily, there are samples of many available varieties so you can choose just the right one (or dozen). Google Maps/Beef Jerky Outlet Outer Banks That's not all you'll find at this jerky outlet. Expect to find some sauces, spreads, flavored popcorn — and even... Google Maps/Skip Rowland... an entire section devoted to... INSECTS. It is jerky if there isn't any meat? Google Maps/Gerry Neary Find out for yourself with this delightful box of Worm Snax, or grab a pack of crickets. Google Maps/Skip Rowland Not into jerky? You may be surprised what you're into (and not) once you try some! Google Maps/Carl Samans Ready for a road trip? No problem! Just THINK of all that jerky you'll have for the ride home! Google Maps
The Beef Jerky Outlet is located at 3809 N Croatan Hwy. Suite E, Kitty Hawk, NC 27949. It’s open seven days a week. The hours are Sunday through Thursday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., and Friday/Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Learn more on their Facebook page! | 1,265,387 |
Double opt-in – One of the first steps to email marketing
Establishing a trusting relationship with your clients is a must these days. It increases the chances for better CTRs and eventually, a higher ROI. That’s why adding an Opt-in option to all your campaigns is crucial.
Adding the Opt-in check mark to the registration forms will guarantee that every new recipient wants to be included in your mailing list, at least for the moment of the registry.
Use the Opt-in Tool as the First Step to Profitable Email Marketing
Opt-in email marketing can have a huge effect on a company’s reputation and will let the client understand whether or not you are a trustworthy company or your future emails can be forwarded directly to spam.
And while Opt-in is pretty simple, double Opt-in can be a bit more tricky. The double Opt-in process is basically an autoresponder requesting confirmation, on which the client must click. The client must first sign up by filling a sign-up form on your website (or by any other mean) and then verify by clicking on a verification email. Only after the client clicks on the verification link will he/she be added to the recipients’ list and start receiving marketing material.
Choosing to send this confirmation email after the client registers, improves the quality of the recipient list since it is filtering fraudulent activity and submissions and getting a clear and affirmative action that indicates their consent to receive your marketing communications and offers.
Double Opt-in – Do it right
For you, a double Opt-in email campaign means having control over your recipient lists by filtering out illegal email addresses and thus keeping a positive rating with email providers. Inaccurate recipient lists lead to low ratings which in turn direct your emails straight to the spam folder in your recipients’ inbox.
That’s why optimizing the Double Opt-in process is a key step to getting better engagement, higher open rates, and CTRs and increasing your conversion rates from subscribers to customers.
New Legal Implications
According to spam laws all over the world, each recipient list must consist only of recipients who specifically agreed to be included. But with new European regulation coming into force in May 2018, digital marketers whos bread and butter is email marketing and storing digital data, should really pay attention and the double Opt-in email marketing process should almost be redundant.
How to Get Started
By using ActiveTrail’s advanced reports system you can start monitoring your clients’ activity right from the start by keeping track of their responses to your Opt-in emails. Learn their habits and start marketing your products and services the right way.
Don’t think of it as another marketing function – Think of it as the first handshake between a service provider and a potential customer. | 1,265,388 |
.
Charlie Sykes, the most influential conservative talk radio host in the state, said Nehlen’s tone is a liability.
“It is an ugly, bitter tone that really clashes with the more upbeat, optimistic tone that people are used to hearing from people like Paul Ryan,” Sykes said. “And frankly, it underlines the fact that he’s not from around here and doesn’t appear to be familiar with any of the fights that we’ve had.”
“It’s very much got the feel of a scam PAC directed from Alexandria, Virginia, rather than anything genuinely grassroots,” Sykes added.
Matt Batzel, the Wisconsin-based national executive director for the conservative activist-training group American Majority, concurred.
“Nehlen’s getting momentum,” he said, “but it’s from the wrong people.”
Wisconsin has a well-developed, influential conservative media infrastructure, and it’s played a central role in Republicans’ efforts to turn the state purple. And none of the state’s prominent conservative media figures have come to bat for Nehlen.
And those tensions could affect the presidential election. Trump’s team has begun concerted efforts to reach out to Trump-skeptical conservatives in Wisconsin, especially in the corner of the state that Ryan represents. Sykes said vice presidential nominee Mike Pence sat down with him in person on July 27 to discuss how Trump’s team could get anti-Trump Republicans to work with him—or at least, against Hillary Clinton—in November. Trump can’t win Wisconsin without maximizing turnout in the state’s Republican-rich, Trump-skeptical southeast corner. And Ryan is the most popular Wisconsin Republican in that part of a state. By flirting with Nehlen, Trump took Pence’s bridge-building efforts and blow-torched them.
And Ryan isn’t the only top Republican left reeling over Trump’s move. Priebus worked overtime to unify Wisconsin’s top Republicans behind Trump. Walker, Duffy, and Ryan have all judiciously avoided criticism of the mogul, despite his obvious shortcomings. Sykes chalks that up to Priebus’s lobbying efforts. Wisconsin was one fairly happy Republican family—that is, until Trump took a shine to Nehlen.
“I don’t think it’s possible to overstate how close Ryan and Reince Priebus are, and how angry and upset Priebus was about this,” Sykes said. “This was a real personal and political humiliation for Reince.”
Barring something extraordinary, Nehlen will lose next Tuesday. And he’ll take Republican unity there down with him. | 1,265,389 |
Google's social network sees 58% jump in users
Alistair Barr | USA TODAY
SAN FRANCISCO — Google said Tuesday its social network Google+ has seen a 58% jump in users in recent months.
Vic Gundotra, head of social at Google, said Google+ has 300 million monthly active users, up from 190 million in May.
Google+ members who have interacted socially with any of Google's services in the past 30 days total 540 million, up from 390 million in May, he added.
Google is also uploading 1.5 billion photos per week, and that number is increasing at "an amazing rate," Gundotra said during an event here.
Google did not say how many of those photos are being shared on Google+. But Bradley Horowitz, vice president of product management at Google+, said it was a "very big number."
Google+, the company's social network, has struggled to keep up with the growth of Facebook since the Internet search leader launched the service in 2011.
Facebook has more than 1 billion monthly active users, while Twitter has just over 230 million.
However, Google is not just focusing on building the largest social network. Google+ is also an important tool that helps the company identify and authenticate users across all its services, including search, Gmail and YouTube, Horowitz said.
"Both missions are harmonized," Horowitz said. Google+ creates a social layer that provides a "coherent notion of a person" as they use other Google products, he explained.
That helps improve those products, but also helps Google serve better ads — the core of its business.
"The goal of Google+ is to make all Google services better, including ads," Horowitz said.
Gundotra unveiled several new Google+ features Tuesday that are focused on sharing photos on the social network, searching them and enhancing them.
Google has added about 1,000 more words, including "hug," "kiss" and "waterfall," that its algorithm can use to track down photos that have been uploaded to Google+.
Since Google+ started, the number of videos uploaded to the social network has jumped 20 fold, Gundotra also reported.
The executive unveiled Auto Awesome Movie, a new service that helps Google+ users create a movie from a collection of video clips that have been uploaded to the social network.
Google CEO Larry Page was laser focused on social for one or two years as Facebook went on a hiring spree and prepared for an IPO, which took place in 2012.
Since then, Google has shifted focus to other projects, such as Glass, the company's cutting-edge connected glasses, which operate through voice recognition.
Wall Street has embraced Google's shift, pushing the company's shares above $1,000 for the first time in recent weeks. | 1,265,390 |
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The number of homeless families in Ireland has trebled in just four years, statistics have revealed.
Focus Ireland released research that underlines once more the crisis in the housing sector.
The charity works closely with homeless families and said it has seen numbers jump 298% since 2015.
In February that year there were 429 families forced to live in emergency accommodation as they had nowhere to call home.
However, in February 2019 the situation had deteriorated drastically, with the numbers jumping to 1,707.
(Image: Getty Images)
Focus also revealed the the rental crunch is having a huge impact on homelessness, with 70% of families coming to them with nowhere to live having just lost rented accommodation.
The scene on the ground has got gradually worse and worse since he took office in the department’s grand home in Dublin’s Customs House two years ago this month.
Focus Ireland spokesman Mike Allen said: “There’s now a record number of 10,378 people homeless in Ireland and nearly 4,000 are children.
“The number of families who are homeless has shot up by a staggering 298% in the last four years from 429 in February 2015 to 1,707 in February 2019.
“This is wrong and we must all work together to end this crisis.
“Focus Ireland publishes this research as a contribution to the national understanding of the crisis, so we can arrive at more effective solutions.
“It also presents accurate information which we hope will counteract any misconceptions about why families are homeless and the very considerable efforts they are making to find themselves new homes.
“In order to end any crisis it is vital to fully understand the situation.
“We need to have solid data which clearly outlines where families were living before they lost their home, why they became homeless and what could have been done to prevent them from losing their home in the first place. This clear information informs our work with the State to refine our family services and to also develop policy recommendations that – if acted upon by Government – would help to greatly reduce the number of families becoming homeless.”
Focus’ report is titled Family Homelessness In Dublin; Causes, Housing Histories And Finding A Home.” It is the latest in a series of studies published through the charity’s Insights Into Family Homelessness Series.
It also found families are making extensive efforts to find a new home with more than three quarters trying to access properties through the Housing Assistance Payment.
Almost two-thirds (61%) had applied for more than 20 HAP properties each but nearly half (48%) felt landlords were reluctant to rent their properties to HAP tenants. | 1,265,391 |
CHUCK TODD:
The question really is, is when do you believe a fetus has constitutional rights?
SEN. TOM COTTON:
Chuck, like a lot of folks here in Arkansas, I'm pro-life. And I think a basic responsibility of government, in a civilized society, is to protect innocent life. I know that that's a passionate question on both sides. One of the problems of having unelected judges in Washington make that kind of decision for us, as a nation, is that you can't have space for democratic debate, where you can reach consensus and try to find some common ground. I think that's unfortunate. But I think that what I'm most proud of here, in Arkansas, is that we have recognized that the frontiers of medical science are being pushed back. So doctors are saving the lives of babies born in NICUs in this state at 22 or 20 or even earlier times. I think that's the kind of common ground that we can look for right now, at a time when unelected judges are still setting the basic rules on this very passionate issue.
CHUCK TODD:
But you, you, you yourself must have an opinion on this. When does ― when does a fetus have constitutional rights, in your mind?
SEN. TOM COTTON:
Chuck, what I want to try to find, in this debate, is area where we can, where we can agree on what we should do in a civilized society. If a baby can survive outside of its mother’s womb, in a NICU, as the amazing doctors that we have in this country are able to do, at 22, 20 weeks, then we should protect that life. I know there’s a lot of divisive issues and divisive debates....
CHUCK TODD:
You had, at one time, sponsored a bill, though, that wanted to declare that life began at conception. You did that in the House. But you do not support a similar bill that Sen. Rand Paul introduced. Why the change?
SEN. TOM COTTON:
Chuck, I haven’t reviewed Sen. Paul’s bill. I personally believe that life does begin at conception....
CHUCK TODD:
Is it, is it hard to make the ― if you believe that life begins at conception, then how do you justify an exception for rape and incest?
SEN. TOM COTTON:
Chuck, because we live in a democratic society. I recognize not everyone shares my views or the views of the vast majority of Americans or of Arkansans. That’s why I say that one of the major problems of having unelected judges make these kinds of decisions is we don’t have the ability to have those democratic debates. | 1,265,392 |
A POST mortem examination into the death of an east Belfast man who died following an arrest operation in the city centre has revealed he suffered fractures to his larynx, an injury consistent with having had his neck compressed.
Gerard McMahon from the Short Strand area died in hospital last Thursday, September 8.
He had been resuscitated by ambulance crews outside the Grand Opera House in Belfast's Great Victoria Street after turning blue during an arrest.
Police had restrained the 36-year-old and there were reports of CS gas being deployed during the arrest.
However, preliminary post mortem findings show that the nightclub DJ did not succumb to the effects of the gas but had his neck compressed and his windpipe restricted with bruising to his neck and laryngeal fractures. He also had several fractured ribs and significant bruising to his body.
Sources have told the Irish News officers are to be quizzed by the Ombudsman about the methods used during the arrest of the popular DJ, who was buried on Thursday, to establish if he was restrained in a way that may have contributed to his death.
CCTV from nearby business premises and witness statements from concerned ambulance crews who treated Mr McMahon at the scene will also be gathered by investigators from the ombudsman's office.
The Irish News has also learned that world renowned pathologist Dr Nathaniel Cary, the man who carried out a post mortem on the body of Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko, has been called in by the family's legal team to perform an independent review of the findings.
The ombudsman made an appeal for information this week and asked anyone who may have seen Mr McMahon at several locations in the city centre between 2am and 5am last Thursday to contact them.
The McMahon family's solicitor Padraig Ó Muirigh said they were "very concerned and distressed" at the preliminary findings of the post mortem carried out on Gerard McMahon.
"These findings indicate that he sustained bruising to the neck and laryngeal fractures, in addition to fractures to the ribs and bruising to the limbs", explained Mr Ó Muirigh.
"The post-mortem also confirmed that Gerard suffered a cardiac arrest during restraint. Toxicology results are still awaited.
"The McMahon family have engaged their own independent pathologist, Dr Nathaniel Cary, to review these post mortem findings.
"It is imperative that the Police Ombudsman’s Office carry out a thorough and prompt investigation into the circumstances of the role played by the police in this tragic incident, in particular, whether the control and restraint methods used by the PSNI during this incident contributed in any way to the death of Mr McMahon.
"The McMahon family would appeal to witnesses to this incident to come forward to the Police Ombudsman to assist their investigation and future inquest proceedings in relation to Mr McMahon’s death." | 1,265,393 |
documentation of early Spanish settlement.
'The earliest Spanish presence in the Glen Canyon area is 1776 when Father Atanasio Dominguez and Father Silvestre Velez de Escalante came through.
'But they were nowhere near the area where these coins were found, that we know of.'
'Does this point to an early Spanish presence that is unknown or really poorly documented? That's one possibility.'
However, it's also possible that the coins were traded with a native American tribe and then later lost at the canyon.
'That would also be really cool just to see that kind of connection between the early Spanish and native Americans at that time,' said Harmon.
But instead the old coins may have been brought across the Atlantic long after they were minted.
'If that really is a 13th-century coin, that does not indicate 13th-century Spanish were over here,' said Harmon.
A second coin discovered in the park, minted in Madrid, was likely made in 1662 or 1663
Christopher Columbus led the first major Spanish expedition to the Americas, which went to Caribbean islands and the coastline of Central America, shortly before Europeans began heading to the area in the 1500s
'That indicates that someone brought over a coin that was really old even then.'
A final theory is that the coins were dropped by a tourist.
As they were found among litter archaeologists aren't ruling it out, although they said that it seems unlikely.
Columbus set sail for the Americas on August 3, 1492, firing the starting gun for European colonization of the area.
The first Europeans are recorded in Utah as part of the 1765 Spanish expedition led by explorer Juan Antonio de Rivera. He claimed the area for Spain and found the Colorado river.
Then in 1776, Franciscan priests led by Escalante and Dominguez came through as they tried to find a route from Santa Fe to California, and then came back after their trip was unsuccessful.
In the early 1800s fur trappers looking for new hunting grounds show up in the area, and Salt Lake City is founded by Jim Bridger.
However, these coins may come from a previously undocumented expedition. There were gold deposits along the Colorado river at this time, and an interest in finding a route to California, leaving scope for a possible further expedition.
The coins were found near the Halls Crossing Marina on Lake Powell. However, the exact location is being kept secret by park officials until they can check there for more artifacts.
The park is concerned about metal detectorists coming there to search for treasure, despite this activity being prohibited within its boundaries.
The treasure was found at Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Utah, in one of the gorges. It was picked up off the ground by a visitor | 1,265,394 |
The metaphors don't get any better (or worse) than this:
A van carrying Hillary Clinton, fresh from throwing her #MeToo sisters under the bus this weekend, crashed into a parking garage pillar on the way to a New Jersey campaign fundraiser Tuesday for beleaguered Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez. At her side was Huma Abedin, who is divorcing convicted serial sexter and underage girl stalker ex-Democratic Rep. Anthony Weiner.
Thankfully, no one was hurt in the accident. But politically, damaged goods plus damaged goods equals an epic car wreck.
Tone-deaf Clinton had just earned recriminations from the left's resistance wing for defending her horndog hubby on "CBS Sunday," where she flatly denied that the 49-year-old commander in chief's Oval Office sexcapades with 22-year-old intern Monica Lewinsky were an "abuse of power" because, well, "she was an adult."
This is the same fauxminist champion who sidled up to disgraced Hollyweirdo Harvey Weinstein despite warnings from entertainment industry insiders about his alleged sexual predation of young starlets that reportedly dated back to 2008.
Question: Who could possibly have thought it a good idea for Hillary and Huma to front a women-themed party for Sleaze-Bob Menendez?
Answer: only a conglomerate of liberal hacks and flacks with more blind spots than the Land of the Cyclops.
The powerful pol, running for a third term in the U.S. Senate, is up to his eyeballs in personal and professional skeeviness:
—Menendez flew the crony skies on multiple luxury flights to the Caribbean with wealthy donor pal Salomon Melgen on taxpayer dime and time.
—Sleaze-Bob in turn used his Senate influence to push a lucrative port security deal benefiting Melgen.
—Creepy doctor Melgen was convicted of bilking sick old people on 67 counts of massive Medicare fraud totaling $90 million.
—And in my favorite mendacious Menendez-engineered scheme, which I dubbed the 36DD visa program, Menendez and his staff pressured the State Department to expedite the foreign tourist and student visa approval processes for a bevy of buxom foreign beauties. As I previously reported, one of them, Brazilian actress and porn pinup star Juliana Lopes Leite (aka "Girlfriend 1"), had her F-1 student visa application moved to the top of the pile in 2008 after Menendez and his staff intervened as a favor to model-lovin' Melgen.
—Another 36DD visa beneficiary, Rosiell Polanco-Suera, testified that her rejected visa application (along with her sister's) received reconsideration and instant approval after Melgen promised to "fix it" by reaching out to Menendez. | 1,265,395 |
either the fact that they are weighing this way or the justification for it, in their paper.
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Coding Error. As Herndon-Ash-Pollin puts it: "A coding error in the RR working spreadsheet entirely excludes five countries, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, and Denmark, from the analysis. [Reinhart-Rogoff] averaged cells in lines 30 to 44 instead of lines 30 to 49...This spreadsheet error...is responsible for a -0.3 percentage-point error in RR's published average real GDP growth in the highest public debt/GDP category." Belgium, in particular, has 26 years with debt-to-GDP above 90 percent, with an average growth rate of 2.6 percent (though this is only counted as one total point due to the weighting above).
Being a bit of a doubting Thomas on this coding error, I wouldn't believe unless I touched the digital Excel wound myself. One of the authors was able to show me that, and here it is. You can see the Excel blue-box for formulas missing some data:
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This error is needed to get the results they published, and it would go a long way to explaining why it has been impossible for others to replicate these results. If this error turns out to be an actual mistake Reinhart-Rogoff made, well, all I can hope is that future historians note that one of the core empirical points providing the intellectual foundation for the global move to austerity in the early 2010s was based on someone accidentally not updating a row formula in Excel.
So what do Herndon-Ash-Pollin conclude? They find "the average real GDP growth rate for countries carrying a public debt-to-GDP ratio of over 90 percent is actually 2.2 percent, not -0.1 percent as [Reinhart-Rogoff claim]." [UPDATE: To clarify, they find 2.2 percent if they include all the years, weigh by number of years, and avoid the Excel error.] Going further into the data, they are unable to find a breakpoint where growth falls quickly and significantly.
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This is also good evidence for why you should release your data online, so it can be probably vetted. But beyond that, looking through the data and how much it can collapse because of this or that assumption, it becomes quite clear that there's no magic number out there. The debt needs to be thought of as a response to the contigent circumstances we find ourselves in, with mass unemployment, a Federal Reserve desperately trying to gain traction at the zero lower bound, and a gap between what we could be producing and what we are. The past guides us, but so far it has failed to provide an emergency cliff. In fact, it tells us that a larger deficit right now would help us greatly. | 1,265,396 |
Lawmakers will convene in Concord this week to mull over attempts to overturn bills vetoed by Gov. Maggie Hassan (D) to include one on pro-gun reforms.
In July, Hassan dropped veto ink on a Senate bill passed by the majority of state lawmakers that would have made the Granite State the eighth to allow concealed carry without a permit. The legislation, Senate Bill 116, was introduced by state Republicans and passed the Senate 14-9 in February before winning over the House in a 212-150 vote in April.
On the eve of its final vote, Hassan met gun control advocates and pledged to veto the measure if it reached her desk, which she kept.
Now the New Hampshire Republican State Committee is calling for a bipartisan effort to override some of Hassan’s veto work when the legislature reconvenes on Wednesday. While two budget bills are taking center stage in the veto session, the constitutional carry measure is seeing renewed attention from both Second Amendment and gun control advocates.
“Gun extremists in New Hampshire are back at it again,” reads an alert by former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s Everytown for Gun Safety group posted Sunday. “They want to override Governor Maggie Hassan’s veto of a dangerous gun bill that would have let people carry hidden, loaded handguns in public without a permit.”
The National Rifle Association, who is supporting a potential veto override, point out that New Hampshire had constitutional carry until 1926 and currently has very liberal open carry laws, but is in need of the reform.
“In New Hampshire, existing state law recognizes the right of any citizen who can legally own/possess a firearm to carry it openly, either loaded or unloaded, anywhere in the state not prohibited by law,” reads a statement issued Monday by the NRA’s Institute for Legislative Action. “Because law-abiding citizens can carry a firearm openly without a permit, they should not become criminals just because they put on a jacket or place their firearm in their purse or briefcase. Law-abiding citizens do not suddenly turn into violent criminals just because they choose to conceal their firearm.”
According to New Hampshire laws, the legislature would have to pass SB 116 by a two-thirds majority vote in both chambers. In the Senate, Republicans hold 14 of 24 seats and would need to count all of their members as well as pick up two Democrats to carry an override.
In the 400-seat House, the GOP would need to keep all of its 239 votes and convince two dozen lawmakers on the other side of the aisle that New Hampshire is better served by going constitutional carry despite the wishes of the governor. On its first trip through the House, a number of Democrats cast their lot against Hassan already, meaning a fight could be on as 2016 is an election year for all New Hampshire state lawmakers – the Governor included. | 1,265,397 |
BENGALURU: Mobile payments and commerce firm Paytm expects customers to add about $500 million in their wallets in 2016, a ten-fold increase over this year, its founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma said.“In 2015, we saw wallets become mainstream. Next year, as more and more businesses push marketing dollar spends to cashbacks and wallets, the recharge value and frequency will steadily increase,” Sharma told ET.The projection of $500 million does not include cashbacks that the company offers its customers on ecommerce transactions, Sharma said.Cashback is an incentive programme through which Paytm offers a fixed sum or a percentage of the amount spent back to the wallet holder’s account to encourage use of the wallet.Shekhar Sharma said he expects to see startups that offer a lot of extras including loans and insurances built on top of wallets next year, thereby replacing or at the least competing with credit cards. “This is already a very hot use case in China,” he said.The Noida-based company, which says it has 110 million wallet users, is also betting big on its offline play to boost wallet transactions and become a ubiquitous debit card.“There are about 35 million customers that actively use Paytm at least once a month,” said Nitin Misra, head-wallet product pipeline at Paytm.To expand that base and ensure more frequent payments, the company plans to rapidly scale up its merchant base in 2016.“The idea is that if you have a phone, that is all you will need to accept payments,” said Nitin Misra.“From rickshawwallas and paanwallas, to multi-channel retail chains and brands, Paytm plans to tie up with offline and online stores to push wallet payments,” he said.However, under the existing norms set by the Reserve Bank of India, Paytm restricts its customers to Rs 10,000 wallet recharge per month on a mobile number and email ID verification.For anything higher, customers are required to adhere to full knowyour-customer or KYC norms similar to that required for opening of a bank account.In August this year, Reserve Bank of India granted payment bank licences to 11 of 42 applicants including Paytm, Reliance Industries Bharti Airtel and Vodafone. These entities can now take deposits, convey remittances and dispense payments to recipients, making them highly attractive for migrant workers, especially who need to send money home.These banks can’t lend to their customers, though.Paytm is backed by China’s giant Alibaba Group and affiliate Ant Financial. Other investors include SAIF Partners, SAP Ventures, Reliance Capital and Silicon Valley Bank. The company competes with MobiKwik FreeCharge, Airtel Money and PayU, among others, in the wallet business. | 1,265,398 |
Andy Rubin made his bones in the mobile industry by co-founding Danger (maker of the Sidekick) and Android, which was acquired by Google and turned into the largest mobile platform on Earth. It’s an impressive pedigree, so everyone was interested when Rubin announced his new hardware startup was going to make an Android phone. The Essential Phone was unveiled in May, and Rubin told everyone it would come out in just a few weeks. Here we are a few months later, and the Essential Phone is finally shipping.
There have been a few false starts after that first unannounced delay. Earlier this month, he announced that the phone was in mass production — but that was cold comfort to people who had already paid for the phone. Consumers who pre-ordered their phones were irked a few weeks ago when Essential began charging cards, but didn’t actually ship the phones.
So, now maybe all is forgiven? The Essential Phone is on its way to buyers, with some scheduled to appear on doorsteps this week. However, it seems those who ordered both the phone and the 360-degree camera accessory are still awaiting shipment confirmation.
It’s easy to get down on Essential for a few delays, but smartphone startups don’t exactly have a good track record for delivering phones on time. For example, OnePlus launched its first two phones with invite systems that made it difficult to order, but that’s the only way the company could keep up. Meanwhile, other companies just can’t get a product out the door. Look at Saygus, which has been promising to ship its now woefully outdated V2 smartphone since early 2015. By comparison, Essential is knocking it out of the park on its first phone launch.
The phone is shipping, but it’s unclear how good or successful it will be. The early reviews have been positive overall, praising the phone’s solid titanium and ceramic build and the wild edge-to-edge display. The software, too, gets high marks, thanks to the unmodified Android UI and no bloatware. The dual camera array is supposed to offer sharper photos than other phones, but reviews point to this as a weak spot for the Essential Phone. Images in low light are noticeably more noisy and dim than other phones in its price range.
A bigger question is how the Essential phone will compete with devices like the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 and iPhone 8. Sprint is the only carrier selling the Essential Phone directly. The unlocked version of the phone is available for a whopping $700 on Essential’s website. That version works on Sprint, T-Mobile, and AT&T. Verizon certification is still pending, so it will probably work if you already have an activated Verizon SIM card. However, don’t take it into a store and expect to be able to activate it on Verizon just yet. | 1,265,399 |
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