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Former undercover officer Peter Francis had said he would speak to police inquiry if threat of investigation was withdrawn
A former undercover police officer who blew the whistle on a covert Scotland Yard squad has been denied immunity from prosecution for potential breaches of the Official Secrets Act.
Peter Francis had last month offered to speak to an internal police inquiry into the clandestine squad if police withdrew their threat to investigate him for breaking the act.
Francis, in testimony published by the Guardian and Channel Four's Dispatches programme in June, had said he and other undercover officers were asked to find information to discredit the campaign by the family of Stephen Lawrence to get a proper police investigation into their son's racist murder.
Francis now says that for the time being he is only prepared to give evidence under oath to a public inquiry into the undercover infiltration of political groups.
He is backed by Doreen Lawrence, the mother of the murdered teenager Stephen, who is also calling for a public inquiry as the only way to get to the truth.
She and her former husband, Neville, want an independent inquiry as they say they have no confidence in the ability of the police to investigate themselves.
The former spy, who infiltrated anti-racist campaigners in the 1990s, has disclosed details of the work of his former unit, the Special Demonstration Squad, including how the spies regularly formed sexual relationships with the targets of the surveillance and stole the identities of dead children.
The squad's infiltration of political groups between 1968 and 2008 is being investigated in an internal inquiry led by Derbyshire's chief constable, Mick Creedon.
One of his senior officers, Detective Superintendent Steve Craddock, recently wrote to Francis, saying: "You have made some significant revelations through the media and neither the Crown Prosecution Service or myself can provide immunity from prosecution for breaches of the Official Secrets Act or any other matter."
He added: "I have made the decision at this time to treat you as a witness … and hope that you are prepared to assist the inquiry."
On Wednesday, Francis told Channel Four News that currently he would only speak to a public inquiry, and would also be willing to give evidence in public to the home affairs select committee, which has been scrutinising the undercover operation.
He said: "I will only appear before a public inquiry. I'm also prepared to appear before the House of Commons select committee. I've already volunteered to do that."
He added: "My master now is no longer the police, it's the public, so I will give them all the truth on the issues."
He says that since he left the Metropolitan police 12 years ago he has been threatened on a series of occasions by Met officers with the Official Secrets Act if he spoke out.
A group of eight women who are suing Scotland Yard over their relationships with the police spies have also said they are boycotting the internal police inquiry and favour an independent or public inquiry. | 1,267,100 |
Deep-Sea Audio Recordings Reveal A Noisy Mariana Trench, Surprising Scientists
Enlarge this image toggle caption NOAA NOAA
Anyone looking for a little peace and quiet on this Earth might think they'd find some at the bottom of the ocean. They'd be wrong. And so were researchers who didn't expect to hear much when they dropped a microphone 6 miles down into the Mariana Trench in the Pacific Ocean.
The results surprised scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and Oregon State University, who conducted the experiment. Instead of quiet, they heard sounds of earthquakes, ships, "the distinct moans of baleen whales and the overwhelming clamor of a category 4 typhoon that just happened to pass overhead," according to a release by Oregon State.
Short clip of a baleen whale call recorded at Challenger Deep. The call mostly closes resembles a Bryde’s whale call. 0:02
The sound of a magnitude-5 earthquake that hit near Challenger Deep in July of 2015. 0:56
Sound of the propeller from a ship passing the Mariana Trench. 0:10
The sounds give a new sense of what life is like nearly 7 miles below the ocean's surface. Working with the U.S. Coast Guard, the researchers sent a titanium-encased microphone to a depth of more than 36,000 feet, into the deepest part of the Mariana Trench known as the Challenger Deep.
When it was retrieved, the microphone package's flash drive held recordings that were made over the course of three weeks last summer. Further surprising scientists, the recordings weren't merely of faint echoes — they were of clearly discernible sounds.
"You would think that the deepest part of the ocean would be one of the quietest places on Earth," says chief scientist Robert Dziak of NOAA. "Yet there really is almost constant noise from both natural and man-made sources."
Explaining the prevalence of propeller whine in the recordings, Dziak notes that Challenger Deep is close to the commercial shipping hub of Guam.
Enlarge this image toggle caption NOAA/Google Earth NOAA/Google Earth
NOAA undertook the mission to help establish a baseline for ambient noise in the deepest part of the ocean. As Oregon Public Broadcasting notes, "Lots of additional research is happening along the West Coast to study possible impacts on whales and other marine creatures from increasing human-caused underwater noise."
Before they could make the recordings, the researchers had to develop a hydrophone that was capable of surviving extreme pressure — in this case, more than 16,000 pounds per square inch. For comparison, NOAA says, the atmospheric pressure in the average home or office is less than 15 pounds PSI.
When it was finally lowered, NOAA says, the ceramic hydrophone had to enter the depths at a relatively slow pace — 5 meters per second — to prevent it from imploding. | 1,267,101 |
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - A close former aide of Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto, “categorically denied” allegations he received $10 million in bribes from Odebrecht during the 2012 presidential campaign and later when he headed state oil company Pemex.
FILE PHOTO: Emilio Lozoya in Paris, France, October 16, 2015. REUTERS/Jacky Naegelen
Brazil’s O Globo newspaper at the weekend reported on documents alleging that Pena Nieto’s confidant Emilio Lozoya received bribes from a former Odebrecht executive from 2012 to 2016 in return for a contract at Mexico’s Tula refinery.
Citing bank documents, a further report by civil society group Mexicans Against Corruption said payments had been made when Lozoya was a senior official in Pena Nieto’s campaign.
The allegations linked Lozoya to the $10.5 million in bribes scandal-plagued Brazilian builder Odebrecht has admitted to paying in Mexico.
Corruption scandals have dogged Pena Nieto’s government, playing into the hands of leftist opposition candidate Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who is preparing a third run for office next year on an anti-graft ticket.
Among Lopez Obrador’s policy proposals is a close revision of energy contracts signed under Pena Nieto, who opened up Mexico’s oil industry to private investment, a structural overhaul seen as perhaps the president’s biggest achievement.
Lozoya, who resigned as Pemex chief in 2016, posted on Twitter late on Sunday that he had never participated in corrupt practices, calling the allegations “absolutely false.”
“Supposing there were accusations against me by confessed criminals, it is important to mention at least that these people can say anything in exchange for a reduced sentence,” he wrote in a letter appearing on his Twitter account.
Asked for comment, the Mexican president’s office referred to a statement by the attorney general’s office, which on Sunday said it had not yet received full information about the case from Brazilian prosecutors. Odebrecht did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Mexican prosecutors said they had interviewed nine former Pemex officials along with 10 other officials linked to three Odebrecht contracts.
The statement said Mexico had not accepted a settlement offer by Odebrecht, and would not accept any deal based on limiting punishment to those found to be involved.
Since settling in the United States, Brazil and Switzerland for a record $3.5 billion, Odebrecht has sought to negotiate leniency deals that would allow it to keep operating in other countries across Latin America.
Odebrecht admitted in the settlement with U.S. and Brazilian prosecutors to paying bribes across 12 countries to win contracts, including in Mexico. | 1,267,102 |
the exiles return to Jerusalem and rebuild it.
That doesn't mean, of course, that Trump could not be a Cyrus-type of figure. It simply means that the parallel breaks down when applied.
But there's another possibility to consider.
There was another ancient king named Nebuchadnezzar, the Babylonian leader who, decades before Cyrus became king, led his armies to destroy Jerusalem, burn down the temple and send the Jewish people into exile in 586 B.C.
He too was an idol worshipper, yet shockingly, Yahweh called him "My servant," stating plainly, "I will send and take all the families of the north, says the Lord, and Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, My servant, and will bring them against this land [meaning Judah] and its inhabitants, and against all these surrounding nations; I will utterly destroy them, and make them an astonishment, a hissing, and perpetual desolations" (Jer. 25:9; see also 27:6; 43:10).
So Cyrus was anointed by God to restore the Jewish people from captivity and to rebuild Jerusalem after Nebuchadnezzar, as a vessel of divine judgment, was called by God to send the Jewish people into exile and to destroy Jerusalem.
Two pagan kings, one raised up to bring judgment and the other raised up to bring restoration.
Is Donald Trump a Cyrus or a Nebuchadnezzar, if either?
Let God be God, and only time will tell.
But while we wait and watch and vote and act, let's not forget to pray: God, have mercy on America!
The one thing of which we are sure is that this is a very critical season in the history of our nation.
Dr. Michael Brown (www.askdrbrown.org) is the host of the nationally syndicated Line of Fire radio program. His latest book is Evangelicals at the Crossroads: Will We Pass the Trump Test? Connect with him on Facebook or Twitter, or YouTube.
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See an error in this article? Send us a correction | 1,267,103 |
PARIS (Reuters) - Airbus AIR.PA must hand a record number of aircraft to customers in December to meet delivery goals, company data showed on Thursday, and is all but certain of winning an annual order race against Boeing.
FILE PHOTO: An Emirates Airline Airbus A380-800 takes off from Dubai International Airport in Dubai, United Arab Emirates February 15, 2019. REUTERS/Christopher Pike
The European planemaker has been facing production snags in its best-selling A321neo jet, due in part to the introduction of a complex new flexible cabin, but has said it is confident of meeting a goal of 860 jets in 2019, revised down from 880-890.
To reach that target it must deliver 135 jets in December, beating a previous record of 127 December deliveries by 6%.
Airbus delivered 77 aircraft in November to reach 725 for the year so far, according to Thursday’s progress report.
Airbus has a track record of achieving a late surge in deliveries, though it is also working to spread deliveries more evenly over the year in future to smooth earnings and avoid quality problems that can creep in when it is working flat out.
Whether or not it meets targets, Airbus is set to regain the crown as the world's largest commercial plane producer this year as U.S. rival Boeing BA.N approaches nine months without deliveries of its 737 MAX, grounded after two crashes.
Boeing is expected to jump back into the lead next year as projected deliveries include 737 MAX jets parked during the grounding, while remaining ahead on larger jets, but the timing of the 737 MAX return to service depends on global regulators.
Airbus is also on course to win an annual order contest between the plane giants after booking orders for 222 aircraft in November, driven mainly by last month’s Dubai Airshow.
Emirates ordered 50 A350-900 jets at the show as part of a fleet shake-up that also saw the world’s largest wide-body operator cut a remaining order for A380s and reduce its requirement for Boeing 777X jets, while adding the Boeing 787.
Airbus sold a total of 940 jets in January-November, or 718 after cancellations, leaving it well ahead of Boeing BA.N, whose year has been derailed by the grounding of the 737 MAX. In the latest period for which data is available, Boeing sold 180 jets in the first nine months or 45 after cancellations.
The latest figures were released days after Airbus won a sale of 50 A321XLR jets to United Airlines UAL.N, narrowing the potential market for a mid-market plane that Boeing has been studying, while slowing those discussions during the MAX crisis.
United also delayed delivery of 45 A350s by several years to 2027 and beyond. UK analysts Agency Partners said on Thursday that this could put pressure on A350 output in coming years. | 1,267,104 |
Denmark should eventually become part of the eurozone as it would benefit the small, Scandinavian country, Danish prime minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt has said in an interview.
Though the Danish prime minister currently has no plans of calling for a referendum of Denmark's euro opt-out, Thorning-Schmidt personally believes the country should still join "eventually".
The Scandinavian country held a euro referendum in 2000 where 53.2% voted against adopting the EU's common currency. And since there is no sign that public opinion has changed since then, Thorning-Schmidt said she was "careful" about holding another vote, even though she believes joining the euro would be in Denmark's best interest.
She does believe however that Denmark should get rid of some of the opt-outs it has negotiated in four EU policy areas – security and defence; citizenship; freedom, security and justice; and the economic and monetary union.
"What I'm saying is that we would gain more influence over matters that already affect us which a small country doesn't have much influence over anyway. This is what the EU is about, basically," Thorning-Schmidt said in an interview with the online media Altinget.
"Therefore, I think that getting rid of the opt-outs would mean that we put ourselves in a place where we would have more influence on issues that affect our economy, our labour market and other things that really matter," she continued.
Thorning-Schmidt rarely discusses EU issues publicly in Danish media, despite being known as an avid supporter of the EU. She has worked in Brussels and has been an MEP from 1999-2004 before becoming prime minister. The Social Democratic leader didn’t either mention the EU in her New Year’s speech, even though the Danish population will have an EU referendum on the Unified Patent Court in May, coinciding with the Parliament elections.
'Germany runs the show'
Should the prime minister call a referendum, she can expect backing from the Liberal Party, which is currently the biggest opposition party in the Danish parliament. However, Liberals would prefer that Thorning-Schmidt waits until the euro crisis is over.
"But when they have approved and implemented the banking union and stronger economic rules, then it is our view to recommend a 'yes' to joining the euro," Jakob Ellemann-Jensen, the Liberal's EU spokesperson, said.
Kristian Thulesen Dahl, leader of the biggest eurosceptic party in Denmark, the Danish People's Party, said the government should either accept that the population isn't in favour of the euro or have the referendum now.
He added that he was critical of the view that Denmark could gain more influence as Germany continues to decide the eurozone policies.
"We would get more influence, on the outside. But I believe it's doubtful whether this has real substance to it," Thulesen Dahl said. | 1,267,105 |
It will be built just seven metres below the river bed, and the government's submission to the federal government to meet national environment laws said there would be no construction work sites on the Yarra River banks. The Melbourne Metro will tunnel below the Yarra River. Credit:Penny Stephens But because of the unstable Fishermens Bend silt that sits directly beneath the Yarra River, contractors working for the government will have to inject "grout" into the ground under the river. The injection will have to fill "875 square metres in the centre of the river", and will take three months to complete, the government's submission to Canberra said.
The grout will be "cement mixed with water", the submission said. The concrete is designed, it said, to fill a gap in the stronger basalt rock beneath much of the Yarra River. The submission was made as part of approvals needed under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act. The concrete that will be injected underneath the river will either be done by a barge on the Yarra above, or from beneath by one of the massive tunnel boring machines that will be used to dig the Melbourne Metro. THE TUNNELLING METHOD
The government was at pains in the document to say that none of the silt or material generated by cutting into the ground beneath the Yarra would be dispersed into the river. THE BARGE METHOD Under this option, a barge would sit on the Yarra and a pipe would be drilled into the ground beneath the river. A nozzle would be inserted into the pipe and cement injected into the unstable ground beneath the Yarra. Contractors for the government's Melbourne Metro Rail Authority have drilled more than 20 geotechnical bore holes around Princes Bridge in order to understand the very complex ground conditions under the Yarra River.
Melbourne University engineer Professor Priyan Mendis said that underwater concreting of this type was nothing new. "Technically this quite a hard task, but it is also reasonably common this sort of work, especially in Europe," he said. Professor Mendis said that the nearby CityLink Burnley tunnel had problems when it was completed in 2000, but much had been learnt since then. "It shows there can be problems if you don't do it properly. I'm sure we won't make any of those mistakes again," he said. The Melbourne Main Sewer Replacement, a $206 million project that replaced a tunnel from West Melbourne into the main Hobsons Bay sewer, also involved construction of a tunnel through conditions similar to those in the Melbourne Metro alignment, including passing under the Yarra River. The Age asked to speak with an engineer from the Melbourne Metro Rail Authority but was told no-one was available on Monday to discuss how the grouting work detailed in its submission to the federal government could be done.
A spokesman said it was "too early to say whether ground treatment will be required and if so, which method may be used". | 1,267,106 |
the NSW Parliament passed a motion, introduced by independent member for Sydney Alex Greenwich, acknowledging the harm caused by ‘reparative’ therapy.
Still, Pejic ́says even the fashion industry – “often one step ahead of the rest of society in terms of expression” – is beset by tokenism.
“There are transgender models who don’t tell the world they are trans [for fear of not getting booked]. We have a long way to go.
“But this generation, the way they are seeing gender is so different even from when I was growing up.
“It’s much more open. There are more categories now; the old-school traditional views are breaking down.”
I point out that categories – be they girl, boy, transgender, transvestite, gay, straight, whatever – are still about labelling, and labelling means putting people in boxes.
By definition, that means building walls and pointing out difference.
“Oh, I would say more categories beats two or three,” laughs Pejic, ́ and suddenly there’s a lightness to this heavy conversation, and I’m reminded of the time I saw her being interviewed, a few years ago, on Australian television.
The journo, watching Pejic ́get her make-up done for a photo shoot, asked, “Does all this fuss and carrying on get to you after a while?”
Pejic ́ smiled coquettishly and fired back, “A little bit, but it’s better than bricklaying.”
media_camera Download the Sunday Style app for more stories and features.
Now she says, “Ultimately, this is about breaking down the need to categorise, throwing all that away”.
“But you see yourself, categorically, as a woman now,” I say.
“There are times when categories make sense and times when we choose them for ourselves,” says Pejic.
“But those categories shouldn’t define us, constrict our lives [or] decide how we are treated as human beings.
“We’re all human beings at the end of the day, aren’t we? We should give people the freedom to express who they are.
“Humanity is – surprise, surprise – more complicated than we thought.”
Andreja Pejic ́is a VAMFF special guest. The Grand Showcase Featuring Josh Goot, on March 19, is supported by Sunday Style.
* Tickets from $80; visit ticketek.com.au/VAMFF
* Follow Clare Press on Twitter @mrspress | 1,267,107 |
anti-Gentilism” is a useful term for a public intellectual to have in his conceptual toolkit for describing the world, especially the part of the world centering on New York City.
But June 15, 1958 was the last time “anti-Gentilism” appeared in the New York Times. So I guess not.
I wonder why this useful term has disappeared down the Memory Hole. Perhaps I’ve forgotten the anti-Semitic pogrom in Gramercy Park on June 16, 1958 staged by readers brandishing copies of the New York Times Book Review. (I think the anti-Semitic mob was led by John Updike. That did happen, right?)
In contrast, the New York Times has used the term “anti-Semitism” 11,059 times since June 16, 1958:
So, 11,059 to 0 over the last 57+ years.
From Mel Gussow’s 1995 obituary for novelist Weidman in the NYT:
Jerome Weidman, the prolific and popular novelist who wrote ”I Can Get It for You Wholesale” and also won a Pulitzer Prize as the author (with George Abbott) of the Broadway musical ”Fiorello!,” died yesterday at his home in Manhattan. He was 85.
In his two prosperous careers as novelist and playwright, Mr. Weidman often wrote about the rough underside of business and politics — and daily life — in New York, the city in which he was born. His first novel, ”I Can Get It for You Wholesale,” published in 1937 when he was 24, teemed with the life in Manhattan’s garment center, telling about the rise of the ragingly ambitious Harry Bogen. Along with the title character in Budd Schulberg’s ”What Makes Sammy Run?,” Harry became an archetypal figure in American literature: the abrasive young man who would do anything to get ahead. … The novel made his reputation and became his longest running success. Transformed into a Broadway musical in 1962 (with a score by Harold Rome), it starred Elliott Gould as Harry Bogen, and was the show in which Barbra Streisand made her Broadway debut (as the secretary Miss Marmelstein). … Mr. Weidman’s first novel became the hallmark of his career, and also a subject of controversy. There were those like Meyer Levin who thought of him, along with Mr. Schulberg, as examples of ”the self-hating period in writing,” as novelists who wrote too negatively about their Jewish backgrounds.
Is the phrase “self-hating” ever used to discourage Gentile artists from criticizing Gentile businessmen? Is Orson Welles denounced as self-hating for parodying William Randolph Hearst in Citizen Kane? | 1,267,108 |
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don't give their money away for nothing," wrote Warwick Smith, a researcher at Per Capita, in the Guardian. "There is an understanding (rarely made explicit) that large campaign donations buy political access and favorable consideration in policy development and legislation."
That may just be the nicest definition of outright bribery I have ever read. In any case, where does this special relationship between the special interest groups and politicians leave the average voter, who is no position to match such massive funding?
Read more
"Politicians will only act on behalf of voters if no wealthy or powerful group objects…," Smith continued. Or in the event of "strong community action."
Clearly, this was not the way democratic process was supposed to work.
But the story gets more disturbing. Not only are the Republicans and Democrats cashing in on a monopolistic system of government where they receive massive amount of corporate contributions for which they are expected to return in the form of political favors once in office. These politicians are also becoming high-paid lobbyists themselves after they leave public service, a widespread practice that is known as'revolving-door politics.'
As just one example, consider former Vice President Dick Cheney. In 1992, he hired Brown & Root Services (BRS) to produce a classified report detailing how private companies could help provide logistics for US troops in military hot spots around the world. That same year, according to Mother Jones, BRS secured a five-year logistics contract from the US Army Corps of Engineers to "work alongside American GIs in places like Zaire, Haiti, Somalia, Kosovo, the Balkans, and Saudi Arabia."
Fast forward to 1995 and Cheney was the CEO of Halliburton Company, the oil services giant, which just happens to own BRS.
"Since then, Cheney has collected more than $10 million in salary and stock payments from the company," MJ continued. "In addition, he is currently the company's largest individual shareholder, holding stock and options worth another $40 million."
READ MORE: Illusion of democracy: If US elections could change anything they wouldn't be held
This incestuous mess in the US political system, where it's almost impossible to differentiate between the lobbyists and the money-grabbing politicians, brings to mind a remark that former Minnesota governor Jesse Ventura repeated to me while visiting Moscow.
"I think that all American politicians today should be required to wear those NASCAR jumpsuits that display corporate sponsors," Ventura told me. "So we can know where their true interests lie."
That seems to sum up America's dilemma with where to draw the line on corporate money in the political system. It has prevented any third-party political alternative from arising, while denying the voters true representation. Such a defunct system of democracy that forever marginalizes the voter in favor of corporate power cannot be expected to last forever.
@Robert_Bridge
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the lives of 65 families. We were living in a (manufactured homes) park at the time. Well I guess the owners for some reason decided to sell the property. The new owners wanted to make some changes and get rid of all the older homes, so they started refusing to accept late payments.. 65 families went to court, many of them had even managed to scrape together the late payments. But the new owners just didn’t care about other human beings, it’s always about the benjamins($$$). So that’s how 65 families lives got changed that summer.
Then there’s the career change. Boy isn’t that fun at 30 something. I have been trying to change my career going on 16 years now, and you know what, it’s still not going so fucking good. I swear I am almost worse off now than I was before I went and borrowed 24k for an education. I mean, once you get trapped with the sitgmata of being a carpenter and wanting a career in computers; employers look at me like I’m fucking nuts.
I graduated with a 3.8 GPA and came out of college with an MCSA, the best thing I could get was tech-support for $10/hr or manufacturing computers(and servers) for $10/hr. I swear to God it’s like I f****** went backwards. It never ceases to amaze me that I made more money as a high-school drop out carpenter than after I went into debt re-educating myself.
Fast forward a few years. My son was hit by a car and almost died. The evil sister-in-law ran a bogus go-fund-me and then took off with the $1600. We stayed at Ronald McDonald House for 4 months while my son recovered enough to come home. We worked with him learning to eat and talk and walk again. And what have I done for the last 2 years of his recovery? I can’t actually spend the time I should with my son working with him to recover becuase I have to worry about $$$. 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. I sit in front of this computer stressed out because I can’t find a goddamn job that will pay a decent wage and let me have some semblance of a life.
So here I am, living the great American dream. A carpenter with degenerative disc disease, denied disability benefits, trying to care for my 22 year old son recovering from traumatic brain injury and the only thing the rest of the world seems to give a rats ass about is whether somebody can work 80 hours a week for starvation wages only to wind up f****** broke, in debt and probably homeless. Look out world, that will be the next batch of laws getting passed because we all know that the private prisons don’t have enough people in them already. | 1,267,111 |
I turned on my computer this morning just after I woke up, and when I saw the news below, I thought that I still must be dreaming. But no, it’s real… hallelujah.
As we’ve mentioned previously, there’s an upcoming horror film called Death House, and it stars just about everybody who’s anybody in the horror biz. See the full cast listed below:
Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Doug Bradley, Bill Moseley, Michael Berryman, Dee Wallace, Danny Trejo, Barbara Crampton, Ken Foree, Don Shanks, and Camille Keaton.
So yeah, it looks like we finally do have The Expendables of horror films. Every well-known living horror actor will be in this. The gods must have answered our prayers. Death House is officially one of my most anticipated upcoming films.
In case you missed it back in August when we debuted the film’s poster art, here’s a description of the plot, which sounds suitably awesome.
Synopsis:
The Death House is the Area 51 of Evil… a subterranean government facility that holds humanity’s worst on nine levels. Hell, Dante’s ninth level, holds the Five Evils… the “dark stars” of Death House. These individuals are so heinous they can never walk among society again. They may also be supernatural.
Agents Toria Boon and Jae Novak have their own dark pasts, arriving at Death House to tour its levels and observe its denizens first-hand as well as the medical and mental experiments of Drs. Eileen Fletcher and Karen Redmane. Their depraved experiments date back to the Nazi doctors of WWII.
Prison cells are virtual reality holo decks that recreate prisoner environments before they were incarcerated. A special hallucinogenic gas keeps inmates under control. The victims are homeless, bused into Death House to play literal victims while killing habits are studied. The results are sick, but only a hint of what goes on here.
Hell literally breaks loose inside the facility when an EMP device detonates, killing all power and communication and… releasing every prisoner. Boon, Novak, and Fletcher are caught in a race against advancing prisoner hordes led by occultist Neo-Nazi Sieg. The monsters are freed, and they’re going down.
Boon and Novak’s fight through Death House turns into a house of horrors gauntlet; their only hope of escape is descending into Hell and enlisting the help of the Five Evils. Events culminate in a violent face-to-face standoff with absolute evil… only to find that they have traveled down a rabbit hole and through a looking glass. Black is white and white is black and the definitions of good and evil no longer apply.
Who are the monsters? Who will escape? | 1,267,112 |
covered departed from the issues Republicans focused on during their debate earlier in the week. | AP Photo
But Hugh Hewitt, the conservative radio show host and one of the panelists at the GOP debate, saw the relative unity on the Democratic side as a refusal to engage on real-world issues.
“The Democrats' debate is la-la-land. it’s about a world that doesn’t exist, about taxes that will never be passed by a Congress that doesn’t exist,” Hewitt said.
He also predicted that the issues of immigration and gun control, subjects of so little internal debate among the parties, would nonetheless return with a vengeance in the general election.
"Those are both general election debate issues,” said Hewitt, who asked the only gun-related question at the GOP debate, and it was at the undercard contest. "There is not much difference in the Republicans on guns and there is not much difference among the Democrats on immigration."
In the most recent debates, Clinton came the closest of all the candidates to trying to straddle the chasm between red and blue America, an advantage of her position the far-away Democratic front-runner. Asked if corporate America — a pillar of the GOP establishment — should “love” her, she replied, “Everybody should,” in one of the night’s most memorable lines.
But what came next from Sanders was just as telling. He was openly disdainful of vying for corporate America’s support. “They ain't going to like me and Wall Street is going to like me even less,” he said.
A rare cross-partisan appeal came Saturday night, when Sanders, who has captured the support and imagination of many Democrats who feel alienated by their party establishment, made a direct plea for support to the backers of Trump, who has won over so many disaffected Republicans.
"So what I say to those people who go to Donald Trump's rallies, understand: He thinks a low minimum wage in America is a good idea,” Sanders said. "He thinks low wages are a good idea."
The location of the appeal was no accident. New Hampshire is one of the states where independents can vote for candidates of either party, and so anti-establishment candidates like Sanders and Trump can, at times, be drawing from the same well.
Of course, the debates did have one other thing in common: Trump.
He was the only Republican mentioned by name in the Democratic debate. And the trio of denunciations from Clinton, O’Malley and Sanders of Trump’s position on Muslims was the evening’s most talked about moment on Facebook.
In the GOP debate, a Trump jab similarly topped the charts. It came when Bush turned to Trump and said, "You can’t insult your way to the presidency." | 1,267,113 |
Angela Merkel’s migration commissioner has suggested “orientation courses” teaching new migrants not to rape German women after a group of Syrians were arrested for a gang attack on a teenage girl.
“Men who have been living here for a long time need to talk clearly about sexuality and equal rights in Germany to men who have just arrived — if necessary in their native language,” said Annette Widmann-Mauz in the wake of the “despicable” crime in Freiburg.
“All asylum-seekers need to get orientation courses about living together in Germany as soon as they arrive to their first accommodation centre, and that also includes that there is zero tolerance for sexual abuse and other violent acts,” she added.
Similar initiatives have been attempted in Germany before, with some public swimming pools having to put up illustrated signs showing migrants that molesting women is not allowed after a number of attacks on women and children of both sexes.
The people of Germany are turning against their leadership as migration is rocking the already tenuous Berlin coalition. Crime in Germany is way up. Big mistake made all over Europe in allowing millions of people in who have so strongly and violently changed their culture! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 18, 2018
Widmann-Mauz’s intervention was prompted by a particularly brutal attack in Freiburg, which saw an 18-year-old girl drugged, taken to a wooded area, and gang-raped by up to 15 males for four hours.
Seven Syrians and one German passport-holder have been arrested for the crime, with the public being particularly outraged when it was discovered that suspected ringleader ‘‘Majd H’ has a previous conviction and was wanted by the authorities at the time of the attack.
Publicly available pictures purporting to show him holding a machine gun somewhere in the Middle East which he is said to have uploaded to social media have also caused consternation, suggesting the Merkel government has been incredibly lax about who it has allowed into the country since the onset of the migrant crisis.
U.S. President Donald Trump was excoriated by the left-liberal media worldwide for highlighting the situation in Germany earlier in 2018, saying Chancellor Merkel had made a “big mistake” in inviting millions of people who have “strongly and violently changed their culture” and increased crime.
The statistics appear to support him, however, with refugees, asylum seekers, and illegal immigrants accounting for 11.9 percent of sexual offence suspects, in particular, despite being only 2 percent of the general population.
Merkel’s Germany: Seven Syrians Arrested After 18-year-old Gang Raped https://t.co/HoZIInQnCB — Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) October 27, 2018
Follow Jack Montgomery on Twitter: @JackBMontgomery | 1,267,114 |
Russian President Vladimir Putin has revealed new nuclear weapons he said could hit any target around the globe with little chance of interception.
Putin warned during his annual state of the nation speech on Thursday that an attack on Russia or any of its allies would elicit an immediate response from Moscow.
Video footage of the new weapons was projected behind him at a conference hall in the Russian capital, where Putin spoke with legislators.
He said the updated arsenal included a new intercontinental ballistic missile, a small nuclear warhead that could be attached to cruise missiles, underwater nuclear drones, supersonic arms, and a laser weapon.
Russia and the West are at odds in several conflicts - including Syria, where Russia supports President Bashar al-Assad - and Ukraine.
Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 following an invasion that resulted from the popular overthrow of the pro-Kremlin government in Kiev.
Russia-backed rebels continue fighting Ukrainian forces in the country's east. The United States and its allies have responded with punishing sanctions.
"They have not succeeded in holding Russia back," Putin said, referring to the West. "Now they need to take account of a new reality and understand that everything I have said today is not a bluff."
The remarks came shortly before a national election on March 18, which Putin is expected to win.
US toughens nuclear posture
The US has also taken a more aggressive stance on nuclear weapons under President Donald Trump. The Trump administration has called for increased spending to modernise its nuclear arsenal.
{articleGUID}
The National Nuclear Security Administration, which oversees the US nuclear weapons programme, recently announced plans to resume production of plutonium pits, a necessary component of nuclear weapons.
The US also began work on smaller nuclear weapons under former President Barack Obama. Critics of these smaller nukes say their smaller payloads might make them more tempting to use.
Putin expressed concern over the US' new posture towards nuclear arms, saying the Russian nuclear programme was only for defensive purposes.
"We will view any use of nuclear weapons against Russia or its allies - be it of small, medium or any force - as a nuclear attack on our country," Putin said.
Meanwhile, Russian Defence Minister Sergey Shoigu suggested elements of NATO's anti-missile system deployed in Poland, Romania, and Alaska were penetrable.
"It turns out that the anti-missile umbrella has holes in it," Interfax news agency quoted Shoigu as saying on Thursday.
Shoigu also said NATO countries were trying to drag Russia into a new arms race, but its new nuclear weapons would help to avoid this scenario.
The Pentagon downplayed Russia's announcements, saying Moscow's weaponry was long under development and had already been factored into US assessments.
"We're not surprised by the statements and the American people should rest assured that we are fully prepared," said Pentagon spokeswoman Dana White. | 1,267,115 |
Last updated on.From the section Wales
Wales' game against Slovakia is scheduled to take place at the City Arena in Trnava
Uefa has ordered Wales' Euro 2020 qualification game in Slovakia to be played behind closed doors after penalising the Slovak Football Association for racist chants by fans.
Slovakia were sanctioned under Uefa's disciplinary process for the behaviour of their away fans in a qualifier against Hungary on 9 September.
Slovakia can appeal the Uefa verdict.
The Football Association of Wales (FAW) said it was "incredibly disappointed at the impact of the decision".
The qualifier is scheduled for 10 October. In addition to the order to play the match behind closed doors, Slovakia have also been fined €20,000 (£17,700).
Uefa has confirmed the charge against the Slovakian FA is under article 14, pertaining to racist behaviour (chants).
"The Uefa Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body has decided to order the Slovak Football Association to play its next Uefa competition match as host association behind closed doors, for the racist behaviour of its supporters and to fine the Slovak Football Association with €20,000," it wrote in a statement.
FAW 'disappointed' by decision
The FAW expressed its disappointment at the decision in their own statement and say they have no right of appeal.
"Uefa has confirmed the sanction to the FAW this morning (23 September) that Slovakia are to play one match behind closed doors, therefore, the European Qualifying match at the Stadion Antona Malatinskeho on 10 October," Welsh football's governing body said.
"The FAW is incredibly disappointed as the impact of this decision will harshly affect our supporters who have already incurred the costs of travel and accommodation to attend this match to support the Wales national team.
"The FAW is currently making strong representations to Uefa about this unfair impact on the 2,137 fans who have purchased tickets for this match.
"Our supporters have an excellent reputation and do not deserve to be punished in the same way as the small section of the fans whose conduct has been reprimanded by the imposed Uefa sanction.
"The FAW is also deeply frustrated in the communication of this decision to the Association, which has generated a lot of unfair frustration and uncertainty for the association and the supporters.
"Uefa has advised that the FAW is unable to appeal against the decision not to allow Wales fans into the stadium."
It is understood the Slovakian FA will appeal the decision.
Slovakia are currently second in Group E of the Euro 2020 qualifying group, three points above Ryan Giggs' team, though Wales do have a game in hand.
Wales won the reverse fixture at the Cardiff City Stadium thanks to Dan James' early goal. | 1,267,116 |
terrible”. But the EPP has only 30 seats more than the Socialists & Democrats in the Parliament and needs to hold onto the 12 votes of Fidesz.
Law and Justice sits with the British Conservative Party in the European Conservatives and Reformists’ group, which is only the third largest formation in the Parliament. PiS may have thought that an alliance with David Cameron’s party would be enough to block EU action against Warsaw. Although the British government views the rule of law framework as an undesirable power grab by the Commission, it is unlikely to be a vocal opponent of action against Poland. Cameron is renegotiating Britain’s membership of the EU. Warsaw is his close ally but Cameron also needs the support of other member states, including those that worry about the rule of law in Poland and Hungary. The British prime minister will also need a helping hand from the European Parliament to translate some elements of the deal he reaches with member-states into EU legislation.
Third, the Commission has drawn lessons from its unsuccessful legal attempts to bring Orbán to heel. When in 2012 the Court of Justice ruled that the early retirement of the country’s 274 judges (whom Orbán replaced with party loyalists) violated EU law, Orbán compensated the judges instead of reinstating them, thus complying with the letter but not the intention of the ruling. The rule of law framework is designed to fill the gap between infringement procedures and article 7 and make the Commission’s actions more efficient.
Finally, Poland is one of the most pro-European nations in the EU. According to the latest Eurobarometer report, 55 per cent of Poles view the EU positively. This compares to 39 per cent in Hungary and an EU average of 37 per cent. The Commission may have hoped that while citizens of most member states would have seen its action as an unnecessary intervention in domestic matters, Poles might react differently.
If the Commission is right, Poles will see its decision to trigger a rule of law framework as a sign that their country is losing influence in the EU and hold it against PiS. Support for PiS will fall, causing the government to reconsider its policies. But if the Commission is wrong, it risks antagonising one of the few truly pro-European member states.
Please read our comments policy before commenting.
Note: This article is an amended version of a bulletin article published by the Centre for European Reform. It gives the views of the author, not the position of EUROPP – European Politics and Policy or the London School of Economics.
Shortened URL for this post: http://bit.ly/1o9D4Pj
_________________________________
About the author
Agata Gostyńska-Jakubowska – Centre for European Reform
Agata Gostyńska-Jakubowska is a Research fellow at the Centre for European Reform in London. | 1,267,117 |
So much drama over pixels. So you have 100's of Exalted Orbs. Big deal. Posted by
superbomb1967
on on Quote this Post
" daegda
Everyone, observe the real face of the POE community.. Everyone, observe the real face of the POE community..
The poe community is actually great, you just dont get that theres an edge of xp/market competition in this game and theres battlefields on which this competition takes place. All is fair in love and war, and when it comes to pixels its all in good humour mate. You just need a perspective shift, right now its like youre upset because a guy killed you in quake 3 deathmatch, he doesnt hate you, hes not a bad guy from a bad community, hes just playing the game.
Its wraeclast my friend, its not mrs lovejoys body pillow simulator where everyone gets a free reacharound. But dont think that means we dont love you man, its all in good spirits with the best of intentions. The poe community is actually great, you just dont get that theres an edge of xp/market competition in this game and theres battlefields on which this competition takes place. All is fair in love and war, and when it comes to pixels its all in good humour mate. You just need a perspective shift, right now its like youre upset because a guy killed you in quake 3 deathmatch, he doesnt hate you, hes not a bad guy from a bad community, hes just playing the game.Its wraeclast my friend, its not mrs lovejoys body pillow simulator where everyone gets a free reacharound. But dont think that means we dont love you man, its all in good spirits with the best of intentions. Posted by
Snorkle_uk
on on Quote this Post
tl;dr people mad because they didn't put in the effort and risk involved in that effort before others only to claim it is unfair.
And please stop throwing around the word "exploit" like you have any clue of what it means.
You do a disfavor to all people actually trying to discuss or report something that is actually an exploit.
Peace,
-Boem- Freedom is not worth having if it does not include the freedom to make mistakes Posted by
Boem
on On Probation on Quote this Post
Removed Last edited by FoxTactics on Mar 24, 2018, 3:10:04 PM Posted by
FoxTactics
on on Quote this Post
*Sips tea* Seems I was right after all people were abusing the hell out of it... Some people DO have a conscious here.. Despite the unfortunate circumstances the truth shall set you free.. Thank you fox Posted by
daegda
on on Quote this Post | 1,267,118 |
ロボット馬をスクラッチで作った男がすごい Text by Cabe Atwell
Translated by kanai hacks
Blog
Robotics
Su Daocheng（蘇道成）のゴーカートのガソリンエンジンを搭載したロボット馬は、4本のバネ式の脚で歩く。
発明家とは、思いも寄らぬものを作って世界をよくしようと考える。中国湖北省に住む Su Daocheng（蘇道成）もそんな一人だ。彼は、畑を耕すときに、本物の馬の代わりに使えるようにとロボット馬を開発した。軍師諸葛孔明の木牛流馬にヒントを得たという。
蘇のロボットは、ゴーカートのエンジンを搭載し、バネを仕込んだ4本の脚を動かして進む。前方にはバランスを取るための車輪があり、金属の頭を支えている。
馬の全高は約150センチ。重量は金属フレームのお陰で、およそ250キログラムある。ビデオを見ればわかるが、ステアリングはよく効いていないようだ。近くの人が押して方向転換を助けている。
エンジンから脚へは、チェーンで動力を伝えている。
それでも、これは確実に「ユニーク」な発明だ。ドクター・ブラウンも認めることだろう。
［原文］ | 1,267,119 |
Former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci said that even if the special counsel investigation implicates President Trump in illegal activity, the Senate would likely act as a backstop against impeachment and prevent his removal from office.
"If it is illegal and it got up to the president, that's a very bad set of facts for the president, but I still don't think that removes him from office, because you're going to have to get 67 senators to vote for his removal from office," Scaramucci said in an interview on CBSN when asked about the indictment of Roger Stone, the former Trump adviser who was indicted last week on charges he lied to Congress about alleged communications with Wikileaks.
"Even if the House says, 'We're going to impeach him,' there has to be a trial in the Senate. So, what I'm hoping is that cooler heads prevail here and we start to decriminalize things that happened in our political conversations," Scaramucci said, noting he saw nothing related to Russia collusion when he served on the Trump campaign's finance committee and transition team.
Get Breaking News Delivered to Your Inbox Click here to view related media. click to expand
"I'm just talking about the practical political reality of it," Scaramucci said. "Let's build the worst case scenario. Let's say that stuff's illegal, the president is totally tied to it. I still don't think he gets removed from office because, again, you have to get 67 senators, and at that point it becomes more of a political discussion than it does a court of law or criminal one."
In an interview Sunday with CBS News' Jeff Pegues, Stone said he wouldn't rule out cooperating with the special counsel. "I'm going to tell the truth no matter what," Stone said. "I have no intention of not telling truth. I have never not told the truth. Claims that I was less than truthful before the House Intelligence Committee will be disproven."
In response to Stone's arrest, Mr. Trump tweeted that the special counsel probe is the "Greatest Witch Hunt in the History of our Country!"
On Monday, Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker said Mueller's investigation was "close to being completed."
The conclusions from the Mueller probe could have a significant impact on the president's re-election bid. Asked if he would vote for Mr. Trump again, Scaramucci, who appeared briefly on the current season of "Celebrity Big Brother" on CBS, said he probably would, but argued that events could change.
"The answer is yes, I'd probably vote for him. Two years is a very long period of time. Let's see what's in the Mueller report, let's see what happens with Roger Stone, let's see if he decides to run," Scaramucci said. " There's a lot of things that are swirling around right now and so we don't know the answer to that." | 1,267,120 |
The Conservative government's annual report on government advertising is nowhere to be found at a time when the use of taxpayer-funded ad spending is under close political scrutiny.
Nearly a year after the 2013-14 fiscal year came to an end, Public Works has not yet released its annual report outlining spending trends and the exact figures for each campaign across all federal departments.
Last year the annual report was released on February 7, but the department won't say when the next report will be released.
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"It takes too long," said Liberal finance critic Scott Brison, who held a news conference Wednesday to call for a new system in which government ads must be approved by an independent third party such as the Auditor-General.
Mr. Brison questioned why the annual report has not yet been released.
"We've been waiting for some time. They haven't been transparent in the presentation of these reports," he said.
A Public Works spokesperson said there is no set date for publishing the annual report. The department says the release dates vary from year to year depending on the complexity of the report and that the process typically takes 12 to 16 months.
Mr. Brison said that if the Conservatives won't adopt independent oversight of ad spending, he promised the Liberals would if they are elected to form government later this year. Mr. Brison noted that such a system is already in place for advertising by the Ontario government.
The most recent available annual report for 2012-2013 shows the government spent $69-million that year on advertising. That marked the third year in a row of declines following a peak in ad spending in 2009-10 of $136.3-million that coincided with stimulus spending during the recession.
Both the Liberals and NDP have written pre-budget letters to Conservative Finance Minister Joe Oliver requesting that the government scale back on advertising in the upcoming federal budget.
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Mr. Brison said the government is using taxpayer money to produce ads that reflect the same tone as purely political ads paid for by the Conservative Party of Canada.
"Canadians are rightly angry at self-promotional government advertising that is not aimed at improving their lives or helping their families, but is aimed at promoting a government," he said. "It's all politics all the time."
While Public Works is responsible for publishing the final official figures, Treasury Board does produce interim estimates on advertising spending. Those reports indicate $65-million was spent on advertising in 2013-14 and $64.9-million in the current fiscal year.
Campaigns funded during the current fiscal year that ends March 31 include $14.5-million for Economic Action Plan and "Better Jobs" campaigns, $9-million in Veterans Affairs advertising including a $4-million Remembrance Day campaign, $7.2-million related to Canada's 150th anniversary in 2017 and $6-million to promote tax cuts. | 1,267,121 |
Dev Diary #1 - June 2018
Dear Guild-Fans,
A week ago it was announced that Purple Lamp Studios is on board developing The Guild 3. But who is the team behind this studio who takes care of The Guild 3? We know that you have many pressing questions, so we want to talk about some of these in our first DevDiary.
THQ Nordic and Sproing, the predecessor of Purple Lamp Studios, had some successful projects together. Beside that there are some close business contacts as well as some private contacts. So THQ Nordic knows the team of Purple Lamp for a while and the publisher knows their skills and qualities.
Naturally it is not easy to take over a long running project. That is why Purple Lamp focussed on familiarizing themselves with the code of the game for a while, before they released their first update for The Guild 3.
You could see in that update, that we were focussed on other topics then many in the community expected. This is why we want talk about how we are working as a team, how we prioritize and how we plan to restart the communication with you, the community of The Guild 3. We will talk more about our next plans in coming DevDiaries.
The team is working with the SCRUM method, which means that we work in so-called Sprints. Every Sprint has a specific goal and at the end of a Sprint we must have a version that we could release as a patch. We are paying close attention that the team only works on the topics we initially aimed. The team needs to stay focussed to avoid the risk of new bugs in the game.
Until now our focus is camera, controls and feedback. These are the “basics” of a game and we take care of them first. We have analysed the game and the missing features and we have categorised everything in thematic blocks. Our goal is to work on one thematic block after the other, to strengthen the base of the game and therewith make the game better over time. After that we will work on larger features like multiplayer and AI.
As you may have noticed, we are present in the forums since the announcement. We read your criticisms and your wishes. We understand that you are wistfully waiting for features like the multiplayer and that you want to know when those features will be implemented. As pointed out above we will first strengthen the core gameplay, before we shift our focus to large features. We will inform you in the patch notes what we plan for the next patch and the time after.
Last but not least, let us assure you that we are aware of the responsibility that we took with The Guild 3. We are confident that we will master this project.
Best regards,
Milo Gutmann, Game Director, Purple Lamp Studios
Heinrich Meyer, Producer, THQ Nordic | 1,267,122 |
offense. The rushing attack should be among the best in the SEC and is anchored by rising star Leonard Fournette. The line is also a big part of LSU’s success on the ground, as three starters return from a unit that helped the Tigers average 224.5 rushing yards per game in 2014. Tackles Vadal Alexander and Jerald Hawkins are among the best in the SEC, while Ethan Pocic (a returning starter) is penciled in at left guard. Freshman Will Clapp (center) and Garrett Brumfield (right guard) should round out the starting five.
Related: Ranking the SEC's Top 15 Players for 2015
The Crimson Tide’s offensive line is undergoing some renovations with the loss of three starters. However, line coach Mario Cristobal has plenty of talent to develop, while the two returning starters – left tackle Cam Robinson and center Ryan Kelly – are among the best in the nation at their position. Redshirt freshman Ross Pierschbacher is expected to start at left guard, while Bradley Bozeman and Alphonse Taylor are battling for snaps at right guard. Senior Dominick Jackson has the inside track at right tackle.
The Trojans need to settle on a starting five, but this unit has plenty of promise and talent leading the way for one of the nation’s top offenses. Solidifying the left tackle position is critical, as junior Chad Wheeler is working his way back from a knee injury suffered in 2014. Toa Lobendahn could start at left tackle if Wheeler isn’t ready, or the talented sophomore could shift inside to left guard. Max Tuerk is arguably the nation’s best center, while the Trojans also boast returning starters at right tackle (Zach Banner) and right guard (Viane Talamaivao).
Related: Ranking the Pac-12's Top 15 Players for 2015
Protecting quarterback Trevone Boykin won’t be a problem for TCU in 2015. The Horned Frogs return four starters from a unit that allowed 23 sacks in 13 games last season. Hala Vaitai missed time in the spring due to a shoulder injury, but the senior is penciled in at left tackle after starting on the right side last year. Center Joey Hunt is among the nation’s best, while fellow seniors Jamelle Naff and Brady Foltz round out the returning starters.
11. Stanford
12. Notre Dame
13. Texas Tech
14. Boise State
15. Georgia Tech
16. UCLA
17. Missouri
18. Texas A&M
19. Ole Miss
20. Oregon
21. Pittsburgh
22. Wisconsin
23. Kansas State
24. Indiana
25. North Carolina
26. Minnesota
27. Oklahoma State
28. Michigan
29. Texas
30. Bowling Green | 1,267,123 |
Did Library Of Congress Lie? White House Says No Requirement To Block Wikileaks
from the the-law-is-the-law? dept
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–The Techdirt Team
On Friday, we wrote about how the Library of Congress, in an act of pure denial, had blocked Wikileaks, saying that it was required by law to block access to the site. As we noted at the time, this seemed silly, since the documents were widely available all over the internet and press reports were covering most of the details anyway. We got a few folks in the comments to respond with statements along the lines of "the law is the law, they have to block it." Of course, that misses the point. Even if there was such a law, the only way to "block" such information is to shut off the internet entirely, which is pretty pointless. However, a few folks also responded by asking, and the answer might be none.In an article about how different parts of the government have been warning government workers that these documents are still considered classified and to treat them accordingly, the White House officially stated that it is not advising government agencies to block Wikileaks. In other words, it sounds like someone at the Library of Congress is overreacting -- interpreting rules about dealing with classified documents to mean that it needs to block access to the website, when that doesn't appear to be the case.Either way, the whole thing is pretty silly. It's about time the government stops using a reality-denying definition of "classified" documents. In the business world, something is no longer considered a trade secret once it's out there. If the government wants to respond to actual conditions out in the world, it should do the same. If a classified document is leaked like this, it's downright silly to still consider it classified or confidential. Just admit that it's now public info and move on.
Filed Under: blocks, censorship, library of congress, white house, wikileaks
Companies: wikileaks | 1,267,124 |
Amazon India to offer to jobs to ex-servicemen, their spouses
india
Updated: Aug 27, 2019 08:57 IST
Global e-tailer Amazon’s Indian arm has launched a military veterans’ employment programme to offer jobs to ex-servicemen and their spouses at its fulfilment, sort and delivery centres across the country.
“The programme will be implemented in partnership with the Director-General of Resettlement and the Army Welfare Placement Organisation,” Amazon India said in a statement here on Monday.
The e-commerce giant has about 50 fulfilment and 200 delivery centres in cities and towns across the country.
The company did not, however, disclose how many sort centres it has at its fulfilment and delivery centres.
A company spokesperson said that as a policy, it does not disclose how many people are cumulatively employed at the respective centres in the Indian sub-continent.
“The employment at the centres, most of them on contract basis, varies as more are hired at peak sales season around festivals and other occasions when special sales are held with discounts and compliments,” the spokesperson told IANS.
“The novel programme creates continued job opportunity for military families, which respect principles and work ethics,” said the statement.
In defence of employing ex-servicemen, the company said that it was committed to diverse and inclusive hiring, creating opportunities for diverse individuals to realise their potentials.
“Over the years, we have hired military veterans for various roles spanning transportation, customer fulfilment, facilities management and security operations to name a few,” the company said in the statement.
Amazon Asia operations Vice President Akhil Saxena said the company would scale and extend the programme to hire talent from the Air Force, Navy and police families in the future.
“Thousands of personnel retire from the army every year. They are well-trained, self-motivated and have served the country over the years with a result-oriented culture. We find Amazon a match for them to work,” an army official said in the statement.
Amazon Programme Manager Shivani Bhatia said that defence personnel have integrity, discipline, motivation, flexibility and adaptability. They are also on time and have team management skills.
An e-commerce market analyst, however, said the company should hire more youth in their 20s and 30s given that unemployment rate is at a 45-year peak and job opportunities are scarce due to economic slowdown.
“Jobs for ex-servicemen and their spouses are laudable as a worthy cause but should not be at the cost of thousands of unemployed youth whose future is at stake,” the analyst told IANS on condition of anonymity.
Amazon has engaged a whopping 1,75,000 military veterans and their spouses in the programme the world over. | 1,267,125 |
NEW DELHI: Jhumki’s (name changed) red and white sakha-pola (wedding bangles) and sindoor jar sharply with her starched uniform. She was forced by her father to marry when she was barely 11 but she feels lucky to be allowed to attend school.
Forty-six per cent of women (between the ages of 18 and 29) in India were married before the age of 18, according to the National Family Health Survey-3. It is estimated that there are 23 million child brides in the country, around 40% of child brides globally. Global human rights NGO Breakthrough, working in districts of Hazaribagh and Gaya (in Bihar) and Ranchi in Jharkhand found that over 60% of women between the ages of 20-24 were married before 18.
Breakthrough, which launched its ‘ Nation Against Early Marriage ’ campaign in Ranchi recently, has so far reached 35,000 women and expects to expand the campaign nationwide and target 100,000 women in the coming months. The NGO — which had spearheaded the successful ‘bell bajao’ campaign against domestic violence — hopes to change the culture that drives and perpetuates early marriage to replace it with one where the lives, rights and personhood of girls is valued. Worldwide, 60 million girls become child brides every year, of which around 30 million belong to South Asia alone.
'140 million child brides by 2020 likely'
According to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), if the trends continue between 2011 and 2020, more than 140 million girls will become child brides, of which at least 18.5 million will be under the age of 15.
Breakthrough vice-president Sonali Khan said, “This issue came up when we were working with communities in Bihar and Jharkhand. Under-age girls are incapable of negotiating domestic violence, are deprived of early health and reproductive rights. This later has implications on child and maternal mortality."
According to the NGO’s data, the trend is worse in rural areas. In Jharkhand, 71% of girls in rural areas were married before 18 years compared to 33% in urban areas. In Bihar, 65.2% of girls were married before 18 years compared to 37% in urban areas.
Breakthrough is working with communities where the average age of marriage ranges between 15.1 and 16.4 and cohabitation also happens before the girl is 17. “Our on-?eld trainings that began in April 2013 have witnessed an average participation of 200 middle and high school level students per session. We have targeted fathers or male members of the family who usually make the decision for the young girl. But it is a slow process," Khan said.
The NGO uses mobile vans, panchayats and folk theatre as medium to create communication tools.
| 1,267,126 |
People ask me weird questions when I tell them that I live in Hartford. Particularly strange is the idea that I somehow have no access to food. Without even getting on a bus or calling up Lyft, actually, there are a few options — none of which involve bodegas, though those are on every other block if needed. The quality of produce varies; for bridging the gap on this, the value of farmers’ markets cannot be overstated.
The Farmers’ Market at the Regional Market
If you can manage to drag yourself out of bed this early, the retail sales are 6-9 am on Saturdays and Sundays. This is located at 101 Reserve Road in the South Meadows.
West End Farmers’ Market
Every Tuesday afternoon, June-October, there are at least four farmers and several bread/baked goods vendors. This is on the Clemens Green on Farmington Avenue near the Mark Twain House.
Old State House Farmers’ Market
This is the oldest farmers’ market in Connecticut, established in 1643. This downtown market runs from June-October on Tuesdays and Fridays, 10 am – 2 pm.
Frog Hollow Farmers’ Market
New this year, this market at 75 Laurel Street is open on Monday and Friday afternoons, July-October. A Real Hartford reader shares that the honey being sold here is fantastic.
North End Farmers’ Market
On Wednesdays, 10 am – 1 pm, at 80 Coventry Street in the North East neighborhood.
Farmers’ Market at Billings Forge
Thursdays, 11 am – 2 pm, on Broad Street between Russ and Capitol in Frog Hollow.
Tangiers
Since moving from West Hartford to the West End of Hartford (550 Farmington Avenue), they have begun to stock produce from local sources. Monday-Saturday, 10 am – 8 pm.
The Greenway Market
They have hours every day of the week and are located downtown (71 Asylum Street).
El Mercado
La Plaza del Mercado (704 Park Street) in Frog Hollow has a grocery store and food court, open every day.
C-Town
During snowstorms, they tend to be open and have their freshly baked bread available. There are locations in Parkville (1744 Park Street), South Green (165 Wethersfield Avenue), and Behind the Rocks (394 New Britain Avenue).
Bravo
Much like C-Town. There are locations in Barry Square (685 Maple Avenue) and the Upper Albany neighborhood (1291 Albany Avenue).
Save-A-Lot
There is a store in Frog Hollow (1250 Park Street) and the Clay-Arsenal neighborhood (1888 Main Street).
Stop & Shop
Parkville (150 New Park Avenue) has one.
Where else can you buy fresh produce in Hartford? | 1,267,127 |
LE to look at the average temperature effect recent major volcanic eruptions: Agung in 1963, El Chichon in 1982, and Pinatubo in 1991, which you can see in black line the left-hand chart below. They found 58 model runs where El Niño conditions were neutral after the eruption. They also identified 32 cases where an El Niño followed the eruption (red line), and 30 cases where a La Niñ followed the eruption (blue line).
When eruptions occurred, the average cooling was about 0.2C, with most of the effect dissipating over five years as sulphate aerosols fell out of the stratosphere. When volcanoes were followed by an El Niño event in the models, however, the average cooling was only around 0.1C or less, while volcanoes followed by La Niña events saw an average cooling of 0.3C or more.
Projections of temperature change from an Agung eruption of a similar magnitude to the one in 1963 coinciding with either an El Niño (red) or La Niña (blue) are shown in the right panel. If the eruption coincides with an El Niño event, there may be little to no detectable cooling depending on the size of the eruption. However, if the eruption coincides with a La Niña event, we could witness substantial cooling based on the combination of the two.
Barring an eruption of the magnitude not seen for over 200 years, however, the total effect on the Earth’s temperature will be relatively small compared to the warming experienced over the past century.
An Agung eruption similar to 1963 would only reduce temperatures for 2018 down to 2014 levels, all things being equal. It might postpone the date when a new record is set for the warmest year in recorded history, but it will not affect long-term warming driven by increasing atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations.
Methodological note
A variant of Otto et al. (2015) method was used to estimate the efficacy of human and natural radiative forcing on global average surface temperature using a multivariate regression model. The regression model fit observed surface temperatures using both total anthropogenic forcings (greenhouse gases + aerosols) and natural forcings (volcanoes + solar). Thermal response times were adjusted for volcanic forcings to allow a more immediate impact of aerosol cooling.
Forcings were fit to a variant of the Berkeley Earth surface temperature record that had ENSO removed (as per the Foster & Rahmstorf (2011) method). Removing ENSO from the record before fitting forcings is necessary to accurately assess the magnitude of temperature response to volcanic forcing due to the overlap of volcanoes with ENSO events.
An Agung eruption scenario was created by assuming that the volcanic aerosol radiative forcings of the 1963-1966 occur from 2017-2020. Radiative forcing data was obtained from Meinshausen et al. (2011), with data available here. | 1,267,128 |
and how she felt when he touched her, smooth but also solid, like a powerful, rock-hard muscle. Perhaps it was because dolphins are fast healers, or because so many cared or because Shawn had stayed with her all night. But in the morning, the dolphin that was weak and dying only a few hours before seemed stronger and more alert. Shawn had done all he could. With several others, working together, Shawn helped carry her to the beach. They gingerly set her down in shallow water, offering words of encouragement, telling her they loved her. But the journey seemed to exhaust her, and when she seemed unresponsive, they floated her out a bit further, supporting her underside until they agreed that it was time. As soon as they let her go, Grace sank. They lifted her back up, took her out a bit farther and tried again. Again her fins remained still and she began to drift toward the bottom. When Shawn felt certain Grace would not return alone, he swam to her, placing her head on his shoulder and his arm around her smooth abdomen. Her body slumped, weighing on him, and he carried her deeper into the sea. Holding her alone, he began to tire. Then a boat of tourists pulled up. They gawked at the man propping up the dolphin and began to take pictures. He took a chance and grabbed the boat to rest for a time. Then the boat continued on, and Shawn swam further out, still towing Grace. Shawn had saved her. She would live. And now she returned the favor. When he could swim no more, he let the burden of Grace drop from his shoulder. He descended beside her, acknowledging the limits of salvation, but still dragged down by the weight of his hope. A beat passed with man and dolphin beneath the waves, and then Grace made a choice. She flexed her tail and began to move through the water, circling Shawn slowly, seeming to summon strength from him. She rose to the surface, breathed and then once again dove below, swimming and gaining speed. Shawn had saved her. She would live. And now she returned the favor. She swam alongside Shawn, pressed her body against his, and this time lifted him to the surface, completing the circle. She began to swim around Shawn, faster and faster. Then she headed for open ocean and was gone. * * * In the years since the rescue, reports from boat captains and fishermen have come in from time to time of a lone striped dolphin swimming off the coast of the Osa Peninsula. It is said to be spirited and playful, surrounded by a pod of pantropical spotted dolphins that are native to the area. If anybody wonders why the single striped dolphin looks different, why it isn't traveling with its own, Shawn knows the answer. She is with her family. And his, too. Producer/Design: Chris Mottram | Editor: Glenn Stout | Copy Editor: Kevin Fixler
Photos: Lindsay Fendt | 1,267,129 |
Two Fridays ago BioWare turned Mr. Tramps, a local Austin hangout, into a cantina straight off Alderaan. The Alpha Strike Force (ASF) guild of the Jedi Covenant couldn’t pass on a chance like that and sent one of its finest officers to investigate and record his impressions!
The backroom of the cantina had three wall-sized screens continuously playing all of the SWTOR videos. To see the arrival of the Sith at Korriban, the battle of Alderaan and the fall of the Jedi Temple on the huge screens was a sight to behold. The videos really set the mood for the night.
Approximately eighty players and upwards of twenty designers filled the cantina sharing beers and stories, each in great spirits. Upon arrival, BioWare gave each player a Tauntaun Fawn pet for in-game use and a copy of the Journal of Grand Master Gnost-Dural. This proved an excellent ice-breaker – each designer carried a sharpie and would gladly sign every player’s copy. A great way to start a conversation about what each designer works on and what each player was dying to know. While details were kept close, the many hints suggest great things on the way for space combat and end-game
content.
Throughout my interaction with the designers I was struck by the overwhelming passion that each had for the game. Each one loves the game: its community, its design and its future. This was refreshing to see this passion given the recent turmoil at BioWare. I instantly knew that I needed a new job when one young designer told me she often takes “warzone breaks.” What? How awesome! A difficult problem at work, no problem, blow off some steam in a quick PVP match – how amazingly lucky they are.
Many of the specifics of the question-and-answer session have been covered in great details in other articles but I would like to add a few impressions I gathered. First, BioWare seems to be happy with the 500 member guild cap and I gathered that any increase in that area was pretty far down on their list. Second, and on a positive note, they noted that they identified a main technical problem with large scale PVP battle performance and are actively working on it (although no timeline on fixing it). I missed out on the Ilum battles and would love to see that aspect of the game return. Finally, given the pressure to monetize the game, if you want it bad enough they’ll sell it to you (so keep asking for your heart’s desire and it may end up on the Cartel Market).
To each of the designers I meet, a heartfelt thank you and to each of the players – keep playing! To the bloggers we met, Darthhater and Hawtpants of the Old Republic, it was great to meet you both and keep up the great coverage of our Star Wars: The Old Republic. | 1,267,130 |
Police: Central Texas woman with green hair fled after hitting man with car while driving drunk
Austin police arrested Elizabeth Elliott, 24, on felony charges of intoxication assault and failure to stop and render aid in connection with a Feb. 10, 2016 crash on Austin's East Side. Austin police arrested Elizabeth Elliott, 24, on felony charges of intoxication assault and failure to stop and render aid in connection with a Feb. 10, 2016 crash on Austin's East Side. Photo: Austin Police Department Photo: Austin Police Department Image 1 of / 45 Caption Close Police: Central Texas woman with green hair fled after hitting man with car while driving drunk 1 / 45 Back to Gallery
A 24-year-old Austin woman with dyed green hair failed to stop after hitting a pedestrian with her car while driving drunk, police allege.
Austin police arrested Elizabeth Elliott on Wednesday and charged her with intoxication assault and failure to stop and render aid, both felonies.
RELATED: Police: Central Texas prosecutor accused of DWI crashed into parked car, tried to leave scene
A pedestrian was crossing the 1500 block of East 6th St. just before 1 a.m. Wednesday when a car with its headlights turned off struck him, according to a police arrest affidavit.
The impact forced the pedestrian onto the hood of the car and into the windshield, causing it to break, the affidavit said.
The driver did not stop the vehicle to check on the pedestrian and fled the scene, police said in the affidavit.
RELATED: Austin man accused of exposing himself to female joggers told police 'go Broncos'
Police tracked down Elliott at her address after a witness on his bicycle provided a description matching Elliott, the vehicle and the car's license plate number, the affidavit said.
Elliott was sitting in the vehicle with the engine running when police arrived, police said.
A detective observed small pieces of glass from the broken windshield were inside the car, according to police.
RELATED: Nearly 50 suspects, including teacher and umpire, arrested in Central Texas prostitution sting
Elliott refused to discuss the incident and to submit to field alcohol tests, police said in the affidavit.
The detective noticed that Elliott's breath smelled strongly of alcohol and her eyes were bloodshot and glassy, the affidavit said. She also had stuttered speech and swayed while walking, according to police.
The 24-year-old was previously convicted in May 2011 on a driving while intoxicated charge, according to the affidavit.
RELATED: Police: East Texas man stole car from Taco Bueno parking lot after applying for job there
The pedestrian was transported to Brackenridge Hospital in downtown Austin with a broken right shoulder and possible broken bones in his legs, the affidavit said.
Elliott is currently being held in Travis County Jail on a $60,000 bond.
[email protected]
Twitter: @JFreports | 1,267,131 |
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Roberto Moncalvo, president of Italian farming union Coldiretti, told the Italian National Assembly yesterday the UK’s exit from the EU in March 2019 would “weaken” Italy’s farming industry and export trade. Coldiretti is the leading Italian union of farmers at national and European level. It has offices in every region and province in Italy, with 724 offices and 5000 regional sections in operation. But the President of the union warned Italian agriculture “can’t pay the price of Brexit”. They fear an estimated cut of €2.7billion (£2.3billion) to the budget of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), something which could heavily impact 800,000 Italian farms.
Mr Moncalvo said Brexit without a trade agreement would risk the country’s ability to face key challenges for the country and for the EU itself, from climate change to immigration to security. He told the National Assembly: "The proposal of the EU Commission on the first multi-annual budget after the exit of Great Britain weakens agriculture, the only truly integrated sector of the Union, and that means undermining the foundations of the EU itself at a particularly critical moment for his future". "A choice, however, rightly rejected by the European Parliament as well as by the same citizens of the Union who for 90 percent support the agricultural policy at the community level for the decisive role it has for the environment, the territory and health according to the public consultation promoted by the European Commission itself". “We need a more equitable distribution of resources overcoming the imbalances that have characterised the past.”
Union head Roberto Monclavo warns that Italian agriculture will suffer post-Brexit
Mr Moncalvo concluded his objective could be possible “with external and internal convergence to make direct payments consistent with parameters such as production costs, labour and added value” and by avoiding cuts. Meanwhile, the Italian media has also warned Britain, a key territory for Italian food exports, would have to “kiss goodbye” to a large percentage of its favourite foods including olive oil, pasta and more. Popular foods such as peppers, rice, herbs and spices would also be affected if the UK failed to secure free trade agreements with Europe. Italian agricultural journal InNaturale warned that Britons may have to say goodbye to Italian produce if the UK cannot maintain free trade agreements with the EU.
Italy: The best alternatives to Venice without the tourists Thu, June 14, 2018 The best Italian alternatives to Venice without the tourists in Italy. Play slideshow Getty Images 1 of 5 Bergamo - Located in the Lombardy region, it lies in the foothills of the Bergamo Alps | 1,267,132 |
Increasing numbers of fund managers are looking to profit from social housing and other niche sectors as income investments from the property market continue to stagnate.
Residential Secure Income, a new investment group targetting social housing, is set to float on London Stock Exchange in July. The company plans to raise £300m as part of its initial public offering.
RSI, managed by ReSI Capital Management, plans to acquire homes and lease them back to local authorities and housing associations. The company claims that it will provide inflation-linked income returns and targeting a dividend yield of 5 per cent.
Residential Secure Income’s announcements means that it will become only the second UK-listed fund dedicated exclusively to social housing investments. Its planned launch follows that of Civitas Social Housing in November last year which raised £350m to acquire properties around London, the Midlands and the south of England to lease back to housing associations. Civitas also targets a dividend yield of 5 per cent.
Increasing private sector involvement
The social housing sector is increasingly attracting private sector money. Pension funds and insurance companies — including Legal & General and Pension Insurance Corp — have been lending to housing associations for several years.
GCP Capital Partners — which runs the GCP Infrastructure fund — said it already holds some social housing and is looking to increase its exposure to the asset class through lending to housing associations.
GCP fund manager Stephen Ellis said: “We’ve got £100m plus and a pipeline of £50m at the moment
“We lend against the acquisition or development of properties by housing associations.”
Mr Ellis added that with 750 housing associations there “ought to be rampant opportunities”, and that retail funds’ small size allowed them to strike deals that bigger players — such as insurers and pension funds — were uninterested in.
Housing associations were also good borrowers, Mr Ellis continued. “Not one housing association has ever defaulted.”
The exemption of housing benefit reductions is a further bonus for investment in supported accommodation.
“Essentially what we’re looking to do is attract public sector-backed cash flows, as long-dated as possible, and wherever possible with inflation linkage,” Ellis said.
However, Andrew Summers, head of research at Investec Wealth, warned that even for private investors there remained risks, notably the possibility of negative press coverage in the event of homes being repossessed. “Housing is a political hot potato,” he said. “There’s a lot of headline risk in [the potential story of] people being thrown out of their homes to fund City investors.”
The Renters Alliance helps renters with bad landlords and letting agents. If you have a story you would like to share, please contact the National Renters Alliance through our website or email us at [email protected] | 1,267,133 |
Nations attending a G7 summit could not release a joint climate statement at the end of a meeting this week because the Trump administration is reviewing its policies.
Energy Secretary Rick Perry attended the G7 energy summit in Rome this weekend. But Italian officials said the U.S. was not able to sign a joint declaration about shared economic goals.
“The United States is in the process of reviewing many of its policies. This includes a review of policies relating to climate change and the Paris agreement," Italian Industry Minister Carlo Calenda said, Reuters reported Monday.
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“While this is under way, the United States reserves its position on these key priorities.... It was not possible to sign a joint declaration since it would not cover the whole range of topics in the agenda.”
The Energy Department did not immediately return a request for comment.
Trump and his administration are reassessing the commitments former President Barack Obama Barack Hussein ObamaGOP senator blocks Schumer resolution aimed at Biden probe as tensions run high D-Day for Trump: September 29 Obama says making a voting plan is part of 'how to quarantine successfully' MORE made via international climate agreements during his administration, including the U.S.’s involvement in the landmark Paris climate deal reached in 2015.
European officials told the Financial Times that they had hoped to include language related to the G7’s involvement in the Paris deal as part of the group’s joint declaration, but that the U.S. delegation objected.
#G7energy: while some review their climate and clean energy policies, most of us move forward and implement them in line w/ #ParisAgreement pic.twitter.com/oEHqflx0xf — Miguel Arias Cañete (@MAC_europa) April 10, 2017
Miguel Arias Cañete, the European Union’s energy and climate commissioner, tweeted Monday that “while some review their climate and clean energy policies, most of us move forward and implement them in line with [the] Paris agreement.”
In his own readout from the Rome meeting, Perry didn’t address the issue regarding the joint climate statement or the Paris agreement.
But he reiterated the position that he and Trump take, that fossil fuels can still be used while the environment gets cleaner.
“I discussed with my fellow ministers that the Trump administration believes that economic growth and the environment can successfully go hand-in-hand,” Perry said in his statement.
“As the [International Energy Agency] shared with us during the meeting, renewables will continue to have an important role but traditional sources are still needed for energy and economic security into the foreseeable future,” he continued. “Therefore, we believe it is wise for countries to use and pursue highly efficient energy resources.”
— Updated at 12:25 p.m. Timothy Cama contributed. | 1,267,134 |
Warnings over text-sharing apps By Mark Ward
Technology correspondent, BBC News Published duration 16 December 2013
image caption The Android text-sharing apps exploit the unlimited texting part of mobile contracts
Warnings are being issued about Android apps that exploit a phone's ability to send unlimited numbers of text messages.
The apps are proving popular because they claim to reward phone owners for every text message they relay.
But, say security firms, the apps can relay huge numbers of texts via a phone and lead to its number being blocked.
Mobile operators say the apps violate their terms and conditions and could lead to a service being suspended.
Daily rate
The apps aim to profit via the unlimited texting that many people get with their mobile contract.
Routing text messages through a phone can be a cheap way to ensure an SMS reaches its destination, said Cahal McDaid from mobile security firm Adaptive Mobile.
"There's a huge market in sending text messages as cheaply as possible around the world," he said.
The fees for transporting text messages vary from country to country which has led to a "grey market" for routing messages via the cheapest route.
Routing the message via a phone already in the country that someone wants to reach could cut costs even more, he added.
However, said Mr McDaid, the sheer number of texts that some of the apps sent through a participating phone could cause problems.
Adaptive had seen thousands of messages passing through phones that had downloaded one of the apps.
In addition, he said, operators were likely to take a dim view of customers who use their phone as a text message relay.
"You cannot resell your message plan," he said. "Operators have terms and conditions for a reason."
A spokesperson for Bazuc, one of the message-relaying Android apps, said it told participants to ensure that the daily limit of messages they send is not set too high.
"We are fully aware that mobile operators are not going to be a big fan of this app," said the spokesperson. "We're simply trying to help people out there make some extra money."
The spokesperson claimed that some users of its app had five phones dedicated to using the app so they can cash in. Bazuc said it paid participants $0.001 cents for every message they relayed.
All the UK's large mobile operators contacted by the BBC said any customer using text-message-relaying apps would be breaching the terms of their contract. This could lead to their number being blocked or their service being suspended.
Marc Rogers, principal security researcher at mobile security firm Lookout, said getting caught using such apps could make the whole experience very expensive.
"If your operator decides to bill you their 'out of bundle' or overage rate for violating their terms you could be billed hundreds of pounds for those messages," he said. | 1,267,135 |
Those methods the occupying states of Kurdistan; Turkey, Iran and Syria use on the Kurdish people since decades, are now being executed by the Islamic Republic of Iran against Southern Kurdistan. Because Iran cut off the flow of water to Southern Kurdistan, its agriculture and stock farming are suffering tremendous impacts.
DIFFICULTIES IN THE AGRICULTURE AND STOCK FARMING SECTOR
Following the decision of the ruling KDP (Kurdistan Democratic Party) to hold an independence referendum in order to win the elections and secure its reign, the Iranian state cut off the flow of Little Zap (Zêyî Biçûk) river to Southern Kurdistan. The Little Zap river runs from Northern Kurdistan, passes through the cities of Piranshahr and Sardasht of Eastern Kurdistan, reaches the city Qeladiz in Southern Kurdistan and stretches from there furthermore to the cities Ranya, Sulaymaniyah and several of its districts. Due to the blockade of the water flow, the agriculture and stock farming sector in all those areas are suffering heavy setbacks.
STRENUOUS DAYS LIE AHEAD OF THE PEOPLE
The Iranian regime has blocked the flow of water to Southern Kurdistan to a big degree through the Sîlve, Visk and Kolse dam and countless other dams it built on Little Zap river. The inhabitants of Qeladiz, who are living near the shore of this lake, can no more irrigate their fields sufficiently due to the blockade. One of the farmers from Erdelan, Îbrahîm Ebdullah stated that because of the water blockage the local farmers are about to face great difficulties and hardship.
Ebdullah said that the poor people are making ends meet by agriculture and stock farming, adding: "The source of life of Qeladiz is this lake. Whole of Southern Kurdistan is currently undergoing a severe recession anyway. There is much unemployment. The blockade of the water will cause financial damage."
"OUR ENEMIES HAVE UNITED AGAINST US AND CUT OFF OUR WATER"
Mam Mihemed who is a farmer at the shore of Zap, explained that they are going through immense difficulties now as their water access has been restricted, and stressed that the enemies of the Kurdish people have united against the Kurds and do everything to prevent the Kurds from getting even one cup of water.
Mam Mihemed said: "Look, we can only perform agriculture at the shore on the shore. They are all enemies of the entire Kurdish people. Iran is an enemy, Iraq is an enemy and Turkey is an enemy in first place. Not even drinking the blood of the Kurdish people will satisfy the Turkish state. This is the case since the Ottoman era until now. The Ottomans burned Iraq thrice. And now these enemies of old have united against the Kurds, and cut off the Kurds access to water among others. What is left for me to say more..." | 1,267,136 |
preter"->{"Cos"->Cos, "Sin"->Sin}|>, "x18" -> <|"Input"->Cos,"Interpreter"->{"Cos"->Cos, "Sin"->Sin}|>}, Column[{ ExportForm[ Graphics[{ Opacity[.3], Table[{ HU[k][#x2,#x3,#x4]@@#x1, Circle[{ CO[k][#x6,#x7,#x8,#x9]@@#x5, CO[k][#x11,#x12,#x13,#x14]@@#x10}, RA[k][#x16,#x17,#x18]@@#x15]}, {k,1,7000,1.}]}, ImageSize->1000, Background->Black], "SVG"], Style["right-click on image to save", FontFamily->"Herculanum",Red,25] }]&, FormLayoutFunction -> Function[ Column[{ Style["yeganeh circular art",FontFamily->"Phosphate",60,Red], Grid[{{ Style["EXPERIMENT & RIGHT-CLICK SAVE.",GrayLevel[7]], Spacer[2],"|",Spacer[2], Hyperlink["INITIALIZE","https://wolfr.am/yeganehAPP"], Spacer[2],"|",Spacer[2], Style["SHARE / GUIDE:",GrayLevel[7]], Spacer[3], Hyperlink["http://wolfr.am/StaffPicks","http://wolfr.am/StaffPicks"] }},Spacings->{0, 0}], Spacer[{1,5}], Grid[ {{Style["COLOR",Red],Spacer[5],#["x1", "Control"], #["x2", "Control"], #["x3", "Control"],#["x4", "Control"]}, {Style["X-AXIS",Red],Spacer[5],#["x5", "Control"], #["x6", "Control"],#["x7", "Control"], #["x8", "Control"], #["x9", "Control"]}, {Style["Y-AXIS",Red],Spacer[5], #["x10", "Control"], #["x11", "Control"], #["x12", "Control"], #["x13", "Control"], #["x14", "Control"]}, {Style["RADIUS",Red],Spacer[5], #["x15", "Control"], #["x16", "Control"], #["x17", "Control"], #["x18", "Control"]}} ] }] ], FormTheme -> "Black" ], "yeganeh", Permissions->"Public" ] | 1,267,137 |
timeWindow' => 30, 'failureRateThreshold' => 50,'minimumRequests' => 10, 'intervalToHalfOpen' => 5, 'adapter' => $adapter, ]); $middleware = new GuzzleMiddleware($ganesha); $handlers = HandlerStack::create(); $handlers->push($middleware); $client = new Client(['handler' => $handlers, 'timeout' => 4]); $dispatcher = FastRoute\simpleDispatcher(static function(FastRoute\RouteCollector $r) use ($client) { $r->addRoute('GET', '/endpoint1', static function () use ($client) { try { echo $client->get('http://app2p')->getBody(); } catch (ConnectException $e) { echo $e->getMessage(); } catch (RejectedException $e) { echo $e->getMessage(); } }); $r->addRoute('GET', '/endpoint2', static function () { echo 'endpoint2'; }); }); $httpMethod = $_SERVER['REQUEST_METHOD']; $uri = $_SERVER['REQUEST_URI']; if (false!== $pos = strpos($uri, '?')) { $uri = substr($uri, 0, $pos); } $uri = rawurldecode($uri); $routeInfo = $dispatcher->dispatch($httpMethod, $uri); switch ($routeInfo[0]) { case FastRoute\Dispatcher::NOT_FOUND: break; case FastRoute\Dispatcher::METHOD_NOT_ALLOWED: $allowedMethods = $routeInfo[1]; break; case FastRoute\Dispatcher::FOUND: $handler = $routeInfo[1]; $handler(); break; }
Now we have no errors. How it is possible? Though the second app is “not working” (of course we are just simulating such a behavior). In this situation circuit breaker is working and after a few failed requests the state is set to open and next requests are not going to the second service. The response is returned immediately, so we can inform the user about the problem. In the strategy called “Design for Failure” it is better to return error than force users for waiting a long time.
Summary
Circuit Breaker is a very helpful pattern. It should be used in most cases when an application uses some kind of APIs. This pattern helps an application to know when its dependent services are down. When it’s known, the application can returns data from cache or just returns suitable feedback. However, sometimes the pattern may have no sense. For example when between services requests are sending very rarely then we don’t have time to collect the right number of statistics and consequently changing the state of Circuit Breaker is sporadic.
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The last-minute addition of a repeal of Obamacare’s individual mandate and the various accounting gimmicks built into the bill aren’t there so that tax reform doesn’t add to deficits. They’re there so that it doesn’t add to deficits by more than $1.5 trillion over 10 years. You can’t support this legislation and call yourself a deficit hawk. More like a deficit ostrich.
That should be reason enough for Senator Bob Corker, the Tennessee Republican, to vote no. What’s more, he has also denounced Trump as “an utterly untruthful president” who needs “adult day care” and is “unable to rise to the occasion.” Does Corker want to march in lock step with such a disaster or trip him up?
That same question goes to John McCain, to Susan Collins and to other Senate Republicans who have indicated grave apprehensions about Trump. Their party’s donors may be demanding tax reform. They themselves may believe in some of the bill’s particulars. But do they believe in this president? In where he has tugged the G.O.P.? Do they want to aid him, or put him behind them as quickly as possible?
Some Republicans beyond Trump would be hurt by a defeat on tax reform. But they’d be hurt more in the long run by sustained surrender to him. To crib a phrase from Flake, they’d be toast.
In his book “Conscience of a Conservative,” which was published in August and was the prelude to his big speech, Flake wrote that Republicans indulged Trump by rationalizing that he might help them “achieve some long-held policy goals.” But Flake added that if this “put at risk our institutions and our values,” it raised the question of “whether any such policy victories wouldn’t be Pyrrhic ones.”
That question is no less pertinent now. Trump continues, on an almost daily basis, to dishonor the presidency and debase civic life. We may be getting more used to him; he’s not getting any better. He picks gratuitous fights — with the widow of a slain soldier, with the father of a detained college basketball player. He curtsies to the Russians and the Chinese. He petrifies his own inner circle. His secretary of state supposedly called him a “moron.” His national security adviser reportedly opted for “idiot” and “dope.”
Flake’s message a month ago had a more elevated vocabulary but the same urgency. He said that lawmakers must be “unafraid to stand up and speak out as if our country depends on it, because it does.” Was that preening or patriotism? He can show us with a single vote. | 1,267,139 |
Parwinder Kaur died after suffering burns to most of her body. Her husband Kulwinder Singh is accused of dousing his wife in petrol and setting her alight in the pair's Rouse Hill home in December 2013.
Haunting triple-0 call shortly before Parwinder Kaur burned to death in her own home
WARNING: Distressing content
A man accused of murdering his wife by setting her on fire said it was his prerogative to hit her if he wanted, a Sydney jury has been told.
Kulwinder Singh, 41, has pleaded not guilty in the NSW Supreme Court to murdering Parwinder Kaur, 32, on December 2, 2013, at their Rouse Hill home.
Her brother, Sukhvinder Singh, on Monday told the jury of an occasion in 2012 when she and her husband were arguing about her wanting to put some of her pay in her own bank account.
They both stood up and his brother-in-law raised his hand and was about to assault her, he said.
“I said: ‘No, you cannot do this. This is my house’,” Mr Singh said. But his brother-in-law replied, “No, you can’t interfere”, saying it was “his prerogative if he wanted to hit her or do whatever he wanted to her”.
Mr Singh said he opened the door and told his brother-in-law to leave. “He said to me: ‘I will fix you up and get you thrown out of Australia’.”
Mr Singh said that in June 2011 his sister told him her husband had bashed her and thrown her out of their house, saying “he hit me with a shoe in my belly”.
His sister had stayed over his place five or six times after she and her husband had argued, he said.
The petrol-fuelled blaze that killed Ms Kaur caused burns to 90 per cent of her body.
The Crown alleges Singh was responsible for her death, while he told police “she did it to herself” when he was upstairs in their bedroom.
Sukhvinder Singh broke down as he told the jury his sister “was the strongest among our family”.
She had never told him she wanted to harm or kill herself, he said.
Shortly before emergency services were notified of Ms Kaur’s burns, she had phoned her brother, saying: “He is telling me again to put money into his account.”
Mr Singh said he was at work and told his sister he would ring her after he finished work or he would call her.
But “that’s it”, he said as he broke down.
The trial before Justice Natalie Adams continues. | 1,267,140 |
CHICAGO — A foundation led by musician Vic Mensa plans to donate gym shoes to kids near the same spot where police used a “bait truck” earlier this month.
Thousands of gym shoes have been donated to Mensa’s SaveMoneySaveLife foundation, which plans to pass out the shoes to children in need. Organizers came up with the idea after Norfolk Southern Railroad and the Chicago Police Department set up a “bait truck” with boxes of shoes in Englewood, then arrested people who tried to break into the truck.
Videos of the “bait truck” went viral on social media and led to public outcry, with politicians and residents saying the truck created crime and questioning why resources were spent on the program in an area plagued by gun violence.
In response, Mensa’s foundation will set up an “anti-bait truck” and give out the shoes during a back-to-school event, according to a Sun-Times report. The date of the event hasn’t been finalized yet.
Those who wish to donate shoes can do so through an online Amazon wishlist. More than 3,000 pairs of shoes had already been donated as of Friday morning, according to a tweet from activist and writer Shaun King. The foundation hopes to get at least 5,000 pairs of shoes, according to the Sun-Times.
SaveMoneySaveLife’s project isn’t the only one that’s been created in response to the bait truck: A petition calling for the Chicago Police to stop using bait trucks has collected more than 30,000 signatures online.
Norfolk Southern has said it doesn’t plan to use bait trucks in the future, and Chicago Police Supt. Eddie Johnson has said the department will take “a hard look” at the practice going forward.
Last week Chicago Police escorted a “bait-truck” full of shoes through the South Side of Chicago to lure poor people with FREE NIKES. So we’re filling a truck with shoes to give away to those who need it. Buy a pair and donate here:https://t.co/8xkLTHTEhX pic.twitter.com/Tp6X8iZ4Ch — vino valentino (@VicMensa) August 17, 2018
Last week the Chicago Police set up a bait trap by putting a truck full of tennis shoes in the hood then arresting any kids who took a pair.
So – let's buy THOUSANDS of shoes for every kid in Chicago who needs a pair.
ORDER TONIGHT @ https://t.co/aNWxI4MijJ pic.twitter.com/GUWp7WvOTq — Shaun King (@shaunking) August 16, 2018 | 1,267,141 |
Greek writer and actor Alex Andreou tweeted Tuesday he was rejected from adopting a cat because he’s gay.
In the tweet, Andreou explained he drove two hours ‘to adopt a cat that desperately needed rehoming and was turned down for being gay’. Andreou writes for The Guardian and beyond and runs the Sturdy Beggars Theatre Company.
He posted screenshots of the nasty text exchange with the tweet.
So, I just travelled two hours to adopt a cat that desperately needed rehoming and was turned down for being gay. WTF IS WRONG WITH PEOPLE. pic.twitter.com/XDwYELdkn7 — Alex Andreou (@sturdyAlex) August 22, 2017
The texts show the person asking Andreou if he’s gay. When Andreou questions if it’s an issue, the person responds: ‘I am religious so i strongly disagree with the life style.’
They then apologize if they hurt Andreou’s feelings and Andreou sent the best response: ‘Darling, I’ve been beaten and called a “faggot” since I was 8. My feelings are quite robust. And yes, sorry is precisely what you are.’
The person followed up with: ‘Are you not afraid of going to hell when you die?’
Andreou tweeted not longer he was on the bus sobbing and it hurts as much as when he was 8.
So now I'm on the bus and I'm sobbing and people are staring at me because the truth is it hurts as much as when I was 8 years old. — Alex Andreou (@sturdyAlex) August 22, 2017
When someone asked why he didn’t name the person, Andreou responded: ‘Because that would make me a little more like her and I am nothing like her.’
Luckily, Andreou tweeted a couple hours later with an update to the story. And it’s a good one!
UPDATE: An Amazing friend who lives locally to that evil cow, is picking up the cats for me on Thursday. I am so happy. — Alex Andreou (@sturdyAlex) August 22, 2017
A friend is going to pick the cats up for Andreou on Thursday.
He then pondered the first thing he’ll do with the cats and how he’ll spoil them.
I may then have to festoon the cats in Rainbow Flags and send her photos. Is there a co that makes pink litter? Pride cat bowls? I NEED GEAR — Alex Andreou (@sturdyAlex) August 22, 2017
We sincerely hope Andreou posts these photos because they sound marvelous! And we’re very glad this story has a happy ending.
Gay Star News reached out to Andreou for further comment. | 1,267,142 |
sights, but I can only really see it from within a cab and after extensive fiddling with camera modes. I don’t want ATS to evolve into some kind of city sim, because to undermine the purity of its road might just destroy it, but as it slowly looks better and better, it feels increasingly absurd that there isn’t some kind of first-person, on-foot mode.
I don’t ask for interaction: I just want to get a better look, and to evoke that other critical element of the road trip, which is getting out to stretch your legs and take the air in a strange new place. It’s not a small thing to ask for, I know, but by this point, with so much world and, if you travel the length of the game, trips this long, it feels by now necessary.
I’ll also raise a call for a better lighting system. Under the hood, American Truck Simulator is still 2012’s Euro Truck Simulator 2, and sometimes it shows. Sunsets and night time look great, the wash of colour or dark hiding a multitude of sins, but in full daylight there is an abiding plainness to those shrubs and skinny trees and acres of beige dust. A little more shadow, a little more variety to the light: again, not a small request, but it could achieve great things.
As such, New Mexico is paradoxically both everything it needed to be and at the same time merely a roadside motel halfway to some better destination. Its combination of heightened detail and less iconic, therefore more authentic-feeling scenery makes it an essential puzzle piece for what this game will one day presumably/hopefully become.
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I.e. not just the greatest hits of America, but all of it, the rough with the smooth, the desolate with the thrilling, the places you want to escape from with the places you want to move to. Already, New Mexico makes ATS significantly different – that much more varied, more of a place to explore, rather than just one to tick tourist traps off the list.
And that drive, the big drive, from opposite extremes of this new map? Now that drive is an afternoon-long odyssey. Just imagine what it will become. Next time around, American Truck Simulator could go to Oregon, Utah, Idaho, Colorado or Texas. I pray it will leave the sand and rock behind for a spell and go North next, to the mountains and the forests and lakes. Show me different things, yes, but also give ATS the spur it needs to really, truly do trees right.
Do Oregon and then Washington and I will do my Twin Peaks road trip, and I shall need no other game.
American Truck Simulator: New Mexico is released tomorrow. | 1,267,143 |
BEIRUT (Reuters) - Islamic State has taken control of 90 percent of a Palestinian refugee camp on the Damascus outskirts where 18,000 civilians have suffered years of bombing, army siege and militia control, a monitoring group said on Saturday.
The hardline group’s offensive in Yarmouk gives it a major presence in the capital. Islamic State, the most powerful insurgent group in Syria, is now only a few kilometers from President Bashar al-Assad’s seat of power.
The United Nations has said it is extremely concerned about the safety and protection of Syrians and Palestinians in the camp. Civilians trapped there have long suffered a government siege that has led to starvation and disease.
“The situation in Yarmouk is an affront to the humanity of all of us, a source of universal shame,” U.N. Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) spokesman Chris Gunness said.
“Yarmouk is a test, a challenge for the international community. We must not fail. The credibility of the international system itself is at stake,” he said.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which monitors the conflict from Britain, said Syrian air force jet bombed the camp on Saturday.
The Islamic State on Wednesday launched an attack on other groups of fighters in Yarmouk, in particular Aknaf Beit al-Maqdis, an anti-Assad militia of Syrians and Palestinians from the camp.
Islamic State supporters posted photos on social media of the severed heads of two men they said had been beheaded after fighting for Aknaf Beit al-Maqdis.
The Observatory said Islamic State and al Qaeda’s official Syria wing, the Nusra Front, made gains overnight, pushing into the northeast of the district, close to central Damascus. They now control 90 percent of the camp, it said.
Tayseer Abu Baker, head of the Palestinian Liberation Front in Syria, part of the Palestine Liberation Organization, told Reuters over the phone that Islamic State had killed 21 people including fighters and civilians since Friday.
“Some families are trying to exit the camp but with Islamic State snipers on rooftops of high buildings that is very difficult,” he said. He added Islamic State had kidnapped at least 74 people from the camp and that civilians were trying to flee.
Reuters cannot independently verify reports in Syria due to security and reporting restrictions.
Islamic State rules swathes of eastern Syria and Iraq and is the target of a U.S.-led campaign of air strikes.
Yarmouk was home to half a million Palestinians before the Syrian conflict began in 2011. The was has killed 220,000 people and displaced millions.
Government officials could not be reached for comment. Syria’s state news agency SANA said terrorists in the camp had prevented aid from reaching civilians. It added the army had encircled Yarmouk. | 1,267,144 |
The Breeders have announced new live dates behind their latest album, All Nerve. The band will tour the United States through the fall, with a European leg kicking off in November. Scroll down to see their itinerary, and find tickets here.
The Breeders have also shared a new “homemade” video for their song “Nervous Mary,” featuring puppets of Kim and Kelley Deal made by Finnish puppeteer Milla Risku. Check it out below.
The Breeders:
08-08 Millvale, PA - Mr. Smalls Theatre
08-09 Baltimore, MD - Rams Head Live
08-11 Brooklyn, NY - Celebrate Brooklyn
09-27 Pioneertown, CA - Pappy & Harriet's
10-01 Boulder, CO - Boulder Theater
10-03 Oklahoma City, OK - Diamond Ballroom
10-04 San Antonio, TX - Aztec Theater
10-06 Austin, TX - ACL Fest
10-09 Memphis, TN- New Daisy Theatre
10-10 Springfield, MO - Gillioz Theatre
10-11 Wichita, KS - Orpheum Theatre
10-13 Austin, TX - ACL Fest
10-16 Atlanta, GA - Buckhead Theatre
10-18 Tampa, FL - The Ritz Ybor
10-19 Miami, FL - The Fillmore
10-20 Ponte Verda, FL - Ponte Verda Music Hall
10-21 Columbia, SC - The Senate
10-23 Richmond, VA - The National
10-24 Ashbury Park, NJ - The Stone Pony
10-25 Portland, ME - State Theatre
10-27 Providence, RI - The Strand
10-28 Clifton Park, NY - Upstate Concert Hall
10-30 Buffalo, NY - Town Ballroom
10-31 Columbus, OH - Columbus Athenaeum
11-01 Cleveland, OH - Masonic Auditorium
11-08-11 Utrecht, Netherlands - Le Guess Who?
11-10 Weissenhäuser Strand, Germany - Rolling Stone Weekender
11-11 Aarhus, Denmark - VoxHall
11-3 Warsaw, Poland - Niebo
11-14 Prague, Czech Republic - Lucerna Music Bar
11-15 Vienna, Austria - Flex
11-17 Rust, Germany - Rolling Stone Park
11-18 Lyon, France - Transborder
11-19 Zurich, Switzerland - Dynamo Saal
11-21 Paris, France - Le Trianon
11-22 Brussels, Belgium - La Madeleine
11-23 Luxembourg City, Luxembourg - Den Atelier
11-24 Groningen, Netherlands - De Oosterpoort, Kleine zaal | 1,267,145 |
Deploy Windows 8.1 with MDT 2013 a Step by Step Guide
In previous post we will discuss on how to install MDT 2013 now we are going to deploy windows 8.1 with MDT 2013, Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT) 2013 is a free tool provided by Microsoft. MDT 2013 is the latest version of Microsoft Deployment Toolkit, This version support Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit (ADK) for Windows 8.1, with MDT 2013 you can deploy OS like Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 8.1 windows XP is no longer supported by MDT 2013
Microsoft Deployment Toolkit is very good tool to deploy windows on desktop and servers you can deploy windows through network with the help of WDS services and also you can make bootable media to deploy windows, to deploy windows 8.1 using MDT 2013 follow steps given below.
Open MDT 2013 deployment workbench right click on operating systems and click on import operating systems to import windows 8.1
Click next
Select source directory where you have windows 8.1 files
Specify the destination directory name
Click next at summary screen when finish click on finish
Now we have imported windows 8.1 in MDT now we have to create task sequence go to task sequence right click on it to create new task sequence
Type task sequence ID, Name click next
In template window select standard client sequence
Select operating system
Specify product key and click next
Type full name, organization name you can also set internet explorer home page click next
Specify local admin password
At summary screen review your settings then click next when complete click on finish
Then right click on MDT deployment share and update it
When deployment share update go to WDS select boot images option then right click to add boot image and select boot image from deployment share
Click next and follow the process to add boot image when done go to other machine and boot it from network and press F12
If you have multiple boot images on WDS server select boot image added for windows 8.1 then click on run the deployment wizard
Type User name password and domain name and click ok to continue
Select windows 8.1 from task sequence
Type computer name, domain name if needed then click next
Click next
Click next
Select language and time settings
Click next
Click on details to check details when ready click on begin
Now MDT is installing windows 8.1
When deployment finish you will get the message operating system deployment completed successfully
Windows 8.1 deployment is completed
Download MDT 2013
See Video
Download Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYmvSEDJvyw
If you like this post on Deploy Windows 8.1 with MDT 2013 share it with your friends. | 1,267,146 |
esame Street' to help children understand what they're seeing in their communities," Hustings said.
"But we know that 'Sesame Street' is coming from a place of education and really wants to build awareness and understanding of all of our community members, despite differences, which is really amazing," she said.
Highlighting Lily's experiences with homelessness can positively impact the way children today think about homelessness and people in poverty, said Rashmita Mistry, a professor of education at the University of California, Los Angeles, who is not involved in Sesame Workshop.
"Young children quickly develop ideas about the homeless based on what they see, observe and hear. And, unfortunately, their perceptions lead them to form negative impressions about the homeless," Mistry said.
"Humanizing the experience of homelessness is especially important because families with young children and school-age children make up a sizable proportion of the homeless population, especially so in urban communities where there's high cost of housing, a tight housing market and limited rent control along with low and non-sustainable wages," she said. "Homelessness is also a much more varied experience than living on the streets and -- as defined by the Department of Education -- includes living in a car, a motel, a shelter and doubling up with friends. Yet this is a group we often do not talk about."
Other Muppets making a difference
Since "Sesame Street" launched in 1969, it has established a reputation for inclusion with its characters.
JUST WATCHED Meet 'Sesame Street's' muppet with autism Replay More Videos... MUST WATCH Meet 'Sesame Street's' muppet with autism 00:52
Just last year, the "Sesame Street" show introduced a resident named Julia, who has autism
Julia was already popular in digital form when Sesame Workshop launched its nationwide initiative " Sesame Street and Autism: See Amazing in All Children " in 2015, which offers resources for families on how to talk about autism and support the autism community.
In 2002, "Sesame Street" in South Africa, called " Takalani Sesame," introduced Kami, the world's first Muppet with HIV.
Get CNN Health's weekly newsletter Sign up here to get The Results Are In with Dr. Sanjay Gupta every Tuesday from the CNN Health team.
Kami, the 5-year-old yellow Muppet, is often shown laughing, playing and linking arms with her friends. Her storyline provides basic knowledge of HIV and destigmatization and teaches children how to cope with loss.
At the time she was introduced, "one in seven children in South Africa was affected by HIV and AIDS. They were either infected themselves or had lost a parent," Westin said. "We created the first preschool curriculum, and in that, we created a character so that Kami would help destigmatize HIV and AIDS, to help break down that culture of silence." | 1,267,147 |
Several students reportedly circled a high school parking lot in cars while displaying a Confederate flag as their classmates prepared to honor the Day of Silence — a national event to raise awareness about bullying LGBTQ students face.
Stephen Hall, chief communications officer for Springfield Public Schools in Missouri, confirmed the incident involving a handful of students at Kickapoo High School on Friday to the Springfield News-Leader.
The parking lot where the students were displaying American flags and at least one Confederate flag was packed before classes began, Hall said.
"They continued to drive through and because it was considered potentially dangerous, the administrators directly went to handle it," Hall said.
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The students voluntarily removed the flags, parked their cars and were on time to class, Hall said. None of them were disciplined.
The incident, which may have been a form of counterprotest, the paper noted, comes after several days of reported anti-LGBTQ bullying at the school targeting the Gay Straight Trans Alliance (GSTA).
The group was hanging up posters and raising awareness for the Day of Silence, a student-led national event where people take a vow of silence for the day to highlight the silencing of LGBTQ people at school.
Several posters were ripped down in front of nearly 600 students during an incident caught on camera, the newspaper reported. More posters were torn down later that week.
The video was posted on an Instagram account created by an unknown person called "KHS Straight Pride."
The account declared, "We don't support LGBT ideology being pushed on students. Not affiliated with KHS faculty or staff. Facts don't care about your feelings."
"My students were very upset.... In that moment, they didn't feel safe at school. They felt like they didn't have a place here," art teacher and GSTA sponsor Jess Loudis told the paper.
Dozens of students on the video laughed or clapped, according to the newspaper.
"The cheering that happened is what really bothered them,” Loudis said. "They said it would be one thing if somebody was just ignorant and tore down their poster, but it was such a public display and the person put on such a show, to much cheering, and that was really heartbreaking to them."
Kickapoo Principal Bill Powers reportedly condemned the acts to the entire school over the intercom shortly after the first poster was ripped down.
"Disrespect of any student in our school will not be tolerated. Here at Kickapoo and across SPS, we are committed to a learning environment that makes all of our students feel safe, secure and respected for who they are," Powers said, the Springfield News-Leader reported.
The district confirmed to the newspaper that the students who were caught ripping down the posters were disciplined for bullying.
First-time bullying offenses range from a conference with the student and their parents up to an out-of-school suspension. | 1,267,148 |
Welcome to Battle on the Strip!
Tickets to #BattleOnTheStrip can be found here: https://tickets.battleonthestrip.com/event/Battle-on-the-Strip---November-20th
BOTS is a monthly Esports and Cosplay residency at SLS Las Vegas, showcasing with a different game and theme each month.
For November we will be playing both Street Fighter V as well as Super Smash Bros. 4 (Wii U). Sign up to compete in the brackets by clicking on the compete buttons on this sign up page. Brackets are hosted by Smash.GG.
We will also be hosting an on-site resurrection qualifier at the SLS on Nov 20th as part of the finals on that day.
If you are under 18 years old the SLS requires that you travel and stay with a guardian on their property if you stay in the hotel.
Schedule
Saturday 11/12 @ 12pm PST
Super Smash Bros. for Wii U [Smash 4] online qualifier to Top 4
Street Fighter V online qualifer to Top 4
Sunday 11/20 @ 1pm PST
Finalists for Super Smash Bros. for Wii U [Smash 4]
Finalists for Street Fighter V
Structure [COMPLETED]
Smash.gg is hosting our online brackets. The top 4 players from each game will be invited to SLS Las Vegas. Players are allowed to bring their own peripherals and we will provide the rest. We will fly the final players out on Saturday Nov 19th to Las Vegas (from anywhere in NA to Las Vegas). We will cover the players stay Saturday night at SLS. If players are under 18 they need to be accompanied by a guardian as hotel policy. Players have the option to fly back Sunday night or Monday. We will provide players a room for Sunday if they choose to stay.
We will provide breakfast for the players on Sunday Nov 20th before the 1pm competition begins. We will also provide lunch for the players later that day. Sunday Nov 20th on site at the SLS our venue is The Foundry and we will also feature a top 4 regional qualifier group to compete against the online top 4.
*All BOTS brackets & tournaments will follow Smash.gg terms of use policies and procedures.
** BOTS is not a league and is open to ALL players (Pro & Amateur) regardless of their league affiliations.
Prize Pool
Top 4 of each game are in the winnings of the event and placements will be determined in person on Sunday 11/20:
Super Smash Bros. for Wii U [Smash 4] prize pool breakdown:
$3,000 1st place
$1,000 2nd place
$750 3rd place
$250 4th place
Street Fighter V prize pool breakdown: | 1,267,149 |
place. During the ’80s and ’90s there weren’t many Sikh or Punjabi families in the area. So there was the constant feeling of having to explain yourself, translate yourself. So there was the constant feeling of having to explain yourself, translate yourself. But that also was an early lesson of wisdom — that no one will ever have the familiarity you wish another person to have, as no one can be you. It taught me to retreat into the comfort of isolations.
How did you start writing poetry?
I grew up paying careful attention to language. In the Sikh tradition our sacred text, the Sri Guru Granth Sahib, is written with extreme detail to rhyme, rhythm, and metaphor. My father’s lessons in trying to impart the pronunciation and recitation of Sikh prayers helped to tune my ear to the ways words can have a musicality of their own. As I grew, he explained the multiple meanings of these words, their layered intentions towards introspection; I became enchanted with metaphors, especially those that permeate Sikh theology. I became enchanted with metaphors, especially those that permeate Sikh theology.
I also grew up respecting oral tradition. Punjabi culture is notable for its oral tradition of poetry and song. I remember attending functions with other Indian families in neighboring towns, where Uncles would take the stage and start reciting poems, on and on, and Aunties would recite the wildest boliyaan to dance gidha.
My grandmother was the major force in growing my appreciation of language, though. I used to write letters in Punjabi to my grandmother, since she had only been educated till the fourth grade and understood none of my English. She would respond with these effusive letters full of love and also with lines of poetry, specifically dohras, which are couplets of rhyming verse.
It felt like magic every time I would receive a dohra written just for me.
It felt like magic every time I would receive a dohra written just for me. My most memorable is one dohra she wrote in her last few years of life, where she talks about standing on the terrace drying her hair. A flock of crows flies by and she asks them to deliver a letter of love to me in America. (It sounds infinitely better in Punjabi.)
Her ability to execute language gorgeously, despite a limited formal education, emboldened my love of language’s worth. I adored my grandmother. If she thought poetry was the best thing ever, then I felt it was something I should pay attention to also.
It wasn’t until I encountered June Jordan’s Poetry for the People at the University of California, Berkeley, that I started formally studying and writing poems. I think it was love at first writing.
Check back next week for the second part of our interview with Preeti Kaur. | 1,267,150 |
President Trump Donald John TrumpOmar fires back at Trump over rally remarks: 'This is my country' Pelosi: Trump hurrying to fill SCOTUS seat so he can repeal ObamaCare Trump mocks Biden appearance, mask use ahead of first debate MORE on Wednesday said he won't turn over his tax returns as long as they are under audit, setting up a potential fight with Democrats who are expected to demand the documents once they assume the majority in the House.
At a press conference at the White House, Trump was asked if he would comply with expected Democratic requests for his tax returns.
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“They’re under audit. They have been for a long time,” Trump said, claiming that the documents are “extremely complex” and that people “wouldn't understand” them.
“If I were finished with the audit, I would have an open mind to it,” Trump added. “When that happens, if that happens, I would certainly have an open mind to it.”
Asked by @jonkarl whether he would block Democratic attempts to go after his tax returns, Pres. Trump repeats claim that his tax returns are under "continuous audit."
"They're extremely complex. People wouldn't understand them." https://t.co/QF15MHrJt2 pic.twitter.com/2Rsm6CzcLW — ABC News (@ABC) November 7, 2018
The president broke with decades of precedent when he opted not to release his tax returns during the 2016 presidential campaign. He has repeatedly claimed they are under audit, and therefore cannot be released, though the IRS has said that audits don't preclude people from releasing their own tax information.
Democrats are expected to demand Trump's tax returns at the start of the next session of Congress after winning back the House majority in Tuesday's midterms. They tried unsuccessfully to get Congress to obtain the returns over the last two years, but now will have a greater ability to obtain them.
Democrats and critics of the president have suggested that Trump's tax returns could reveal potential conflicts of interest, and liberal groups had urged Democratic lawmakers to demand the president's filings should they regain control of the House.
Under federal tax law, the chairmen of congressional tax committees can request tax returns from the Treasury Department and review them in a closed session before voting to make all or parts of the returns public.
While Trump may protest such a request, the decision would ultimately fall to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.
Mnuchin told The New York Times earlier this month that he would work with the department's general counsel and the general counsel for the IRS to address any requests should Democrats win the House.
If the Trump administration refuses to provide Democrats with the tax returns, or stalls in providing them, the matter could end up in court.
Updated at 12:55 p.m. | 1,267,151 |
Glastonbury calling?
Kylie Minogue has announced a summer series of open-air shows for 2019 that will see her playing some of the UK’s most iconic outdoor venues.
The Aussie pop queen is set to play two nights at London’s Hampton Court Palace Festival on June 20 and 21, before headlining Nocturne Live Festival at Woodstock’s Blenheim Palace on June 23.
Kylie will then perform at the Eden Project in St. Austell on June 2, before visiting Manchester’s Castleford Bowl on July 11, Edinburgh Castle on July 14. She will then bring the string of dates to a close at Scarborough’s Open Air Theatre on August 1; with “more dates to be announced soon”.
Tickets go on sale from 9am on November 16th and you can buy them HERE.
All eyes are currently on the Princess of Pop in anticipation for a Glastonbury Legends slot announcement. As it was recently rumoured that Kylie could be set to play Glastonbury in 2019, 14 years after she was forced to pull out of topping the bill over a decade ago.
Earlier this year, festival curator Emily Eavis revealed that the traditional Sunday tea-time legends slot often thought of as the “fourth headliner” would be filled by somebody female and “not British” in 2019.
The 50-year-old superstar was set to headline the iconic festival and take to the Pyramid Stage on the Sunday night back in 2005 but had to cancel her performance so she could undergo treatment for breast cancer.
UK dance music duo Basement Jaxx was subsequently drafted in to replace the Australian singer.
Minogue later made her debut on the Pyramid Stage with a guest appearance during US group Scissor Sisters’ set in Glastonbury 2010.
When asked by the Press Association if she would like to be offered another chance to close the night at next year’s festival, Minogue said: “When I was supposed to do it I think I would have been the first solo female to headline in however many years it was, so I was really proud of that at that time.
“Obviously it didn’t happen. So yes, it would be amazing and very emotional to be standing there and doing what I didn’t get to do all those years ago, for sure.”
Although Kylie has yet to be officially confirmed, a Glastonbury insider recently told The Sun that: “Kylie had to pull out of Glastonbury in 2005 just a month before she was due to appear so this performance will be a very emotional and poignant moment for her.
“She jumped at the opportunity to appear next year and it is the perfect way to celebrate her career.”
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The administration last month requested that the Pentagon plan for a national defense budget of $700 billion for FY-20, down from $716 billion this fiscal year.
The new plan is a cut from the $733 billion the department had expected to request in the NDAA for both Pentagon and non-Pentagon defense items such as the Department of Energy’s nuclear weapons programs.
Defense Secretary James Mattis James Norman MattisBiden courts veterans amid fallout from Trump military controversies Trump says he wanted to take out Syria's Assad but Mattis opposed it Gary Cohn: 'I haven't made up my mind' on vote for president in November MORE, meanwhile, has talked about the need for 3 percent to 5 percent budget growth each year in order to successfully repair readiness, a rate that the commission recommends.
“Without additional resources, and without greater stability and predictability in how those resources are provided, the Department will be unable to fulfill the ambition of the NDS or create and preserve U.S. military advantages in the years to come.”
The report has already received attention on Capitol Hill.
Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman James Inhofe James (Jim) Mountain InhofeChamber of Commerce endorses McSally for reelection Overnight Defense: Top admiral says 'no condition' where US should conduct nuclear test 'at this time' | Intelligence chief says Congress will get some in-person election security briefings Top admiral: 'No condition' where US should conduct nuclear test 'at this time' MORE (R-Okla.) praised the release as it “makes clear that our nation confronts a stark choice.”
“To address our present national security crisis and restore America’s eroding military advantage, we must fully resource and implement the National Defense Strategy. If we fail to do so, the cost will be measured in American lives lost fighting wars that might have been avoided and may very well be lost,” Inhofe said in a statement.
Inhofe also said the NDS was “a good start,” but the United States needs to put the strategy into action.
He also agreed with the finding that there must be greater urgency in funding national defense to make sure the United States can “undertake essential nuclear and conventional modernization while rectifying readiness shortfalls.”
“That is why I believe the $733 billion defense budget originally proposed by President Trump Donald John TrumpBiden on Trump's refusal to commit to peaceful transfer of power: 'What country are we in?' Romney: 'Unthinkable and unacceptable' to not commit to peaceful transition of power Two Louisville police officers shot amid Breonna Taylor grand jury protests MORE for fiscal year 2020 should be considered a floor, not a ceiling, for funding our troops."
“We aren’t there yet, and we have a lot of work left to do,” he added. | 1,267,153 |
A man who dresses as a knight for battle re-enactments drew his 3ft sword to scare off youths who threatened him outside his house.
Alun Powell pulled the weapon from his car boot and was said to have taken ‘up a fighting stance’.
The 31-year-old was convicted of three counts possessing a bladed article in public, but spared jail by a sympathetic judge.
Alun Powell takes parts in ‘medieval sports’ and has competed for Wales (Picture: Wales News Service)
Judge Christopher Vosper QC noted that the group had threatened Powell’s elderly father.
Powell, of Maindee in Newport, Wales, saw the gang had a knife in a car, Newport Crown Court heard.
Towns and cities across northern England and Wales to face new restrictions this weekend
He then pulled out his 14th century replica sword, axe and knuckle duster.
When questioned by police, Powell told officers he is a ‘medieval sports enthusiast’ who wears armour for sword fights, and has represented Wales in the equivalent of the sport’s World Cup.
Prosecutor Nuhu Gobir described his weapons as ‘frightening looking’.
The judge spared the 31-year-old jail and sympathised with him (Picture: Wales News Service)
Mr Gobir said: ‘He was in a rage and wanted to put the fear of god into them and took up a fighting stance.
‘They saw the weapons and got so frightened that they left as quickly as possible.’
Jenny Yeo, defending, said Powell acted in self-defence, and had a ‘realistic excuse for having the weapons’.
He was convicted of possessing a bladed article in public, but cleared of assault by beating and threatening a person with bladed articles in a public place,
Judge Vosper told him: ‘You have an interest in practicing a martial art where you use medieval weapons.
Powell pulled out his 3ft long 14th century replica sword (Picture: Wales News Service)
‘I accept that you saw a knife in the car and I accept that a threat was made to your father.
‘You took the weapons from the boot of your car but you did not intend to use them to cause injury.
‘You have no previous convictions, you have a full-time job and care for your father – I do not deem an immediate custodial sentence appropriate.’
The judge sentenced Powell to a 12 month community order and 150 hours of unpaid work.
Got a story for Metro.co.uk? Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at [email protected]. For more stories like this, check our news page. | 1,267,154 |
Comprehensive Mental Capacity Assessments
At OFH, we pride ourselves on providing excellent quality mental capacity assessments, case management services, and social care assessments, coupled with efficiency and professionalism.
A mental capacity assessment becomes necessary when a person is required to make an important decision but, there are concerns that, due to an impairment in the way the person's mind or brain works, they may be making a wrong decision or a choice they will not make if they did not have an impairment.
Our mental capacity assessors have extensive skills and knowledge, which ensures that we always provide quality and reliable assessments to meet the relevant legal requirements. Each assessment we provide is quality checked to ensure our reports are robust. There is a range of reasons why a mental capacity assessment may be required. For example, it may be necessary to determine an individual’s capacity to manage their property and financial affairs, their capacity to make health and welfare decisions, appointing a lasting power of attorney (LPA) or an application to the Court of Protection for the appointment of a Deputy. Other decisions include the capacity to litigate, which is also referred to as capacity to conduct proceedings, the capacity to gift or testamentary capacity assessment, which is also known as the capacity to write a will. There are occasions where a mental capacity report is required to determine a person’s ability to consent to sexual relations, capacity to marry, receive medical treatment, or enter into a pre-nuptial agreement, for example. When an application to the court of protection is being made, this has to be accompanied by a COP3 assessment of capacity. The Mental Capacity Act, 2005, sets out that mental capacity has to be assessed separately for each decision and at the specific time the decision needs to be made. The mental capacity act also sets out a two-stage test. The first stage requires that there must be “an impairment of, or a disturbance” in the way the person’s mind or brain works, which impacts their ability to make the decision at the time. To meet these criteria during a mental capacity act assessment, it is not necessary that the person has a diagnosis. For example, acute confusion, memory loss, and drugs or alcohol effects are some of the aspects that could result in brain impairment or disturbance. These could either be temporary or permanent. The second stage requires the assessor to establish whether, the impairment impacts the person's ability to understand, retain and weigh-up or use the relevant information to make up their own mind about the decision. Finally, the person must communicate their decision by any means (verbal, none verbal or other communication methods the person can use).
All our assessors understand the intricacies of carrying out specialist assessments with people of all ages, varying complexities, diagnosis, and presenting needs. Our team consists of experienced independent social workers, psychiatrists, and psychologists with a background in mental health capacity assessments, addressing unmet needs, rehabilitation, funding applications, placements, etc. | 1,267,155 |
IFC has renewed flagship comedy series Portlandia for Season 8, IFC president Jennifer Caserta announced at the top of the show’s TCA panel.
“We are very proud of the show,” Caserta said. “There are very few shows that can be credited with both establishing and helping to define a television network, and that’s exactly what Portlandia has done for IFC. It has been at the heart of our ‘slightly-off’ comedy programming strategy since its inception. But all good things must come to an end, and we very much look forward to Season 8 or as Bryce Shivers and Lisa Eversman might say…put a bird on it! “
There had been speculation, and co-creator/star Fred Armisen had said that he and fellow co-creator/star Carrie Brownstein and co-creator Jonathan Krisel had envisioned the series as running for 8 seasons, but this is the first time the series’ end has been officially confirmed.Portlandia is executive produced by Lorne Michaels and produced by Broadway Video.
At the panel following the announcement, the creators were asked about potential spinoffs that could extend the franchise. There is nothing currently in the works but Armisen said he would like to focus on “all the weirdos,” while Krisel mentioned the animated rats, who have been featured in videos, as a possibility. (you can watch one video below the post.)
Primetime-Panic Your Complete Guide to Pilots and Straight-to-Series orders See All
Shot entirely in Portland, Portlandia is created by Armisen, Brownstein and Jonathan Krisel. They also serve as writers, along with Karey Dornetto and Graham Wagner. Season 5 of Portlandia airs Thursdays at 10 PM.
Louis C.K., Claire Danes, Judy Greer, Kristen Wiig, Damian Lillard, Natasha Lyonne, Lauri Metcalf, Glenn Danzig, Rose Byrne, recurring guests Kyle MacLachlan, Steve Buscemi, Jeff Goldblum and Kumail Nanjiani are among the guest stars who have appeared over the years.
Portlandia has received a Peabody Award in 2012, a Writer’s Guild Award in 2013, four Creative Arts Emmy Awards (most recently, the Outstanding Production Design Award in 2016 for Season 6), and 17 Primetime Emmy Award nominations.
In addition to their role as creators, Armisen, Brownstein and Krisel serve as writers and executive producers of Portlandia, along with co-executive producer Graham Wagner. Broadway Video’s Andrew Singer is also an executive producer. Veteran Portlandia director Jonathan Krisel is joined in Season 7 by guest directors Fred Armisen, Carrie Brownstein, Alice Mathias, Steve Buscemi, and Bill Benz. Portlandia is shot entirely on location in Portland, Oregon. | 1,267,156 |
growth and we allowed our cash constraints to keep us from hiring quickly enough to serve our customers best.
In early 2015, we raised more money, grew the team 3x and made sure we focused on customers 100%. We’ve continued to raise money, but each time we’ve needed to raise a smaller percentage of revenue in each subsequent raise in order to achieve our goals.
SaaS businesses are like snowballs rolling down a hill. They’re hard to get started, and that’s where the first round of funding really helps. It can buy you a year and change to build the product and get your first few customers.
Once SaaS companies get rolling, they build more and more momentum over time. They need less funding in proportion to the snowball’s size to propel it forward. Once the snowball is big enough, it becomes nearly unstoppable.
Fund your company if it helps serve customers best
With fundstrapping, capital is a tool to serve customers and grow your business. It’s not a scarce resource that you need to optimize for as with bootstrapping, nor is it a means to the end of attracting even more capital as with the traditional VC model.
If your total funds raised to ARR ratio is low and you’re cash constrained, consider raising more money to grow your ARR faster.
If your total funds raised to ARR ratio is high and you’re not cash constrained, get capital creative by finding efficient ways to spend your money to grow your ARR and reduce your ratio over time.
What you’re looking for is a healthy balance between capital raised and the size of your business. By reducing cash as a constraint, you make sure your focus is always on the customer. By minimizing dependence on outside capital, you ensure that you always have a path to profitability, and that means that you control your own destiny to build the company that you want to build.
At Customer.io, we’ve developed these strap ratio benchmarks to help us decide when and how much to raise.
From $0 — $1M in ARR, you will probably have an astronomical strap ratio if you raise money but want your strap ratio quickly trending towards 100% or less.
, you will probably have an astronomical strap ratio if you raise money but want your strap ratio quickly trending towards 100% or less. After $1M in ARR, fundstrapping responsibly means maintaining a strap ratio of 50% to 150%, which means you’re using external capital, but not excessively. 200% is the upper bound if you need to make a very aggressive move.
How do you think about capital efficiency and how efficiency has shaped your business? Does our data fit with your experience? Let me know in the comments or at win[at]customer[dot]io — and I will respond! | 1,267,157 |
can actually break the neck. We don’t paralyzing injuries in five and six year olds. It usually begins in 10 year olds. That’s why I say it’s a no-brainer for the NHL. When you go into the boards with your head down, it’s not the initial contact that breaks the neck, it’s the body mass that follows through and crushes the cervical area.”
Smith understands that while this is a solution for now, there are always other ways to improve the game. What he wants people to understand is that the Look-Up Line is just the beginning and that the powers that be should always do everything in their power to improve player safety.
“We’re not saying it’s going to be the end-all to be-all solutions, because there are still going to be accidents,” said Smith. “We believe that it is going to save lives and allow the game to progress. We don’t want a reactive approach. We don’t want something to happen, a player to break their neck in a rink, at any level, and then decide to install the Look-Up Line. It’s not going to get that person out of the wheelchair.”
As with any change to any sport, there are some that disagree with the Look-Up Line because it’s change. What is most important is to educate those that may disagree with it to help them understand why the change is necessary.
“The biggest thing to me is that if you disagree with the Look-Up Line, make me understand why you’re not doing it,” said Smith. “Make me understand where we’re wrong and why you shouldn’t spend $500 on the betterment of the players to potentially save lives. I often compare this to two things, if you don’t smoke cigarettes, does that mean you won’t get cancer? No, but you reduce the risk of getting cancer. By having the Look-Up Line down, you reduce the risk of the player of suffering catastrophic injury. It’s a fact.”
Hockey is a game we all love. Of course we all know that safety is important to the player, but should the question of “at what cost” even be an option? The sport is built on tradition, but the tradition is what the players and team carry with them. Traditions change. Players change, but the game itself will always be beloved.
“The tradition of the game is what makes it beautiful,” said Smith. “What is not good is players having to retire due to catastrophic injury.”
Strong words for a strong case.
To learn more about Thomas E. Smith and the Look-Up Line visit justcureparalysis.org. | 1,267,158 |
Harry Potter Go: Harry Potter’s fans, the magic is coming to the real world. The developer behind the smash hit app Pokemon Go, have already reportedly started to work on a new game set in the Hogwarts Universe.
Harry Potter Go Game For Android and IOS
Their huge successful game “Pokemon Go”, Harry Potter fandom took to promoting the idea and went so far as to petition Warner Bros and Niantic to come up with “Harry Potter GO.”
Niantic is not wasting time and acquiring the rights for a Harry Potter version app and planning for the bigger surprise to ride on the success of the popular Magic franchise.
Click Here For Wikipedia
Marcus Figueroa, Niantic’s senior developer, shared in an interview that they will be focusing on a Harry Potter GO app in the future, and shared some of the plans they intend to have in the upcoming game:
Pokemon Go Tips, Tricks and Secrets
“We have acquired the rights for the app. The demand for this title was insane, so we figured we’d give it a shot. If we’re lucky, we might see a launch by early 2017, but it’s hard to tell this early in the project.” “We want to do something with schools of witchcraft and wizardry, similar to Pokemon Go in Pokemon GO. As wells a quest system, and possibly large-scale completely interactive events, but no promises. That’s all I can say.”
Game Play Options
The production of the game is yet to begin, but the pretty large universe of magic has much to offer regarding gameplay. The petition clamouring the support for the game has pretty much indicated what could be the part of the game.
Deathly Hallows
Another harder part of gameplay could involve the players going to find the Deathly Hallows. The three most powerful magical items consisting of the Elder Wand, Invisibility Cloak, and the Resurrection Stone could be an essential part of the game.
Horcruxes
The pieces of Voldemort’s soul that Harry set to destroy in the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows could be an essential part of the game. Players could set to search for parts of missing soul of You-Know-Who and along the way pick other items to help them in their quest.
Dueling Clubs
There is another interesting gameplay suggested by YahooFinance is dueling clubs. This could form part of the competition between friends and foes alike to pick up points against each other.
Until then fans have the Harry Potter and the Cursed Child play to look forward to, though it is only available in London. The next in line movie inspired by the universe Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them will be out in November.
Harry Potter GO is expected to be released sometime in late 2017. | 1,267,159 |
Rolls-Royce has unveiled the spectacular Vision Next 100 – a super luxurious concept car conceived to preview styling, packaging and engineering ideas being pursued by the famed British car maker as part of celebrations surrounding the centenary of its parent company, BMW.
The futuristically styled Rolls-Royce 103EX is based around a lightweight carbon fibre structure and is powered by a zero emission drivetrain with electric motors positioned both at the front and the rear.
At 5900mm in length, the Vision Next 100 is longer than today's Phantom long wheelbase. However, it provides seating for just two on a sofa like bench seat positioned at the rear of its rakish cabin.
The front end is dominated by a vertical grille bookmarked by free standing wheel arches either side, while the iconic Spirit of Ecstasy, made from hand cut lead crystal and illuminated from the inside, stands proud of a long, sweeping bonnet.
Rolls-Royce 103EX concept car
Entry is via an automatically operated rear hinged door and roof that hinges skywards. Occupants can stand up in the car once the roof opens before stepping out. Light projections on the ground create what Rolls-Royce describes as a "red carpet".
Without a traditional combustion engine taking up space at the front, bespoke luggage can be stowed underneath the bonnet of the Rolls-Royce Vision Next 100 via panels which automatically open behind each of the front wheels.
Drawing on parent BMW's autonomous driving technology, the new Rolls-Royce goes without a driver's seat, steering wheel and traditional instruments, creating what the company's design boss, Giles Taylor, describes as a "completely new sense of space". The only instrument that remains is a central analogue clock positioned below a panoramic window.
Rolls-Royce 103EX concept car
The Vision Next 100 provides occupants with a so-called virtual personal assistant as part of its autonomous driving ability. It acts as a central control and, when prompted, appears on the full width transparent OLED display taking up the space of the traditional dashboard.
"The more time the virtual assistant, or as we like to describe it virtual chauffeur, spends with the occupants, the more it learns about his/her interests and needs," says Taylor. "It can, for example, suggest favourite restaurants, interesting routes or visits to galleries."
An integral speech recognition system allows occupants to call the assistant to tailor their journey.
The Rolls-Royce Vision Next 100 was revealed in London, England on Thursday alongside the similarly named Mini Vision Next 100.
Earlier this year BMW unveiled its take on the Vision Next 100 theme, showcasing the German car maker's vision of its future models.
Read all the latest Rolls-Royce news and reviews here
Rolls-Royce 103EX concept car Rolls-Royce 103EX concept car Rolls-Royce 103EX concept car | 1,267,160 |
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 12, ARMENPRESS. Hundreds of people are arrested in Azerbaijan who are suspected of cooperation with the special services of Armenia, ARMENPRESS reports Azerbaijani meydan.tv informs.
New details have been published by Azerbaijani news outlets over the scandalous case launched in May regarding the spying for Armenia. Hundreds of people have been interrogated in the region of Aghdam being suspected in cooperation with Armenian special services. Dozens of servicemen have been arrested and interrogated, as well as one shepherd and civilians who are charged with state treason.
A former officer of the Azerbaijani army told in the sidelines of the investigation that a shepherd and his sheep are involved in the case. According to the source, the incident took place in Aghdam region, near the contact line.
“Early in the morning we suddenly heard someone was captured at the watch post. But it wasn't a soldier. Instead it was a shepherd who told us he was grazing his sheep. We reported it to our commander."
According to the soldier, the commander took one sheep, and then told the soldiers to leave the shepherd and the rest of the sheep alone.
The soldiers argued with the commander. They said the Armenian border watchers could see where the sheep traveled, and they would know there were no land mines in those spots. They told the commander he was endangering all his soldiers.
“The other side (Armenian soldiers) watch us just like we do. It’s simple: if there is a mine, either the sheep or the shepherd himself will be blown up. The Armenians are not going to shoot the shepherd. He and the sheep are giving them good information”.
Accusations of cooperating with the enemy were reported to a commander in a nearby military unit, and quickly an investigation began. It expanded from the original incident as hundreds of soldiers and citizens were held and interrogated. Some have been released; others are still awaiting trial on treason charges.
A local government official says rumors of treason spread quickly. “Imagine that you wake up in the morning, and you start hearing that a lot of your neighbors are working for Armenians," the official said. "You start to suspect everyone. The local people were horrified by these stories. People that you used to know for a long time, the people that you see everyday, accused of working for Armenia.”
The official said that in addition to soldiers, shepherds, taxi drivers and even prostitutes were arrested. Some of these civilians remain in jail along with some of the soldiers, awaiting trial on treason charges.
"A lot of people were arrested," the official said. “One person who was accused, Mehman Huseynov, was beaten to death by interrogators. His relatives wanted to bury him next to his father. But villagers protested, so he was buried outside the cemetery”. | 1,267,161 |
Democrats can hardly go wrong nominating any of four candidates seeking the open Collin County seat for the 3rd Congressional District — they all seem smart, earnest, professional and congenial.
The standouts, though, in the way of experience, are lawyer Lorie Burch and title company owner Adam Bell. We tip narrowly for Burch, 41, given her time working with congressional leaders in Washington, D.C., for five years and her experience as the national president of the bipartisan American Business Women's Association.
Lorie Burch for U.S. Congress Texas District 3 (Lisa Means)
We were also impressed that Burch, a Plano resident who owns her own practice, has collaborative instincts, particularly on climate change and immigration. For example, she'd join a climate caucus with diverse viewpoints to address global warming and build bipartisan coalitions to find common ground to create an easier path to legalization for immigrants.
There's also a lot to like about Bell, 40, whom we recommended in the 2016 Democratic primary. He's smartly trying to benefit from the experience of winning the nomination last election by actively engaging constituents on issues most important to them.
Sam Johnson, a 35-year-old Plano lawyer, blessed or cursed with the same name as the retiring veteran GOP Congressman Sam Johnson, and software engineer Medrick Yhap, 53, also have a lot to offer. But their experience is thinner, possibly rendering them less effective.
The nominee will face major party opposition in November.
Ready to vote?
This is one in a series of
Dallas Morning News
recommendations for the March 6 primary elections.
Voter Guide: Compare candidates' answers to questionnaires tailored to their contest. dallasnews.com/voterguide
Recommendations: Find a list of our primary-election recommendations to date. dallasnews.com/opinion
Last day to register to vote: Feb. 5
Early voting starts: Feb. 20
Election Day: March 6
For more information:
Collin County 1-800-687-8546 co.collin.tx.us/elections
Dallas County 214-819-6300 dallascountyvotes.org
Denton County 940-349-3200 votedenton.com
Kaufman County 972-932-0298 kaufmancounty.org/elections
Tarrant County 817-831-8683 access.tarrantcounty.com/en/elections.html
For more help, including how to check your registration status, contact the Texas secretary of state at 1-800-252-8683 or visit votetexas.gov
What's your view?
Got an opinion about this issue? Send a letter to the editor, and you just might get published. | 1,267,162 |
opoulos. “I’m open-minded, but again, you do factor in how many years of control you’re going to have the player for, how much better is that player (than what you have), do you have potential to extend the player, can you get a window. All those types of things are part of the equation.”
To illustrate the point, Anthopoulos pointed to the acquisition of R.A. Dickey last year, which sent Syndergaard and Travis d’Arnaud the Mets in return. The Blue Jays wouldn’t have considered that deal without a window to negotiate a three-year extension with the knuckleballer, giving them four years of control on the player.
The practical application for the moment is that how much they’re willing to pay for a starter, like Chicago Cubs starter Jeff Samardzija perhaps, largely depends on whether they get only the two years of control he has left before hitting free agency, or whether he’s willing to sign an extension.
That’s why a trade can get so complicated and that the Blue Jays might be better off simply signing a free agent, even if the actual price and the performance value doesn’t align.
Much like the club’s policy on not signing contracts longer than five years (read colleague Ben Nicholson-Smith’s smart piece about that here), sometimes the overpay is simply the cost of doing business.
And if the deal stinks at the back-end and some money has to be eaten to release a player, well that’s the price you sometimes have to pay to compete.
“That’s certainly a choice, and some clubs would choose to do that. We’ve obviously chosen not to do that,” said Anthopoulos. “At the end of the day if you do that, if you’re eating the last two years of a deal or the last three years of a deal, if you’re really representing the contract appropriately to the ball club and ownership, you better say, these last two or three years don’t mean anything, bump those into the first three or four, and that’s ultimately what you’re paying the player. Just go shorter and pay him, just dump in the money, it’s the same thing. If you’re going to go seven times 10, or go five times 14, it balances out at the end of the day.”
There are pros and cons to that argument, but how the dollars get allocated is less important than the debate over what hurts a team longer: a bad contract, or a bad trade? Trading someone like Sanchez or Stroman is awfully risky after last year’s farm-system stripping, especially when other alternatives, unpalatably pricy as they may be, are available. | 1,267,163 |
It’s been well overdue but Different Drumz front man ‘Mr Nitro’ drops his debut release on the mighty Different Drumz Recordings in collaboration with a new artist to the label based in Seville, Spain ‘K Rezz’. This quality 4 track EP features four varied and well rounded drum and bass tracks hitting various corners of the dnb spectrum from liquid funk to jungle influenced sounds and all laden with smooth and soulful elements, clean, solid beats and powerful soul shaking bass lines to get anyone’s feet moving.. We are very proud to present the ‘Close Your Eyes EP‘!
The title track ‘Close Your Eyes‘ sets the scene for the EP with a subtle intro of ethereal pads & ghostly vocals punctuated by metallic drums then dropping in with deep sub bass notes and gorgeous euphoric vocal cuts, the pattern of which evolves as the track progresses, rolling into the breakdown where the track opens up to a switch of bass with added phrases and LFO accompanied by organic bongo’s to add movement & momentum.
The second track ‘Time‘ opens with classic liquid atmospheres drifting from ear to ear and lush pads rolling into a drop of classic 808 bass notes and sharp drums with a lattice of intricate and driving chopped breaks as the track takes you into a sublime juxtaposition of hard drums and liquid euphoria with the second drop tipping its hat to 90’s jungle influences.
The next track ‘Invisible Rain‘ instantly draws you in with an atmosphere of subtle rainfall sounds that give the track its name before the addition of sneaky glitches along side a stomping kick and beautiful reverse piano licks as it approaches the drop. The track then adds power and depth with its strong bass line that progresses and grows as the track continues; crisscrossed with intriguing violin plucks, percussive hits and flourishes.
The final track ‘Progress‘ goes in with an upbeat melody than can be easily imagined floating over in a teasing mix, the clean beats roll in, filtering down into throws of wobbling and varied bass which then darkens and becomes the focal point into the next phrase, eventually teasing back in with it’s signature melodics.
This is yet another quality addition to the Different Drumz Recordings release catalogue that has a little something for everyone feeling their soulful yet powerful bass driven drum and bass and is sure to shake the floor of the dnb scene.
This release is out now and available from all major digital stores
Buy This Release
Juno Download | Beatport | Amazon | Deezer| Spotify | iTunes
Audio Previews
Useful Links
Different Drumz Soundcloud | Different Drumz Facebook | Nitro Artist Profile | Nitro Website | Nitro Soundcloud | Nitro Facebook | K Rezz Artist Profile | K Rezz Soundcloud | K Rezz Facebook | 1,267,164 |
Monaco to utilise Grand Prix circuit from 2019
ABB Formula E will make use of the full Grand Prix layout in Monaco from 2019 onwards, when the all-electric series returns to the Principality.
The event is run every other year as part of a deal to alternate with the Historic Grand Prix, with local laws allowing only two motorsport events per year and one slot permanently taken by Formula 1.
When the series debuted in Monaco in 2015, a shortened 1.097km layout was devised to accommodate the concern for cars being unable to complete the climb from St. Devote to Casino Square. The top half of the track was unused as drivers plummeted downhill from St. Devote to the Nouvelle Chicane, where they hairpinned back around towards Tabac.
With the power output set to increase further in Season Five, Alejandro Agag confirmed the transition to the full 2.074km circuit.
“Monaco is back and we will use the full track,” Agag said to e-racing365.
“The short track was too small; it was ok, but it is much better for us to race on the big one.”
Season two champion Sebastien Buemi, who has won both editions of the Monaco E-Prix so far, added his thoughts to the news and believes it will be good for the series to look at using longer circuits.
“I think first of all with the new cars, it’s going to be very difficult to continue on the small tracks,” said the Swiss.
“Of course the [Monaco] small track is the smallest track of the whole season and it’s very difficult to overtake there. With more power and better cars, it’s going to be very important to go on the big one.
“When we have a possibility like in Monaco, I think we should jump on it.”
Jerome d’Ambrosio sees the decision as a logical step given the advancements of the technology in Formula E and awaits the sight of seeing the ultra-futuristic Season Five Gen2 machines blasting past the iconic landmarks of the Principality.
“Formula E has never been about what will happen if you go up or downhill, it’s a question of if you are going flat-out,” he said.
“I think doing the full circuit is a no-brainer as it will provide much more overtaking opportunity at places like Mirabeau and the chicane.
“There is no reason whatsoever why we can’t race there and the Season Five cars will be giving exactly the right message to everyone about EV technology.
“Imagine how cool the Season Five car is going to look heading in to Casino Square. It is going to be fantastic.” | 1,267,165 |
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For months now, at least since Theresa May addressed the Conservative party conference last October, it has been clear that Britain is heading inexorably towards a hard Brexit. In that speech, the prime minister described what it would mean for Britain to be “a fully independent, sovereign country” after it leaves the EU.
“We will decide for ourselves how we control immigration. And we will be free to pass our own laws,” she said.
In the language of the EU, this means an end to the free movement of people and that the European Court of Justice (ECJ) will no longer hold sway in Britain. Either of these red lines would have made membership of the single market unlikely; together they rule it out altogether.
British ministers have been more ambiguous about the likelihood of remaining in the customs union, perhaps because they disagree amongst themselves about it. But May’s appointment of a secretary of state for international trade offered an early hint about her own intentions, because membership of the customs union precludes the negotiation of any bilateral trade deals.
Exultant
Foreign secretary Boris Johnson was exultant on Monday after Donald Trump said he was willing to conclude a US-UK trade deal without delay.
“It’s great to hear that from president-elect Donald Trump. Clearly it will have to be a deal that’s very much in the interest of both sides, but I have no doubt that it will be,” Johnson said.
Britain’s departure from the customs union is the biggest single obstacle in the way of avoiding the return of a hard border on the island of Ireland. The hard border has only ever taken two forms – one for security during the Troubles, and the other for customs checks before Britain and Ireland joined the common market.
Politicians in Britain and Ireland have suggested that technology might make customs checks almost invisible but no such border currently exists anywhere. Even along the border between Norway and Sweden, one of the most technologically advanced and co-operatively managed, goods must be cleared for customs and lorries are checked as they cross from one country into another.
Pound shop
May is unlikely to offer many specifics on Tuesday about her approach to formal Brexit negotiations, which are due to start before the end of March. But the foreign diplomats who will be her audience at Lancaster House will be as alert to the tone of her remarks as to their meaning.
Philip Hammond, her chancellor, threatened this week to turn the British economy into a kind of pound shop on the edge of Europe, cutting taxes, regulations and workplace standards, if the EU did not grant it market access after Brexit.
His remarks were hailed in Britain as a welcome sign of swagger ahead of the negotiations but it cut little ice in Europe, where German MEP Alexander Lambsdorff suggested that the best response to such threats were “to calmly ignore them”. | 1,267,167 |
We’ve come to the end of The End: our third and final apocalyptic investigation (for now!).
Start from the beginning here, if you haven’t already:
In the first two episodes we faced a future of superintelligent machines and a nearer-term genetic revolution — all (still) a little sci-fi. But we’re closing with the apocalyptic anxieties of Right Now, and the beginnings of a reorientation.
That story begins with the 20th century, which our leadoff guest, Amb. Chas Freeman, learned his trade as a diplomat and advisor. It was a period of enormous development, in spite of the twin Armageddons of the world wars, with America rising to the top of the heap. And it set our species moving at a turbocharged clip — after 250,000 years of relative tranquility.
We live pretty high up the hockey-stick inflection in every graph measuring human growth: consumption, carbon emissions, productivity, population growth, economic expansion, and computer processing power.
A few numbers for context. In 1900, there were 1.4 billion humans. Today, there are 7.3 billion. The “gross world product” — a roundup of all human-produced value — grew from about one trillion dollars to more than 77 trillion dollars over that same period.
When you dwell long enough on all the turbulence of the last century, it becomes kind of a miracle that we made it to this one. And yet, when it comes to carbon pollution, we seem to be stepping over our first threshold. Finally, planetary consequences. It’s a caution: can we count on the spaceship Earth to keep cruising at its incredible clip?
Our guest, the great investor Jeremy Grantham, reminds us if the population of ancient Egypt had grown at even 1 percent a year across 3,000 years, it would have increased by a factor of 9 trillion. (Instead it doubled.)
And yet our population is still growing at that rate, year after year. Economists tell us to expect even greater growth in GDP: at least 2 or 3 percent, year over year. Grantham the environmentalist warns us that what goes up must come down:
The people who [dismiss the possible end of growth] are really like the people falling out a very tall, burning building: “so far, so good, so far, so good.” Of course, the “so far, so good” argument can always be used, but anyone with a slight math tendency can see that compound growth is unsustainable.
Grantham calls this period “the race of our lives” — the last-ditch, hundred-year effort to step up technological development in order to convert our civilization into something sustainable, harmonious, equal and fair. And he gives us a 50–50 shot of making it. | 1,267,168 |
There are only a small number of cameras on the market these days that allow you to shoot digital photos while manually focusing with a working rangefinder. These cameras also cost quite a bit, so they’re not exactly the type of thing most enthusiasts can pick up on a whim and play with.
Ollie Baker wanted one, but instead of paying the big bucks for one, he decided to convert an old film rangefinder into a working digital rangefinder.
The 18-year-old tinkerer and photo enthusiast, who’s set to be a physics student at Oxford, decided to attempt this “FrankenCamera” project after receiving a generous amount of money from a scholarship fund.
He started off with an analog Konica Auto S3 rangefinder, a camera you can pick up for less than a hundred bucks on eBay. Rangefinder cameras are well-suited for this type of project because there isn’t a bulky mirror mechanism hogging up space between the camera’s shutter and the back, and Baker liked the 38mm f/1.8 fixed lens and the simple internal leaf shutter.
For the digital components, he disassembled a Sony NEX-5 mirrorless camera. After taking it apart, he identified and removed all the parts that would be necessary for his new camera to function. This included the circuit board, sensor, SD card slot, and the battery connector.
Baker then created a completely custom back to house the digital pieces — a back that would fit perfectly with the original Konica front. The 3D printer at his school wasn’t detailed enough for this piece, so he had it custom made in nylon at a 3D printing company in London.
Once he had all the pieces he needed, he assembled the camera (definitely not an easy task), calibrated the lens to focus on infinity, and then calibrated the viewfinder to focus accurately on the sensor plane.
The final product is a “FrankenCamera” with digital guts and a analog shell. The rangefinder mechanism works just like it originally did, and the camera’s digital sensor works with the analog controls to properly expose shots. Baker writes,
You set the shutter speed on the lens (which affects the leaf shutter within the lens) the camera then automatically sets the correct aperture using it’s inbuilt light meter. The only difference is that the ISO can be changed on the Sony camera from shot to shot, and you then need to set the correct ISO on the Konica.
Here are a couple videos showing the camera in action:
Here are a couple sample shots captured with the camera:
You can find a more detailed walkthrough of how this DIY project was done over on Baker’s Frankencamera blog.
FrankenCamera (via Hackaday)
Image credits: Photographs by Ollie Baker/FrankenCamera | 1,267,169 |
The decade is coming to a close, so let’s look back at some of the worst picks the NFL draft gave us over the past 10 years.
The jury is still out on most of the players from the most recent drafts, but the earlier part of the 2010s still gave us plenty of selections that have fallen well short of expectations.
Here are our picks for the biggest draft busts of the last decade:
LB Rolando McClain 8th overall, 2010 | Oakland Raiders © Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
QB Jake Locker 8th overall, 2011 | Tennessee Titans © Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports
QB Blaine Gabbert 10th overall, 2011 | Jacksonville Jaguars © Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
QB Christian Ponder 12th overall, 2011 | Minnesota Vikings © Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports
RB Trent Richardson 3rd overall, 2012 | Cleveland Browns © AP Photo/Gail Burton
WR Justin Blackmon 5th overall, 2012 | Jacksonville Jaguars © Bob Martin-USA TODAY Sports
S Mark Barron 7th overall, 2012 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers © Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
OT Luke Joeckel 2nd overall, 2013 | Jacksonville Jaguars © Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports
DE Dion Jordan 3rd overall, 2013 | Miami Dolphins © Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
LB Barkevious Mingo 6th overall, 2013 | Cleveland Browns © Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
G Jonathan Cooper 7th overall, 2013 | Arizona Cardinals © Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
CB Dee Milliner 9th overall, 2013 | New York Jets © Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
G Chance Warmack 10th overall, 2013 | Tennessee Titans © Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
OT Greg Robinson 2nd overall, 2014 | St. Louis Rams © Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
QB Blake Bortles 3rd overall, 2014 | Jacksonville Jaguars © USA TODAY SPORTS
CB Justin Gilbert 8th overall, 2014 | Cleveland Browns © Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
WR Kevin White 7th overall, 2015 | Chicago Bears © AP Photo/Jack Dempsey
OT Ereck Flowers 10th overall, 2015 | New York Giants © Scott R. Galvin-USA TODAY Sports
CB Vernon Hargreaves III 11th overall, 2016 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers © Christian Petersen/Getty Images
DE Solomon Thomas 3rd overall, 2017 | San Francisco 49ers © Sergio Estrada-USA TODAY Sports
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, and immutable entity where only the packages needed for running a single application are baked into a container. Any new updates require rebuilding the container images to maintain immutability. The packages also get replicated in multiple containers, causing any vulnerabilities to also get replicated.
Furthermore, the shift to a new DevOps model where developers are responsible for packages needed by their applications implies that the developers now take on the new onus of maintaining packages. In addition to operating system packages, developers can include application-level modules in container images using package managers like pip (python), npm (node), and maven (java), which were outside the scope of our study, but can also introduce vulnerabilities. Since developers are more focused on getting new features out as fast as possible, it’s fairly easy to neglect keeping older images up-to-date, as our results have also demonstrated (e.g. the official Centos 5.11 image built in April 2015 still has the shellshock vulnerability reported over 8 months prior, in Sep 2014! – but, please see our update).
A great way to avoid some of these issues is to rebuild images with the latest updates on a regular basis. The rebuild process must use the latest base image provided by a distributor, and cannot use any cached image layers (e.g., using –no-cache in addition to apt-get upgrade). But rebuilding from scratch and redeploying all the containers any time a vulnerability is found has huge overhead and is just not practical – vulnerabilities surface very frequently (multiple times a day) and it’s hard to estimate the potential impact of each one. Moreover, updating the containers’ packages could easily induce side-effects and instability in developer applications that may go unnoticed even by using sophisticated tests, making it even less desirable to rebuild often.
Conclusion
Our findings advocate a rigorous operations management process where images are analyzed in real-time to provide full visibility into their contents. The images should be scanned for security vulnerabilities, and selectively marked for rebuild depending on the relevance and severity of the vulnerabilities. Any major vulnerability should be identified instantly and there should be an option to trigger an immediate quarantine of susceptible images. The images not only need to be scanned for OS-level package vulnerabilities, but also application-level package vulnerabilities. These processes need to be efficiently integrated into a continuous deployment framework to realize the full benefits of containers while simultaneously maintaining good security practices.
Thanks for all the comments and feedback. We’ve made a couple of updates to our original post.
Commenters have pointed out that tags in the CentOS repository for minor versions (such as 5.11) are intentionally not updated because they are intended to be kept identical to the corresponding installation media ISO images. That is documented in the Docker Hub readme for the CentOS repository, but we were not aware of this fact.
We’d like to point readers to an insightful response from Jérôme Petazzoni on his personal blog. | 1,267,171 |
SUN PRAIRIE, Wis. --When you think of Groundhog Day, you probably don't think of Sun Prairie, Wisconsin. But there's as much passion there as Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania.
They've got a wooden woodchuck in the town square. The local bakery sells groundhog cakes. In fact, the only thing they're missing is a real groundhog.
There used to be a Sun Prairie groundhog. You may remember him from last year when then-Mayor Jon Freund lent him his ear -- and he took it.
Shortly after chewing his way through the mayor's ear, the Sun Prairie groundhog chewed his way through a metal cage and escaped. Naturally, the town wanted a replacement woodchuck. And who wouldn't, if a woodchuck could be found -- which apparently is easier said than done.
"You cannot capture it to exhibit it," said Ti Gauger, Sun Prairie's Groundhog Day event planner.
She said they started celebrating in 1949 using groundhogs they caught, but now it's not so easy getting a live groundhog.
"It becomes very complicated," she said. "There's more than one type of license."
You need one from the state, one from the federal government, and if you can't find a certified groundhog breeder in your area, you need an import license.
The Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, wooden groundhog CBS News
The new mayor, a guy named Paul Esser, said it's hardly worth the effort -- and not just because of all the red tape, or because he's concerned about his own ears.
He said it's simply not humane to hold up groundhogs like we do. "I don't like that, no."
His proposal is to chuck the live woodchuck idea entirely. "Maybe we'll have somebody in a groundhog costume."
What about a gerbil? "He's domesticated, so I would not have [a problem with it]," said Esser.
Around Sun Prairie, the consensus is clear.
"February 2nd isn't Gerbil Day, it's Groundhog Day," one resident said. Another said a groundhog is necessary "because that's the way it's always been and that's the way I like it."
Mayor Paul Esser CBS News
One child said Sun Prairie would be doomed to winter forever with no groundhog. "It would just be winter from there on." And you were worried about climate change.
Fortunately, Gauger did find a loaner groundhog for next week's celebration, which gives her another whole year to find a permanent replacement.
And it gives the mayor time, too -- time to find a way to balance on his soapbox.
To contact On the Road, or to send us a story idea, e-mail us. | 1,267,172 |
Franks Diner has always been a bit of a local sensation. When the prefab railcar-style establishment was pulled into Kenosha, Wisconsin, in 1926 by a team of horses, townsfolk lined the streets to watch. In its time under founder Anthony Franks, it served the likes of the Three Stooges, Bela Lugosi, Duke Ellington, and Liberace.
The diner's second set of owners, a couple of regulars who took over from the Franks family in 2001 and ran the place until just last week, built upon that legacy, adding touches of their own that have propelled the small and crowded diner into the national spotlight.
And by national spotlight, I mean that you may have seen it on Guy Fieri's Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives:
Franks is known for its garbage plates, big ol' hashes of potatoes, eggs, green peppers, onions, jalapeños, and choice of meat(s).
A Full Garbage has five eggs, a half has three, and you can get up to three meats in one — or go all vegetarian. I went for the Half Garbage Plate with sausage (above). Even at half, the thing is filling. Even at half, the thing is delicious.
Franks takes the time to do things right. All baked goods served there are made fresh on premises — it's a nice touch to know that even your toast gets the same TLC the main attraction did.
And that attention to detail really comes through in a dish like the French toast — again made from thick slices of the diner-baked bread. I know this probably comes as heresy to Franks devotees, but I preferred the French toast to the garbage plate. Though, given just the two items I tried here, I'd look forward to more research in finding my true favorites on the Franks menu.
The atmosphere at Franks matches the quality of the food, too. Even first-time visitors will pick up on it. It's that friendly brand of friendly sassiness — of tough love dished out when it's needed by the cook-owners. Patrons seem to abide by it and take it in stride. If you watch the video above, which shows then-owners Lynn Groleau and Chris Schwartz, you'll get the picture. It should be noted that Groleau and Schwartz sold the diner late last week to another couple of longtime regulars* who say they don't plan on changing a thing. Let's hope not.
* As it turns out, they signed the papers on the sale later the same day I visited.
Franks Diner
508 58th Street, Kenosha WI 53140 262-657-1017; franksdinerkenosha.com
All products linked here have been independently selected by our editors. We may earn a commission on purchases, as described in our affiliate policy. | 1,267,173 |
pay to see Pocock, Sio and Alaalatoa, they want to see them week in and week out. Hopefully [the fans] see that we've stuck strong and we're making a decision on we think is the best interests of the club." McKellar has made just one change to the starting XV that beat the Pretoria Bulls in South Africa last week, with rookie Connal McInerney stepping into the hooker role to replace suspended Wallabies rake Folau Faingaa. The Brumbies are still sweating on the fitness of Robbie Abel to be the back-up hooker on the bench, with prop Les Leuluaialii-Makin on standby to fill the role if needed. Eight Brumbies were picked in the Wallabies 32-man squad for the Test series against Ireland. Faingaa and fullback Tom Banks were the bolters, while Joe Powell has also been included as the back-up scrumhalf. Suspended lock Rory Arnold will miss the first Test, but the towering 208 centimetre second-rower will be available for Wallabies selection for the last two Tests. Pocock, Alaalatoa and Sio are expected to be contenders for Wallabies starting spots next week and Tevita Kuridrani rounds ou the Brumbies in the national side. SUPER RUGBY ROUND 16 Sunday: ACT Brumbies v Japan Sunwolves at Canberra Stadium, 4.05pm. Tickets available from Ticketek. Fans will be allowed on to the field after the game. * The Brumbies will donate $15,000 to charities if they reach their crowd target of 15,000. The money will be divided evenly between Lifeline Canberra, OzHarvest and Give me five for kids. Brumbies: 15. Tom Banks, 14. Henry Speight, 13. Tevita Kuridrani, 12. Kyle Godwin, 11. Andy Muirhead, 10. Wharenui Hawera, 9. Joe Powell, 8. Isi Naisarani, 7. David Pocock, 6. Lachlan McCaffrey, 5. Sam Carter, 4. Blake Enever, 3. Allan Alaalatoa, 2. Connal McInerney, 1. Scott Sio. Reserves: 16. Robbie Abel/Les Leuluaialii-Makin, 17. Nic Mayhew, 18. Ben Alexander, 19. Richie Arnold, 20. Tom Cusack, 21. Matt Lucas, 22. Wharenui Hawera, 23. Andrew Smith.
https://nnimgt-a.akamaihd.net/transform/v1/crop/frm/silverstone-ct-migration/7d0918cd-f21f-4377-bda5-bcef3875a7d8/r0_169_3000_1864_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg | 1,267,174 |
Clark County commissioners grappled Tuesday with how best to limit marijuana ads on airport property. Lighting up is off limits because airports are subject to federal regulations and federal laws prohibit marijuana use, but marketing of the drug is another matter.
Students at the D-Gate concourse at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas, Thursday, June 15, 2017. Elizabeth Brumley The Las Vegas Review-Journal
Clark County commissioners grappled Tuesday with how best to limit marijuana ads on airport property.
Lighting up is off-limits because airports are subject to federal regulations and federal laws prohibit marijuana use, but marketing of the drug is another matter.
Although commissioners and Aviation Department Director Rosemary Vassiliadis agree that no advertisements should be placed on airport property, there was discord about vinyl-wrapped taxis.
“We have to be realistic about this,” Vassiliadis said. “We never had in mind to monitor ‘this cab can come here, this cab cannot.’ That’s not realistic.”
Vassiliadis pointed out the airport has allowed taxis advertising medical marijuana onto its property and that the practice has never caused trouble with the Federal Aviation Administration.
Nevertheless, Commissioner Larry Brown argued, stricter is safer.
“I would like to see us to go to the limit at the airport and ban everything as related to recreational and medical marijuana,” he said. “I personally don’t want to see Las Vegas as the target market for the feds to come in and say ‘Hey, you’re pushing the envelope.’”
Commissioner Jim Gibson said the county needed to focus on being practical.
He asked what would happen if an airline passenger landed with a T-shirt sporting a marijuana leaf, or if a dispensary owner whose car was wrapped to advertise their business used the airport parking garage.
“We want to do something that can be enforced,” Gibson said. “Something that, first off, our community can support. Then something that does not strip the operational capacity of the airport.”
Another potential problem is that the airport owns land throughout the county that it leases to private businesses. The county must determine whether advertising marijuana will be allowed there or not.
Commissioners voted to hold the matter for one month and ordered the district attorney’s office and Aviation Department to refine the language of the proposed laws. The county’s Green Ribbon Panel will also meet to discuss the issue.
“We know these people are creative,” commission Chairman Steve Sisolak said of companies advertising marijuana. “I appreciate their creativity, but let’s set the rules down.”
Contact Michael Scott Davidson at [email protected] or 702-477-3861. Follow @davidsonlvrj on Twitter. | 1,267,175 |
BALTIMORE — Although the Yankees know Wednesday night’s washout with the Orioles has been rescheduled for Thursday at 1:35 p.m. and are not anticipating weather problems for three weekend games in Arlington, Texas, the Yankees don’t have a definitive plan for a three-game series against the Rays scheduled to begin Monday in St. Petersburg, Fla., with Hurricane Irma possibly bearing down.
However it shakes out, it’s not likely the Yankees and Rays will play at Tropicana Field on Monday.
“The little that I have heard is that we could possibly fly in Monday, play a game on Tuesday and a doubleheader maybe on Wednesday. Possibly fly in on Tuesday and play a doubleheader on Wednesday and figure out how to make up the other game,’’ Joe Girardi said after Wednesday night’s game with the O’s was rained out. “Talked about moving it so it’s nothing really clear. I think it’s about as uncertain as the exact track of the storm, so I think that has a lot to do with it.’’
Doubleheaders aren’t popular at any time of year, but they are loathed with postseason spots on the line in the season’s final month.
“You would prefer not to play a doubleheader, especially at this time of year, but Mother Nature has been something we have never really been able to outwit,’’ said Girardi, whose club was 3 ½ games behind the Red Sox in the AL East going into the Red Sox-Blue Jays game Wednesday evening. The Yankees hold a 2 ½-game lead over the Twins in the chase for the first of two AL wild-card spots.
Moving the three games to Yankee Stadium or another venue — Camden Yards is in the mix — is an option that doesn’t appeal to the Rays, who are three games behind the Twins.
“I think that would be better, but I understand their point of view, too,’’ Girardi said of the Rays. “I understand they don’t want to give up their home games and their home-field advantage, so you just got to deal with it.’’
Girardi said Sonny Gray remains the Yankees’ starter Thursday, and the same lineup that had Chase Headley in the DH spot will be used when the Yankees try to take two of three from the O’s after losing, 7-6, Tuesday night, when Dellin Betances gave up a two-run, two-out homer to Manny Machado in the ninth inning.
The Yankees will be looking to win a series in Camden Yards for the first time in 12 tries. The last time the Yankees won a series in the Inner Harbor was when they took three of four in 2013. | 1,267,176 |
LGBT Rights North Carolina
Two protesters hold up signs against passage of legislation in North Carolina, which limits the bathroom options for transgender people, during a March 31 rally in Charlotte. The legislation has spurred business leaders, major artists and entertainers to call for its repeal.
(Skip Foreman/AP)
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- A controversial anti-LGBT law in North Carolina has sparked rebukes from rights groups, business leaders, artists and entertainers, and led to more than a dozen canceled conventions.
It was even the inspiration of a widely circulated fake news account featured briefly on cleveland.com in which the NBA threatened to move next year's All-Star game to another city.
The Public Facilities Privacy and Security Act, or HB 2, has sparked fierce debate since North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory signed it into law the same day it was introduced and passed by state legislators.
Lawmakers passed the bill in response to a Charlotte ordinance that added protections for LGBT residents in "places of public accommodations," which also allowed transgender people to use the bathroom of the gender they identify with.
Proponents say the law is necessary to roll back Charlotte's ordinance, which they say went too far, and to protect women and children in public restrooms, according to Yahoo News.
The law's opponents argue that there have been no issues in the 18 states that have similar protections in place, and that the new law illegally targets the state's LGBT community and would ope the door to widespread discrimination in housing, employment and public accommodations.
North Carolina's Attorney General Roy Cooper said he would refuse to defend the law in court.
"We're talking about discrimination here," Cooper said at a press conference, according to CNN. "Not only is this new law a national embarrassment, it will set North Carolina's economy back."
Bruce Springsteen made waves Friday when he canceled his Sunday night show in Greensboro, citing the bill in a scathing statement posted on his website
"Some things are more important than a rock show and this fight against prejudice and bigotry -- which is happening as I write -- is one of them," Springsteen wrote.
Springsteen's decision came after executives from more than 100 companies signed an open letter calling on state legislators to repeal the law, from Starbucks, Facebook and Apple to Wells Fargo, Citibank and Kellogg Company, according to CNN.
Leaders here invited PayPal for a visit after the company nixed plans to open a 400-employee global operations center in North Carolina. And Cuyahoga County Executive Armond Budish banned county employees from traveling to the state on non-essential business.
And WNCN reported that 13 Charlotte conventions have been canceled and as many as 29 groups planning conventions are concerned.
Editor's note: An earlier version of this post included information from another cleveland.com story that has been removed from the site. | 1,267,177 |
Part of what’s been driving the violent unrest in Charlotte, North Carolina, since the police shooting of Keith Lamont Scott is that there are conflicting reports about what Scott was doing when he was killed. Members of his family have said he was merely reading a book in his car. But the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department has insisted he was armed with a gun, and that he “posed an imminent deadly threat to the officers.”
It stands to reason that video footage of the incident—which does exist—would quickly establish the truth, but so far it has not been released to the public.
In a morning press conference dedicated mostly to debriefing Wednesday night’s violent protests, Charlotte police chief Kerr Putney said he has seen the footage and that it does not paint as clear a picture as anyone might hope.
What I can tell you that I saw is the video does not give me absolute, definitive, visual evidence that would confirm that a person is pointing a gun. I did not see that in the videos that I’ve reviewed. So, what I can tell you though, is that when taken in the totality of all the other evidence, it supports what we’ve heard, and the version of the truth that we gave about the circumstances that happened that led to the death of Mr. Scott.
The “version of the truth” police gave on Wednesday morning stated that police approached Scott after seeing him get out of his car with a handgun and then get back in. When Scott got out of his car again, the police say, officers gave “loud and clear verbal commands” for him to drop his weapon, and shot him after he ignored the commands.
On Thursday morning, Putney said there are currently no plans to release the video of the confrontation to the public. “You shouldn’t expect it to be released,” Putney said in response to a question from a reporter.
It’s a surprising stance for Putney, a police chief who has thought deeply and with uncommon open-mindedness about why police shootings happen and when they should be considered justifiable. There’s no question he understands that withholding the video creates an information vacuum that encourages many members of the public to assume the worst, and creates the impression that the police are trying to cover something up. He also probably understands that such skepticism of police is reasonably informed by a string of incidents—most notably, the shootings of Walter Scott in North Charleston, South Carolina, and Laquan McDonald in Chicago—that have demonstrated the willingness of some police officers to lie about events leading up to use of force decisions.
In the press conference, Putney said he is currently focused on honoring a request from the Scott family to view the video, and appeared adamant about not releasing it publicly any time soon. One can only speculate as to why—which is exactly the problem. | 1,267,178 |
This Saturday, July 20, five members of the Seattle Solidarity Network stood outside The Purple Store with signs that read “Wage theft: Ugly in Any Color” and “Don’t shop at the Purple store.” SSN is a community organization that advocates for workers and renters’ rights in and around Seattle on request of workers and tenants. They handed out flyers laying out the accusations made against the store and its management. The owner, Adam Sheridan, stood outside as well. He passed out his own flyers, assuring potential customers that the groups claims were lies, and his store was an excellent and reputable place to buy anything purple.
This was the latest in a long line of pickets outside The Purple Store. The shop has been visited twice a week every week since March 2 when the employees formally made their demands. With 40 SSN members behind them, the workers delivered a letter laying out the back pay and reimbursement they claimed they were owed.
The list included reimbursement for two workers being paid below the minimum wage, as well as bonuses promised upon hiring that never materialized, and pay for time worked that was never accounted for.
The workers also reported Adam Sheridan to Washington State L&I, the Washington Attorney General, and the Federal Trade Commission for fraud violations.
On March 13, Sheridan sent an email to the entire staff detailing the financial distress the store was under and laying all 10 off. The doors did not close for a day and Sheridan brought on new employees to fill the open positions. The Washington State Employment Security Department ruled that the former staff was fired in retaliation.
Since the protests began, one former worker has been reimbursed for pay below minimum wage, but not to the level required by Seattle law, which requires reimbursement for sub-minimum wage pay be paid back plus interest. No other grievances have been addressed.
Sheridan claims the only issue was inability to pay bonuses. He says the stores financial insecurity prevented him from paying annual bonuses and forced him to lay off his staff. He also claims he attempted to address payroll “quirks” with his employees, but they insisted on involving courts and the SSN.
“When you tell somebody that you’re going to be paid a certain amount of money in advance, and then it comes time to get paid and you don’t receive the money you were promised, that is theft,” said Lee from the Seattle Solidarity Network, defending the claims made by the former employees.
Two local business owners came out and confronted the protestors on Saturday, stating that their protest was hurting surrounding businesses. The SSN members refused to leave but agreed to remind passers by that other stores in the area were not accused of the same practices as Sheridan and The Purple Store.
SSN and the former employees say they have no intentions of stopping the protests. There are more protests in front of the shop scheduled for the following weekend. | 1,267,179 |
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission wants to bring sales of new digital tokens, or initial coin offerings, under its authority.
"The SEC is devoting a significant portion of its resources to the ICO market," commission chairman, Jay Clayton, and J. Christopher Giancarlo, chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, wrote in a commentary piece published late Wednesday in The Wall Street Journal.
"Through statements, reports and enforcement actions the SEC has made it clear that federal securities laws apply regardless of whether the offered security—a purposefully broad and flexible term—is labeled a 'coin' or 'utility token' rather than a stock, bond or investment contract."
Initial coin offerings, or ICOs, are fundraisers for projects based on the same blockchain technology as digital currency bitcoin. The token sales took off last summer and have raised more than $3.7 billion, more than twice the venture capital investment in blockchain projects, according to estimates from Ernst & Young. But the firm also found that more than 10 percent of ICO funds have been lost to hackers, and U.S. residents are officially banned from participating in many token sales.
ICO investors buy new coins in the expectation they will either rise in price like an investment asset, or at least provide a "utility" — access to a new technological platform. While the developers agree that investment assets may require SEC oversight, they have tended to make the case for why utility tokens do not.
But the commentary piece makes it clear the SEC isn't making much distinction, and that securities law applies to at least some cryptocurrencies.
"The SEC will vigorously pursue those who seek to evade the registration, disclosure and antifraud requirements of our securities laws," the piece said. "In addition, the SEC is monitoring the cryptocurrency-related activities of the market participants it regulates, including broker-dealers, investment advisers and trading platforms."
The SEC has become tougher on initial coin offerings. In July, the commission used a case study to indicate that securities law may apply to digital coin offerings and issued an investor warning. In September, the SEC launched a cyber unit to increase enforcement on cyber-based threats to retail investors, including ICO fraud. The commission has also temporarily suspended trading in some tiny stocks due to questions about the companies' claims around initial coin offerings or other token-related announcements.
But increased SEC oversight doesn't necessarily spell doom for ICOs, which are banned completely in China. Several leaders in the digital currency world expect increased regulation on cryptocurrencies and related business models will help the industry to mature.
"The willingness to pursue the commercialization of innovation is one of America's great strengths," the commission chairmen said, noting that "some of the dot-com survivors are among the world's leading companies today."
"This longstanding, uniquely American characteristic is the envy of the world. Our regulatory efforts should embrace it."
Read the full commentary piece here. | 1,267,180 |
This blog post was co-authored by Paul Lorimer, Distinguished Engineer, Office 365.
Azure and Office 365 generally available today, Dynamics 365 and Power Platform available by end of 2019
Today, Microsoft Azure and Microsoft Office 365 are taking a major step together to help support the digital transformation of our customers. Both Azure and Office 365 are now generally available from our first cloud datacenter regions in the Middle East, located in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Dynamics 365 and Power Platform, offering the next generation of intelligent business applications and tools, are anticipated to be available from the cloud regions in UAE by the end of 2019.
The opening of the new cloud regions in Abu Dhabi and Dubai marks the first time Microsoft will deliver cloud services directly from datacenter locations in UAE and expands upon Microsoft’s existing investments in the Gulf and the wider Middle East region. By delivering the complete Microsoft cloud – Azure, Office 365, and Dynamics 365 – from datacenters in a given geography, we offer scalable, highly available, and resilient cloud services for organizations while helping them meet their data residency, security, and compliance needs.
Our new cloud regions adhere to Microsoft’s trusted cloud principles and join one of the largest and most secure cloud infrastructures in the world, already serving more than a billion customers and 20 million businesses. Microsoft has deep expertise in data protection, security, and privacy, including the broadest set of compliance certifications in the industry, and we are the first cloud service provider in UAE to achieve the Dubai Electronic Security Center certification for its cloud services. Our continued focus on our trusted cloud principles and leadership in compliance means customers in the region can accelerate their digital transformation with confidence and with the foundation to achieve compliance for their own applications.
Local datacenter infrastructure stimulates economic development for both customers and partners alike, enabling companies, governments, and regulated industries to realize the benefits of the cloud for innovation, as well as bolstering the technology ecosystem that supports the innovation. We anticipate the cloud services delivered from UAE to have a positive impact on job creation, entrepreneurship, and economic growth across the region. The International Data Corporation (IDC) predicts that cloud services could bring more than half a million jobs to the Middle East, including the potential of more than 55,000 new jobs in UAE, between 2017 and 2022.
Microsoft also continues to help bridge the skills gap amongst the IT community and to enhance technical acumen for cloud services. Cloud Society, a Middle East and Africa focused program building upon Microsoft Learn, has trained over 150,000 IT professionals in MEA. The community will further benefit from the increased availability and performance of cloud services delivered from UAE to help realize enterprise benefits of cloud, upskill in migration, and more effectively manage their cloud infrastructure.
You can learn more by following these links: Microsoft Middle East and Africa News Center, Microsoft Azure United Arab Emirates, Microsoft Office 365, Microsoft Dynamics 365, and Microsoft Power Platform. | 1,267,181 |
Protest will mark the Fourth of July this week in Washington as President Donald Trump takes the opportunity provided by the holiday to promote himself on Thursday.
The event is generating backlash from a number left-wing groups who plan to take part in demonstrations against the president.
On Wednesday, journalists reported that Trump supporters were already flooding the mall in advance of Trump's speech.
What a shirt pic.twitter.com/eF0IgJtiFy — Jared Holt (@jaredlholt) July 3, 2019
Protesters will hit the National Mall Thursday in advance of and during the president's planned remarks at the Lincoln Memorial.
According to The Washington Post:
A coalition of more than 20 groups—including Black Lives Matter D.C., immigrants rights group Sanctuary DMV and anti-gentrification organization Keep D.C. 4 Me—will host an all-day counterdemonstration at Pershing Park. Members of the District's communities of color will lead a dance party to go-go music for "black, brown, and indigenous joy in the face of white nationalism and supremacy."
Anti-war group CodePink will be there with the now famous "Baby Trump" balloon in tow. The balloon will stay grounded, however, because D.C.'s Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency won't let it fly.
"It is ironic that it is right here, in the 'land of the free,' the balloon is being grounded," said CodePink co-founder Medea Benjamin.
There will also be a flag burning, led by Gregory "Joey" Johnson, the main plaintiff in the 1989 case that allowed the practice as free speech.
"When I see that flag burn, I'm not only thinking of the children who are starved and bombed by the U.S. in Yemen, or the children who are torn from their parents along the U.S.-Mexico border," Johnson told the Post. "This is the workings of a system that the U.S. dominates... built on the plunder of literally billions of people around the world."
During Trump's remarks on Thursday, a number of protesters plan to turn their backs on the president.
It's unclear if any of the protests will matter, though, as New York Magazine pointed out:
It won't be easy for detractors to make themselves seen. Late last week, officials announced a VIP section in front of the Lincoln Memorial. The tickets to access the area were to be distributed by the White House, ensuring that protesters won't be able to pack the area in front of Trump's podium.
U.S. Park Police Sergeant Eduardo Delgado, in comment to the press, said that officers were ready for demonstrations on Thursday to turn violent but hoped that would not be the case.
"We'll have people in different locations and watching," said Delgado. "We prepare for the worst and hope for the best." | 1,267,182 |
As we head into the last weekend of September, here’s what’s happening around the city:
Road closures
The Toronto 5K is taking place on Saturday, which means some road closures. Eastbound lanes on St. Clair Avenue from Wells Hill Avenue to Bathurst Street are closed starting at 7:30 a.m. for the formation area.
There will be rolling closures for the race, including parts of St. Clair Avenue West, Russell Hill Road, Boulton Drive (full road), Macpherson Avenue, Davenport Road, and Christie Street.
Parts of Kensington Avenue, Augusta Avenue, Baldwin Street and St. Andrew Street will be closed on Sunday from 12 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. for Pedestrian Sundays in Kensington Market.
Transit
Part of Line 1 will be closed for the entire weekend, so be sure to plan accordingly.
There’s no subway service between Sheppard-Yonge and St. Clair stations for the installation of Automatic Train Control signalling system.
Shuttle buses will run and Wheel-Trans is available in the area.
Weather
Environment Canada is calling for showers on Saturday, which are expected to clear up later in the day. Temperatures will reach a high of 24 C, before dipping down to a low of 6 C in the evening.
Sunday will see a mix of sun and cloud. The weather agency is calling for relatively cool temperatures, with a high of of 14 C during the day and a low of 11 C at night — which means it’s officially sweater weather season.
Events
Toronto Queer Theatre Festival (Saturday and Sunday)
The festival is dedicated to presenting the works of LGBT playwrights in the GTA, and takes place all weekend at the Alumnae Theatre at 70 Berkeley St. near Adelaide Street East. The lineup includes people like Erika Reesor and Lawrence Aronovitch.
Tickets to all performances are $15.
Toronto Oktoberfest (Thursday to Saturday)
Torontonians will be able to have a taste of Germany this weekend without having to go all the way to Europe. There’s an Oktoberfest celebration at Ontario Place, open to everyone.
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On Saturday, there’s an all-ages Volksfest carnival, with a traditionally-styled Bavarian beer hall tent, lots of food and drinks, a Porsche show, a variety of rides and games, and plenty of children’s activities as well.
Toronto Vintage Clothing Show (Saturday)
Interested in vintage clothing and/or antiques? This weekend, you can shop everything old at the Enercare Center in Exhibition Place. Admission is free and open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. | 1,267,183 |
An uptick in the cryptocurrency market was observed after regulators in South Korea and Europe dialed back their rhetoric regarding regulation. At the time of writing, the total market capitalization of all cryptocurrencies stood at $460.41 billion which is an increase of about 6.6% from a day ago. At the same time, it is also 38% higher than the lows of last Tuesday at $279 billion.
The seep in the price trajectory pushed Bitcoin above the $9,000 mark and at the time of writing traded at $9,650, up 17.74% from its price a week ago. However, according to a report by Coindesk, the gains may not last. A bout of selling is expected on the back of Chinese Lunar New Year which falls on February 16, 2018 as traders exchange cryptocurrencies for fiat currencies.
During the week, South Korea, which threatened to ban trading of cryptocurrency earlier, softened its stance. Hong Nam-Ki, minister of the Office for Government Policy, in a video posted on the government’s website said they were focused on making crypto trading transparent opposed to banning the crypto exchanges. The statement was released after an online petition was circulated across the internet wherein people criticized the threat of the government to ban crypto trading and was signed by about 200,000 people.
In addition, president of the European Central Bank, Mario Draghi also rejected the idea of ECB regulation for bitcoin. He said during a video interview on Wednesday that “It’s not the ECB’s responsibility to do that,”.
It was immediately after South Korea’s announcements that the majority of the gains for crypto markets occurred. Litecoin, a cryptocurrency which was recently identified by Microsoft Corp. as a building block to create Decentralized digital ID (DID) became the fifth-most valuable cryptocurrency after it overtook Cardano’s ADA. At the time of writing, Litecoin traded at $222.44 up 51.03% from its price a week ago.
In the meantime, Ripple consolidated its gains and continued to rack up the positive press. In JP Morgan’s recent Bitcoin Bible, it was reported to be among the fastest networks for processing transactions. In other news, Western Union, a money transfer giant announced that it was testing the technology of Ripple for its business. Earlier this week, a similar announcement was made by UAE Exchange in which Ripple announced an agreement with UAE Exchange to test its blockchain technology, the exchange is said to have about 6.75% share of $575 billion global remittance market. Ripple’s cryptocurrency, XRP in the last week has pushed above the $1 mark and is currently traded at $1.11, up 4.98% in the last 24 hours.
The Cryptocurrency Forums is growing in 2018. Register for a free account using this link
Comments, suggestions or market thoughts? Visit our latest thread on crypto markets. | 1,267,184 |
Today, on her birthday, Dominique Provost-Chalkley came out as a queer woman. She wrote a lovely post on her website, Start the Wave, joining her castmate Kat Barrell in the queer fold. Dominique talks about how she’s always had an inclination she might be into more than just boys, but how society and fear kept her from facing that truth. She goes on to say that things changed once she got her beloved role on Wynonna Earp.
She says, “[Showrunner] Emily Andras took a chance on me and cast me as the beautifully positive bisexual representation that is Miss Waverly Earp. Through this incredible, enlightening journey of playing a queer character and meeting the fans that are drawn to her, I guess I’ve reevaluated how I am to face this part of me.”
Sometimes TV Editor Heather Hogan and I joke that we’re going to do the math on the percent of people who have played queer and then later came out as queer themselves, because it seems to be a trend we’ve seen, and loved, over the years.
But the truth is, I don’t think it’s a coincidence. I think in this heteronormative world, sometimes being cast as someone who is queer can often be the first chance a person has to face the possibility that they might be queer in a way that feels somewhat safe. I think often they get to play through what it’s like to be queer in a way I think a lot of us wished we could “try it out” with no consequences before we came out, but also it thrusts them into queer communities and often exposes them to more and more queer people and more and more queer stories and it’s a great way for them to see that there’s no one way to be not-straight and there’s no right story.
Barring any kind of unsafe situation, there’s no “bad time” to come out. You can be young or old, married or single; your truth is your truth, and however long it takes you to find it, that’s your story, and it’s valid.
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And Dominique confirms this in her coming out post. She says playing Waverly and meeting the queer fans of Wynonna Earp (and possibly also helped by her queer roles in the Carmilla Movie and the Tello film Season of Love) made her feel like she could try to be brave and live her authentic truth.
She ended with the hashtag #OutIsTheNewIn, and also her official coming out, in her own words:
I am queer.
I am into ALL humans.
I guess maybe I am just really into love?
Who knows?
But finally…
I am OUT. | 1,267,185 |
The Brewers Association recognizes it might be difficult for some beer drinkers to know if they’re really sipping craft beer.
The craft beer waters are muddied with beer giant Anheuser-Busch buying some small brewers and private equity firms having a hand in others.
The Brewers Association recognizes it might be difficult for some beer drinkers to know if they’re really sipping craft beer. That’s why the Boulder-based promoter of the industry unveiled a new seal aimed at identifying beers that are independently produced.
The seal is available for use free of charge by any of the more than 5,300 small and independent American craft brewers that have permission from the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau to operate. Brewers must also meet the Brewers Association’s definition of a craft brewery to use the seal, but they don’t have to be members of the nonprofit.
In order to qualify as a craft brewer, breweries have to be less than 25 percent owned or controlled by an alcohol industry member that is not itself a craft brewer, according to the Brewers Association. Colorado’s largest craft brewery, New Belgium Brewing Co., meets that threshold. AB-owned Breckenridge Brewery and 10 Barrel Brewing Co. do not.
Independence has long been a hallmark of the craft brewing industry.
“As big beer acquires former craft brands, beer drinkers have become increasingly confused about which brewers remain independent,” said Bob Pease, president and CEO of the Brewers Association.
“Beer lovers are interested in transparency when it comes to brewery ownership. This seal is a simple way to provide that clarity — now they can know what’s been brewed small and certified independent,” Peas said in a statement.
The fight over what kind of beer people are drinking partly boils down to money. Craft brewers are fighting to carve out a larger share of beer sales while beer giants are working on the opposite end to retain their dominance over the industry.
While small and independent craft brewers represent 99 percent of the more than 5,300 breweries in the U.S., they make just 12 percent of the beer sold in the country, according to the Brewers Association
“Craft brewers build communities and the spirit of independent ownership matters,” said Rob Tod, chair of the Brewers Association Board of Directors and founder of Allagash Brewing Co. in Portland, Maine.
“When beer lovers buy independent craft beer, they are supporting American entrepreneurs and the risk takers who have long strived not just to be innovative and make truly great beer, but to also build culture and community in the process,” Tod said in a statement.
Business & data reporter Adrian D. Garcia can be reached via email at [email protected] or twitter.com/adriandgarcia.
Subscribe to Denverite’s newsletter here. | 1,267,186 |
In a new type of police lineup, a Dallas police officer shows a victim of a robbery a single photo of a suspect in an interview room at police headquarters. The police department in Dallas has become the nation's largest force to use sequential blind lineups, a widely praised technique that experts said should reduce mistakes made by eyewitnesses trying to identify suspects. LM Otero | AP 2009
The reliability of eyewitness testimony continues to be an issue for law enforcement and the legal system. According to the Innocence Project, eyewitness misidentification "was a factor in more than 70 percent of post-conviction DNA exoneration cases in the U.S., making it the leading cause of these wrongful convictions."
Judges in several states now instruct juries about the potential inaccuracies in eyewitness testimony or identification. In New Jersey, the jury instructions explain factors that can affect such testimony, like distance, lighting, stress and the difficulty of cross-racial identification.
To discuss the ongoing science of eyewitness testimony and how courts are responding, MPR News host Kerri Miller spoke with Brandon Garrett, a law professor at the University of Virginia, and Sandra Guerra Thompson, director of the Criminal Justice Institute at the University of Houston Law Center.
"People have always known that it's hard to remember the faces of strangers, and that there are problems with eyewitness memory," Garrett said, citing legal decisions from 50 or even 100 years ago. But a widespread push to reduce such errors actually had an opposite effect.
"We entered a period in the 70s where people though we can make eyewitness identifications more scientific: We can do these line-ups, and we can weed out the people who don't have much of a memory of what they saw," Garret said. "It turned out those very line-ups that we started relying on to make the whole thing more scientific introduced even more error. Police departments started using line-ups that were suggestive, that allowed police to sort of cue which was the suspect they had in mind, so things probably got a lot worse for 20, 30 years."
When DNA became a crucial part of the legal system, and hundreds of people were exonerated using DNA evidence, "people realized something terrible was going on" with eyewitness testimony, Garrett said.
One of the factors contributing to the problem was the difficulty of cross-racial identification.
Numerous studies have shown, Thompson said, "that people are less able to identify a stranger's face when they are of a different race."
But even with continued research on the subject, most states still don't include such findings in their jury instructions.
"Plenty of judges still treat [eyewitness testimony] the way they always did," Garrett said. "They say: 'Jurors, use your own common sense to decide whether this eyewitness's memory is good or not.'"
For the full discussion on the reliability of eyewitness testimony, use the audio player above. | 1,267,187 |
Because first-time crossing is punishable by up to six months in jail and fines, it’s common for defendants to be sentenced to time served or otherwise quickly released.
Activists say the onus for long-term separation lies on the Trump administration because released parents aren’t being reunited with their children.
“The processes for reunifying or making communication possible are very, very difficult,” said Brané.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is suing the administration to force reunification of families once parents are released from criminal detention.
Many of the people who get caught crossing the border illegally as family units willingly turn themselves in to the Border Patrol to make asylum claims.
Until criminal prosecution for first-time border crossings was mandated by Attorney General Jeff Sessions Jefferson (Jeff) Beauregard SessionsGOP set to release controversial Biden report Trump's policies on refugees are as simple as ABCs Ocasio-Cortez, Velázquez call for convention to decide Puerto Rico status MORE, U.S. authorities were in most cases forced to release those families to appear at later court dates to argue their case, a practice the president has scorned as “catch and release.”
Lee Gelernt, deputy director of the ACLU’s immigrant rights project, said that, for the purposes of the lawsuit, the group is assuming asylum seekers can be criminally prosecuted for crossing a border — the legality of which the ACLU generally contests.
“We do not believe that prosecuting asylum seekers is lawful except in the rarest situations that are not happening here,” said Gelernt. He added the assumption was necessary because children and parents are not being reunited once the parents leave criminal detention.
Some Republican lawmakers, meanwhile, are expressing an appetite for moving legislation to prevent DHS from separating children from their parents. Sen. Marco Rubio Marco Antonio RubioOvernight Defense: Pentagon redirects pandemic funding to defense contractors | US planning for full Afghanistan withdrawal by May | Anti-Trump GOP group puts ads in military papers Democrats step up hardball tactics as Supreme Court fight heats up Press: Notorious RBG vs Notorious GOP MORE (R-Fla.) over the weekend said he’s “open to changing that law” — though he wants to prioritize tough border enforcement as a deterrent to would-be migrants — and Rep. Mark Meadows Mark Randall MeadowsHouse moves toward spending vote after bipartisan talks House Democrats mull delay on spending bill vote Southwest Airlines, unions call for six-month extension of government aid MORE (R-N.C.), chairman of the far-right House Freedom Caucus, echoed that sentiment.
“There is real bipartisan support for changing that,” Meadows said Sunday on CBS’s “Face the Nation” program. “I can’t imagine that it’s the law that you have to separate these individuals.” | 1,267,188 |
Millions of Canadian and American Consumers at Risk
Canadian retailer NCIX filed for bankruptcy and closed 10 months ago. They were the premiere PC hardware retail store in Canada and even did a sizable business on the other side of the border. However, as Travis Doering of Privacy Fly found out, the company did not go quietly away without doing some damage to their customer’s security first.
Doering recounts meeting up with a Craigslist seller claiming to have NCIX’ Database servers for only $1500 CAD. This includes a Database Server from NCIX and a Database Reporting Server, allegedly legally obtained via Able Auctions. Prior to NCIX shutting down, their assets were sold off through this company.
Unwiped and Unencrypted
What is surprising however, is that after some probing, the seller divulged that the data on these servers were actually unwiped, and that he actually had three servers in his possession. Doering did his due diligence and followed up to verify. And sure enough, what he found was quite shocking.
Not only did the seller posses three unwiped servers from NCIX, he also had around “300 desktop computers from NCIX’s corporate offices and retails stores”. In fact, the seller turned out to have “18 DELL Poweredge servers, as well as at least two Supermicro server’s running StarWind iSCSI Software that NCIX had used to back up their hard disks.”
In addition, there where also the 109 hard drives which had been removed from servers before auction and one large pallet of 400-500 used hard drives from various manufacturers. Suggesting that he had direct access to these and not through the auction as the seller initially suggested.
What Are on These Computers?
From what Doering saw, the computers contained various papers and documents. Some of which even belonged personally to NCIX founder Steve Wu. According to Doering, he found “data going back 13 years, financial documents, employment letters containing SIN numbers”. This even featured personal documents and images of Mr. Wu’s family mixed in with numerous private photos of high end escorts from mainland china.
One drive also contained a treasure trove of confidential data. This includes credentials, invoices, photographs of customers ID’s, Bills, and an employee’s T4 (Tax form) among other files.
Worst of all however, is that he also stumbled into unencrypted tables containing consumer information. This has their addresses, names, contact information and all necessary information to steal their identity. This not only includes NCIX customers from Canada, but from the US as well.
The database also contained full credit card payment details in plain text for 258,000 users.
For a more detailed recounting of this security issue, follow this link to Privacy Fly’s NCIX data breach blog entry. | 1,267,189 |
SplitScreen PC Tool v1.3 BETA
I've made a program to make it easy for playing Offline SplitScreen on the PC, I have posted it on http://forums.gearboxsoftware.com/showthread.php?t=156994 Hi guys! I'm an experienced.NET programmer, and really got angry because they didn't include a Split-screen option on the PC version of the game.So, I searched the internet, and found several ways of running the game on split-screen or multi-monitor, but all of them involved having several programs, and are not easily modified for playing with different number of players.Here's my tool, for playing Borderlands 2 on the PC on Split-Screen, easily!Cool stuff:- Runs 4 players on only 1 monitor!- Runs on multi-monitor perfectly- Runs on Split-Screen (with no issues!)Supported Games:- Borderlands 2- Borderlands: The Pre Sequel- Left 4 Dead 2 (WIP, doesnt work properly)- Resident Evil 5Link to download of newest version, 1.5 BETA:I'd like to remember this is a BETA version, I'd reallly appreciate feedback, so I can fix it, and make it perfect!This works with the Steam Version!Image: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/14675887/splitplaypc%201.2.png Video of it working: Video Instructions of usage:1. Click on [+ Add a Game]2. Click on [Browse...]3. Search for your Borderlands2.exe file. If you have the Steam Version, it's on "C:\Program Files(x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\borderlands 2"4. Click on Borderlands 2.5. Select the number of players.6. Set the players screens.7. If you want to change Game ID and other options, click NEXT.8. If not, you can already start the game by clicking "PLAY".9. WAIT for all the screens to position! Be patient, this takes the delay time (10 seconds) times the amount of players + the delay time.10. Set Network to LAN.11. Open a Game on any Player.12. Join the LAN game on other players.Known issues:- If your PC can't handle the game at your screen`s resolution, set your Windows`s resolution to lower BEFORE opening the App.- DON`T modify the resolution in-game.- You have to press START on the menus in order. Player 1, Player 2 and it goes. Or else 1 gamepad may control 2 screens (thanks for the tip, handakes! - http://forums.gearboxsoftware.com/member.php?u=61490 How it works:- The app modifies the WillowEngine.ini based on user input and resolution of the screen.- Then, the app starts Borderlands, and monitors the Process and sets the Window`s locations to the appropriate area. | 1,267,190 |
In an interview with Sputnik Mundo, Jordan Rodriguez, vice president of the state-owned broadcaster Venezolana de Television (VTV), explained why the Venezuelan cable broadcaster suspended the broadcast of the CNN en Espanol news channel in the country.
Recently, Venezuela’s National Telecommunications Commission (CONATEL) said it has suspended the operation of the channel across Venezuela.
The suspension of CNN en Espanol, which allegedly generates "a climate of intolerance" and threatens "the peace and democratic stability" of the people of Venezuela is effective immediately starting on Wednesday across the country," the commission said in a statement Wednesday.
The Venezuelan government reportedly launched an investigation into the work of the CNN en Espanol channel in August 2015, accusing it of distributing false reports on violence in the country.
The regulator made the decision due to "multiple attacks on political stability, the social situation and health of Venezuelan youth," the commission’s head Andres Eloy Mendez said.
According to Rodriguez, CNN "spread lies and publishes fake news aimed to undermine the Bolivarian Revolution."
For example, on February 9, the channel aired a report on disruptions in the issuance of passports. The report was "based on real facts" because a corruption scheme was uncovered in the passport issuing agency.
However, before CNN, VTV aired a report saying that 120 officials were involved in the corruption scheme and would face trial.
According to Rodriguez, "CNN aired information that was not a piece of news."
Moreover, in the same report, CNN used as a source a former agent of the Venezuelan Foreign Policy Service, who had previously been involved in "suspicious deeds," including forging the signature of an ambassador.
Another source was General Marco Ferreira who was involved in a coup attempt against then-President Hugo Chavez in April 2002.
According to Rodriguez, in the report, Ferreira claimed that "in particular, passports are issued to Islamic terrorists" and connected his allegation to the origin of Vice President Tareck El Aissami (his father was a migrant from Syria). Ferreira also accused El Aissami of being involved in drug trafficking.
"CNN is running an intense campaign of lies and groundless allegations, including accusing the vice president of being involved in the Cartel of the Suns (Cartel de los Soles), a group of drug dealers allegedly ruled by Venezuelan government officials," Rodriguez told Sputnik Mundo.
According to the commission, such allegations are a violation of the "law on radio- and TV-broadcasting companies that are responsible for protecting minors."
"All countries should protect their people. Those people [CNN en Espanol] condone violence and hatred. This is why its broadcast has been suspended in our country," he concluded.
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ArcMap allows for a large amount of customization. It’s just a matter of taking the time to set it up the way you want. If you want to add or remove a button from a toolbar, you can. Menus can be customized the same way, but for this guide I’m focusing on toolbars.
In order to start customizing toolbars, you need to be in Customize Mode.
Once the Customize window is open, you can begin manipulating the toolbars. Right click on a button, and you can now delete it, as well as a few other options.
___________________________________
If you delete a button, and want to get it back you can click on the Commands tab of the Customize window and on the left side select the name of the toolbar which originally contained the button. The available buttons will appear on the right side of the window. Simply drag one up to a toolbar in order to add it back.
One of the first ArcMap customizations I make on a fresh install is adding the Start, Stop, and Save editing buttons to the Editor toolbar. It’s just a lot easier than going into the Editor menu every time.
___________________________________
You can also add often used geoprocessing tools to a toolbar. In the Customize window, go to the Commands tab and on the left side scroll down all the way to the bottom. Click on Geoprocessing Tools, and then click the Add Tools button. Browse to the Toolbox containing the tool you’d like to add. The tool will then be available on the right side of the window. Simply drag it up to the toolbar you want to add it to.
By default, the standard ArcGIS toolboxes are located at:
C:\Program Files (x86)\ArcGIS\Desktop10.x\ArcToolbox\Toolboxes
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The final customization for this guide is setting up keyboard shortcuts. Keyboard shortcuts are extremely useful, and can reduce a lot of unnecessary mouse clicking. In the Customize window, click the Keyboard button at the bottom of the window.
In the Customize Keyboard window, in the text box at the top, type the name of the tool you want to add a shortcut for. Then on the left side under Categories click the name of the toolbar that contains the tool, and on the right side under Commands click the tool.
Next, click where it says Press new shortcut key, and choose the keyboard shortcut to assign for the tool. I prefer to use ALT + a number at the top of the keyboard. So, I have different tools assigned for when I press ALT + 1, or ALT + 2, etc. Once you choose the keyboard shortcut, remember to click Assign on the right side of the window.
Hope someone finds this helpful! Please leave any questions, or comments below. | 1,267,192 |
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RELATED AUDIO: Obama’s Plan To Create A Sharia United States
DETROIT (WWJ) – The men and women of the Detroit Police Department believe the city is too dangerous to enter, and they want citizens to know it. Detroit Police Officer Association (DPOA) Attorney Donato Iorio said officers are holding the “Enter At Your Own Risk” rally at 3:30 p.m. Saturday in front of Comerica Park to remind the public that the officers are overworked, understaffed, and at times, fearful for their lives.
“Detroit is America’s most violent city, its homicide rate is the highest in the country and yet the Detroit Police Department is grossly understaffed,” Iorio told WWJ’s Kathryn Larson. “The DPOA believes that there is a war in Detroit, but there should be a war on crime, not a war on its officers.”
“The explosion in violent crime, the incredible spike in the number of homicides and for officers trying to work 12 hours in such deplorable, dangerous and war like conditions is simple untenable,” he said. Iorio said the department today has less officers than ever, even though crime rates are through the roof. source – CBS Detroit
Detroit Muslims rally against the First Amendment
Led by a newspaper publisher, Muslim activists will call for putting limits on American free speech at a Dearborn rally this evening. You can’t make this stuff up.
Nearly a decade after Dearborn’s streets celebrated America for bringing down Saddam Hussein and opening a door to democracy in the Mideast, the same city will be the epicenter today of calls to squelch free speech. Protesting the film, “Innocence of Muslims,” that has sparked protests in the Mideast, rally organizer Tarek Baydoun says that so-called blasphemy laws are necessary to prevent speech that hurts the “the religious feelings of Muslims.”
This assault on the First Amendment in the name of the prophet Mohammed is a sad day in America – and confirms fears that Muslim-American activists do not understand the fundamental separation of church and state in the American Constitution.
“There is a need for deterrent legal measures against those individuals or groups that want to damage relations between people, spread hate and incite violence,” said Arab-American News publisher Osama Siblani, a self-proclaimed “moderate” who is apparently oblivious to how gutting the First Amendment would affect his own business.
The Dearborn organizers seek an international law banning what they define as anti-Mohammed speech that would supersede American law. The rally comes just days after President Obama reaffirmed America’s commitment to free speech in a U.N. address. source – The Michigan View | 1,267,193 |
Attorney General Loretta Lynch (AP Photo)
(CNSNews.com) – Attorney General Loretta Lynch acknowledged Wednesday that there have been discussions within the Department of Justice about possibly pursuing civil action against so-called climate change deniers.
“This matter has been discussed. We have received information about it and have referred it to the FBI to consider whether or not it meets the criteria for which we could take action on,” Lynch said at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Justice Department operations.
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) raised the issue, drawing a comparison between possible civil action against climate change deniers and civil action that the Clinton administration pursued against the tobacco industry for claiming that the science behind the dangers of tobacco was unsettled.
“The similarities between the mischief of the tobacco industry pretending that the science of tobacco’s dangers was unsettled and the fossil fuel industry pretending that the science of carbon emissions’ dangers is unsettled has been remarked on widely, particularly by those who study the climate denial apparatus that the fossil fuel industry has erected,” Whitehouse said.
“Under President Clinton, the Department of Justice brought and won a civil RICO action against the tobacco industry for its fraud. Under President Obama, the Department of Justice has done nothing so far about the climate denial scheme,” Whitehouse added.
“A request for action by the Department of Justice has been referred by you to the FBI. My question to you is other than civil forfeitures and matters attendant to a criminal case, are there other circumstances in which a civil matter under the authority of the Department of Justice has been referred to the FBI?” he asked.
“Senator, thank you for raising that issue, and thank you for your work in this area. I know your commitment is deep. This matter has been discussed. We have received information about it and have referred it to the FBI to consider whether or not it meets the criteria for which we could take action on. I’m not aware of a civil referral at this time,” said Lynch.
“I will look into that and get back to you, but I’m not aware of a civil referral outside of the one that you just raised,” added Lynch.
“Are there any civil cases with the United States as plaintiff within DOJ’s civil division in which the FBI is preparing the case for the civil division?” Whitehouse asked.
“Are you regarding climate change issues?” Lynch asked.
“Regarding any matter,” Whitehouse asked.
“I couldn’t give you that information right now in terms of whether or not—” Lynch responded.
“I will take that as a question for the record,” Whitehouse said. | 1,267,194 |
It didn’t take long for Myles Jury to land himself a high-profile fight in Bellator.
Less than a week after it was announced that the 12-fight UFC veteran had joined the promotion, Jury (17-4) is scheduled to meet former UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson (27-8) in the main event of Bellator 227 on Sept. 27, which takes place in Dublin, Ireland. MMA Fighting confirmed the bout with officials after Jury made the announcement to ESPN.
A previously announced bantamweight matchup between James Gallagher (9-1) and Cal Ellenor (8-2) has been given headliner status on the Bellator Dublin card that takes place on the same day. Similar to how the recent Bellator London/Bellator 223 card had a double headliner of Gegard Mousasi vs. Rafael Lovato Jr. and Paul Daley vs. Erick Silva and was broadcast through multiple outlets, Bellator Dublin/Bellator 227 will follow a similar schedule.
The Bellator Dublin card will also air on Sept. 27 with the prelims and main card (featuring Gallagher-Ellenor as well as a previously announced welterweight bout between Michael Page and Richard Kiely) on the Bellator app. The Bellator 227 portion will air on tape delay in the U.S. on Paramount Network and the DAZN streaming service and will feature the Henderson-Jury fight.
After starting his pro career 15-0, Jury lost four of his last six fights in the UFC before parting ways with the promotion. He will be returning to lightweight after competing at 145 pounds in his last four appearances.
Henderson is currently on a three-fight win streak, most recently earning a split nod over Adam Piccolotti. He is 4-3 in the Bellator cage, including failed bids for the promotion’s lightweight and welterweight titles.
See the updated card for the Sept. 27 Bellator event below:
Bellator Dublin Main Card (Bellator app)
James Gallagher vs. Cal Ellenor
Michael Page vs. Richard Kiely
Ryan Scope vs. Peter Queally
Bellator 227 (Paramount Network, DAZN - on tape delay in the U.S.)
Benson Henderson vs. Myles Jury
Brandon Girtz vs. Paul Redmond
Leah McCourt vs. Kerry Hughes
Preliminaries (Bellator app)
Brian Moore vs. Toby Misech
Lee Chadwick vs. Karl Moore
Frans Mlambo vs. Dominique Wooding
Philip Mulpeter vs. Keith McCabe
Richie Smullen vs. Sean Tobin
Dylan Logan vs. Adam Gustab
Ian Coughlan vs. Constantin Gnusariev
Camila Rivarola vs. Danni Neilan | 1,267,195 |
When a wing section of a Boeing 777 washed up on the Indian Ocean island of La Réunion last month, the Malaysian government quickly ascribed the part to missing Malaysian Airlines Flight 370. But an ongoing investigation has failed to verify this claim, and the story just keeps getting weirder.
Shortly after the flaperon washed up, Boeing engineers confirmed that the wing segment belongs to a 777. And MH370, which went missing in March of 2014, is the only 777 unaccounted for. So case closed, right?
Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak figured it was, and on August 5th, he released a statement announcing as much to the world. But minutes later, French investigator Serge Mackowiak countered the prime minister’s remarks, saying that more tests were needed to conclusively determine the wing segment’s origin. Those test results were supposed to come within a day. Then it became a few days. Now it’s been several weeks.
What’s the hangup? According to New York Magazine, the ID plate that should have been attached to the inboard edge of the flaperon is missing. This plate, affixed to all 777 flaperons, ought to contain a serial number linking the part to MH370. Its absence has not only stymied the verification process, it’s resulted in other aspects of the wing segment coming under (perhaps excessive) scrutiny.
For instance, the flaperon was covered in barnacles. Barnacles everywhere! And people are freaking out about it. Barnacles all over seems to suggest the wing segment spent the last several months suspended beneath the ocean surface. But how?
While it’s easy to imagine a submarine or a scuba diver hovering peacefully 10 or 20 feet under the surface of the water, this is not something that inanimate objects are capable of doing on their own: Either they are more buoyant than water, in which case they float, or they are less buoyant, in which case they sink. So, how could a six-foot-long chunk of airplane remain suspended beneath the ocean surface for a long period of time? At this point, there aren’t any simple, common-sense answers; the range of possible explanations at this point runs from as-yet-unidentified natural processes to purposeful intervention by conspirators.
There’s certainly a logical explanation for all of this, and we’ll find it eventually — perhaps we’ll even learn a thing or two about barnacle ecology in the process! In the meanwhile, the sleuths of the internet are sure to come up with all sorts of outlandish origin stories for the untagged flaperon. And the fate of flight MH370 remains as mysterious as ever.
[New York Magazine]
Contact the author at [email protected] or follow her on Twitter. | 1,267,196 |
Dale Goble was a well-loved artist in the Cowichan Valley. (submitted) Perhaps Dale Goble’s most recognizable work is his Applebet. (submitted) Dale Goble was a well-loved artist in the Cowichan Valley. (submitted) Dale Goble was a passionate and inventive artist. (submitted)
Contributed by Caroll Taiji
The news of the death of Dale Nigel Goble in mid December 2019 has left our community reeling.
Condolences written on the window of his vibrant downtown Duncan studio, and comments left on his popular social media feeds, express shock and sadness at the loss of such a passionate creative and treasured friend.
Dale made the Cowichan Valley his home for more than 20 years, and touched many, many lives along the way with his vivacious personality and vibrant artworks.
“He had a true gift,” says colleague and friend Caroll Taiji. “Art was his calling and he worked hard at mastery every single day.”
For years, Dale’s signature style, typically expressed in silk-screen prints and acrylic paintings, and more recently in a series of children’s books, has been enjoyed by collectors both locally and around the world.
Much of his work was inspired by the natural beauty of our region, and we are blessed with a legacy of how he saw and treasured this place.
“Dale didn’t just master his craft,” adds Taiji, “he also excelled at the business end of art-making — always coming up with innovative concepts and clever ways to get his work into the world.”
Created close to two decades ago, Dale’s Applebet, a floating, wooden wall hanging that uses the alphabet to form the shape of an apple, quickly became one of North America’s most coveted artworks.
It has been featured in countless magazines and virtually every home design TV show in Canada. It proudly hangs in homes, schools and galleries, including the Canadian Museum of Civilization, and the Children’s Museum of Manhattan.
Widely known for his generosity, Dale freely gave of his time and expertise in support of emerging artists, and regularly donated his work for charity fundraisers.
The community is invited to attend a retrospective, one-day show and sale of Dale’s artwork, to be held on Saturday, Feb. 8 in the Portals Gallery in the Cowichan Community Centre on James Street in Duncan. A portion of the proceeds from this event will go to The Vancouver Island Kidney Patients’ Association (VIKPA).
A celebration of life is also being planned for early February for close friends and clients. For more information, please contact Dale’s studio manager at [email protected].
artist | 1,267,197 |
Forget talk of soft landings. Ignore those who say that the Federal Reserve is in control of events. Take with a pinch of salt suggestions that the problems at Bear Stearns are a one-off.
The rescue package orchestrated for America's fifth-biggest investment bank makes it abundantly clear that this is now a different sort of market and a different sort of crisis. It is no longer hyperbole to state that the US is facing the most serious threat to its financial system since the Depression of the 1930s.
After days of denying market rumours that it was in trouble, Bear Stearns eventually came clean today and said that it had been forced to seek help from a combination of JP Morgan and the New York Federal Reserve as a result of a deterioration in its financial position in the past 24 hours.
Bear's problems have, however, been building up for a lot longer than that, and the talk of a sudden descent into crisis looks like an attempt to prevent US regulators taking an interest in whether the bank has been trading under false pretences this week.
Like Northern Rock in the UK, it was the bank that was most heavily exposed to the sub-prime meltdown in the American real estate market. Like Northern Rock, it was singled out as the limping wildebeest struggling to keep up with the herd. And like Northern Rock it has been the victim of a bank run, only this time the run has involved other banks selling its shares short rather than customers turning up to withdraw their savings.
The severe problems at Bear Stearns explain why the Fed has been so hyperactive. Ben Bernanke, the Fed chairman, is a student of the Great Depression and knows only too well the role that collapsing banks had in magnifying the impact of the slump. The plan, evidently, is to take decisive action in the hope that Bear Stearns can be ringfenced from the rest of Wall Street.
Whether this works remains to be seen. Previous attempts to contain the sub-prime crisis to America's trailer parks and poorer suburbs proved singularly unsuccessful: the key word of the past eight months has been contagion not containment, and there are plenty of other banks that have allowed greed to influence their investment decisions.
There are three immediate conclusions to be drawn from today's events. The first is that the market turmoil will continue and perhaps deepen. The second is that the Fed will now almost certainly cut interest rates by 75 basis points when it meets next week. The third is that the chronic weakness in the dollar will continue and before long may prompt coordinated central bank action to prop it up.
But the scary truth is that the Fed has lost control of events. This crisis has a life of its own and it is not going to end until a floor is put under the US housing market, because only that will stem - eventually - the losses being made by the banks. As things stand today, that still looks a long way off. | 1,267,198 |
New Braunfels is home to two rivers running throughout the beautiful town, the Comal and the Guadalupe. Frequent flooding attributed to more urbanization in the town has made stormwater management a necessary function in every project and rainwater harvesting is one course of action that the city promotes.
The City of New Braunfels in Texas offers rebates for rainwater systems based on $0.50 per gallon of water storage. The rebate form can be found here. The maximum rebate allowed is $250 for qualifying New Braunfels utility customers. This compensation program is with the New Braunfel’s Utility office and is paid as a credit on water billing accounts, so to qualify the business or residence must be a customer of NBU. This rebate program is ending soon, one requirement is that the application is be accepted before July 31, 2017. Experts, Rainwater Systems Inc, have designed and installed systems all around Texas that take advantage of these local rebates and incentives. Call Now at 830-367-7246
There are a few requirements for systems including:
Systems’ over flow must be designed to prevent erosion or localized flooding. Pioneer Water Tanks’ include the largest overflow on the market with a six inch diameter to prevent incidents. Rain barrels and tanks should be elevated at least 6 inches off the ground. Pioneer Water Tanks include a sand pad or cement ring beam option that qualifies for this requirement. If a rainwater tank is installed, it must have a first flush system designed to divert and discard the first 10 gallons for every 1000 square foot of rain catchment area. Water storage tanks need to be opaque or painted to prevent light from entering. With a Pioneer Water Tank, this is never an issue since it’s a bolted tank with the water protected within the five-layered Aqualiner tank liner. The liner has a 65 year lifespan and is NSF/ANSI 61 certified as well as BPA-Free. Rain storage openings should be covered with screening small enough to prevent mosquitoes. The filter basket that is included with a Pioneer Water Tank has a thousand count mesh that goes beyond requirements to prevent mosquito and other contamination. The application for the rebate must include a detailed drawing of the catchment vessel location. With Rainwater Systems Inc, the design is included and can be created for your needs. The rebates can be used for non-potable systems only and cannot be used for drinking. The rainwater systems cannot be connected to NBU’s potable water system. A final inspection of the rainwater storage tank by an NBU Resource Conservation Representative is required to qualify.
What’s Next?
We will contact you, from Rainwater Systems Inc, to start designing a rainwater system for your specific needs. If you need less than 500 gallons of capacity, you may be referred for a rainwater barrel solution! Thank you for joining the rainwater community in New Braunfels, Texas. | 1,267,199 |
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