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A WIFE wept in the dock yesterday as she was accused of killing her husband by pulling the handbrake of their car during a drunken row.
Caroline Meeking, 45, allegedly locked the rear wheels of the vehicle at 60mph when being driven home from a pub after husband Alan, 49, called her a “slut” and said he was leaving her.
The car skidded 21 metres and smashed side-on into a Rover being driven at 50mph on the other side of the road.
Mr Meeking was killed instantly by the impact of the crash, which was so severe the rear wheel of the couple’s car was almost touching the front seat.
The jury heard passing motorists found Meeking weeping over her husband’s body, screaming: “I am sorry, I am sorry, it is all my fault.
“That is my husband, it is all my fault, we were having an argument.
“He said he don’t want me any more and I just pulled the hand brake. He called me a dirty slut, he was going to leave me.”
Meeking was charged with manslaughter having committed an unlawful act under the Road Traffic Act of 1998.
Prosecutor Ian Dixie told Bristol crown court: “It is perfectly obvious if you do something like jamming on the handbrake of the car when it is going along it is likely to be dangerous.”
The jury heard the couple were travelling home in their silver Ford Escort to Ilminster, Somerset, at 10.22pm after an outing to Bridport, Dorset, on August 30 last year.
It was alleged they drank two bottles of rose wine at a 2pm lunch before heading to a pub at 4pm.
The pair, who ran a cattery, then spent a few hours drinking pints with a couple they had just met before setting off for their drive home.
Mr Meeking, a car repairer, was later found to be twice the drink drive limit.
The motorist in the Rover, Mary Ellis, said after the smash on a 60mph stretch of the A3088 road she saw Meeking crouched over her husband of nine years.
Mrs Ellis told the court: “She kept saying that she had killed him and it was all her fault.”
Meeking cried through police interviews and told officers her happiest day was when the couple got married.
She told officers she only knew how to put petrol in the car and was not “mechanically minded”.
She said: “I thought the car would gradually come to a stop.”
Meeking denies manslaughter. The trial continues. | 1,268,200 |
release presents seasonally adjusted estimates, which facilitate comparisons by removing the effects of seasonal variations. For more information on seasonal adjustment, see Seasonally adjusted data – Frequently asked questions. Chart 1 shows trend-cycle data on employment. These data represent a smoothed version of the seasonally adjusted time series, which provides information on longer-term movements, including changes in direction underlying the series. These data are available for the national and provincial employment series in table 14-10-0287-01 and for national employment by industry in table 14-10-0355-01. For more information, see the StatCan Blog and Trend-cycle estimates – Frequently asked questions. Next release The next release of the LFS will be on February 7, 2020.
Products
Labour Force Information (Catalogue number71-001-X) is now available for the week ending December 14.
More information about the concepts and use of the Labour Force Survey is available online in the Guide to the Labour Force Survey (Catalogue number71-543-G).
The product "Labour Force Survey in brief: Interactive app" (Catalogue number14200001) is also available. This interactive visualization application provides seasonally adjusted estimates available by province, sex, age group and industry. Historical estimates going back five years are also included for monthly employment changes and unemployment rates. The interactive application allows users to quickly and easily explore and personalize the information presented. Combine multiple provinces, sexes and age groups to create your own labour market domains of interest.
The product "Labour Market Indicators, by province and census metropolitan area, seasonally adjusted" (Catalogue number71-607-X) is also available. This interactive dashboard provides easy, customizable access to key labour market indicators. Users can now configure an interactive map and chart showing labour force characteristics at the national, provincial or census metropolitan area level.
The product "Labour Market Indicators, by province, territory and economic region, unadjusted for seasonality" (Catalogue number71-607-X) is also available. This dynamic web application provides access to Statistics Canada's labour market indicators for Canada, by province, territory and economic region and allows users to view a snapshot of key labour market indicators, observe geographical rankings for each indicator using an interactive map and table, and easily copy data into other programs.
Contact information
For more information, contact us (toll-free 1-800-263-1136; 514-283-8300; [email protected]).
To enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact Bertrand Ouellet-Léveillé (613-864-6641; [email protected]) or Vincent Ferrao (613-951-4750; [email protected]), Centre for Labour Market Information. | 1,268,201 |
It’s the genealogy service that shocked the criminal-justice world—and anybody with skeletons in the closet—with its role in cracking the case on the long-sought Golden State Killer suspect.
Now the gene-keepers are making it much harder for cops to use its clients private data to crack cold cases.
New terms of service from GEDmatch, one of the world’s largest DNA databases, will now require those who use its services to search for lost relatives to “opt in” if they want to allow law-enforcement officials to have access their data. The move will make it much harder for police to access the data on the site, and the DNA profiles it holds could even be rendered “useless” in solving cases, BuzzFeed News reports.
GEDmatch, which keeps profiles of more than 1.2 million people, has been involved in cracking more than 50 criminal cold cases. But after a BuzzFeed investigation exposed how the company “bent their rules” to allow a Utah police unit probing an assault case to access its database, the firm has changed its terms and conditions for users.
Now law-enforcement officials will have to get search warrants or take GEDmatch to court to get access to its database—a legal quadary that could eventually reach the Supreme Court.
“You will start to see search warrants being written on GEDmatch,” Paul Holes, a retired investigator who cracked the Golden State Killer case through DNA matching, told BuzzFeed News. “Of course there are going to be legal battles,” Holes told BuzzFeed. “It would not surprise me, years down the road, if this could be a U.S. Supreme Court issue.”
If the courts are suddenly involved with gaining access to DNA profiles, that could affect DNA genealogy companies like Ancestry and 23andMe, which currently do not share their clients’ profiles with police.
GEDmatch had restricted police searches to “investigations of homicides or sexual assaults,” but the BuzzFeed investigation showed that it relaxed the rules in a case that led to the arrest of a 17-year-old high-school student for assaulting a 71-year-old woman inside a Mormon church, allegedly putting her in a chokehold as she played the organ. The crime did not involve sexual assault or murder, but GEDmatch did allow access to its database because the elderly woman was reportedly afraid the assailant would return to kill her.
Under the new terms in effect from the weekend, law enforcement will only have access to profiles if the crimes are “murder, non-negligent manslaughter, aggravated rape, robbery, or aggravated assault” and only if users “opt in.” Over the weekend, GEDmatch changed all of its profiles to the “opt out” mode, meaning police have access to only those profiles whose users logged on to “opt in.” | 1,268,202 |
Ed Werder breaks down why the Broncos are expected to stick with Brock Osweiler at QB in Week 17 over Peyton Manning. (0:56)
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- Denver Broncos coach Gary Kubiak said Tuesday "nothing's changed'' in the team's quarterback plan, so Brock Osweiler will prepare to start the regular-season finale Sunday against the San Diego Chargers.
It will be Osweiler's seventh consecutive start. Kubiak said he will also meet with Peyton Manning either Tuesday evening or Wednesday to talk about what level of participation Manning will have in the team's practices this week.
Manning, who suffered a torn plantar fascia near his left heel in the Broncos' Nov. 8 loss in Indianapolis, has practiced twice -- on a limited basis on Dec. 16 and Dec. 17 -- since he was removed from the Broncos' Nov. 15 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Asked Tuesday about what the plan was for Manning this week, Kubiak said, "[We'll] sit down and talk about that, but nothing's changed. We'll proceed just like we have.''
Kubiak had said "nothing's changed'' on the quarterback situation immediately after Monday night's 20-17 win over the Cincinnati Bengals that officially clinched a playoff spot for the Broncos.
Brock Osweiler, who is 4-2 in his six starts for the Broncos, has thrown for 1,735 yards and nine touchdowns this season. AP Photo/Don Wright
Osweiler is 4-2 in his six starts, including overtime wins over New England and Cincinnati -- two teams in the AFC's playoff field -- and he has completed 61 percent of his passes with nine touchdowns and four interceptions.
Asked after Monday's game whether he believed he should remain the starter, Osweiler said:
"I'm not focused on that.... The focus moving forward will be San Diego and very quick. We're coming onto a short week. We know that San Diego is going to give us their best shot. They have a lot of talented players. I'm not concerned with the quarterback situation. I'm going to show up whether I'm the starter or whether I'm the backup. I'm going to prepare the same exact way. I'm going to be the same exact guy in that building regardless of the situation. The focus needs to be on San Diego.''
Manning did not practice with the team last week but had four throwing sessions, including one on Sunday, that included members of the Broncos' strength and conditioning staff as well as practice squad wide receiver Jordan Taylor.
"He was good. He worked really well last week,'' Kubiak said Tuesday. "The week before we went a couple days and didn't get through Friday. Last week we got through, actually four days when all was said and done because he worked some more Sunday.... He had four good days of work. We'll sit down and talk about it and see where we go from there.'' | 1,268,203 |
When we released Veeam Explorer for Microsoft SQL Server last year, I was very excited about this new Explorer. It truly addresses the database restore situation with ease for virtualized SQL Server systems running as a virtual machine (VM) on VMware vSphere and Microsoft Hyper-V without requiring the expertise of a SQL Server database administrator (DBA). In this blog post, I’ll focus on a simple way to restore a SQL Server database from a Veeam backup job.
There are three ways Veeam Explorer for Microsoft SQL Server works to restore SQL Server databases: From the image-based backup restore point, from a log replay to point in time, and from a log replay to a specific transaction. In each situation, the SQL Server database is restored without taking the application (SQL Server) or the entire VM offline. Once the VM backup job is set up, it couldn’t be easier to restore a SQL Server database. Also, in each situation the restore starts from the User Interface of Veeam Backup & Replication; part of Veeam Availability Suite:
This step will launch Veeam Explorer for Microsoft SQL Server and from there all VMs with SQL Server installed (this saves time so VMs that are not running SQL Server aren’t displayed) are shown in the wizard to start the process:
In this example, I’ve selected the SSA-SQLDEMO3 VM running SQL Server and I’ll restore a particular table that I have previously deleted some data in using a script in SQL Server Management Studio. Veeam Explorer for Microsoft SQL Server will then really show its value with the restore options. The restore wizard will present the initial three options identified above (whole database from the restore point of the image-based backup, a point in time from the log replay, or perform to a specific transaction):
I’ve selected the restore to a specific transaction as I made a few changes to the database (deleted two records from a table) that I’d like to restore. Veeam Explorer for Microsoft SQL Server will show those two deleted rows from the tblEmployee table that I have shown below:
Veeam Explorer for Microsoft SQL Server will then combine the data in the image-based backup and the SQL Server database log information to restore the database to the state right before the two deleted records.
Veeam Explorer for Microsoft SQL Server will then complete the task to restore the SQL Server database without impacting the other databases on this SQL Server VM. It’s important to note here that you do not need to have any expertise in using SQL Server Management Studio, the osql SQL Server utility or any other specific SQL Server scripting. You can use Veeam Explorer for Microsoft SQL Server to get the best High-Speed Recovery for your Modern Data Center. Additionally, you can get more information on Veeam Explorer for Microsoft SQL Server or give it a try yourself:
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Image: Hasbro/Wizards of the Coast. Squirrel Dealer art by Bram Sels.
Toys and Collectibles Action figures, statues, exclusives, and other merchandise. Beware: if you look here, you’re probably going to spend some money afterwards. Prev Next View All
We’re heading into the 25th anniversary of Magic: The Gathering, and Wizards of the Coast are kicking off the celebrations in style with Unstable, one of the strangest expansions Magic has seen in years. We’ve got an exclusive look at some of the craziness within.
Unstable is an homage to the legendary Unhinged and Unglued “unofficial” expansions to Magic, sets full of cards that were loopy and often gamebreaking—literally, they were banned from tournaments so fans couldn’t abuse the mechanics—and asked players to adapt to weird and wonderful rules. “Unstable has been an idea percolating in the innards of WOTC for several years now,” Wizards of the Coast’s Senior Director of Global Brand Strategy & Marketing, Mark Purvis, told io9 over email. “There was a string of panels that we would do at various conventions around the country where literally every Q&A would have a fan asking about another ‘Un’ set, and this happened for a couple of years, so we knew there was a very devoted group within the Magic community that really wanted to see another silver-bordered set. As we head in to the year where we’re celebrating our 25th anniversary, it felt like the perfect time to unveil Unstable to help kick off the festivities.”
Unstable carries on the tradition of delightful insanity the past “Un” sets established, with over 200 cards based on everything from groups of spyfi knockoffs to goofy cyborgs, from idiotic goblins (it wouldn’t be Magic without them, really) to... squirrels. Squirrels, like the ones you’ll encounter in three brand new cards io9 is proud to debut below. But they were at first a controversial inclusion in the set, according to Purvis. “Squirrel cards are polarizing within Magic—people either love them, or have a black, mirthless heart,” he continued. “There is a fairly ridiculous amount of debate internally about whether a squirrel would be able to take down a human-sized opponent within the game, but I think recent well-publicized real-life squirrel attacks help illustrate how intimidating they can be when they are riled. Plus, Unstable is a world populated by factions of mad scientists, and it’s not unusual for squirrels on this plane to be enhanced with humanlike intelligence and/or augmented strength and cuteness.” Check out just three of the amazing squirrel cards of Unstable below!
Magic: The Gathering’s Unstable set is available from December 8. | 1,268,205 |
best music,’ ” said Patrick Savage, an ethnomusicologist at Keio University in Japan who briefly assisted the Harvard project.
In the 1960s, Alan Lomax, the renowned collector of folk music, invented a system called Cantometrics to classify several thousand songs in the hope of spotting patterns. He believed that “as people live so do they sing,” meaning that a society’s music changed as it developed economically. But ethnomusicologists quickly discredited his work, which was not helped by some awkward claims (he thought, for instance, that societies where infants experienced trauma produced music with a wider range). In the 1970s one ethnomusicologist wrote, “The only universal aspect of music seems to be that most people make it.” The phrase has stuck.
“The idea that there’s anything universal in music has been looked down upon for so long, I do think more basic demonstrations like this study are important,” Dr. Savage said.
Dr. Savage has made his own search for universals, analyzing 304 songs and pieces of instrumental music and finding many statistical commonalities, such as that most music favored two-beat rhythms (he said that using three beats, as in a waltz, was actually pretty rare and hypothesized that that was linked to dancing: “We have two feet, not three”). Dr. Savage also found that songs were more likely to have descending melodies, probably because people run out of breath as they sing, making it harder to hit high notes.
There’s room for lots more work, he added. “I think the most interesting area, but maybe the most controversial — potentially even dangerous — is aesthetics. Are there universal standards for what is beautiful music?”
Some studies have already touched on this. Josh McDermott, an assistant professor in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, has played the Tsimane dissonant chords to find out whether the Western preference for harmonious sounds was universal, and therefore potentially biologically determined. The Tsimane, whose traditional music is sung solo and lacks harmony, liked all the chords equally, suggesting it’s not. (Professor McDermott is collaborating with the Harvard team on future projects.)
Despite these other efforts to find universals in music, the controversy around the Natural History of Song is unlikely to die down. But this doesn’t concern Dr. Mehr. The project’s title may be bold (“To us, it was just catchy,” he said) and the team may not have been clear they would be happy to discover no universals exist, but he is not worrying about criticisms unless he can learn from them. “We’re doing science,” he said. “The goal isn’t to make everybody in the world happy, it’s to learn facts about the world.” | 1,268,206 |
BANGKOK, Aug 6 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Vendors in one of Bangkok’s biggest tourist hotspots have vowed to fight regulations preventing them from hawking their wares on the street, arguing that their livelihoods and the city’s unique character are at stake.
City officials last week imposed a ban on vendors on the sidewalks of Khao San road, a favourite haunt of backpackers for its bars and cheap hostels, which is also well-known for street stalls selling food, clothes and souvenirs.
Vendors are now restricted to a designated zone, and are only allowed to sell their wares from 6 pm to midnight.
Scores of vendors initially ignored the order, and also staged a protest march, saying they had not been consulted or given sufficient notice.
“The government won’t listen to us,” said Yada Pornpetrumpa, president of the Khao San Road Street Vendors’ Association.
“But we will protest and petition the authorities till someone listens to us,” she said.
Vendors have sent a petition to Bangkok Governor Aswin Kwanmuang and to Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, asking for a reversal of the ban as it hurts their livelihoods, she said.
Authorities say they are bringing order to street stalls throughout the city to make public spaces accessible to more people.
“The new regulations will be strictly enforced,” deputy governor Sakoltee Phattiyakul told reporters.
Police officers kept a close watch from one end of the street on Monday, and said they would shut down any vendor who defied the order.
The ban is part of a wider effort by the Thai military government, which came to power in a 2014 coup, to impose order in a city famous for its night life and cheap street food.
Authorities are also removing shanties along the Chao Phraya river to build a promenade, and earlier this year forced out a community of more than 300 people near an old fort.
Civic groups say the evictions mostly target poor residents who have little legal recourse, as they have no formal rights to the land.
It is not just Bangkok: with Asian cities trying to be seen as modern and lure investment, street vendors are viewed as a hindrance, and as usurpers of public spaces claimed by formal businesses, residents and pedestrians..
“Vendors on the sidewalk are seen as an inconvenience and a safety hazard, and it is this angle that authorities emphasise,” said Sasiwimon Warunsiri at the School of Economics at the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce.
With city officials adamant about enforcing the new regulations, Warunsiri said hawkers are unlikely to get a reprieve.
“Vendors may not have much of a choice,” she told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. | 1,268,207 |
as your power increases and the power of nation-states wanes, but the problem of centralization of the Bitcoin wealth will grow worse over time and then you will cry out for help, but no one can help you any more. Absolutism zealots always build their absolute destruction. You are just viewing money the way that the religious view the absolutism of morals. Same analogous error. Satoshi is your God. Fuck Satoshi. He and MP can lick my balls.You don't have any choice in the matter. Not even if you control Satoshi's Bitcoins. Even the whale who ends up with all the monetary wealth, destroys himself. It is a broken paradigm. Correct if that is your basis, we cannot have a proper dialogue. Because I will do my best to find a design and paradigm of valuation, which subsumes that broken one.
traincarswreck
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Sr. MemberActivity: 476Merit: 250 Re: Miner cartel, Bankster cartel, or an altcoin? Your choice? April 03, 2017, 07:36:19 AM #377 In different paradigms through history of the uni pressure built and then one side won. In certain circumstances pressure built and there was such an equilibrium that a new order was born.
We can see this in regard to the recent world wars, which birthed our ability to harness atomic energy. Money too is such a higher order, in which we can see, especially recently, has represented its own conflict which is a higher order than slamming men into certain death.
The new war is on a higher order, higher than the fiat/gold standard, into an internet crypto-currency age.
traincarswreck
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Sr. MemberActivity: 476Merit: 250 Re: Miner cartel, Bankster cartel, or an altcoin? Your choice? April 03, 2017, 07:41:50 AM #378 Would you argue the internet is a malicious plan to enslave the people by the US intelligence that created it? I doubt it could be true! No such agency would purposefully break the monopoly on money and believe it would help them control the people.
Nash sent an encryption conjecture to the Nsa in 1955 and a description of a highly parallel computing solution that is still further advanced than the internet to rand. Ideal Money is an idea from that time.
So its observably evident that the idea of bitcoin floated around these agencies for many years prior to bitcoin.
There is no way to break the bubble, the monopoly, without losing the power.
Bitcoin whales cannot control the system, if they do it will fork. And a malevolent Satoshi cannot exist, the project requires incredible OBJECTIVELY to be birthed. Such objectively does not exist in malevolent persons. | 1,268,208 |
Introduction
My name is Alina Vilhjalmsdottir. I know it’s a mouthful. I always get a lot of question about it. My name is actually a combination of a Russian name and my last name means the daughter of Vilhjalmur. That’s my dad. I currently live in Iceland and aspire to get into the video game industry. The problem is, it’s almost non-existent here in Iceland. So I’m branching out by applying for jobs all over the world. I’m really excited to see more of the world and hopefully experience living somewhere else and get to know other cultures.
Journey into Game Design
I started my art journey in fashion design, but when I realized that that world wasn’t for me, I somehow thought programming was similar. After a year of not really fulfilling my artistic needs, I found a multimedia school in Iceland. There, I found my passion for game design and I have never looked back. I worked on numerous small games with my fellow students. I was finding my footing, still unsure if I wanted to be a character artist or an environment artist. But my skills always led me to produce and become a creative director over all my projects which is something I’m also really passionate about. I certainly want to do more of in the future. The human aspect of game design really intrigues me and I often find myself reading books on communication and leadership in my spare time. After 2 years, I decided to finish my degree and got a BA in Animation production at Arts University Bournemouth. I hoped that it would give me an edge when applying for work in the future.
Looking back, I think I have always really liked video games. I did play with Barbies but I still remember playing Nintendo at my grandparents’ house and getting a PS1 for Christmas. I have never really thought about it but I was a real video game nerd back then, and it has really stuck with me. I have always really liked the stories and worlds that video games can bring to life. That’s my favorite thing about a game, the story it shares with me. It’s very impactful and can stay with you forever.
Goals & Copying Dishonored Style
This project actually started in an Environment artist bootcamp at Game Art Institute. After my 3 years of school, I still felt like I didn’t have the skills I needed to get into the industry at all. So I enrolled in a bootcamp last year and my main focus was just to finish an environment and make it look amazing! I know that sounds like a lot and it was. I, of course, had some basic knowledge in all of the programs but there I dove deep into everything from creating low and high poly assets with the construction in mind to creating believable textures in Substance Painter, touching Substance Designer, Marmoset, and Unreal for the first time and mastering them. | 1,268,209 |
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Manuel Pellegrini has lifted the lid on his apparent mathematical mix-up in Munich on Tuesday night.
After City's 3-2 win over European champions Bayern Munich, Pellegrini was asked whether he considered throwing on Sergio Aguero to go in search of the fourth goal that would have seen his team top the group.
But Pellegrini seemed to suggest in his post-match interview that he thought City still needed two more goals to leapfrog Bayern at the top of the group.
And at his weekly press conference, the City manager apologised for his role in the confusion but insisted he didn't have a 'guilty conscious'.
Pellegrini said: “It shouldn’t have been happening, I agree with you.
"It is very easy why it happened. Before the match I knew we had to win 3-0 because we needed one goal more than they scored (at the Etihad).
"After when they score the first goal, I continued (thinking) that 3-1 was not enough because they had a better goal difference so I continued that we had to win by three goals, 3-0 or 4-1.
"After when they scored the second goal, I didn’t continue thinking about what happened if we scored four goals. That was my mistake because not many teams score four goals against Bayern Munich.
"I tried to think better about how to arrange the game that we are losing 2-0. First of all I recognise absolutely my mistake but I don’t have any guilty conscience about what we did because we always tried to score the fourth goal.
"Remember that I changed Silva after 70 minutes for Negredo, not for Kompany, not for Boyata, so we continued with two strikers trying to score. In the last five or seven minutes, Bayern Munich had 80 per cent of the ball so we tried with Rodwell to recover the ball, to attack, not to defend. I apologise for me and the team that we couldn’t score four goals against Bayern Munich.”
City's failure to score a fourth in the Allianz Arena meant they finished second in their group and will now face a tough task against one of the group winners in the second round.
Pellegrini, however, said his team fear no one.
He added: “I am not afraid of who we are going to play in the round of 16. I don’t believe some teams are weaker than the other teams.
"I believe the 16 best teams in Europe are all exactly the same for us. I think the trust the team has after beating Bayern Munich in their own stadium, that is much much more important than being first in the group. That is so, so important." | 1,268,210 |
Hotel Company: Latest Police Timeline Of Las Vegas Shooting 'Not Accurate'
Enlarge this image toggle caption Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images
The parent company of the Mandalay Bay hotel in Las Vegas, MGM Resorts, is providing new information that contradicts the latest police timeline of the mass shooting that took place Oct. 1. In a statement, the company says information from police indicating that a hotel security guard was shot six minutes before the shooting began is "not accurate."
At issue is whether the hotel was delayed in calling police after the shots were first reported by hotel security staff. Las Vegas Sheriff Joseph Lombardo said Monday that a Mandalay Bay security guard, Jesus Campos, was shot at 9:59 p.m. The shooter began firing from his room — on the hotel's 32nd floor — into the crowd below at the Route 91 Harvest festival at 10:05 p.m.
The statement from the hotel company says that time was based on a "report manually created after the fact without the benefit of information we now have." MGM says that the shooter actually began firing into the festival within 40 seconds of when Campos first reported over radio that shots had been fired.
Here's the full statement from MGM Resorts:
"Although we prefer not to comment on the details of the investigation, we are issuing this statement to correct some of the misinformation that has been reported. The 9:59 p.m. PDT time was derived from a Mandalay Bay report manually created after the fact without the benefit of information we now have. We are now confident that the time stated in this report is not accurate. We know that shots were being fired at the festival lot at the same time as, or within 40 seconds after, the time Jesus Campos first reported that shots were fired over the radio. Metro officers were together with armed Mandalay Bay security officers in the building when Campos first reported that shots were fired over the radio. These Metro officers and armed Mandalay Bay security officers immediately responded to the 32nd floor. We will continue to work with law enforcement as we have from the first moments of this tragedy as they work toward developing an accurate timeline."
The statement comes as attorneys say they're talking with victims about possible lawsuits against the hotel company and other parties they say may be responsible. At least one victim has already filed a lawsuit in state court in Nevada seeking to freeze the assets of the shooter, Stephen Paddock, and preserve them for the benefit of the victims and their families.
The most recent timeline released on Monday by investigators is a change from their initial timeline, which indicated that Campos had been shot after Paddock began shooting into the festival crowd. Campos was injured but released from the hospital last week. He's being hailed as a hero who helped shorten the length of time the shooter was able to fire on the crowd.
Investigators in Las Vegas said they intended to hold a press conference Friday to answer questions about the timeline and related issues. | 1,268,211 |
little far afield, your honor — Parsons: I don’t want to do that. We better stay in the same ballpark. Novolselsky: We are in the same ballpark but we are getting to third base. Your honor, I can visualize a woman in a shirt, a tie and a pair of trousers who to me could pass as a male. I have seen some of the males on this floor here who could pass for women too. Parsons: Oh, you are always going to have this problem of the transvestite, of the introvert [sic], or something like that, but that has nothing to do with this. I mean, we are talking about real women. No owner of a bar is going to hire a woman who is not a woman. Novoselsky: Your honor, I am not worried about hiring a woman who is not a woman, but I can see a woman in a pair of trousers who would be more tantalizing to me than a woman in a mini-skirt, your honor. I mean, after all — Parsons: Do you mean they excite you when they — Novoselsky: Nothing excites me at my age, your honor. Really, I am ashamed to say that.
Novoselsky made a long, impassioned argument against extending his order, and Reid tried to talk Parsons out of his “britches” provision. But when the hearing ended, Parsons held firm to both. The next month, Parsons made his injunction permanent, ruling that the 1952 ordinance violated the 14th Amendment to the Constitution, which guarantees equal protection under the law.
That was it for the women bartender ban and the case of McCrimmon vs. Daley. Today, 47 percent of unionized bartenders in the Chicago metro area are women, according to Unite Here Local 1, the union representing bartenders and other hospitality workers.
Though Parsons’s comments in this case were ugly and prejudicial, in life he was a highly respected jurist who went on to become chief judge for the Northern District of Illinois. He died in 1993.
Novoselsky and Reid, also now deceased, went on to become judges. Novoselsky was presiding judge of the Probate Division of the Cook County Circuit Court. Reached recenrtly, his lawyer son Henry said his father never talked to him about the bartender case. Reid, who was African American, served as a special prosecutor after the notorious police raid on the Black Panthers and later became an Illinois Appellate Court judge.
Reid ran for mayor in 1977 but only received about 4,000 votes to the 368,400 cast for Democratic primary winner Michael Bilandic. But at least if Reid wanted to drown his sorrows, anybody could pour his drink.
Mark Jacob is co-author with Richard Cahan and Michael Williams of the new book Chicago Rules: Federal Cases That Defined the City and the Nation.
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Russia has said chemical weapons that killed as many as 100 people in the town of Idlib leaked from a rebel weapons facility after it was bombed by the Syrian air force.
The incident has been denounced as one of the worst horrors yet in Syria’s civil war.
US secretary of state Rex Tillerson yesterday blamed Bashad al Assad for the “barbaric attack” and urged Russia to reign in the Syrian president.
But the Russian Defence ministry reacted this morning by saying the victims symptoms were consistent with previous attacks by rebel fighters.
The ministry spokesman said in a statement, posted online by Russia’s state news agency Tass, that Syrian planes carried out an airstrike on a “major ammunition storage facility” operated by rebels.
Syrian aviation airstrike in Idlib targeted chemical arms lab — Russian Defense Ministry https://t.co/pq2qaiq2Wa — TASS (@tassagency_en) April 5, 2017
“The territory of this storage facility housed workshops to produce projectiles stuffed with toxic agents,” he said.
“From this major arsenal, chemical-laden weapons were delivered by militants to Iraq.
“Their use by terrorists was confirmed on numerous occasions by international organizations and official authorities of the country.”
A US government source said the Trump administration believes the chemical agent sarin was responsible for the deaths in a rebel-held area of the northwestern province of Idlib.
That verdict is shared by a British volunteer doctor treating people choking and foaming at the mouth.
“This hospital is now being overwhelmed with patients that have been hit by some sort of chemical,” said Dr. Shajul Islam.
“This is not chlorine. We do not smell chlorine on this patient. This is not chlorine gas. This is not chlorine. We have seen a lot of chlorine attacks. This patient has clear, clear pinpoint pupils.”
This is the latest from the Sarin attacks. Patients are still flooding in. This child's been rushed in w/o any family. They're probably dead pic.twitter.com/B4i9W97UfA — Dr Shajul Islam (@DrShajulIslam) 4 avril 2017
The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the attack in Khan Sheikhoun killed at least 58 people including 11 children.
But The Union of Medical Care Organizations, a coalition of international aid agencies that funds hospitals in Syria, said at least 100 people had died.
“I was asleep when the warplane hit us,” said one little boy, in a hospital.
“I went outside with my dad but my head started hurting. I fell asleep and woke up to find myself here.”
Reports say warplanes later struck as victims were receiving treatment.
Some of those fighting for life were taken for medical help to Turkey, which backs the anti-Assad opposition. | 1,268,213 |
Germany's state-backed Telekom confirmed on Sunday that German providers were discussing an Internet confined within Europe's "Schengen" countries. One project code-named "Clean Pipe" would help firms to fend off industrial spies and hackers.
Schengen is the Luxembourg border town where in 1985 EU nations initiated a visa-free zone that now encompasses 26 European countries but excludes Britain.
A Telekom spokesman told the German news agency DPA that talks were taking place with "diverse, likely partners." The project would be unveiled on Monday at an information technology (IT) conference in Bonn.
According to the news magazine Der Spiegel, Telekom managers see fewer technical setup problems than IT experts had at first anticipated.
Germany already has a project entitled "E-Mail made in Germany" in which Telekom, United Internet and Freenet handle messages inside the national border.
Infiltration via LinkedIN?
The magazine also claimed that the British agency GCHQ had used a method code-named "Quantum Insect" to manipulate the online service LinkedIn and then infiltrate offices, namely the Belgian concern Belgacom and Mach, which handles mobile phone routing.
Computers of nine personnel at the Vienna headquarters of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) had also been infiltrated by GCHQ. The US National Security Agency (NSA) had also used the method to access OPEC's general-secretariat, Spiegel claimed.
LinkedIn told Spiegel it would "never approve" such intrusion. Starhome Mach, a successor of Mach, said it would launch a "comprehensive security check."
Telekom confirmed a report by the weekly Wirtschaftswoche that it together with the electronic security firm Lancom had begun testing "Clean Pipe" among pilot customers.
End in sight for global Internet?
Last month, US security researcher Dan Kaminsky told Reuters that if countries walled themselves off this would cripple the global, originally open structure of the Internet.
Electronic snooping is a sensitive subject in Germany due to the heavy surveillance of citizens in the former communist East and under Hitler's Nazis.
Revelations of snooping by US and British secret services stem from documents leaked by fugitive and former NSA contractor Edward Snowden. Russia recently granted him one year's asylum.
Der Spiegel reported in June that the US had tapped half a billion phone calls, emails and text messages in Germany in a typical month.
'Krypto-handys' safe
On Sunday, Spiegel said Germany's Federal Office for IT security had urged Chancellor Angela Merkel's Berlin bureau and government ministries to use new, reputedly secure "krypto-handys" - mobile phones with encryption.
Last month, Germany summoned the US ambassador in Berlin after disclosures that the NSA had tapped world leaders' mobile phones, including Merkel's device.
ipj/hc (dpa, AFP, Reuters) | 1,268,214 |
InvoicePrinter is intentionally small and straight-forward library, command line client, and server to make PDF invoices in no time. Version 2.0 includes buyer/seller boxes simplification, decoupling server from the library, offering sample TTY fonts as an add-on and official Docker support.
You asked for a new approach to buyer/seller boxes as they were a bit tied up with a format of “street + number” and therefore not very accommodating to “number + street” known in the English world. On top if felt wrong to be using an address field to provide a different value such as e-mail address. To that end, I redesigned it so that both are simple strings (provider_lines and purchaser_lines) where you handle new lines yourself.
Perhaps not that “fancy”, but much more flexible! 2.0 will also still accept the old API with a warning, but it will be most likely removed in 2.1.
InvoicePrinter 1.2 added server support which also brought Roda and Puma dependencies that – although not required when running the library – are part of the dependency tree and downloaded even if unused. Since the gem is really small I was thinking of just making them optional, but in the end I decided to split the gem into two; there is now a separate invoice_printer_server gem.
It also became clear to me that in most projects you end up needing a TTY font. This library just offloaded the task to the user as the underlying Prawn does (by not shipping any extra TTY font), but I want to make the library super simple to use from the get go (which picking and download a font is not) and so another invoice_printer_fonts gem was born. If installed, users can use one of the supported builtin fonts by providing its name instead of the full path to the TTY font file. overpass, opensans, and ruboto are included as of now. Feel free to open a PR with a good additional font.
The server edition asked for an official Docker container, since this is the way many might use InvoicePrinter Server outside a Ruby project. You don’t need to know any Ruby or mess up with Ruby installation to take advantage of it. And the -fonts gem is included too! Finally, 2.0 also uses a strict base64 encoding in the server API so it can be consumed by various libraries that default to the strict version.
If you want to try this version out, it’s released as 2.0.0.beta3 so don’t forget to pass --pre to the gem install command.
I hope you like this slow evolution of this gem, and I welcome your thought on GitHub or Twitter.
Published on 28 August 2019. Tags: api invoicing pdf ruby
Any comments? Write me a DM on Twitter. | 1,268,215 |
Photos: Brian Hardyman
Sometimes while navigating social media, our website, or working on secret projects for BeerQwest I lose track of time. So much that I sometimes forget to post articles. So, of course, while going through some old beer event photos from last year, I came across our trip to the new Beach City Brewery in Huntington Beach for the 2013 Nat’l Learn to Homebrew Day. For now, I’ll stop procrastinating and share my experience.
The event was promoted by the American Homebrewers Association and hosted by tens of thousands around the nation and proved to be a huge success. It is reported that 1.2 Million homebrewers or those interested in learning to homebrew came out to take part in promoting, sharing, and learning how to brew.
Our host was the up and coming Beach City Brewery located in Surf City, USA. A city that I personally love to visit as often as possible. The owner is Glenn Closson, a young guy with an ambitious dream of owning and operating his own brewery. After returning from the Navy, Glen moved to Huntington Beach and thought it would be the best place for him and his brewery.
The brewery is well on it’s way, back in November basic plumbing was installed. Plans loosely taped to the wall shared the idea of where everything would be. Fast forward a few months, a few permits, and a few deliveries later and Glenn can begin to see his brewery take shape. Just a few days ago a new concrete floor was poured, getting the brewery that much closer.
In attendance was a local homebrew club called Brew Commune. Their members brought and constructed 5 brewing stations. Displaying home brewing systems ranging from simple and inexpensive to automated and outrageous. The bag systems were an interesting way of using a partial boil technique that can easily be done in your home kitchen. Some of the guys had an extract setup, similar to what I brew on at home using a single burner. Finally the hardcore brewers had automated systems with pumps, valves, and burners all controlled by a connected PC with a touchscreen status monitor.
A quick look around and it is clear that anybody can brew, with just about as little or as much equipment as you’d like. After spending a few minutes talking to each brewer about their setup, I was further intrigued how much of the equipment and stands were also homemade. Building your own equipment, and brewing your own beer is a great way to learn something new while saving money on drinking.
I will continue to follow Beach City Brewing and share updates on their grand opening. If you find yourself as a person interested in homebrewing, I highly recommend joining a local brew club. You can find clubs online at AHA, regional home brewing directories, or go to your local brew supply store and find out when and where the local clubs meet.
Or simply procrastinate and join us on November 1, 2014 for this year’s Nat’l Learn to Homebrew Day. | 1,268,216 |
Katyal’s comment about “our paper-towel President” refers to Trump tossing rolls of toilet paper into a crowd during a brief trip he took to Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria.
Last September, Trump publicly questioned the validity of a study that found nearly 3,000 people died as a result of the storm, saying during a radio interview:
After I left, it was 16 people that died. The 16 people was then lifted a couple of months later to 64 and that was the official number. And then all of a sudden, I read a report, many, many months later — a long time later — that they did a report that 3,000 people died. And I was like, “Wait a minute, you went from 16 people to 64. We did a great job, and then you went from 64 to 3,000. How did that happen?” And they couldn’t explain it. If you read that report, it’s not explainable.
What Trump doesn’t seem to grasp is that official death tolls include not only people who died directly as a result of the storm but also indirect deaths due to factors like not being able to obtain medical care.
For Trump, it’s about shifting blame on the shutdown
The White House is trying to criticize Democrats for not doing more to end the government shutdown, but it’s actually Trump who refuses to budge on reopening the government until he gets funding for his border wall.
Aside from caving to Trump’s demands, it’s unclear what else Democrats can do at this point. Trump stormed out of a meeting with Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer last week, after Pelosi indicated she’s still not interested in allocating money for Trump’s wall. His strategy since then has been to tweet about how much time he’s spending in the White House.
In a statement published by Fox News, Rep. Cardenas said he and other people making the trip “will be closely monitoring the situation in Washington.... If there is any progress by Senate Republicans or the White House to reopen the federal government, then we will act accordingly.”
The White House’s efforts to shift blame for the shutdown to Democrats has not been successful so far. As Amanda Sakuma wrote for Vox on Sunday, new polling shows that “more than half of Americans (53 percent) say the president and his party should shoulder most of the blame for the closures; another 29 percent point their finger at Democrats in Congress. Just 13 percent of Americans say both sides should be held accountable as the shutdown continues to drag on.”
Instead, Trump seems more interested in live-tweeting Monday morning’s episode of Fox & Friends, in which a photo of Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) hanging out on a beach in Puerto Rico aired no fewer than 14 times throughout the show. | 1,268,217 |
At least seven Democratic presidential candidates have proposed raising the corporate income tax rate this primary season. The December 2017 tax reform law lowered the corporate income tax rate from 35 percent to 21 percent. Increasing the rate would have a negative impact on the U.S. economy by raising the cost of investing in the United States.
The candidates have proposed various new, higher corporate income tax rates and plan to use the resulting revenue for a variety of programs. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) has proposed raising the corporate tax rate to 25 percent; former Vice President Joe Biden and Governor Steve Bullock (D-MT) have suggested raising the rate to 28 percent; and Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT), former HUD Secretary Julián Castro, and South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg have proposed restoring the rate to its pre-reform level of 35 percent.
Using the Tax Foundation General Equilibrium model, we estimated the long-run economic effects of raising the corporate income tax rate to 25 percent, 28 percent, and 35 percent.
Long-Run Economic Impact of Raising the Corporate Income Tax Rate Source: Tax Foundation General Equilibrium Model, October 2019. 25 percent 28 percent 35 percent Gross Domestic Product (GDP) -0.5% -1.0% -2.1% GDP, Billions of 2016 $ -98 -179 -393 Wages -0.4% -0.8% -1.8% Full-time Equivalent Jobs -103,000 -187,000 -413,000
The corporate income tax has a negative impact on the economy. Potential investments must meet the required after-tax rate of return, or hurdle rate, to be worthwhile for a business to pursue. Imposing a corporate income tax raises the pretax return required to yield an acceptable after-tax return, as the return must cover the tax. Thus, the corporate income tax limits capital formation, which discourages growth in productivity, output, employment, and wages.
The burden imposed by the corporate income tax is split among workers in the form of lower wages, shareholders in the form of lower returns, and customers in the form of higher prices. In the long run, the burden falls hardest on the least mobile factor in the economy—typically workers—as it is more difficult for a worker to move if their job location changes than a business to invest elsewhere or for a customer to purchase from a competitor.
For example, restoring the corporate income tax rate to its pre-reform level of 35 percent would reduce the long-run level of output by 2.1 percent, wages by 1.8 percent, and full-time equivalent jobs by 413,000.
While virtually all taxes have varying degrees of negative impact on economic growth, the corporate income tax is considered the most harmful. As the Democratic candidates search for sources of revenue to fund their policy ideas, they should especially avoid economically damaging tax increases such as raising the corporate tax rate. | 1,268,218 |
There’s a new world record being sent into the Guinness Book of World Records and it comes from just east of the Quad Cities. A pair of lifelong friends f...
There's a new world record being sent into the Guinness Book of World Records and it comes from just east of the Quad Cities. A pair of lifelong friends from the south suburbs of Chicago have used their love of disc golf to make their mark on history.
Twenty-four hours, 1620 holes, plenty of pain, but a new world record.
Joe Duncan and Garry Murphy came to Nims Park in Rock Falls, Ill., to break the world record for disc golf holes played in 24 hours.
They did just that. They played 1620 holes which broke the old record by more than 300 holes.
"We slowly decided so we did research, we said it sounds interesting...and figured out we think we can do it and we weren't sure,” Duncan said. “We'd never done anything like this in our lives before so we just really didn't know what to expect."
"We kind of thought it would be really easy and so we kind of just started messing with the idea a little bit then we came to find out that it was actually a lot more difficult than we ever would have anticipated," Murphy said.
The record attempt wasn't all fun and games for the duo who have been friends since high school. They struggled with playing through the night as well as the severe physical toll 24 hours of play took on their bodies.
"For me, it’s my feet that have been pretty much torn up and general body soreness overall," Murphy said.
"The nighttime was the hardest,” Duncan said. “We definitely were getting a lot slower and it was hard. We lost some discs. We had some trouble just logistically."
The record isn't only exciting for Joe and Garry. It means a lot to the city of Rock Falls as well.
"It's always hard to get on the world map I guess is what we’re saying and Rock Falls has. These two gentlemen put Rock Falls on the world map," Mike Sterba, Rock Falls Director of Parks and Recreation, said.
Now that Joe and Garry have the record, they are able to look back with a lot of joy and accomplishment.
"No one's ever done this before so it's a little emotional and we figured out that we really enjoyed it even though it was a lot of pain and effort," Duncan said.
And they know their idea wasn't totally crazy.
"I think during the whole thing, yeah, I felt like I was a little bit nuts,” Murphy said. “But now that it’s over with and we've accomplished what we set out to do, the only thing I feel is pride about that. I don’t think it was totally crazy, maybe just a little bit crazy." | 1,268,219 |
Under gray skies, demonstrators waved banners proclaiming "together against terror" and "terrorism has no religion" on Saturday in the western German city of Cologne. Estimates of the number of people who took part varied from several hundred to about 3,500.
The march, organized by Islamic scholar Lamya Kaddor and peace activist Tarek Mohamad to condemn violence in the name of Islam across the world, was preceded by a heated debate when Germany's biggest Islamic association, the Turkish-Islamic Union (known by its acronym DITIB), refused to take part.
DW's Arafatul Islam was at the march.
DITIB said it would send the wrong signal to suggest that Muslims were mainly responsible for international terrorism and also maintained that those observing the Ramadan fast could not be expected to march for hours in the summer heat.
Several other Islamic organizations including Germany's Central Council of Muslims took part in the gathering, named "Not with us - Muslims and friends against violence and terror."
The final tally of demonstrators was as high as 3,500
Read: What you need to know about Ramadan
Co-organizer Kaddor said it was possible that the lower-than expected turnout was a result of DITIB not taking part and added that she thought it sent the wrong message not to be involved in such a march.
"We work during Ramadan, we play sport during Ramadan, so we can also take to the streets," she said.
Read:Germany's first liberal mosque opens in Berlin
Sending a message
About 5 percent of Germany's population is Muslim, with many of them hailing from Germany's Turkish community. The sudden arrival over the past two years of more than a million people seeking refuge, many of them Muslims, has stirred anti-Islam sentiment in parts of German society.
The religious minority has also faced pressure in the wake of recent terrorist attacks committed by extremists claiming to act in the name of Islam, such as those in London, Manchester and Berlin.
Read: Opinion: European Muslims need more than demonstrations to fight extremism
One of the demonstrators, 25-year-old Ahmed Maher, who had traveled from Hanover to attend, said terrorists had nothing to do with Islam.
"It's often oversimplified; everything's thrown into one pot. That's why it's good when we Muslims make clear that, of course, we stand for peace - even when it is a little sad that we constantly have to justify ourselves," he told German news agency dpa.
Another participant, Beyza Gurlevik, said Muslims were doubly affected by terrorist attacks.
"[First] from the attacks themselves, and then because the blame is put on us," Gurlevik said. "It is important to show that we are against Islamist terror."
Follow-up marches are planned for Berlin and several other German cities.
se/sms (AP, dpa, AFP, KNA) | 1,268,220 |
While president-elect Donald Trump has taken flack from civil libertarians for his sudden resurrection of the flag-burning issue, it’s worth noting that his former general election opponent Hillary Clinton once came under fire from liberal allies for sponsoring a bill that aimed to throw those who burned the flag in prison.
Clinton’s stance on flag-burning is complicated to say the least. In theory, she has consistently opposed a flag-burning amendment, and voted against it when it came up for a vote in 2006. But a year earlier, she sponsored a bill that was widely seen as a runaround the Supreme Court precedent outlawing the desecration of flags.
The Flag Protection Act of 2005 would have banned “destroying or damaging a U.S. flag with the primary purpose and intent to incite or produce imminent violence or a breach of the peace,” punishable with a year in prison. In theory, that was different from previous flag-burning bills, which banned all flag burning. In support for the bill, Clinton cited the Supreme Court’s 2003 decision in Virginia v. Black, which found that bans on cross-burning were unconstitutional, but constitutional when limited to incitement and threats of violence.
Clinton’s bill earned her a rare rebuke from the editorial page of The New York Times. “Senator Clinton In Pander Mode,” declared The Times, arguing that the logic behind the bill’s constitutionality was flimsy. “A black American who wakes up to see a cross burning on the front lawn has every right to feel personally, and physically, threatened. Flag-burning has no such history. It has, in fact, no history of being directed against any target but the government,” they noted.
Liberal Washington Post columnist Richard Cohen agreed, calling the bill “Star-Spangled Pandering” in “a cutesy way that does not explicitly outlaw all flag burnings — just those intended to ‘intimidate any person or group of persons.’ That’s a distinction without a difference to your average police officer.”
Arianna Huffington was also a vocal critic. “It seems in line with her stance on so many issues — trying to strike right in the middle and triangulate, by not supporting the amendment because that would upset the base too much and at the same time supporting a legislative proposal that will appeal to the center,” she said. “It’s a truly tragic way of leading.”
The biggest difference between Clinton and Trump’s proposals is of course that Clinton never supported stripping flag-burners of their citizenship, as Trump suggested Tuesday. Current Supreme Court precedent does not allow Congress to involuntarily strip natural born citizens of their citizenship.
[Image via Shutterstock]
—
>>Follow Alex Griswold (@HashtagGriswold) on Twitter
Have a tip we should know? [email protected] | 1,268,221 |
different things. One person loves public recognition, while another loathes being the center of attention. The Platinum Rule (treat others as they want to be treated) corrects that flaw. Good managers are great at reading other people, and they adjust their behavior and style accordingly. Be strong without being harsh. Strength is an important quality in a leader. People will wait to see if a leader is strong before they decide to follow his or her lead or not. People need courage in their leaders. They need someone who can make difficult decisions and watch over the good of the group. They need a leader who will stay the course when things get tough. People are far more likely to show strength themselves when their leader does the same. A lot of leaders mistake domineering, controlling, and otherwise harsh behavior for strength. They think that taking control and pushing people around will somehow inspire a loyal following. Strength isn't something you can force on people; it's something you earn by demonstrating it time and again in the face of adversity. Only then will people trust that they should follow you. Remember that communication is a two-way street. Many managers think that they're great communicators, not realizing that they're only communicating in one direction. Some pride themselves on being approachable and easily accessible, yet they don't really hear the ideas that people share with them. Some managers don't set goals or provide context for the things they ask people to do, and others never offer feedback, leaving people wondering if they're more likely to get promoted or fired. Be a role model, not a preacher. Great leaders inspire trust and admiration through their actions, not just their words. Many leaders say that integrity is important to them, but great leaders walk their talk by demonstrating integrity every day. Harping on people all day long about the behavior you want to see has a tiny fraction of the impact you achieve by demonstrating that behavior yourself. Be transparent. Good managers are transparent and forthcoming about company goals, expectations, and plans. When managers try to sugarcoat, mask, or euphemize in order to make things seem better than they are, employees see right through it. Be humble. Few things kill motivation as quickly as a boss's arrogance. Great bosses don't act as though they're better than you, because they don't think that they're better than you. Rather than being a source of prestige, they see their leadership position as bringing them additional accountability for serving those who follow them. Take a genuine interest in employees' work-life balance. Nothing burns good employees out quite like overworking them. It's so tempting to work your best people hard that managers frequently fall into this trap. Overworking good employees is perplexing to them; it makes them feel as if they're being punished for their great performance. Overworking employees is also counterproductive. New research from Stanford shows that productivity per hour declines sharply when the workweek exceeds 50 hours, and productivity drops off so much after 55 hours that you don't get anything out of the extra work.
Bringing it all together | 1,268,222 |
ili and the Summer Fest. It’s certain to be of special interest because 2018 is the Year of the Gannenmono, the 150th anniversary of the arrival of the first Japanese immigrants to Hawaii.
The exhibit pictures were chosen from hundreds that appear in the book, “Moiliili: The Life of a Community,” edited by Ruby. There are photos of farms in the early 1900s; Moiliili Japanese Cemetery, which dates to 1908; businesses that were operating on King and Beretania streets in the late 1930s; students at Kuhio Elementary School, which opened in 1884; and much more.
“People linger in our Historical Tent to share fond memories, often of places long gone,” said Ruby, a retired University of Hawaii art professor and longtime Moiliili resident.
“Even if they’ve never lived in Moiliili, they have strong ties to it. Their grandparents might have lived in Moiliili or maybe they worked there at one time or had a favorite store or florist there. Many University of Hawaii graduates recall attending History 151 class in Varsity Theater as freshmen with 900 other students.”
Let’s dance
Summer Fest’s highlight is what organizers call “the largest bon dance in Hawaii.” Sponsored by the Moiliili Hongwanji Mission, it brings together participants of all ages, religions and ethnicities.
According to Nancy Shimamoto, former president of the mission, Buddhists honor and express gratitude to their ancestors during the summer obon season. They reflect on the lives of loved ones who have passed on, the hardships they endured, the sacrifices they made and their hopes for a bright future for their children.
“Lanterns are hung around the yagura, the platform in the center of the dance area,” Shimamoto said. “When there are more than eight circles of dancers around the yagura, with hardly a space to squeeze in, you know (dancers) number well over 100. Bon dancing is fun and easy to follow. You can’t help but get caught up in the beat and rhythm.”
You can also shop for handmade crafts or participate in cultural activities such as decorating uchiwa (round Japanese fans), catching goldfish at the kingyo sukui game booth, learning origami and writing wishes on tanzaku (paper strips) and hanging them on bamboo branches.
Another draw is the food offered by more than 25 booths and food trucks, including saimin, shave ice, Spam musubi, beef skewers, teri burgers, shoyu pork bowls and andagi, a perennial top seller.
“Good dancing, good food, good fun — whether you’re with family or friends or by yourself, the Moiliili Summer Fest is a great way to spend a summer evening,” Kagimoto said. | 1,268,223 |
The father of a five-year-old girl who had been missing in Queensland for nearly 24 hours has thanked the hundreds of volunteers who searched for his daughter.
The desperate hunt on the Gold Coast for Jocelyn Lewis ended today after she was located safe and well cowering beneath a motorway overpass.
"I was getting concerned it was going to go the other way," Steve Lewis said. "She’s got a few cuts and bruises so I think we’re going to go check her out."
"It was a relief. I want to thank everyone for the support. It's fantastic.
"We want to thank the community for everything they have done. That’s how she was found. Thank you very much for everyone.
Gonna clear her up, and get a good meal."
Jocelyn was located by volunteers merely five minutes away from where she originally went missing.
View photos
Jocelyn cuddling into her father shortly after being found. Source: 7 News.
View photos
The five-year-old girl ran away from her family in Nerang. Photo: Qld Police
The five-year-old was found under an overpass, hiding in long grass and has since been assessed by medical staff.
The little girl was located safe and well on Spall Street by a member of the public who was tasked to search the area.
Jocelyn’s parents have since been reunited with their daughter.
The widespread search of Nerang and surrounding areas overnight failed to uncover any sign of the missing girl with temperatures dropping to a cool 10 degrees.
The search radius had been expanded to 10kms in the hopes the little girl would be located.
Her aunt, Jenny Willmott, spoke at a press conference earlier on Monday appealing to the public for any assistance they could offer.
“We just want Jocelyn to come back home safely,” she pleaded.
When asked how the child's parents were coping she stated, “Obviously very distressed at the moment."
“Jocelyn’s favourite game is hide and seek and we are very very concerned that she is out there hiding at the moment. And that’s why we’re asking everyone to double check their backyards.”
Missing child: The @GoldCoastSUNS player have arrived to help search for Jocelyn. @7NewsQueensland pic.twitter.com/7klgdW38gN — Bianca Stone (@Bianca_Stone) July 25, 2016
“Her parents are doing everything they can to find her, they are absolutely beside themselves.”
The aunt also asked nearby residents who have checked their homes and yards to check again, particularly in any areas where a child may curl up, have a sleep or hide.
Story continues | 1,268,224 |
The Moon is Full in Aries on October 1, 2020, at 5:06 PM EDT.
A Full Moon occurs when the Sun in Libra forms an opposition to the Moon in Aries. The Full Moon is a time of culmination and the promise of fulfillment of that which was started at the New Moon. It is an emotional time – a time of romance, fertilization, and relationships.
The Aries-Libra polarity is a relationship axis, where Aries represents “self,” and Libra represents “other.” Where Aries is about self-assertion, Libra is about compromise.
Through the energy of the Libra Sun, we are aware of the need for relationships and all that comes with maintaining them–compromising, negotiating, graciousness, and balancing. The Aries Moon, on the other hand, is self-assertive, leading, and personally courageous.
This Full Moon urges us to strike a balance between meeting our personal needs and attending to the needs of a significant other, and between independence or autonomy and dependence or companionability.
The Libra Sun is diplomatic, equality-minded, and fair-minded. The Aries Moon, however, values authenticity over tact and is energized by independent efforts. The Full Moon illuminates this conflict.
Neglecting either end of the Aries-Libra axis will surely backfire on us. Ideally, we find a balance between the two energies, and this is what the Full Moon invites us to do.
This Full Moon is about emotional declarations. Something has been building inside of us, likely of a personal nature, and now is the time when the energy of the cosmos fairly demands that we let it out. Over the upcoming weeks, we will discover what this declaration means for us. For now, we can’t sit on our feelings. We need to express them.
The Full Moon illuminates the conflict between “me” and “you,” and between autonomy and sharing. With the Moon full and bright in the sky, symbolic illumination occurs in our own lives. However, these new feelings and revelations are emotional ones, as there is a sense of emotions bursting forth into our consciousness. It’s time to express ourselves and to let things out of our systems. Of course, we might want to exercise some care while doing so, knowing that what is coming out of us is new and not particularly rational.
This lunation reminds us to consider how we are honoring ourselves in the context of our close relationships. New revelations can occur now, particularly in the areas of our physical bodies, leadership skills, our ability to initiate and begin new things, and our close partnerships.
This phase of the Moon occurs at 9 degrees and 8 minutes of Aries, affecting people with personal planets and points at approximately 5 to 13 degrees of the Cardinal signs (Aries, Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn) most significantly. | 1,268,225 |
Video of couple having sex while skydiving sparks probe by U.S. aviation watchdog
A explicit video of a skydiving sex stunt has sparked an investigation by U.S aviation authorities.
The video, which was posted on the blog of pornstar and part-time skydiving instructor Alex Torres, shows him and a woman having sex as they freefall over Kern County, California.
But it has led to controversy and a police investigation after parents got wind that students at a nearby high school discovered the video and began sharing it online.
Lewd: This censored still shows porn star and part-time skydiving instructor Alex Torres and skydiving school secretary Hope Howell having sex as they parachute over Kern County, California
And the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has warned that any activity that could distract the pilot while he's flying could violate federal regulations.
The video shows Mr Torres, an instructor at Skydive Taft, and Hope Howell, the company's secretary, having sex in a plane before jumping out in tandem and continuing the act midair.
Ian Gregor, a spokesman for the FAA, told kget.com that the watchdog had no explicit policy on sexual conduct in private planes, but that any activity that could jostle a pilot or hamper his ability to concentrate could be a violation of federal aviation guidelines.
At one point during the video, the couple are shown having sex in a jump seat next to the pilot.
Viral: Mr Torres had posted the video on his personal blog, but took it down after students at a local high school began sharing it online
Despite a police investigation, Lieutenant Ed Whiting of the Taft Police Department told kget.com there were no charges pending.
Everyone in the video was of age and since no-one complained about witnessing the dive no public nudity charges can be brought.
'One teenage boy saw it, was upset at the girl in the video, and took it and posted it to all his friends,' Lieutenant Whiting said.
Consequences: Ms Howell's future at Skydive Taft, the parachuting school involved, is now in doubt. Mr Torres, right, has been sacked from his skydive instructor job
David Chrouch, owner of Skydive Taft, told kget.com that he has since sacked Mr Torres, but has not yet decided what will happen to Ms Howell.
'I didn't know it until one of the officers came over from the Taft Police Department and informed me this was going around the kids in school and stuff,' he said.
'Apparently they told my pilot it was OK to do this and got here early in the morning before anyone got here and shot this,' Mr Chrouch added.
Mr Chrouch said that he had since found out that the video was a stunt Mr Torres had put together to get the attention of shock-jock radio star Howard Stern. | 1,268,226 |
box until I’d tested every possible option. And guess what? That embarrassing trip to the store saved us a bunch of money in shipping costs because I found a way to pack a smaller, less expensive box than I originally thought we’d have to use.
I could have let my fear and embarrassment stop me, but successfully launching the business was more important.
Engineering Embarrassment: One Easy Hack to Overcome Discomfort
In your day-to-day life, there are probably many things you tell yourself are important. But do you actually do the things necessary to act on those things you say are important? If yes, congrats! You win! But if not…
Check yourself. If you’re afraid to do something important because you’re afraid it’ll be embarrassing, it’s not actually important to you. What you spend your time on is what’s actually important to you.
And at some point in the past, those things were also embarrassing because you were new to them and didn’t know what you were doing. Yet here you are today.
If you want to take smart risks in your life, it’s imperative you learn to deal with embarrassment.
The way I like to do it is by harnessing it in my favor and using it to motivate myself. If there’s something I want to do, but I know I’ll struggle to get over the embarrassment of starting, I’ll engineer an even bigger embarrassment that will come to play if I don’t do it.
My method to do this is public accountability. I absolutely hate telling people about something before I’m ready to, but I know if I commit to something, I’ll do whatever it takes to keep that commitment. I’ve learned that missing a commitment ends in much worse embarrassment than anything I’d have to do to keep it.
Going back to my examples of launching the coffee company, we’d announced a launch date for it, and I was fully committed to meeting that date.
Missing a launch date—for me—would result in unfathomable embarrassment. With that reality circling daily in my brain, there was simply no way I was going to let the embarrassment of not knowing how to do a coffee cupping or stuffing boxes on the floor at the grocery store stop me from coming through.
Your Homework Today
Today, I want you to ask yourself: “What is something that would be incredibly embarrassing to me?” Then, engineer that embarrassment into the things in your life that you say are important but that you’re not taking action on.
The goal is to give yourself a sense of scale and perspective. It becomes easier to do the little things standing in your way when not doing them becomes much worse.
Title Photo Credit: flickr
Photo Credit: 1, 2 | 1,268,227 |
from and whatever you’re fighting for, the song remains the same. Once upon a time, Harvey reported from the front lines of her personal battles; here, she’s a scholar-cum-medium speaking on behalf of the fallen.
‘Near the Memorials to Vietnam and Lincoln’
(The Hope Six Community Project, 2016)
Inviting fans to watch her record her ninth studio album at London’s Somerset House was an odd move for a reticent figure like Harvey. Those ‘Recording In Progress’ sessions were an early sign that she was planning something drastically different, but her transparency now seems like a sleight of hand. The Hope Six Community Project is arguably her most inscrutable album yet – there’ve been no interviews, no explanations, no guidelines. On Let England Shake, she was a ventriloquist for other voices, but they were a uniform chorus singing from the same harrowing hymn sheet. Here she’s a photographer presenting snapshots without comment. These are her observations from Afghanistan, Washington and Kosovo, with little of her conclusions to colour them. There’s little of her, period.
Whether her show-but-don’t-tell approach succeeds in providing any new answers to old problems isn’t clear (it’s difficult to define its success by any terms, given Harvey’s lack of stated aims for the project). But there are some beautiful, powerful moments. On the strange jaunty skip of ‘Near The Memorials To Vietnam And Lincoln’, she watches a child – one of the many thousands of tourists who visit the titular landmarks every day – taunting the birds in Washington D.C. “A boy throws out his hands, as if to feed the starlings,” observes Harvey over a gaudy, fairground-like wheeze. “But really he throws nothing/ It’s just to watch them jump.” Given that it takes place within spitting distance of two famously patriotic symbols, you’re invited to make a connection between his phantom food package and the failures of US interventions both home and abroad. It’s a reminder of a chequered track record of promising help and delivering disappointment; a warning that short-sighted meddling in other people’s lives can make them dependent on your breadcrumbs for survival. Any further exposition from Harvey would feel clunky, unnecessary, unwelcome. And if part her purpose for Recording in Progress was to pointedly make observers of us all, for an album that hints at the problems with detached observation, perhaps there was another wicked boon. People had been trying to locate the real her for over 25 years – and when she finally let them come and gawp, there was less of her to see than ever before.
PJ Harvey plays NOS Primavera on June 10 and Field Day on June 12.
Ben Hewitt is on Twitter. | 1,268,228 |
The man who led the high speed pursuit of the Texas gunman moments after he had killed 26 churchgoers, said "he needed to be stopped".
Johnnie Langendorff said he was driving in front of the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs when another man Stephen Willeford began trading rifle fire with the assailant.
Mr Willeford "jumped in my truck and said: 'He just shot up the church, we got to get him'," Mr Langendorff said. "I said: 'OK, let's go.'"
With Mr Willeford behind the wheel, Mr Langendorff said they "we blew through this intersection and he started going about 90-95 (miles per hour) keeping up with this guy."
Asked about what drove him to act so quickly, he added: "That's it. I mean that's the bottom line, he needed to be stopped. He was stopped and he's not going to hurt anyone else ever again."
At the time, neither man knew they were chasing 26-year-old Devin Kelley, an Air Force veteran who police say put on tactical gear, a ballistic vest and skull-like mask to carry out the most deadly mass shooting in the modern history of Texas.
The pursuit lasted about 10-12 minutes, according to Mr Langendorff. Then Kelley lost control and crashed into a ditch. They stopped too and Mr Willeford trained his rifle on the disabled vehicle, but the gunman never emerged.
Texas church shooting Show all 9 1 /9 Texas church shooting Texas church shooting The site of the mass shooting at First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas Reuters Texas church shooting First responders are at the scene of shooting at the First Baptist Church Reuters Texas church shooting Enrique and Gabby Garcia watch investigators at the scene of the mass shooting AP Texas church shooting Law enforcement officials investigate the scene at the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas Reuters Texas church shooting Carrie Matula embraces a woman after a fatal shooting at the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs Associated Press Texas church shooting Law enforcement officials gather near the First Baptist Church Getty Images Texas church shooting Community members come together for a candlelight vigil for the victims of the deadly church shooting in Sutherland Springs Laura Skelding/AP Texas church shooting Mourners participate in the candlelight vigil held for the victims Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via AP Texas church shooting A vehicle is hauled onto a flatbed truck where the suspect in a deadly church shooting was found dead in Guadalupe County William Luther/Austin American-Statesman via AP
Mr Willeford shot Kelley where there was a gap in his vest, his cousin Ken Leonard told CNN.
"Stephen is the best shot that I know," he said. "He, without armour and barefooted ran into the fire and put his own life at risk, took return fire and fired accurately three times."
He added: "That's an amazing accomplishment, especially for a man who has, who was never in the military." | 1,268,229 |
Today, June 14, 2016, Softpedia has been informed by Logic Supply about the general availability of CL100, the tiny, fanless, and ventless industrial PC that promises to offer more than meets than eye.
This is not the first time we discuss here CL100, as Logic Supply announced the upcoming availability of the Braswell-powered mini PC based on Intel's popular NUC form factor back in March 2016. The CL100 was supposed to be unveiled at the Digital Signage Expo 2016 at the end of March, and now it is finally available for purchase from the company's website for the mere price of $302 (€270) without a primary storage device or $347 (€310) with a 32GB mSATA SSD.
Commercialized by Logic Supply as a 4K media player, CL100 is being delivered in a familiar, small form factor, offering users the possibility of installing either the popular Ubuntu 16.04 LTS (Xenial Xerus) or Ubuntu 14.04 LTS (Trusty Tahr) Linux distributions, as well a Microsoft Windows operating system. Designed as a ventless and fanless industrial computer, CL100 doesn't have any moving parts, and it's mainly targeted at digital signage applications.
"Fanless systems are quickly becoming the go-to solution for both industrial and consumer computing. The CL100 combines a variety of I/O and impressive processing performance with a small form factor that can go wherever it's needed. We wanted to create a computer that could truly live up to the idea of 'Anything, Anywhere,' and we think the CL100 fits that bill," says Hans Brakeley, Mechanical Engineer, Logic Supply.
CL100's technical specifications
As mentioned before, don't let the size of CL100 fool you, as it's proving to be quite a powerful computer. It boasts a 6th generation Intel Quad-Core Braswell Celeron N3150 processor running at 1.6 GHz or 2.08 GHz thanks to max turbo frequency, up to 16GB non-ECC DDR3L RAM running at 1600 MHz, and on-board Intel HD graphics. It also features Realtek RT8111G Gigabit LAN controller, mSATA storage support up to 512GB, as well as a PCIe mini card (half-height) expansion slot.
Looking at the images attached below, we can notice that CL100 offers two USB 3.0 ports, one of which is a USB Type-C, and an audio jack/speaker/mic-in on the front, as well as two HDMI ports. There are also a single DisplayPort, one Gigabit LAN port, two USB 3.0 ports, and one DC input jack (12 V) on the back. The CL100 mini-PC is also Wireless and Bluetooth capable using an optional adapter, and supports both DIN- and wall-mounts (rubber mounting feet is included). A standard 2-year warranty is included as well.
CL100 | 1,268,230 |
Image copyright Get#
Pets at Home says it is seeing "exceptional levels of demand" amid the coronavirus outbreak.
The pet store and vets group said people had been spending more as pets played an "increasingly vital role in our lives" during the crisis.
As designated "essential retailers", pet shops and vets can stay open during the pandemic.
Pets at Home said it had now shut non-essential parts of the business such as its Groom Room grooming salons.
In an update for the year to 26 March, the retailer said annual profits would be higher than expected due to the recent spike in demand for pet products and healthcare.
However, it warned of an uncertain outlook for 2020-21 saying it was not "immune" to the crisis.
Retail analyst Richard Hyman told the BBC that the higher demand the chain was experiencing might be temporary.
"I think what may have happened is that some of the panic buying that we've seen domestically has been extended for the same reason for people and pets.
"I think for supermarkets it will remain at an elevated level as long as the market for eating out is paralysed. Whereas for pets I would expect demand to ease, so this may well be a blip."
Which stores are allowed to stay open?
The government has issued a list of which "essential" retailers are allowed to stay open. They include:
Supermarkets and other food shops
Pharmacies
Petrol stations
Newsagents
Bicycle shops
Home and hardware stores
Laundrettes and dry cleaners
Garages
Pet shops
Post Offices
Banks
Businesses are still able to take online orders and deliver items to people's homes.
'Strike a balance'
Last week, school leaders criticised Pets at Home for arguing that all of its staff - including non-veterinary workers - should be classed as essential workers so they could access emergency childcare.
However, since being officially classed as an essential retailer, the firm said it had moved staff from non-essential parts of the business to essential functions that provided food and medicine.
It said it was seeking to "strike a balance" between providing essential services to the public alongside safeguarding the health of customers and staff.
The firm is offering discounts to NHS workers but, unlike some supermarkets, has not offered its own staff pay rises for continuing to go into work.
Boss Peter Pritchard said: "I am extremely grateful that our colleagues and operations have shown such resilience and flexibility to meet the recent exceptional level of demand from both existing and new customers.
"The health and safety of our colleagues, partners, suppliers, customers and pets remains our top priority. We continue to take all appropriate action in line with government advice and remain vigilant to the potential impact of Covid-19 as we start the new financial year." | 1,268,231 |
President Obama is urging the people of the Central African Republic to remain calm amid mounting sectarian violence after Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel ordered the U.S. military to transport Burundian troops to the country Monday.
The troops will assist both French and African Union troops who already have been deployed. Hagel's decision comes amid warnings that the historically unstable country could be on the verge of genocide
Obama addressed his remarks to the "proud citizens of the Central African Republic" and said they have the power "to choose a different path" than the violence that led to more than 400 deaths in two days of violence last week between Christians and Muslims.
Obama says he joins Muslim and Christian leaders in calling for calm and peace and says those who are committing crimes should be arrested.
The Pentagon said in a statement that the decision to send the troops was made after Hagel spoke Sunday evening in Kabul with French Minister of Defense Yves Le Drian.
"Minister Le Drian requested limited assistance from the United States military to support this international effort," Assistant Press Secretary Carl Woog said in a statement. "In response to this request, Secretary Hagel has directed U.S. AFRICOM to begin transporting forces from Burundi to the Central African Republic, in coordination with France."
Wood added: "The United States is joining the international community in this effort because of our belief that immediate action is required to avert a humanitarian and human rights catastrophe in the Central African Republic, and because of our interest in peace and security in the region. We continue to work to identify additional resources that might be available to help address further requests for assistance to support the international community's efforts in CAR."
The International Criminal Court's prosecutor also called Monday for attacks on civilians to stop, Reuters reported.
The renewed fighting in CAR began after the government of the majority Christian nation was overthrown by Muslim rebels nine months ago. Muslim rebel groups tied to an alliance organization called Seleka are clashing with Christian fighters.
The latest round of violence began Thursday, when armed Christian fighters who oppose Seleka attacked the capital and were later repelled by the ex-rebels.
The French Defense Ministry said Monday that the 1,600 troops it pledged are now on the ground. French helicopters buzzed overhead while dozens of military vehicles, including armored personnel carriers, snaked through neighborhoods where tensions ran high. French forces came under attack near the airport but the area was later secured.
President Michel Djotodia had demanded that the fighters who brought him to power remain in their barracks Monday so that French forces and African troops from a regional peacekeeping mission could secure the city.
However, he acknowledged Sunday that he has little control over the ex-Seleka fighters, who come from several different northern rebel groups. Djotodia has formally disbanded the alliance, but his fighters now see themselves as the national army.
Fox News' Justin Fishel and The Associated Press contributed to this report. | 1,268,232 |
There is equal value in both worlds and they should complement one another, not ridicule and compete with each other.
We can see this needless separation in today’s healthcare methods. When an unhealthy person visits the doctor’s office, rarely will he be told to eat healthier and more natural foods in order to detoxify and reset to body to its natural state. Drugs, however, are pushed right away as if health was solely about managing symptoms of unhealthiness. But isn’t dealing with the cause of unhealthiness just as important? As the American philosopher Wendell Berry said, “People are fed by the food industry, which pays no attention to health… and are treated by the health industry which pays no attention to food.”
An optimal health-care system would have nature and science work hand in hand. It would focus as much on maintaining health naturally (prevention) as it would on dealing with symptoms. Otherwise, we might as well call it a sick-care system.
“The only reason why one would ridicule what comes from nature is if they have divorced themselves from nature. Yet we are a part of nature. We are nature. If you think you’re smarter than nature, think again. Nature made you.” – unknown
No Matter What Conclusions We Arrive To, It Shouldn’t Be About Feeding Sides or Opinions.
Once we integrate these 3 insights in the way we process information, whether our research leads us to the conclusion that most of our society is corrupted or not shouldn’t matter or make us more judgmental and one-sided.
If Bob, for example, after 20 years of research, feels the need to speak out against Big Pharma or scientific authorities, it does not NECESSARILY mean he is biased. Maybe he has decided to undertake research in a neutral manner and has simply arrived to those conclusions. If John, after 20 years of research, feels the need to correct conspiracy theories, it does not NECESSARILY mean he is a shill working for the government either. Maybe he too has decided to undertake research in a neutral manner and has simply arrived to those conclusions.
In the end, the message I wish we all take from this – including myself – is to stop resorting to fighting and judging without caring to understand. We need to get off our high-horse, shake each other’s hands, be curious – not opinionated – about the truth and agree to value the common good more than our personal egos. If this wisdom was collectively integrated, I bet all corruption would fall away by itself anyways and debunking would no longer have to be such a fight ;-).
“The measure of intelligence is the ability to change.” ― Albert Einstein “Your assumptions are your windows on the world. Scrub them off every once in a while, or the light won’t come in.” ― Isaac Asimov | 1,268,233 |
Box-Office Preview: Can Ben Affleck's 'The Accountant' Add Up to Strong Numbers?
Stand-up comedy pic 'Kevin Hart: What Now?' and 'Max Steel' also open nationwide this weekend.
Filmmaker Gavin O'Connor's action-thriller The Accountant — Ben Affleck's latest starring vehicle — is poised to overcome mediocre reviews and top the box-office chart this weekend.
The Warner Bros. film, rolling out in 3,222 locations, is projected to open in the $15 million-$20 million range. More bullish box-office observers believe it has a shot at topping $20 million, thanks to Affleck. The actor plays a gun-wielding, small-town accountant who cooks the books for menacing mobsters.
Affleck stars opposite Anna Kendrick, J.K. Simmons, Jon Bernthal, Jeffrey Tambor and John Lithgow in the movie, which cost just under $40 million to make. Currently, The Accountant sports a 44 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Kevin Hart: What Now? and Max Steel also bow nationwide this weekend.
Hart's new film, from Universal, chronicles the final performance of his wildly successful stand-up comedy tour at Philadelphia's Lincoln Financial Field in August 2015, along with a dress rehearsal. The movie, boasting an 89 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes, is projected to debut in the $13 million-$15 million from roughly 2,500 theaters.
Universal pegs the budget at less than $10 million. In 2013, Hart's Let Me Explain earned $32 million domestically, the third-best showing of all time for a stand-up comedy movie. What Now? is the fourth film Universal and the comic actor have worked on this year after Ride Along 2, The Secret Life of Pets and Central Intelligence, a co-production with Warner Bros.
Hart's longtime collaborators Leslie Small and Tim Story directed What Now?, with special appearances by Halle Berry and Don Cheadle.
Max Steel, based on Mattel's toy action figures, is looking at a modest opening in the $4 million-$6 million range, according to predictions. An origin story, the sci-fi adventure film chronicles the experiences of teenager Max McGrath and his alien companion, Steel, who combine their new powers to evolve into the turbo-charged Max Steel. The unlikely friends struggle to accept their oddly connected fates as they battle evil forces threatening mankind.
Last month, Dolphin Films and Mattel, who partnered on the movie, lost their bid for a kid-friendly PG rating. Instead, Max Steel will go out with a PG-13 rating when it opens in theaters Friday. Open Road Films is distributing the film in the U.S.
Max Steel was directed by Stewart Hendler, written by Christopher Yost and stars Ben Winchell, Ana Villafane, Andy Garcia, Maria Bello and Billy Slaughter. It has yet to be screened for critics. | 1,268,234 |
agged lines, which is absent on other sides. I initially assumed that it was due pixelation at the joints, which is clearly NOT the case. A 30 cm image, run through a dedicated IMINT software will give us a much better clarity on same. The images are available here https://www.euspaceimaging.com/pakistan-satellite-imagery-confirms-india-missed-target-in-pakistan-airstrike/
These entry marks have similarity between various Israeli Spice 2000 usage in Syria, Lebanon and the Gaza strip. The Spice penetrators will leave tell tale small holes of 50 -80 cm diameter, and will not necessarily destroy the building being targeted as explained in above paras.
Did the IAF SPICE 2000s strike at the target — Yes, they did.
This assessment is based on the weapon’s capability and science of it all, which can be debated by explosive and IMINT experts for its worth. The Indian Air Force has done its job; let’s not overreact to anything and everything of it. One day we will know what happened below that roof.
So when the Indian Air Chief says ‘We hit the targets,’ believe me — he means serious business!
To the men in blue, Hell For Leather!!! And to the the naysayers, its not over yet……
The author is an former fighter pilot with extensive experience on the Mirage 2000 and MiG 21 aircraft of the IAF.
This article was first published on Medium. It has been updated with new information and images.
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Mercedes will not rush bringing in upgrades for its Formula 1 engine, despite the resurgent Ferrari having dramatically reduced its power deficit, says Niki Lauda.
The German car manufacturer is facing increased pressure this year from its Italian rival, with Ferrari's progress having resulted in Sebastian Vettel's victory in Malaysia.
But although things are closer than Mercedes would have liked, the team is adamant that it must not panic and try to rush through power unit tweaks.
That is despite Ferrari using new engines in Bahrain, and being set to unleash some of its development tokens to deliver upgrades in the not too distant future.
Asked by Gazzetta dello Sport whether Mercedes would bring new engines soon, non-executive chairman Lauda said: "No, this has only been the fourth race.
"What may appear as a disadvantage now will become an opportunity when it really counts, in the second half of the season."
Lauda did make it clear, however, that big car upgrades would be coming for the next race in Spain.
"The right thing to do is to not change work programmes on a whim. In any case, we'll have big changes to the car at Barcelona."
FERRARI CHALLENGE NO SURPRISE
Although few predicted such progress from Ferrari after its disappointing 2014 campaign, Lauda admitted that he was not surprised that Mercedes was facing a strong rival.
"The truth is that you are always under pressure in Formula 1," he said.
"The anomaly was last year, not this one, and in fact I was never under the illusion we could keep on dominating.
"I'm not surprised really, because their resurgence is deeply rooted in last season, in the good job done by [James] Allison, in the restructuring of the team."
PRAISE FOR DRIVERS
Lauda also has faith that Nico Rosberg has recovered from early season frustrations, judging by his strong race at Sakhir last weekend.
"Bahrain marked Rosberg returning to his best.
"Sometimes drivers aren't happy with themselves and the car, it happens, but you need to come out of these situations by yourself. Nico seems to have done that."
Wolff: Rosberg's resurgence is under way
But he added that both Hamilton and Vettel are at their peak at present.
"These are two exceptional professionals," he said. "Lewis at the moment seems invincible: you just need to look at his string of victories from last season to the beginning of this one.
"Changing air has been good for Vettel, he has found new stimulus.
"I don't know exactly what caused his slump last year, maybe he didn't feel well with the car.
"The fact is, he is now benefiting from the fantastic job done by Ferrari."
Translation by Michele Lostia | 1,268,236 |
STORRS, Conn., May 28, 2019 /CNW/ -- Curaleaf Holdings, Inc. (CSE: CURA) (OTCQX: CURLF), a leading vertically integrated cannabis operator in the United States, announced it is sponsoring pioneering industrial hemp research being conducted by the University of Connecticut. The goal of the research is to help improve industrial hemp production levels and advance current cultivation processes. Findings have the potential to impact production in the medical cannabis industry.
Through this partnership, Curaleaf has committed to providing funds to support researchers from the University of Connecticut's Department of Plant Science and Landscape Architecture. The multi-faceted project will focus on tissue culture work, tetraploid development and feminized seed for production, all of which serve as a foundation for seed breeding and improving current industrial hemp production processes.
Dr. Jessica Lubell and Dr. Mark Brand from the University of Connecticut will be co-project leaders, and together they will manage all research components of the project.
"We are thrilled to support research and education dedicated to advancing methods for hemp cultivation," said Greg Schaan, Curaleaf's Senior Vice President of Cultivation. "We are pleased to launch this partnership with the University of Connecticut and are eager to see the advancements that these studies will bring."
"We are very excited to expand our research efforts on industrial hemp with funding support from Curaleaf," said Dr. Jessica Lubell. "Curaleaf-funded research at UConn will not only bring advancements to our understanding of industrial hemp culture and genetics, but it will also train graduate students in this emerging crop."
Curaleaf is a high-growth cannabis company with a national brand known by patients and customers for its quality, trust and reliability. Curaleaf has the executive expertise and research and development capabilities to provide leading service, selection, and accessibility across the medical, adult-use and CBD categories.
Research results are expected within the next 6 to 12 months. More information on the work of Dr. Jessica Lubell and Dr. Mark Brand can be found here and here, respectively.
About Curaleaf Holdings
Curaleaf Holdings, Inc. (CURA.CN) (CURLF) ("Curaleaf") is the leading vertically integrated multi-state cannabis operator in the United States. It is a high-growth cannabis company with a national brand known for quality, trust and reliability. The company is positioned in highly populated, limited license states, and currently operates in 12 states with 44 dispensaries, 12 cultivation sites and 11 processing sites. Curaleaf has the executive expertise and research and development capabilities to provide leading service, selection, and accessibility across the medical and adult-use markets, as well as the CBD category through its Curaleaf Hemp brand.
CONTACT: [email protected]; 212.889.0808
SOURCE Curaleaf Holdings, Inc.
Related Links
http://www.curaleaf.com
| 1,268,237 |
way of ratios either. If you want to run 1X, the facts about friction certainly shouldn't dissuade you.
Conclusions
Ultimately, the frictional losses provide two distinct and somewhat surprising conclusions. The first is that, from a frictional standpoint, typical 1X setups pay no significant penalty vs comparable 2x setups. The second, and perhaps more surprising thing, is that you want to run as large a front chainring and as wide a range cassette as possible.
While the intent of this article was to do a hard analysis of the comparative frictional losses between drivetrains, it leaves out two important points. The first is that a shifting is simpler with a 1X. You never have to shift the front. In my own experience, this is extremely valuable, though obviously subjective. It's clear that remembering when to shift big-to-small and small-to-big can have a real impact on frictional losses in your drivetrain. And remembering when to do that at mile 100 of an Ironman is a lot harder than it is while you are out for an easy spin. (This also doesn't consider the frictional losses due to making those shifts, which are likely not significant given how often one tends to shift the front, but which are still worth considering.) But really, it's the mental benefit here that's big. It's just one less thing to think about.
But what about aerodynamics? 1X systems lack a front derailleur. The drag cost of a front derailleur, based on reports of testing, varies quite a bit based on frame design. But it can be "significant" (order of magnitude of approximately 5.0w). While I initially approached Jason for his research on the frictional losses in 1X drivetrains, he actually was privy to wind tunnel data on 1X systems as part of his compilation of this data. The data that he saw, between -5 and +5 degrees of yaw, showed a gain of 3w for removal of the FD and mount versus a system with a front derailleur. This fits with data I have seen - hence my reference of "order of magnitude of 5w," with the acknowledgement that there can be significant variance based on the frame being tested. Also, unfortunately, in all cases - unlike with the frictional data - this is data that is not available for public consumption, precisely because it does vary so much based on the frame.
Given that the frictional losses do not provide a compelling reason not to run 1X, the aerodynamic argument can then become primary. There is significant variance here based on frame design and how easy (or not) a given frame is to convert to 1X - for example, is the derailleur hanger easily removable. Nevertheless, in the best cases, it represents a meaningful aerodynamic savings that, when coupled with the knowledge that frictional losses are not a concern, provides an overall advantage on course.
Thanks to Jordan Rapp for the content! | 1,268,238 |
than the non-multicast mode.Allows the app to disable the keylock and any associated password security. For example, the phone disables the keylock when receiving an incoming phone call, then re-enables the keylock when the call is finished.Allows access to the list of accounts in the Accounts Service.Allows the app to get the list of accounts known by the phone. This may include any accounts created by applications you have installed.Allows the app to retrieve information about currently and recently running tasks. This may allow the app to discover information about which applications are used on the device.Allows the app to create network sockets and use custom network protocols. The browser and other applications provide means to send data to the internet, so this permission is not required to send data to the internet.Allows the app to modify global audio settings such as volume and which speaker is used for output.Allows the app to read data about your contacts stored on your phone, including the frequency with which you've called, emailed, or communicated in other ways with specific individuals. This permission allows apps to save your contact data, and malicious apps may share contact data without your knowledge.Allows the app to read the contents of your SD card.Allows read only access to phone state, including the phone number of the device, current cellular network information, the status of any ongoing calls, and a list of any PhoneAccounts registered on the device.Allows the app to read the sync settings for an account. For example, this can determine whether the People app is synced with an account.Allows the app to have itself started as soon as the system has finished booting. This can make it take longer to start the phone and allow the app to slow down the overall phone by always running.Allows the app to record audio with the microphone. This permission allows the app to record audio at any time without your confirmation.Allows the app to draw on top of other applications or parts of the user interface. They may interfere with your use of the interface in any application, or change what you think you are seeing in other applications.Allows the app to control the vibrator.Allows the app to prevent the phone from going to sleep.Allows the app to modify the data about your contacts stored on your phone, including the frequency with which you've called, emailed, or communicated in other ways with specific contacts. This permission allows apps to delete contact data.Allows the app to write to the SD card.Allows an app to modify the sync settings for an account. For example, this can be used to enable sync of the People app with an account.Allows the app to set an alarm in an installed alarm clock app. Some alarm clock apps may not implement this feature.In-app Billing on Google Play provides a straightforward, simple interface for sending In-app Billing requests and managing In-app Billing transactions using Google Play.Allows apps to accept cloud to device messages sent by the app's service. Using this service will incur data usage. Malicious apps could cause excess data usage. | 1,268,239 |
Kelly Hanley/Lehmann Lab
All plants need electrons to aid biological and chemical tasks. Cornell scientists have discovered a new high-definition system that allows electrons to travel through soil farther and more efficiently than previously thought.
“Microorganisms need electrons for everything they do. If they consume nutrients or spew out methane or expel carbon dioxide – for any living, biological process – they need electrons,” said Tianran Sun, postdoctoral researcher in soil and crop sciences and lead author of the paper that appears March 31 in Nature Communications.
Like large volumes of electricity that flow from Niagara Falls throughout upstate New York, electrons convey through soil via carbon. “We weren’t aware of this high-definition soil distribution system transporting electrons from far away. It’s not kilometers, it’s not meters, but centimeter distances that matter in soil,” said Johannes Lehmann, professor of soil science.
In fact, amending the soil with pyrogenic carbon – known as biochar – brings high definition to the electron network. In turn, the electrons spur conductive networks and growth, said Sun.
“Previously we thought there were only low-performing electron pathways in the soil – and now we’ve learned the electrons are channeled through soil very efficiently in a high-performing way,” said Lehmann.
Lehmann and the members of his laboratory had struggled to understand why microorganisms thrived in the presence of biochar. The group removed soil phosphorus, making the environment inhospitable. They ruled out water and nutrients. They discarded the use of biochar as a food source because microorganisms cannot consume much of it. Through Sun’s background in environmental chemistry, the scientists found that microorganisms may be drawn to electrons that the biochar can transport.
“These results will lead to a better understanding of microbial responses in soil and microbial metabolism, including long-term effects on greenhouse gas emissions,” Sun said.
In addition to Lehmann and Sun, who published “Rapid Electron Transfer by the Carbon Matrix in Natural Pyrogenic Carbon,” the paper’s other authors are Barnaby Levin, doctoral student in applied and engineering physics; doctoral student Juan Guzman, biological and environmental engineering; Akio Enders, technician, soil and crop sciences; David Muller, professor of applied and engineering physics; and Lars Argenent, professor, University of Tübingen, Germany.
Lehmann credits cross-disciplinary work with finding this idea. “I could not have completed this work without Tianran Sun’s chemistry expertise, nor without Lars Angenent’s microbiology expertise, or David Muller’s or Barnaby Levin’s physical knowledge of carbon structure,” said Lehmann. “They played a big part.”
The National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Agriculture funded this research. | 1,268,240 |
【11月9日 AFP】ラグビーイングランド代表のマヌ・ツイランギ（Manu Tuilagi）が8日、キャリアを脅かす相次ぐけがの完治を目指し、出身地のサモアで呪術医に診てもらったと明かした。
イングランドのレスター・タイガース（Leicester Tigers）に所属する26歳のツイランギは、母親から呪術医の下を訪れるよう助言され、チームのディレクターを務めるマット・オコナー（Matt O'Connor）氏とフィジオのエド・ホリス（Ed Hollis）の賛同を得た上でサモアに渡ったという。
BTスポーツ（BT Sport）の番組ラグビー・トゥナイト（Rugby Tonight）でツイランギは、「呪術医に2時間診てもらい、彼女はけがの原因を突き止めた」と話している。
「フィジーとサモアのハーフである彼女は、過去3年間にわたって私に3人の未婚女性の霊がとりついていたことを発見し、けがに悩まされている理由はそれだと言った。その霊たちは私を懲らしめたいと思っていて、けがをさせることが彼女らのやり方だった。私がプレーしていた時はいつもそうしていたようだ」
「もう彼女たちはいない。全身のボディーマッサージによって霊たちは私からブロックされた」(c)AFP | 1,268,241 |
Know that refreshed feeling you get after a quick power nap? With Qualcomm Quick Charge 4+ technology, your smartphone can experience a similar “restorative” effect.
Qualcomm Technologies continues to be a leader in power management, and we’re excited to extend this with Quick Charge 4+, designed to deliver the ultimate fast-charging performance for mobile devices. Quick Charge 4+ is our fourth-generation fast charging solution that features all the benefits of Quick Charge 4 and more, such as Dual Charge and Battery Saver, created to add speed and safety, while reducing charging thermals.
What Quick Charge 4+ really offers is the speed of convenience. Even though Qualcomm Snapdragon-powered devices are very energy efficient and just sip your power, once in a while, your battery does get depleted. With Quick Charge 4+ technology, an enabled device can get up to a 50 percent charge in only 15 minutes1.
One charging solution for all
Is your Snapdragon-powered device one of many that features Quick Charge? If not, never fear – we have you covered. Quick Charge 4+ chargers enable devices to be charged without Quick Charge technology or Snapdragon architecture inside them. This is possible because Quick Charge 4+ supports USB Power Delivery (USB PD) as its primary signaling method, which is a communication protocol used by many of today’s smartphones. This enables Quick Charge 4+ to offer a “one charging solution for all” experience. So, if your device doesn’t have Quick Charge technology inside it, but it does employ USB PD, you can still use a Quick Charge-enabled charger and improve your charging experience.
There are a wide variety of charger accessories available from smartphone and third-party manufacturers. This opens the door for you to select Quick Charge 4+ as your charger technology of choice. How do we stack up? Ventev, a global manufacturer of charging accessories, compared the charging performance of their Quick Charge 4+ wall charger, available soon, against chargers included in the box or sold by device manufacturers that use other fast charging methods. Their test results revealed that their Quick Charge 4+ adapter charged the devices at the same rate, or faster.
Dual Charge keeps your device cool
Dual Charge technology, exclusive to Quick Charge, is enabled by including a second power management IC in the device (i.e. a smartphone). Charging a device via Dual Charge divides the power, allowing for lower power and thermal dissipation, and reduced charge time, without performance tradeoffs.
With traditional charging, as your phone charges, the power flows through a single power path, which can cause your phone to receive less power to avoid excess heat, thereby lengthening your charging time. To address this thermal management issue, Dual Charge prescribes two paths, autonomously splitting between two lines, spreading the charge to create cool paths for power delivery. Through intelligent thermal balancing, Quick Charge 4+ can further reduce the overall heat dynamically, as it ensures power and thermal balance between the power paths. | 1,268,242 |
An Afghan businesswomen showcase her products at a fair in Kabul. USAID/Afghanistan
Our Work
USAID, in conjunction with the Government of Afghanistan, is actively supporting export-driven economic growth across a wide range of sectors. Empowering the private sector to comply with international export best practices to include product standards and quality will help open regional and international market opportunities. Improving scalability to meet product demand will allow Afghan exporters to enhance their competitiveness, market access, and brand recognition. Gaining both regional and domestic market share will generate new businesses and jobs. Sustainable economic growth in the long term is critical for Afghanistan to achieve political security, self-reliance, and overall economic stability. USAID aligned its FY 2019 to FY 2023 Country Development Cooperation Strategy with the Afghan Ministry of Industry and Commerce’s goal of increasing exports to $2 billion by 2023.
Major Highlights
Afghanistan is showing strong progress with exports of $875 million in 2018.
Recent Highlights
Following the successful launch of the first air corridor in June 2017, the Government of Afghanistan continued to open more air corridors with other countries to showcase additional Afghan exports to the world. As of December 2018, the Afghanistan's National Air Corridor Program facilitated the export of goods to India, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, European Union, Kazakhstan, and the United Arab Emirates.
USAID sponsored the Passage to Prosperity (P2P) International Trade and Investment Shows. The first two P2P events took place in New Delhi and Mumbai in September 2017 and September 2018, respectively. At these events Indian and Afghan businesses negotiated almost $600 million in confirmed and pre-contract agreements.
Working closely with the Government of Afghanistan, an export Customs One-Stop-Shop was launched at the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul in January 2018.
USAID is providing legal and policy advice to the Ministry of Mines and Petroleum and other government entities to create a regulatory environment that will attract foreign investment in Afghanistan’s mining sector.
Job Creation and Private Sector Competitiveness
USAID targets the rising unemployment problem through a multi-pronged approach that supports export value chain service providers, promotes new businesses, creates jobs, and encourages youth entrepreneurship.
Export Processing Zones and Export Facilitation
USAID, over the next five years, will focus on addressing the challenges of exporting by developing export processing zones and air cargo facilities; establishing Customs One-Stop Shops for exports and imports; expanding new flight routes for air cargo; implementing World Trade Organization airport-related post-accession requirements; and generating investment and jobs by providing firm-level assistance to export-oriented business.
Policy Reform and Strategic Management
USAID is providing technical assistance, in the form of launching U.S. government interagency partnerships that are focused on strengthening the enabling environment policies that support the private sector (e.g., commercial laws and policies to support mining and telecommunications).
Current Projects:
Completed Projects: | 1,268,243 |
The White House is re-evaluating whether US President Barack Obama needs to participate in a summit this autumn with Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, after Moscow granted asylum to NSA leaker Edward Snowden.
"We are evaluating the utility of the summit in light of this," White House spokesperson, Jay Carney, said.
The US is “extremely disappointed that the Russian government would take this step” despite Washington’s official and private requests to expel him, he added.
Carney stressed that Snowden's asylum is an “unfortunate development” in US-Russia relations, undermining the record of law enforcement cooperation between the two states, which was on an upswing since the Boston bombings.
The White House spokesman stated that Washington would soon contact Russian authorities on the issue.
At the same time, Carney said that the US doesn’t want “Mr Snowden to become a problem” in US relations with Russia, which cover “important and broad” issues.
The spokesman stressed the US doesn’t view Edward Snowden as a whistleblower or dissident, reminding that the NSA former contractor is accused of leaking classified information in his home country.
Next week’s talks between US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, were also “up in the air,” a US official told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Earlier, US Senator John McCain expressed his outrage with Snowden’s Russian asylum and demanded Washington re-examine its relations with Moscow and “strip away the illusions that many Americans have had about Russia.”
“Russia’s action today is a disgrace and a deliberate effort to embarrass the United States,” he said. “It is a slap in the face of all Americans. Now is the time to fundamentally rethink our relationship with Putin’s Russia. We need to deal with the Russia that is, not the Russia we might wish for.”
McCain’s proposed countermeasures include, expansion of the Magnitsky Act, completion of all phases of the US missile defense programs in Eastern Europe and support for Russian “dissidents” like Mikhail Khodorkovsky and Alexei Navalny.
On Thursday, Snowden was granted temporary asylum in Russia and was allowed to enter the country’s territory.
According to the issued documents, the former CIA employee who broke PRISM spying scandal to the world is free to stay in Russia until at least July 31, 2014. Then the asylum status may be extended.
With that in hand, Snowden cannot be handed over to the US authorities, even if Washington files an official request. He can now be transported to the United States only if he agrees to go voluntarily.
On receiving the asylum documents, the former NSA contractor left the airport for an unspecified destination; concerns over his security were cited.
| 1,268,244 |
3D modeling and sculpting it’s an already common procedure used in many industrial outlets these days. Learning how to use can take some time, especially if you come from a crafty background or if you are used to physical work.
The best thing about 3D modeling and designs is that many different angles can fit your needs given the complexity of the challenge you wish to embrace. It’s important to take a single fact into account: mistakes will happen, and you will probably botch more than a single prototype as you improve your modeling skills, you just need to be patient.
As you get better at 3D modeling design, there are a few things that you need to take into account to avoid doing some of the most common mistakes every amateur makes at some point. We are not saying that by taking these tips to the letter some of these won’t happen to you, but if you are aware, there is less likely a chance of them affecting your work. Now pay attention:
Read the Printing Material Guidelines
Crafting a 3D prototype requires the use of polymers and metals in accordance to certain guidelines, you can find online a lot of resources that will explain design rules for the type of part or model you are creating, and if you are a beginner, it would be wise to stick to them.
You should make experimentation out of any 3D modeling process handled by you if you are starting on this world. Any solid 3D printing machine can handle polymers and metals, and while the basic components have low costs, repeated tries can be quite expensive in the end.
Skipping Research about Your Printing Technology
Every 3D printer out there has a different set of specs and not knowing about them would be irresponsible on your behalf if you wish to pursue successful 3D modeling. If you are planning to own one of these devices the best course of action is to learn everything about the chemical compounds it can handle as well as the maintenance it needs between usages.
A lot of printers can handle both metals and plastic resins, but they have to be cleaned between projects. Seasoned specialists recommend having separate devices to handle plastics and metals separately.
Not Paying Attention to Software Guidelines
As we stated in the opening lines, the most common mistake done by amateur 3D designers is facing any software head-on without some prep work. That’s a basic recipe for disaster, especially when you consider the fact that nearly every program for 3D modeling works differently and most of them are created to handle specific components.
While many of these programs can handle basic settings automatically, a lot of them require manual set-up mainly because they are designed for seasoned professionals that look for increased levels of detail. While many of these tools offer excellent guidelines in their own websites they don’t offer all the tricks to manage them properly, you can always look for additional information on Google since is very likely that someone else has already gotten around answering any doubt you might have. | 1,268,245 |
Jon Rohan, a fellow GitHub design-gineer, has a great talk about GitHub’s CSS performance that covers these problems.
Documentation
Speaking of which, we do an okay job of this, but we’re working on making improvements. We have a publicly accessible CSS styleguide and all our general rules for writing CSS live there, as well as examples of most components. It’s built on KSS, a styleguide generator of sorts, and lives right in the github/github code base.
It’s not perfect, but it helps folks find and use things. It’s also a great way to show new folks how we do things to get them up to speed faster (like me when I joined nearly two years ago).
Primer
I alluded to it earlier, but for folks who don’t know, Primer is our internal framework for common styles and components across our public and internal apps. It includes:
Normalize
Global styles for box-sizing, typography, links, etc
, typography, links, etc Navigation
Forms
Grid system
Markdown styles
Custom select menu
We use it on GitHub.com, Gist, and several internal apps. As a rule of thumb, if it can or should be used in another app, we consider putting it in Primer.
Most of Primer’s components are documented in our styleguide (e.g., navigation, tooltips, etc). However, we’ve recently been going to town on updating and improving Primer, so lots of things are in flux there. We’ll be updating that soon to include all the things.
And for those about to ask, I’d love to open source parts of Primer, but there’s not much happening on that front in the near future. I’m hopeful though.
Refactoring
We have our fair share of legacy code at GitHub, and that includes our CSS. Unlike a public open source project with strict versioning rules, we burn shit down regularly if it suites us. Finding things to remove tends to happen one of two ways:
Manually finding things that look alike but actually have different HTML and CSS, then combining them.
Running a script that greps for a class in our CSS to see if it exists in our views. (We’ve recently made this part of our CI tests, so we constantly see it now.)
The actual process of refactoring CSS is probably not unique to GitHub. We find shit to remove, burn it down, open a PR, ping the CSS team, and ship it as fast as we can. As to who removes code, anyone can do it. We have tons of great folks adding to GitHub, but we also have just as many nerds looking at what we can remove. | 1,268,246 |
Ted Cruz goes on the attack in Peterborough and Keene Ted Cruz criticized Sanders and condemned the idea of including women in the draft at his rallies in Peterborough and Keene. Share Shares Copy Link Copy
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WEBVTT JR. AND ERIC WILL HOLD SEVERAL EVENTS ON MONDAY. THE FAMILY CAPS OFF THE DAY WITH THE PRE-PRIMARY RALLY HERE AT 7PM TOMORROW NIGHT. IN MANCHESTER JEAN MACKIN WMUR NEWS9 TOM: TONIGHT, SENATOR TED CRUZ IS TAKING AIM AT THE NEW HAMPSHIRE FRONTRUNNER, ON THE DEMOCRATIC SIDE. WMUR'S SHELLEY WALCOTT TELLS US, THE REPUBLICAN SPOKE AT A STANDING ROOM ONLY TOWN HALL IN PETERBOROUGH, AND A MEET AND GREET IN KEENE. SHELLEY: A HUGE CROWD TURNED OUT TO SEE TED CRUZ IN PETERBOROUGH, AND THEN AT THIS RESTAURANT IN KEENE, AS THE SENATOR TRIES TO EARN MORE VOTES AHEAD OF TUESDAY'S PRIMARY. TED CRUZ WALKED INTO TO THUNDEROUS APPLAUSE AT T PETERBOROUGH TOWN HOUSE, TO BRING HIS VISION FOR AMERICA INTO FOCUS. >> MY NUMBER ONE PRIORITY IN THE U.S. SENATE AND AS PRESIDENT IS ECONOMIC GROWTH. WHY IS THAT? ECONOMIC GROWTH IS FOUNDATIONAL TO EVERYTHING ELSE. SHELLEY: CRUZ TOOK AIM AT THE FRONTRUNNER IN THE DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY, BERNIE SANDERS. >> TO ALL THE YOUNG PEOPLE WHO CANNOT GET A JOB NOW, HOW BAD DO YOU THINK IT WILL BE DOUBLING DOWN ON THE PATH? AS MARGARET THATCHER SAID, THE PROBLEM WITH SOCIALISM IS THAT YOU EVENTUALLY RUN OUT OF OTHER PEOPLE'S MONEY. SHELLEY: CRUZ THEN MOVED FROM DOMESTIC ISSUES TO FOREIGN POLICY, VOWING TO DESTROY ISIS. AND HE TOUCHED ON A TOPIC THAT CAME UP DURING LAST NIGHTS DEBATE, INCLUDING WOMEN IN THE U.S. DRAFT. >> WE HAVE HAD ENOUGH OF POLITICAL CORRECTNESS, ESPECIALLY IN THE MILITARY. THE IDEA THAT WE WOULD DRAFT OUR DAUGHTERS, PUT THEM IN THE MILITARY AND PUT THEM IN CLOSE COMBAT, I THINK IS WRONG.
SIGN UP FOR BREAKING NEWS Get local stories sent straight to your inbox as news breaks. Submit Privacy Notice | 1,268,247 |
Six cores. Twelve threads. A new flagship processor in Intel's stable. Here at GDC in San Francisco, the world's most widely recognized chip maker is dishing out its latest desktop CPU, and to say it's a niche device would be greatly understating things. We spoke to a number of Intel bigwigs at tonight's media event, and everyone confessed that the Core i7-980X Extreme Edition was a low quantity, high performance device aimed specifically at gamers and content editors that simply refuse to live anywhere other than on the cutting edge. Intel's planning on selling these in retail, standalone form for $999 (MSRP), while they'll soon be available in a variety of gaming rigs from the likes of Dell, Alienware and whoever else wishes to keep with the times. As for Apple? The company stated that Steve and Company "sort of call their own shots," and that we'd have to dig at Apple if we really wanted to know what their refreshed Mac Pro would hold. We chuckled, nodded in understanding, and then learned that this here slab of silicon is a bit ahead of the software out there, with Intel noting that only games optimized for 12-thread use and benchmarking utilities that did likewise would really demonstrate the performance boost. 'Course, anyone who spends a great deal of time multitasking will appreciate the extra headroom, and power users can always find ways to make use of more horsepower. Oh, and for what it's worth, the company stated that this will be its lead desktop chip for some time to come, and if you're looking for a mobile version in the near future, you can keep dreaming.As for the critics? Just about everyone with a benchmarking license managed to get one of these in-house, and everyone seems to feel (mostly) the same way. There's no denying that this is Intel's speediest consumer chip ever, but you won't find 50 percent boosts just anywhere. Yet. When the software catches up, though, there's no doubt that this chip will make even the other Core i7s look downright sluggish. 50 percent more cores and 50 percent more threads than the prior kings of the line leads to fantastic gains when serious number crunching is involved (audio and video editors, we're staring at you), with some tests showing upticks in the 30 to 50 percent range. As a bonus, the power consumption here is also extremely reasonable, with the shift to 32nm enabling it to even usepower in some circumstances when compared to the Core i7-975 Extreme Edition. Dig into the glut of reviews below if you've got a cool grand with "chip upgrade" written on it -- you'll be glad you did. Read - Hot Hardware Read - AnandTech Read - Techgage Read - Computer Shopper Read - Bit-Tech Read - PC Perspective Read - Neoseeker Read - Hardcoreware Read - TweakTown Read - PC World Read - TechReport Read - Benchmark Reviews Read - Hardware Canucks Read - Overclockers Club Read - Hexus Read - Legit Reviews | 1,268,248 |
A sunscreen that uses DNA to act as a'second skin' has been made by scientists.
The DNA coating - which is made from salmon sperm - gets better at protecting skin from ultraviolet light the more you expose it to the sun.
When applied to human skin, the coating is also capable of slowing water evaporation and keeping the tissue hydrated for extended periods of time.
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Scientists have developed a DNA coating that gets better at protecting skin from ultraviolet light the more you expose it to the sun (stock image)
WHAT DOES IT DO? Scientists have developed a DNA coating that gets better at protecting skin from ultraviolet light the more you expose it to the sun. When applied to human skin, the coating is also capable of slowing water evaporation and keeping the tissue hydrated for extended periods of time. Researchers want to see if these materials could be used as wound coverings for hostile environments where you want to protect a wound from the sun or keep it moist which will promote healing. Advertisement
Researchers from Binghamton University developed the thin and optically transparent crystalline DNA films and filled them with UV light.
They found that the more they exposed the film to UV light, the better the film got at absorbing it.
'Ultraviolet (UV) light can actually damage DNA, and that's not good for the skin,' said Guy German, assistant professor of biomedical engineering at Binghamton University.
'We thought, let's flip it. What happens instead if we actually used DNA as a sacrificial layer?
'So instead of damaging DNA within the skin, we damage a layer on top of the skin', he said.
Researchers created the film using DNA from salmon sperm, water and ethanol.
The DNA film is also hygroscopic. This means it will allow the skin to hold much more water than un-coated skin.
'If you translate that, it means to me that if you use this as a topical cream or sunscreen, the longer that you stay out on the beach, the better it gets at being a sunscreen'.
The DNA coating - which is made from salmon sperm - gets better at protecting skin from ultraviolet light the more you expose it to the sun
Researchers want to see if these materials could be used as wound coverings for hostile environments.
They could help protect a wound from the sun or keep it moist which will promote healing.
'Not only do we think this might have applications for sunscreen and moisturisers directly, but if it's optically transparent and prevents tissue damage from the sun and it's good at keeping the skin hydrated,' said Dr German.
'We think this might be potentially exploitable as a wound covering for extreme environments', he said.
'This product would need to be developed further and validated before we know whether it might work and help protect people in real life situations', said Nikki Smith, health information officer at Cancer Research UK. | 1,268,249 |
The Halo 3 4v4 and FFA tournaments at DreamHack Dallas took place this weekend. We’ve posted the Top 20 teams and FFA results for you below. For full tournament information, head to the Smash.gg page.
4v4
1st – TOX Gaming – SnakeBite, Lethul, APG, Royal 2 – $25,000
2nd – Falling Esports – Ace, Frosty, Eco, Neighbor – $10,000
3rd – Reciprocity – Lunchbox, Roy, Pistola, Snipedown – $6,000
4th – Denial – Str8SicK, Shele, D3MON D, Aries – $3,000
5th/6th – Sage Esports – Cloud, Commonly, Ryanoob, Goofy – $2,000
5th/6th – Nfinite – bubu dubu, Shotzzy, Tusk, Falcate – $2,000
7th/8th – GMS – Zurka, Gabriel, TriPPPeY, Fantasy – $1,000
7th/8th – Invincible – Jimbo, Respectful, Guntype, Phluxs – $1,000
9th/12th – Nemesis – Eli Elite, Sorrell, Alemite, MaNiPuLaToR I
9th/12th – Lux Gaming – Gilkey, WANwerd, Penguin, Rayne
9th/12th – Fatal Ambition – Sabinater, Famous, Shame, Galaxy
9th/12th – Mason Minotaurs – SwiftKill, Rammyy, Stormy, Munoz
13th/16th – Aggro – Jeesus af, Yung Serve, Chaikuh, J4H
13th/16th – Cutting Edge Esports – Hunter Jjx, Evader, Kaiyeul, Posey
13th/16th – Life Is Good – Weakachu, Lifestyle, Flip, Dynamics
13th/16th – RBG Esports – Display, Employee, Skary, RowaN
17th/20th – Nfinite Academy – ChAoS, Glocksmith, Corruuption, Hypotonic
17th/20th – Bracket Surfers – Ryno, DreN, Psylince, ExceLxD
17th/20th – Vision of Success – jaxxthegoat, JesseSiao, M0ST D0PE, JoeyClutch
17th/20th – Guardians Gaming – Queen x3, RP Common, Blackhalogod, ItsName
FFA
1st – EmptyUglyMonkey – $3,000
2nd – A Savage Cat – $1,500
3rd – ARTLCLE – $500 | 1,268,250 |
SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia's consumer watchdog has sued Samsung Electronics Co Ltd's 005930.KS Australian unit for allegedly misleading consumers by promoting water-resistant Galaxy smartphones as suitable to use in swimming pools and the surf.
The world’s largest smartphone maker did not know or sufficiently test the effects of pool or saltwater exposure on its phones when ads showed them fully submerged, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) lawsuit says.
The case is the first filed by a major regulator and could result in multi-million dollar fines. It centers on more than 300 advertisements in which Samsung showed its Galaxy phones being used at the bottom of swimming pools and in the ocean.
“The ACCC alleges Samsung’s advertisements falsely and misleadingly represented Galaxy phones would be suitable for use in, or for exposure to, all types of water... when this was not the case,” ACCC Chairman Rod Sims said in a statement on Thursday.
Samsung said it stood by its advertising, complied with Australian law and would defend the case.
The South Korean electronics giant has spent heavily on advertising to rebuild public faith in its premium smartphones following the costly recall of its fire-prone Galaxy Note 7 devices in 2016.
It is due to announce preliminary quarterly earnings on Friday, when it is widely expected to flag a profit plunge due to falls in chip prices.
HOT WATER
Samsung’s water resistance claims came under heavy scrutiny as early as 2016 when influential U.S. magazine Consumer Reports said the Galaxy S7 phone - which appears dunked in a fish tank in commercials - had failed an immersion test.
The company attributed that to a manufacturing defect, affecting a small number of phones, which it soon fixed. But customers online continued reporting problems, forum comments show.
Some consumers damaged their phones when exposing them to water and Samsung had refused to honor warranty claims, the ACCC said in the lawsuit, though Samsung said it complied with all of its warranty obligations under Australian law.
The regulator also said Samsung’s advice to some Galaxy model users that the phones were not suitable for beach or pool use suggested the firm considered water could cause damage.
“Samsung showed the Galaxy phones used in situations they shouldn’t be to attract customers,” Sims said.
“Samsung’s advertisements, we believe, denied consumers an informed choice and gave Samsung an unfair competitive advantage.”
The ACCC alleges law breaches occurred in more than 300 advertisements. If proven, each breach after 1 Sept. 2018 can attract a fine of up to A$10 million ($7 million), triple the benefit of the conduct or as much as 10% of annual turnover.
Breaches prior to 1 Sept. 2018 can attract penalties as high as A$1.1 million. Rival Sony settled a U.S. class action over similar claims for its Xperia smartphone range in 2017, promising refunds where the phones had failed. | 1,268,251 |
Landlords can increase their rent next year by as much as 2.6 per cent, the B.C. government says.
The housing ministry announced the maximum rent increase for 2020 in a statement Wednesday, a number it says is tied to the province's annual rate of inflation.
The same rate applies to residents of mobile home parks, plus a proportional amount for the change in local government levies and utility fees, the ministry said.
Landlords must provide three months' notice of rent increases, which can only be applied once a year.
The increase may not be welcome news to renters, especially in Metro Vancouver where a median one-bedroom is now listed at about $2,200 a month, according to listings site PadMapper.com.
An extra 2.6 per cent on the median means a renter would pay $57.20 more a month, or $686.40 a year.
But the NDP government claims it could be worse. It used the announcement to tout its actions earlier this year.
The previous government allowed rent increases of two per cent above inflation, it said. About a year ago, Premier John Horgan announced as of Jan. 1 that extra two per cent would no longer be tacked on to the annual rent increase maximum.
The policy meant that this year, the maximum increase was 2.5 per cent, not 4.5 per cent.
Across B.C. – where the average rent is $1,250, according to the province – renters will "save" up to $300 in 2020 because of this policy, the ministry said. However, if their landlord chooses to apply the maximum increase, they'll still pay another $390 next year.
The executive director of B.C.'s Tenant Resource and Advisory Centre said in a statement that last year's reduction in maximum allowable increases isn't enough, but it's a start.
"Although more can still be done to improve rental affordability in B.C., reducing rent increases by two per cent is a step in the right direction," Andrew Sakamoto said in a statement through the province.
The province says it's also working to protect renters and limit evictions forced by renovations.
The ministry said it's increased compensation for bad-faith evictions, strengthened requirements for eviction notices. The Residential Tenancy Branch is under new guidelines meant to ensure landlords evicting their tenants are completing repairs that actually require the home to be vacant, and there have been improvements made to programs that help low-income seniors and families find rentals.
A new Compliance and Enforcement Unit was also created to investigate illegal renovictions and landlords trying to skirt the rules, hiking rents more than permitted.
"We want renters to feel secure in their homes and to know their rights, and the compliance unit is ensuring that landlords understand that there will be serious consequences for deliberately not following their obligations with the tenancy laws in the province," the unit's director, Scott McGregor, said. | 1,268,252 |
FILE - In this Dec. 9, 2016 file photo, the faces of the presidents that make up the Mount Rushmore monument are shown near Keystone, S.D. The chief carver of Mount Rushmore who was responsible for refining the expressions on the faces of the monument's four presidents was honored Saturday, Sept. 16, 2017, with a plaque that recognizes his work. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)
FILE - In this Dec. 9, 2016 file photo, the faces of the presidents that make up the Mount Rushmore monument are shown near Keystone, S.D. The chief carver of Mount Rushmore who was responsible for refining the expressions on the faces of the monument's four presidents was honored Saturday, Sept. 16, 2017, with a plaque that recognizes his work. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)
KEYSTONE, S.D. (AP) — The chief carver of Mount Rushmore who was responsible for refining the expressions on the faces of the monument’s four presidents was honored Saturday with a plaque that recognizes his work.
Luigi Del Bianco was an Italian immigrant and stone carver whose job included the challenging tasks of sculpting Jefferson’s lips and Lincoln’s life-like eyes. With the help of Del Bianco’s descendants, the National Park Service unveiled a bronze plaque Saturday in his honor. It will be on display at the Lincoln Borglum Visitor Center.
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Del Bianco began working on the sculpture in 1933 and returned to it in 1935. When he was designated chief carver, Mount Rushmore designer Gutzon Borglum wrote: “He will have complete charge of the practical ways and means of dealing with the finesse of carving and instructing the other carvers.”
Almost 400 people worked on Mount Rushmore during 14 years of construction. The National Park Service said workers hoisted others up and down the face of the mountain, drilled, hammered, carved and blew up rock to construct the memorial, which draws more than 3 million visitors from around the world each year.
Park Superintendent Cheryl Schreier said in a statement that the park is proud to recognize Del Bianco’s contributions and “his story highlights the artistry embodied in this iconic tribute to our nation’s history.”
Del Bianco talked about carving Lincoln’s eyes in a 1966 interview with the Herald Statesman in Yonkers, New York.
“I could only see from this far what I was doing, but the eye of Lincoln had to look just right from many miles distant,” he said. “I know every line and ridge, each small bump and all the details of that head (Lincoln’s) so well.”
He also told the newspaper: “I would do it again, even knowing all the hardships involved.... It was a great privilege granted me.” | 1,268,253 |
PARRIS ISLAND, S.C. — Citing his desire “do something different,” an Air Force technical sergeant has inspired the enlisted ranks by leaving his parent service to join the Marines as a private first class.
“I realized what I needed in my life was more bullshit and less money,” Recruit Theodore Palaiologos told reporters right after getting smoked by his drill instructors at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island. “I got tired of the high quality of life and shiny new equipment.”
“Something had to change,” he added.
Palaiologos, often addressed by his DIs as “shitbird,” “fuckstick,” or “Paleo” due to his name and age, originally enlisted in the Air Force at age 17 to seek adventure and opportunity as a combat controller. During his eight years of service, he underwent some of the most rigorous and elite training the military has to offer, deployed with the SEALs and Special Forces, and enjoyed various incentive pays. Furthermore, he was allowed to move off-base as an E-4.
Despite all this, Palaiologos says he “did a lot of soul-searching and realized there had to be something more out there,” so he decided to leave the Air Force for drier pastures.
After being discharged, “Paleo” was still young enough to join the Corps, so he elected to exchange his scarlet beret for the Eagle, Globe, and Anchor.
Upon getting to his first duty station, this veteran of six deployments will find himself living in a condemned barracks instead of a house, picking up cigarette butts instead of jumping out of airplanes, and getting called a “boot” by lance corporals who don’t have half the training he does.
In spite of losing his old privileges and starting at the bottom of another totem pole, “Paleo” is looking to join a high-speed unit like Force Recon or the Marine Raiders when the opportunity presents itself.
“I won’t be at square one for long,” he says optimistically. “I’ll get my old rank back in no time.”
At press time, some of Palaiologos’ fellow recruits say he secretly joined the Corps so he could wear the coveted Marine Blues Dress Uniform and “finally get laid.”
UPDATE: Months after this was written, now-Pfc. Palaiologos has graduated boot camp. He has changed his employment on Facebook to “Marine Corps Recruiting” and shared numerous motivational memes about being a Marine. Palailogos was last spotted in the food court, carrying a USMC backpack and standing at parade rest with his civilian pants bloused while several lance corporals openly ridiculed him. | 1,268,254 |
of the US-Asean Sunnylands Summit. While the artificial islands are inconsequential in military terms, they are a potent reminder to Asean that China is a geographic fact, whereas the US presence in the SCS is the consequence of a geopolitical calculation. This is an idea that China never tires of seeding in ways subtle or direct.
The implications of this idea should not be exaggerated; nor can they be shrugged off as entirely invalid either. Until relatively recently, the US took a somewhat hands-off approach to disputes in the SCS. When China first clashed with Asean over Mischief Reef in 1995, it took some persuading to get the US to declare a position of principle. Moreover, it is, I think, a geopolitical calculation that, despite all the media hullabaloo and tough talk including by the President himself, engages no US interest that is fundamentally irreconcilable with Chinese interests.
American and Chinese interests are not symmetrical. The SCS is more important to China than to the US. If I am correct that the SCS issue is ultimately connected to the legitimacy of CCP rule, it is an existential issue for China; a "core interest", although China now denies it has applied that term to the SCS, no doubt in order to avoid unduly exciting us natives.
The US takes no position on the merits of the various claims of sovereignty but defines its interests in terms of upholding international law and freedom of navigation (FON). These are important interests but not on the same level as the basic underlying Chinese interest. FON and the integrity of international law are certainly not existential interests threatening the survival of the American system. I doubt that they are even interests that the US must defend at all costs.
LIVING WITH CHINA
Modern South-east Asian history can be understood as a quest for autonomy in which process the formation of Asean was a crucial step. But so can modern Chinese history also be understood as a search to restore the autonomy lost in the 19th century and early 20th century. Asean and China have no choice but to live with each other. We are not enemies, but relations between big and small neighbours cannot but be uneasy. Where the balance of autonomies will be eventually struck between Asean and China is the central issue in the relationship that will in turn determine the extent to which the regional architecture remains open and inclusive.
This is one aspect of the uncertainty and ambiguity that my first lecture argued are the most salient characteristics of the post-Cold War world. To reach and maintain an acceptable balance requires Asean to meet what I described in that lecture as the basic strategic challenge of our times: avoiding being forced into invidious choices and keeping open the maximum range of options.
•Bilahari Kausikan is ambassador- at-large and policy adviser in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Singapore. He is also the Institute of Policy Studies' 2015/16 S R Nathan Fellow for the Study of Singapore. | 1,268,255 |
Hope Solo, the star goalie who led the U.S. soccer team to the Women's World Cup title in July, will again face domestic violence charges after a Washington state appeals court on Friday reversed a lower court's decision to dismiss a case in which she was alleged to have beaten up her nephew and half-sister.
Solo initially faced two counts of domestic violence in the fourth degree after an incident in June 2014 at the home of her half-sister, Teresa Obert. Solo told police on the scene she was the victim, but after interviews with all parties, she was charged with two counts of domestic violence. But as the case was nearing trial in January, a judge dismissed the charges on procedural grounds. City prosecutors, in a rare move, immediately appealed the decision.
A document filed Friday to the state court's website does not offer a timetable for a new trial, saying only "The court reverses the decision of the lower court and remands the case to the Kirkland (Washington) Municipal Court."
Obert said Friday she had no comment.
In June, Outside the Lines examined the domestic violence case in detail and offered new information about the night in question. In an exclusive extended interview for that story, which also reported that Solo had to be restrained while in jail, Obert said her half-sister was in a drunken rage when she attacked Obert's 17-year-old son and herself.
"She grabbed him by the head and she kept slamming him into the cement over and over again," Obert told Outside the Lines. "So I came from behind her, and I pulled her over and, you know, to get her off my son. And then, once she got off, she started punching me in the face over and over again."
"We are shocked and disappointed by the judge's ruling this morning," Todd Maybrown, Solo's attorney, said in a statement. "However, we maintain our position that the charges in this case should have never been filed, that the original trial court's dismissal of the case was correct, and we plan to file an appeal of today's decision with the Court of Appeals."
Solo, though, has repeatedly denied she did anything wrong and used the case's original dismissal to begin to repair her image.
She told ABC's "Good Morning America" host Robin Roberts that she was a victim, not a criminal; an embattled woman who, as she always predicted, would be vindicated; a falsely accused athlete who had her day in court, faced the facts head on and was liberated by the truth.
In an espnW profile in June, Solo again denied assaulting anyone and spoke of her frustration with media coverage of the incident and how she has been portrayed: "From here on out, no matter what happens, I'll forever be associated with domestic violence."
Solo and the Seattle Reign played in the National Women's Soccer League championship game Thursday, losing 1-0 to Kansas City. | 1,268,256 |
Iraq’s Kurdish leader, Masoud Barzani, has claimed victory in a referendum on independence – before votes have been tallied – amid threats from Baghdad to take over the region’s borders and a demand from Turkey to “give up or go hungry”.
With a result supporting independence expected on Wednesday, Iraqi Kurdistan’s neighbours have stepped up calls for the result to be set aside and have pledged to take active steps to cripple the region’s economy.
Fearful neighbours look on as Iraq’s Kurds stake claim to nationhood Read more
“If Barzani and the Kurdish regional government do not go back on this mistake as soon as possible, they will go down in history with the shame of having dragged the region into an ethnic and sectarian war,” said the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
“It will be over when we close the oil taps, all [their] revenues will vanish, and they will not be able to find food when our trucks stop going to northern Iraq.”
Speaking after Erdoğan’s comments and an address by the Iraqi prime minister, Haider al-Abadi, Barzani appealed for “peace and dialogue” after the inevitable result is declared.
“We assure the international community that we are committed to a dialogue process with Baghdad,” he said. “Threats will solve nothing.”
Bilateral trade between Turkey and the KRG is worth more than $10bn (£7.4bn) a year. Oil is the lifeblood of the struggling region’s economy, with most of it sent by pipeline to Turkey and onwards from a Mediterranean port. Turkey exports food to the region and a suspension of trade would also deal it an economic blow.
Turkey had believed Barzani was engaged in brinkmanship as the referendum drew near, and Erdoğan claimed to have been surprised that it went ahead. However, the depth of trade ties and the risk that any sort of escalation could spin out of hand have led leaders in Erbil to believe that the bellicose rhetoric will subside in coming weeks.
Under mounting domestic pressure to take action against the Kurds, Abadi said he would not enter into negotiations. He refused to detail measures that Baghdad could take in retaliation for the result being ratified. Iraq’s central government has demanded that control of Erbil and Sulaimaniya airports be handed over to it by Friday, raising the prospect that airspace could be closed over the Kurdish north, along with land crossings to the rest of Iraq.
The Kurds consider the referendum to be a historic landmark in a centuries-old quest for independence. They have enjoyed autonomy in the north of Iraq since 2003 but Kurdish leaders have repeatedly accused Baghdad of violating agreements on oil and revenue sharing. Baghdad has in turn accused Erbil of violating the constitution drawn up after the ousting of Saddam Hussein.
| 1,268,257 |
Previous weeks:
This week was totally awesome!
Dmitry has redrawn lots of graphics and the game looks a lot better now.
We’ve also decided to make character proportions more realistic which is also great.
Here’s the graphics comparison
I’ve also made invetory system and inventory menu.
It was pretty easy to implement. I created InventoryComponent which has std::vector<std::string> of item names. When drawing inventory, I get all the important info about the items from scripts by item name. Giving items to player is also easy, it’s just one line in script!
addToInventory(playerId, "DUCK")
Checking if player has item is also easy:
hasItem(playerId, "DUCK")
This function can be called in script so I can check this when player interacts with npcs. Something like that:
-- something in.lua script if(hasItem(playerId, "DUCK") then say("Where did you get that duck"?) end
I’ve also made chests.
Chest actually has three states: closed, opening and open
Opening state is important because I can show the item which player gets and then I call “open” function from script which gives some item to player and sets chest in “open” state. It’s also important when loading saved files. I need to set all opened chest states to “open” so player doesn’t get another item or hear opening sound.
Doors are very similar to chests but they have a neat feature which chests don’t. Doors can be automatically opened on some conditions. As you may see in the.gif above, the door opens when player kills the enemy. How does it work? Pretty easy. I have “isOpened” function in script which is called every frame. Something like that:
isOpened = function() if(killedEveryone()) then return true end end
When it returns true, the door goes to “Opening” state and opens.
I was worried that this will slow down the game but it’s actually working pretty fast and the game runs normally.
I’ve also made neat transition effects when player goes to another level.
Thanks to guys from SFML forum who helped me achieve this (SFML already had pixelation shader so I didn’t need to write it from scratch)
And that’s all for that week. There’s not a lot left to implement to make a fully playable level! I think it will be ready by the end of this month and I will release the build to hear what people will say about the game. (I’ll probably get lots of critique, but that’s great if it’s constuctive!) | 1,268,258 |
What makes stevia taste so extremely sweet? And how does the sweetener keep our blood sugar level under control? Researchers at KU Leuven (University of Leuven, Belgium) have discovered that stevia stimulates a protein that is essential for our perception of taste and is involved in the release of insulin after a meal. These results create new possibilities for the treatment of diabetes.
Stevia extract is very popular as a non-caloric substitute for sugar. The plant-based sweetener is also believed to have a positive effect on blood sugar levels, although nobody understood why. Koenraad Philippaert and Rudi Vennekens from the KU Leuven Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine have now revealed the underlying mechanism. They collaborated with other KU Leuven scientists and with researchers from Université catholique de Louvain and University of Oxford.
"Our experiments have shown that the active components of stevia extract, stevioside and steviol, stimulate the ion channel TRPM5," Dr Philippaert explains. "The proteins known as ion channels are a kind of microscopic pathway through which minuscule charged particles enter and leave the cell." These channels are behind many processes in the body."
"TRPM5 is first and foremost essential for the taste perception of sweet, bitter, and umami on the tongue," Philippaert continues. "The taste sensation is made even stronger by the stevia component steviol, which stimulates TRPM5. This explains the extremely sweet flavour of stevia as well as its bitter aftertaste."
TRPM5 also ensures that the pancreas releases enough insulin, for instance after a meal. Therefore, it helps prevent abnormally high blood sugar levels and the development of type 2 diabetes. This condition develops if the pancreas releases insufficient amounts of insulin, often as a result of an unhealthy lifestyle.
"If mice consume a high-fat diet for a long period of time they eventually develop diabetes," Professor Vennekens explains. "But this is less the case for mice that also receive a daily dose of stevioside: they are protected against diabetes. Stevia did not have this protective effect on mice without TRPM5. This indicates that the protection against abnormally high blood sugar levels and diabetes is due to the stimulation of TRPM5 with stevia components."
The study opens up perspectives for the development of new treatments to control or possibly prevent diabetes. "But we must not get ahead of ourselves," warns Philippaert. "This is fundamental research, and there is still a long way to go before we can think of new treatments for diabetes. For one thing, the dosages that the mice received are much higher than the amount of stevioside found in beverages and other products for human consumption. Further research is necessary in order to show if our findings readily apply to humans. All this means that new treatments for diabetes will not be for the very near future." | 1,268,259 |
, Somerville said, he approves of the broad thrust of the NDP’s demand-management approach, saying it’s introducing more progressivity into the property-tax system. But he acknowledged that at this stage, it’s hard to comment on precise details.
“You would want to see the government do a certain set of things and see how they work,” he added. “Tighten or loosen [regulations] after a period of analysis rather than coming in with a huge cleaver and completely slicing off a huge part of demand in one stroke.”
Ramlo, however, is concerned that the government’s emphasis on curbing demand for housing could have unforeseen economic consequences. He said he would have preferred more emphasis on creating more housing.
“The Gen X and the millennial generations are larger than the post–World War II boom generation,” he noted.
According to Ramlo, that likely adds up to more households forming, though he still hasn’t completed his analysis of Statistics Canada’s latest data in this regard.
Ramlo also emphasized that the massive amount of mortgage-free equity held in residential real estate in this region is propelling demand. According to Rennie Marketing Systems, that figure has reached $355 billion.
This provides parents and grandparents with the financial freedom to give young people vast sums of money, maybe $100,000 or more, to get them into the housing market and out of their basements.
“The kid can take that $100,000 and buy the same unit that they would have previously done and reduce their mortgage by $100,000,” Ramlo said. “Or rather than spending $349,000, they can now go spend $449,000. It ratchets the price up.”
He added that if the government wants to keep its promise to work with partners to create 114,000 housing units over a decade, it’s going to have to do more to address the labour market for construction workers.
“We’ve got the lowest unemployment rate in B.C. that we’ve had in the recent past,” he said. “So there are challenges on that side as well.”
Wilkinson’s open letter pointed out that the construction industry contributes $23 billion to the provincial gross domestic product, yet he accused the NDP of “doing what they can to unfairly target builders and drastically shrink housing supply”.
The B.C. government, however, is advising people to be patient.
“Home prices didn’t spike overnight, and our housing problems can’t be fixed in a single budget,” Robinson declares in the preamble to the government’s 30-point plan for addressing this issue. “It will take years of sustained action to bring housing affordability home.” | 1,268,260 |
Australia plans to strip citizenship from Australian-born children of immigrants who become fighters for the militant group Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in its crackdown on homegrown jihadis, a minister said on Thursday.
The government wants to change the Citizenship Act to make fighting for ISIS a reason for losing citizenship, Immigration Minister Peter Dutton said.
The government also wants to adopt the British legal model by revoking the citizenship of extremists who are Australian-born children of immigrants or an immigrant, forcing them to take up citizenship in the birth country of their parents, or parent, Dutton said.
It also would apply to dual citizens. "The principle for us, which is very important, is that we don't render people stateless," Dutton told Sydney Radio 2GB.
Australia can currently only revoke citizenship in cases of fraud in the citizenship application or where an Australian citizen joins the armed forces of another country to fight Australia.
Because the Islamic State movement is not recognized as a state, membership is not a ground for losing Australian citizenship, Dutton said
"I can hardly walk down the street without people saying: 'Why do you let these people back into our country? They come back more radicalized,"' Dutton said.
"They are a huge threat to Australian citizens. We should act and that's what the government is doing," he added.
George Williams, a University of New South Wales constitutional law professor, said the Parliament could probably change the law on revoking citizenship without any constitutional obstacle. The Australian constitution makes no mention of citizenship.
But critics argue that Australia should prosecute and imprison its terrorists rather than shunt them to other countries.
Many Australians charged with or suspected of terrorism crimes are the Australian-born children of parents who fled conflicts in Lebanon and Afghanistan.
The 17-year-old son of a Syrian-born doctor arrested at the family home in Melbourne city two weeks ago became Australia's latest accused terrorist. Police allege he had three pipe bombs concealed at the house and was planning an attack soon.
The teen, whose name cannot be released, became the 23rd suspect charged with terrorism-related offences in Australia since September when the national terrorism threat was elevated to the second highest level because of the Islamic State danger. A third of the terrorism charges in Australia filed since the al-Qaeda attacks on the United States in 2001 have come since September.
ISIS militants have had conspicuous success in recruiting in Australia, which has 24 million people. The majority are Christian while two per cent are Muslim.
The London-based International Centre for the Study of Radicalization and Political Violence estimates that between 100 and 250 Australians have joined Sunni militants in Iraq and Syria. The centre estimates only 100 U.S. fighters have arrived from an American population more than 13-times larger.
Counterterrorism units were posted at Australian airports after the terror alert was raised in September. The government said on Thursday 288 passengers had been prevented from leaving Australia on security grounds since then. | 1,268,261 |
Scout will attack invaders and those pesky undead!A little Scout and Lt. Rin action in this clip
Along with getting Scout into the game we have gotten NEW music for simple game-play and for battle!
Stay tuned for our new trailer that will be coming out soon www.zombiecompanycrusade.com « Last Edit: July 24, 2015, 12:05:13 PM by LtRin » Logged Game on
LtRin
Level 0 Re: Zombie Company Crusade: Next Level RTS Mobile Gaming « Reply #15 on: August 07, 2015, 07:21:39 AM » Very happy to let y'all know that Zombie Company Crusade has been released in Australia and Canada!
After this soft launch ZCC will be hard launched worldwide!
Also, Don't let the "Ready For Sale" label fool you! Zombie Company Crusade is FREE to download and play! After this soft launch ZCC will be hard launched worldwide!Also, Don't let the "Ready For Sale" label fool you! Zombie Company Crusade isto download and play!
A few things we have found and are currently working on:
-The numbers for attack/ zombie defenses are a little off on the achievements star count. (i.e. After battle its says you have gotten 2 stars and in attack/defense log it says that you only gained 1)
-Fine tuning the numbers so battles are even.
-Placing correct representative icons on corresponding Campaign Map levels.
-Adding more Campaign Map levels.
-Adjusting appearance of Campaign Map.
... So pretty much just fixing a lot of Campaign Mode stuff!
Additionally we are going to start putting together some Meet Your Troops videos so that y'all can see te benefit of using certain troops!
We cannot wait to hear the feedback from our Australian and Canadian gamers!
Cheers
www.zombiecompanycrusade.com
www.twitter.com/ZombieCoCrusade
www.facebook.com/zombiecompanycrusade A few things we have found and are currently working on:-The numbers for attack/ zombie defenses are a little off on the achievements star count. (i.e. After battle its says you have gotten 2 stars and in attack/defense log it says that you only gained 1)-Fine tuning the numbers so battles are even.-Placing correct representative icons on corresponding Campaign Map levels.-Adding more Campaign Map levels.-Adjusting appearance of Campaign Map.... So pretty much just fixing a lot of Campaign Mode stuff!Additionally we are going to start putting together some Meet Your Troops videos so that y'all can see te benefit of using certain troops!We cannot wait to hear the feedback from our Australian and Canadian gamers!Cheers « Last Edit: August 07, 2015, 07:37:41 AM by LtRin » Logged Game on | 1,268,262 |
The Los Angeles Department of City Planning has published a draft environmental impact report detailing plans for a skyline-altering development next to Pershing Square.
JMF Development Co., which owns the Pershing Square Building at 5th and Hill Streets, hopes to construct a 53-story tower on the vacant, L-shaped lot which wraps the historic structure. The proposed development could be built under two different scenarios, one in which the building contains both a hotel and condominiums on its upper levels, and another in which it be comprised wholly of residential units.
Option A: 31 two-, three-, and four-bedroom condominiums with a 190-room hotel, guest amenities, 29,232 square feet of restaurant space, and parking for 126 vehicles.
31 two-, three-, and four-bedroom condominiums with a 190-room hotel, guest amenities, 29,232 square feet of restaurant space, and parking for 126 vehicles. Option B: 160 one- two-, three-, and four-bedroom condominiums with amenities, 20,431 square feet of ground-floor retail space, and parking for 187 vehicles.
Arquitectonica is designing the proposed 784-foot-tall glass-and-steel tower, which is highlighted by a collection of cantilevered, glass-bottom pools for residents on the building's upper levels. While some of the protrusions would extend over the Pershing Square Building, none would hover above the public right-of-way.
Due to the tight dimensions of the project site, the project's restaurant space would be located within an open-air space cut into the center of the tower, with room for outdoor dining and view terraces, designed by landscape architecture firm MJS Design Group. The multi-story space provides an opportunity for light to pass through the building's core.
Parking for the tower would be located in two below-grade levels and an eight-story podium, which would be screened from view at both 5th and Hill Streets.
“This project will bring those passions to life through a design that was inspired by the iconic California mid-century architecture," said JMF founder Jeffrey FIsh in a released statement. "With 5th and Hill, we are reimagining those classic California designs and their porous indoor-outdoor lifestyle celebrating our beautiful climate in a sleek, vertical tower that evokes the best of the last century while looking forward with innovative design and engineering.”
Construction of the 5th and HIll development would occur over a period of roughly 30 months. Project completion is currently anticipated in 2023, according to a release from JMF Development.
The project comes as the City of Los Angeles continues its pursuit of yet another redesign of Pershing Square, which calls for opening the fortress-like park to the street.
Pershing Square's surroundings are also in a state of change, most notably in the form of the Park Fifth development, which is slated to open across the street in 2019. | 1,268,263 |
Surprising Ways to Be Wise: The Wisest One in the Room: How You Can Benefit from Social Psychology’s Most Powerful Insights
by Thomas Gilovich and Lee Ross
Free Press, 2015 ($26)
To appreciate how good this book is, you need to know a bit about social psychology—the rock-star branch of psychology that has produced a long list of headline-grabbing research, including Stanley Milgram's classic 1960s experiments at Yale University showing how easily people in lab coats can pressure average citizens into apparently shocking innocent people to death. Speaking of stars, these experiments were dramatized in a 1976 movie featuring William Shatner as Milgram and again last October in Experimenter, which starred Peter Sarsgaard and Winona Ryder.
Social psychology is all about psychological processes that become evident only when people are in social situations. It seeks to discover general principles of human behavior by conducting what are often fiendishly clever experiments with small groups. Unfortunately, many of these principles turn out to be obvious in retrospect, and some of the most famous experiments have proved hard to replicate. One of the highest-profile social psychology experiments of all time—the Stanford Prison Experiment (also now a major motion picture)—doesn't meet even minimal standards of good scientific research. It lacked a control group, for example.
Now that you know the discipline's dark side, dig deeply into this new volume by prominent social psychologists Gilovich of Cornell University and Ross of Stanford University. In nine very readable chapters, they have mined their field for the gold nuggets—surprising, practical principles derived from many of the best studies in their specialty.
The book sparkles with examples, but here are just three: If you want people to develop a genuine interest in something, give them only small rewards for their participation; big rewards get people more interested in the rewards than in the activity. If you want people to be more honest, have them sign an honesty statement before they begin a task; pledging truthfulness at the completion of a task—like we all do on our tax returns—has little effect. And if you want to influence which candidate people will vote for, it matters greatly whether those people focus on whom to select versus whom to reject. Even though I've taught psychology courses for decades, the authors surprised me repeatedly with these kinds of practical guidelines, all supported by experiments they describe in clear, nontechnical terms.
On the downside, the end of the book gets political, even preachy, when Gilovich and Ross start to apply their principles to specific issues, such as Middle East conflicts and climate change—topics on which, they admit, they have strong personal views. But even here there are surprises. Social psychology suggests, for example, that extreme tactics by environmentalists are “misplaced.” Instead of dire warnings about our great-grandchildren's fate, “gentle nudges and modest incentives” are the real keys to controlling climate change. Read, be surprised and become wiser. | 1,268,264 |
By collecting enough coins, you will eventually earn the following achievements: Candlekeeper, Oathguard, Blazebinder, Kilnmaster, and Fire-Watcher.
9. Remaining Achievements
All of the achievements have already been explained in the guide, except for Killing Time, Going To Need A Bigger Bag, and Zarhym Altogether.
Killing Time is very easy, as none of the mobs you need to kill is hidden or hard to find. You simply need to explore the isle thoroughly.
Going To Need A Bigger Bag is probably the hardest achievement of them all. It requires you to obtain dozens of items from mobs or chests on the island and will demand a lot of patience.
9.1. Zarhym Altogether
To complete Zarhym Altogether, you need to help Zarhym find his body. He is located on the right, as you enter the Cavern of Lost Spirits.
After talking to him, you will be sent to a spirit realm, where you have 5 minutes to find Zarhym's body, which is located in the room that is the furthest away from the entrance of the cave (see screenshot below for specific location of Zarhym). In order to make your way there, you will need to avoid many spirits. They are all surrounded by a beam of light. Entering it will cause them to detect you and remove you from the spirit realm. Should you fail your assignment (by taking too long or by being spotted by a spirit), then you will not be able to try again before the next day.
10. Conclusion
If you have read us this far, we would like to thank you for the time you spent on the site and we hope that the guide brought you all the information you needed.
11. Changelog
02 Mar. 2014: Added that Kukuru's chests can give a Burden of Eternity.
Added that Kukuru's chests can give a Burden of Eternity. 04 Feb. 2014: Added a mention of the Path of the Mistwalker daily quest in the Shaohao reputation section.
Added a mention of the Path of the Mistwalker daily quest in the Shaohao reputation section. 04 Dec. 2013: Added reputation requirements for Emperor Shaohao items.
Added reputation requirements for Emperor Shaohao items. 04 Oct. 2013: Various fixes from comments on forums.
Various fixes from comments on forums. 14 Sep. 2013: Timeless items can be used to create trinkets. Explanations for gaining access to the Mysterious Den have been linked at relevant places of the guide.
Timeless items can be used to create trinkets. Explanations for gaining access to the Mysterious Den have been linked at relevant places of the guide. 12 Sep. 2013: Explained how to break the cave-in that prevents access to the Mysterious Den.
+ show all entries
- show only first 2 entries | 1,268,265 |
The profile paints Warren as something of a seat-of-the-pants politician. | John Shinkle/POLITICO Report fuels Warren 2016 prospects
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), described by progressives and Washington insiders as the person best situated to challenge Hillary Clinton from within her own party, may not let the uphill nature of such a contest keep her from running, according to a new report.
A lengthy Warren profile by Noam Scheiber, a senior editor at The New Republic, leans into the prospect that the ambitious newly-minted senator might not be deterred by the repeated refrain, “But you’ll lose if you run.” The story paints Warren – whose image management is matched by her populist conviction – as Clinton’s “nightmare” scenario, just five years after she was upended by President Barack Obama.
“She has an immense – I can’t put it in words – a sense of destiny,” Scheiber quotes a former Warren aide saying. “If Hillary or the man on the moon is not representing her stuff, and her people don’t have a seat at table, she’ll do what she can to make sure it’s represented.”
( QUIZ: Do you know Elizabeth Warren?)
“Yeah, Hillary is running. And she’ll probably win,” the aide added. “But Elizabeth doesn’t care about winning. She doesn’t care whose turn it is.”
Warren was among a large group of Senate Democratic women who wrote a letter to Clinton recently urging the former Secretary of State to run, and she has repeatedly said she will not be a candidate in 2016. Most Democratic insiders have a hard time seeing Warren running against Clinton, who remains the overwhelming favorite, even with some angst from the base.
But that hasn’t stopped wishful pleas from some progressives who’ve never warmed to Clinton, or who don’t like that she’s maintained ties to Wall Street and has given several addresses to major banks as part of her paid speaking circuit.
( PHOTOS: 2016: Who’s next?)
Scheiber paints Warren as something of a seat-of-the-pants politician who worries less about toe-stepping than about making her point.
Warren, who was interviewed by Scheiber for the piece, appears to have given no indication of what her thinking is, when press on “what would happen if the likely 2016 nominee is wrong on her issues.”
( PHOTOS: Who’s talking about Hillary 2016?)
“You’ve asked me about the politics,” she told Scheiber. “All I can do is take you back to the principle part of this…I know what I am in Washington to do: I’m here to fight for hard-working families.” | 1,268,266 |
Subaru is finally getting serious about transforming its STI division into a full-fledged, performance-focused sub-brand. STI boss Yoshio Hirakawa recently revealed that the Japanese automaker has approved both the development of at least three stand-alone STI models, and the launch of a long list of aftermarket parts for virtually all current members of its lineup.
Speaking to Australian website Motoring, Hirakawa explained the next STI-badged model will most likely be a faster version of the Legacy sedan. The executive stopped short of revealing precisely what will lie under the hood, but he hinted that a turbocharged evolution of the stock model’s 2.5-liter flat-four engine is a likely possibility. However, an STI-tuned version of the Legacy-based Outback wagon has been categorically ruled out.
The Levorg that’s sold in a handful of global markets — including Japan and Europe — will also receive the STI treatment. Since it’s based on the WRX, it’s not too far-fetched to speculate that the sportier version of Subaru’s smallest wagon will get a 2.5-liter turbocharged flat-four engine tuned to make 305 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 290 pound-feet of torque at 4,000 rpm. The engine will be plucked straight from the WRX STI (pictured) parts bin.
Surprisingly, Hirakawa admitted that STI is developing a more powerful version of the BRZ, a slow-selling coupe that’s also sold as the Scion FR-S. While Subaru can’t equip the BRZ with a regular, exhaust-driven turbocharger due to space constraints, the automaker’s engineers are looking at fitting the four-cylinder engine with a state-of-the-art electric turbocharger that’s a lot more compact. The technology is under study, but it hasn’t been given the green light for production yet.
Hirakawa explains that STI-badged cars need more than a few extra ponies under the hood. Moving forward, all STI models will get thorough suspension upgrades designed to noticeably improve handling, brake modifications and a better-sounding exhaust system. Additionally, his team is working hard to ensure Subaru’s CVT transmission is up to the task of powering a model that has been massaged by STI.
“I want [the CVT] to feel more like a manual gearbox. It should launch faster and have a more positive shift feel,” said Hirakawa.
Now, for the bad news. Although Subaru wants STI to become a global brand, there’s no indication that the company will sell the Legacy STI on our shores, and the Levorg STI won’t make the trip across the Pacific because the regular model isn’t sold here.
Editors' Recommendations | 1,268,267 |
Aetna's 50,000 employees already use Apple Watches as part of their corporate wellness program, but Aetna may soon extend that perk to its customers. According to a CNBC report, the health insurer has been in talks with Apple to provide free or discounted Apple Watches to its 23 million customers as a member perk.
Aetna sees Apple Watches as a way to further encourage its customers to take more interest in leading healthier lives and tracking their diets better. Calling out diet tracking is peculiar since the Apple Watch doesn't offer diet tracking, but there are plenty of third-party apps that function as food diaries on your wrist. Either way, Aetna clearly sees the value in the ease of exercise and diet tracking that the Apple Watch could provide its customers.
Aetna reportedly met with Apple executives and hospital chief medical information officers late last week in Southern California to discuss the plan. Apple's Myoung Cha, with the title "special projects, health," led the meeting.
Apple and Aetna already have a solid partnership that provides Apple Watches to the company's employees. This initiative started earlier this year, and the plan was to start subsidizing Apple Watches for a small number of Aetna customers as well. That may have been the trial-run of this new plan, and now the next phases may begin soon. Aetna reportedly plans to provide Apple Watches to all customers starting in early 2018.
Nearly a year ago, an Aetna spokesperson also told Ars that the company would be developing a suite of Aetna apps specifically for iOS for its employees and customers to use along with the Apple Watch. As described, these apps were more medically focused than most already in the App Store. They focused on "care management and wellness" to guide users through a new diagnosis; medical adherence to remind users to take medications and refill prescriptions; personalized health plan on-boarding to help users get the most out of their insurance benefits; and Apple Wallet integration that lets users check deductibles and pay bills. If those apps are indeed the ones Aetna customers use with their free or subsidized Apple Watches, it could give them more of a push to learn more about their health as well as what their insurer can provide to help them get healthier.
CNBC's report didn't specify which Apple Watch models would be provided to Aetna customers. Rumors about the next Apple Watch update have been swirling: some say the new model (probably named the Series 3) could have standalone LTE connectivity, allowing it to connect to the Internet without an iPhone nearby. Additional rumors mention the noninvasive, continuous blood sugar monitoring system Apple has been reportedly developing for the Watch. This technology could help diabetics monitor their blood glucose levels, but anything billed as a medical device would have to go through trials and be approved by the FDA first. While Apple could possibly integrate this into an Apple Watch or other device in the future, the feature probably won't make it into the next Apple Watch model. | 1,268,268 |
Some room-silencing deadpan answers to a series of questions on cycling from UKIP’s local election candidate in East Chesterton, Cambridgeshire. 78-year-old Peter Burkinshaw is taking no prisoners:
Q: What experience do you have of cycling in the Cambridgeshire area?
A: None.
Q: Would you agree that creating very high-quality cycling routes to encourage new people to cycle offers by far the best cost-benefit ratio for transport improvements that facilitate growth of the City and surrounding areas?
A: You are asking for benefits paid for by other road users. I would prefer more car parks.
Q: Do you support our view that traffic policing, of all groups of road users (cyclists, drivers, etc), should become a greater police priority?
A: Cyclists are by far the most undisciplined road users. On several occasions, I have had to stop or dodge cyclists riding through red lights when crossing at pedestrian crossings. More police attention to cyclists would be useful.
Q: Do you and your party support a new London-style bike plan for Cambridgeshire?
A: No. This proposal amounts to theft from the people who pay to use roads and the benefit given to those who don’t.
Q: Do you support our proposal for ‘The Chisholm Trail’, a cycling and walking linear park that would run roughly along the railway?
A: Only if cyclists pay for it.
Q: Do you support the provision of a cycle bridge over the River Cam and related cycleways alongside or near the railway bridge?
A: Again, only if you don’t expect everybody else to pay for it.
Q: What would you do to ensure the developer fixes these [cycling signs] before the County Council adopts this, to avoid taxpayers paying to deal with these problems in future years?
A: Nothing.
Q: Do you support our view that legal cycling should remain permitted, that the signs should read ‘Cyclists give way to pedestrians’ and that conflict would be reduced by removing barriers to increase the amount of space here?
A: I don’t use Green Dragon bridge, so am not able to make an informed comment. However, I am constantly subjected to verbal abuse from cyclist riding of the footbridge at Jesus Lock when I ask them to stop ignoring the please dismount signs.
Q: Do you have any other general cycling-related comments or points?
A: Why are there cycle tracks on Hill’s road on both the road and footpath? Road space is required for motorised vehicles who pay for it. It shouldn’t be wasted on people who don’t. Just for your information, I walk to most places in Cambridge, but you should bear in mind that if everybody cycled, there would be no roads to ride on. | 1,268,269 |
The Trump administration is allowing a Michigan trophy hunter to import the remains from his $400,000 rare black rhinoceros kill, according to recent reports.
Chris Peyerk applied for a permit from the Fish and Wildlife Service to import the remains– the horns, skin, and skull – of a rare black rhino he hunted in the Mangetti National Park last year, May 2018. He reportedly paid $400,000 to gain permission to hunt the endangered animal.
NBC News reports:
The International Union for Conservation of Nature lists black rhinos as a critically endangered species, with about 5,500 remaining in the wild. Nearly half of those are in Namibia, which is allowed under international convention to permit five male rhinos a year to be legally killed by hunters. The specific subspecies Peyrek listed on his application, the south-western black rhinoceros, is listed as “vulnerable” by the IUCN, meaning it is at less threat of extinction than the rest of the species as a whole.
Kitty Block – President and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States and CEO of Humane Society International – denounced the Trump administration’s decision.
“We urge our federal government to end this pay-to-slay scheme that delivers critically endangered rhino trophies to wealthy Americans while dealing a devastating blow to rhino conservation,” Block said.
She continued:
With fewer than 2,000 black rhinos left in Namibia – and with rhino poaching on the rise – now is the time to ensure that every living black rhino remains safe in the wild. While we cannot turn back the clock to save this animal, the Administration can stop the U.S. from further contributing to the demise of this species by refusing future import permits of black rhino trophies. Black rhinos must be off limits to trophy hunters.
Humane Society Legislative Fund President Sara Amundson also condemned the decision, accusing the Trump administration of issuing “another blow to wildlife protection by granting its third permit to import a critically endangered black rhino trophy.”
“If the executive branch is going to cater to special interests rather than protecting imperiled species, the Congress should pass legislation strictly prohibiting trophy imports of imperiled wildlife,” Amundson said.
The Trump administration is not the first to grant such permission. The Obama administration issued three permits, as NBC News noted:
For decades federal regulators issued no import permits for black rhinos, but as populations rebounded in Africa the Obama administration issued three starting in 2013. The Trump administration has issued another two.
A spokeswoman for the Fish and Wildlife Service defended the decision.
“Legal, well-regulated hunting as part of a sound management program can benefit the conservation of certain species by providing incentives to local communities to conserve the species and by putting much-needed revenue back into conservation,” Laury Parramore said, according to NBC News. | 1,268,270 |
Canadian cannabis stocks have become an even more attractive opportunity after United States Attorney General Sessions rescinded the Cole Memorandum, which protected cannabis business that operate in states where marijuana is legal.
The legal cannabis industry has become a global opportunity and the move by Attorney General Sessions has strengthened Canada’s position as a global leader. The country is capitalizing on a once in a lifetime opportunity and is selling legal cannabis to countries like Australia, Germany, Denmark, Chile, Colombia, the Cayman Islands, and many more.
We continue to view the Canadian cannabis market as one of the best places to invest and the sector is in the first inning of a major growth cycle. Today, we have highlighted some of the hottest Canadian cannabis opportunities as well as some of the recent developments that support our thesis.
Cowen and Co. Raises Price Targets on Licensed Producers
Cowen and Company is one of the largest banks focused on the legal cannabis industry and earlier today, the broker-dealer made some changes to its coverage.
Today, Cowen and Company raised its price target on two Canadian licensed marijuana producers, Canopy Growth Corp (WEED.TO) (TWMJF) and MedReleaf (LEAF.TO) (MEDFF).
Canopy Growth had its price target increased to $44 from $24 while MedReleaf had its price target increased to $36 from $20. We expect the market to respond favorably to these price target hikes and will monitor how the market responds to this.
Canopy Growth is the largest licensed marijuana producer in the world and the company is levered to some of the largest markets in the world (Canada, Denmark, Germany, Chile, and Australia).
MedReleaf commenced trading on the TSX exchange in mid 2017 and the market responded very favorably to this listing. MedReleaf has a significant patient base in Canada and the company is capitalizing on international markets. In December, MedReleaf announced an agreement to become a medical marijuana supplier to Shoppers Drug Mart and we are favorable on the improved distribution.
Aurora Cannabis: An Execution Story
Aurora Cannabis continues to execute flawlessly on its business plan and we are favorable on the company’s recent developments. The licensed medical marijuana producer has a war chest of cash and is pursing inorganic and organic growth initiatives.
Last week, Aurora Cannabis announced a $200 million bought deal and a significant investment in The Green Organic Dutchman (private). We are bullish on these developments and see significant synergies between the two businesses.
Aurora Cannabis is also working to finalize the acquisition of CanniMed Therapeutics (CMED.TO) (CMMDF) and continues to acquire shares on the open market. We expect this acquisition to be completed and view the combined company as one of the most exciting opportunities.
From Germany to Australia, this Canadian licensed marijuana producer has significantly increased its reach and this is a stock investors need to watch. | 1,268,271 |
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Last week, the highly-anticipated report from House Republicans on the September 11th, 2012 terrorist attacks in Benghazi, Libya was released.
There has been subsequent outcry from various corners of the political punditry criticizing Republicans for spending millions of dollars trying and failing to ensnare Democratic presumptive frontrunner Hillary Rodham Clinton in scandal. When Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R-WI) announced he wanted FBI Director James Comey to testify before the committee, he was accused of continuing a purely political witch hunt at the taxpayers' expense, but Ryan told reporters this morning he's worked out a plan to pay for keeping the Benghazi investigation going "forever, and ever, amen."
"This investigation is like a giant cable knit sweater that someone just keeps knitting, and knitting, and knitting, and knitting," Ryan told reporters at a Monday morning press conference. "And just like when you unravel a sweater, what we have after spending more than $7 million this last time is a big ol' pile of nothing."
Mr. Ryan said he is sympathetic to calls from the public to not waste any more taxpayer money on Benghazi, but said he believes he's found "the perfect and final solution" to paying for the investigations -- gutting Social Security.
"Will some seniors die if they don't have access to medicine and food," Ryan asked rhetorically, "sure. But I can't help but shrug a little bit. Because you know what's most important in Americans' lives now? De-legitimizing a political candidate, that's what. It's not the economy, the War on Drugs, or systemic racism or gun violence. It's focusing the entire might of one-half of one-third of the federal government on making sure Hillary Clinton doesn't become president."
Ryan says that "sacrificing a few Oldie McOldOlds to the pyre" will be worth it if it keeps Clinton out of office.
"But make no mistake," Ryan said, "this isn't some witch hunt focused solely on one person, Hillary Clinton. We are hoping to bring down the entire Democratic Party with this investigation, and frankly we'd go to these extremes for any Democrat."
It would take "just a 90% cut" to Social Security, Ryan says, to ensure that Congress would always have the funds necessary to keep investigating Benghazi long, long into the future.
"Some have suggested we won't stop this investigation until Hillary dies," Ryan said, "but if you think a little something like mortality is going to keep us from finally convicting Hillary Clinton of the crimes we believe she committed in our heads, then you don't the modern day Republican Party, do you?"
Reached for comment, Republican frontrunner and alleged billionaire Donald J. Trump said he'd "absolutely friggin' cut the fuck outta" Social Security to fund the Benghazi investigation "in purple-tootery."
More fake news daily at The Political Garbage Chute. | 1,268,272 |
Following protests from Hindus across the nation, the California Education Department has decided not to go ahead with some of the suggested changes like replacing 'India' with 'South Asia' in state text books. (Photo - US Flag)
Hindus in the US are strongly opposing against suggestions mooted by California's Department of Education to make changes in textbooks which they allege not only distort India's history but ignore facts on Hinduism.Following protests from Hindus across the nation, the California Education Department has decided not to go ahead with some of the suggested changes like replacing 'India' with 'South Asia' in state text books.Bill Honig, Chair of the Subject Matter Committee of the Commission, said at a public hearing that they reject the suggestion for removal of India but agreed to add "South Asia" in parenthesis after most mentions to ancient India.New recommendations will be forwarded to the State Board of Education for their consideration and the final draft of the framework is to be accepted later this year.But Hindu-Americans continue to oppose some of the proposed edits like removing mention of Hinduism's acceptance of religious diversity, re-linking Hinduism with caste, and removing mentions of the contributions of Hindu sages of different backgrounds such as Valmiki and Vyasa."We question the move to insert a large number of adverse edits on India and Hinduism at the last minute at the instance of a few Leftist scholars," said the Hindu Education Foundation (HEF), which has been working with commission for the past many years."While some important inaccuracies have been rolled back, a large number of adverse edits these academics submitted have still found their way into the recommendations and need to be scrutinised," it said.It also protested the removal of the mention of non-Brahmin sages like Valmiki and Vyasa from the textbooks at the suggestion of these academics."It is strange that while claiming to represent the underprivileged, the Leftist professors of South Asian faculty group have sought the removal of the mention that these sages came from lower castes which had specifically been added at the suggestion of Hindu groups to give fair representation to all communities," the statement said.A large number of students and parents testified at the public hearing of the commission held in Sacramento on March 24 seeking the rejection of these changes."India is not just a landmass but a living civilization. By removing the mention of India as a civilization, my identity as an Indian-American is sought to be erased," Vidhima Shetty, a student studying in 9th grade in San Ramon, said during her testimony at the Department of Education.Narrating different incidents of stereotypes they encounter, the students demanded that Hinduism and India be portrayed in proper light. The students also demanded that the suggestions that Vedas belong to "ancient Indian religions" and not to Hinduism amounted to stripping them of their Hindu identity.The community's efforts were also supported by a coalition of 20 government leaders and elected officials, including Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard and California State Senator Steven M Glazer. | 1,268,273 |
(CHARLOTTE, N.C.) – A group of 222 drivers at FedEx Freight’s Charlotte, N.C., terminal voted today to join Teamsters Local 71.
“This victory is about drivers wanting respect on the job, improved health care coverage and to be treated fairly,” said Roger Dale Jones, a 20-year road driver at FedEx Freight. “It feels great to have representation from the Teamsters.”
“Like the drivers in Philadelphia and in South Brunswick, N.J., who voted to join the Teamsters, the workers in Charlotte want to be treated fairly and they want to have consistent, fair work rules,” said Steve Bess, President of Teamsters Local 71 in Charlotte. “The company ramped up its vicious anti-worker, anti-union campaign here, but the drivers remained strong and focused. Rather than lying to the workers, the company should use the money to provide better benefits for the workers and their families.”
This victory follows two previous ones: On Oct. 31, a group of 113 drivers at FedEx Freight in South Brunswick, N.J., joined Teamsters Local 701 in North Brunswick, N.J., and on Oct. 14, a group of 47 drivers in Croydon, Pa., voted to join Teamsters Local 107 in Philadelphia. Other campaigns at FedEx Freight and at Con-way Freight are under way across the country.
“With these three victories, drivers are making it loud and clear to the company that they are fed up with FedEx Freight,” said Jim Hoffa, Teamsters General President. “Our campaign continues to roll and FedEx Freight drivers are showing they will fight for fairness, respect and dignity.”
The workers’ campaigns to join the Teamsters have already paid off. At FedEx Freight, the company announced an 80-cent-per-hour raise a few days after Local 107 filed for an
election, and the company got rid of its overly punitive driver scorecard, which gives drivers infraction points for errors. Also, after organizing got under way at Con-way, the company announced it would increase truck driver pay by $60 million in 2015, and other improvements.
“The companies are offering pay raises and other improvements at the same time we are organizing, but the workers know that these things can be taken away just as quickly without a legally binding contract,” said Tyson Johnson, Director of the Teamsters National Freight Division. “The unfulfilled promises that have been made to drivers and dockworkers over the past decade are coming back to haunt management.”
Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents 1.4 million hardworking men and women throughout the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. Visit www.teamster.org for more information. Follow us on Twitter @Teamsters and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/teamsters. | 1,268,274 |
For years, the concept of an autonomous jobsite has been forecasted, with the advent of autonomous construction equipment and driverless vehicles driving the discussion even further. Now—especially on mining sites—that concept is starting to become a reality.
For instance, Hitachi Construction Machinery recently unveiled its vision for autonomous mining. It is doing this through an open, interoperable ecosystem of partners that integrate their systems alongside existing mine infrastructure. It is developing an open-autonomy approach under the Solution Linkage initiative, which is a standards-based platform grounded on three principles: open innovation, interoperability, and partner ecosystem. It is being made available to mining customers in its subsidiary Wenco Intl. Mining Systems.
By designing solutions in compliance with ANSI/ISA-95 and ISO standards for autonomous interoperability, this gives users the ability to choose technologies from preferred vendors independent of their fleet-management system. The interoperability component creates connectivity between systems to reduce operational silos and heighten visibility. Finally, its partner ecosystem means both customers and third parties can access the open platform to provide additional autonomous functionality.
Partnerships are key for delivering this type of automated jobsite to the construction industry—and today many equipment companies are forming alliances to provide autonomous equipment to workers.
Consider the example of Built Robotics, which is a developer of autonomous equipment, and Sunstate Equipment Co., which provides construction rental equipment and tools. Together the companies have formed a partnership to rent out autonomous construction equipment, which is supported by Sumitomo Corp. of Americas.
Here’s how this partnership works: Built designs and manufactures and autonomous kit to upgrade off-the-shelf equipment, which allows remote equipment operators to upload job files, at which point the equipment can complete the work on its own. Sunstate will then select equipment from its fleet to upgrade, and then make it available for customers. The upgraded equipment can then be run using Built’s autonomous software.
Together, the companies will also run training on the equipment and each piece of equipment uses a three-layer safety system, with sensors, geofence, and hardwired and wireless stop buttons. Sunstate will begin offering the autonomous equipment to select customers in late 2019 or early 2020.
This trend toward autonomous mining is also being realized on a global scale, with some providers focusing on specific regions of the world. One recent example is looking to create autonomous mining in Latin America.
In this area of the world, sensemetrics, which offers a plug-and-play solution that captures sensors data, and i-IoT Solutions, a provider of technology for mining, oil and gas, and manufacturing in Latin America, are taking steps to work together to offer sensemetrics end-to-end solution in industries such as mining and construction, specifically in Brazil, Mexico, and Peru.
The future is bright for the autonomous jobsite, as technology providers and equipment manufacturers continue to take the steps needed to move the construction industry one step further. | 1,268,275 |
British homeopaths are celebrating Homeopathy Awareness Week, yet it seems to me there is very little for them to celebrate.
Earlier this year, a report from the Commons Science and Technology Committee concluded that the principles of homeopathy are implausible and that the evidence fails to show that it works better than placebo. The MPs also criticised homeopaths for trying to mislead the public by providing inaccurate information. Their recommendation to government was to stop funding homeopathy on the NHS.
Then the Prince of Wales's Foundation for Integrated Health, a staunch supporter of homeopathy in the NHS, folded in the midst of a police investigation for fraud and money laundering.
Last month, the British Medical Association described homeopathy as "witchcraft" and called for an end to all funding on the NHS.
A streak of bad luck? Not really. Homeopathy's fortunes have been crumbling for quite some time. The evidence to suggest that it has effects beyond those of a placebo has become less and less convincing. In 2005, The Lancet even pronounced "the end of homeopathy".
As a result, one of the five NHS-funded homeopathic hospitals had to close. After assessing the science, its NHS trust found that the evidence did not justify any further funding.
Faced with increasing criticism, UK homeopaths become more and more desperate. My team has found that the Society of Homeopaths even appears to have been in breach of its own code of ethics in attempting to promote homeopathy. On the society's website, numerous statements about efficacy were made that were not backed by science and so were not allowed under its own regulations.
The society's chief executive commented at the time, in November 2009, that she was grateful to me for highlighting these issues and that the society would investigate and make amendments where appropriate. The website has since changed but many, perhaps even most, members of that organisation continue to make claims that violate their society's ethical standards.
This is not a trivial or academic point. Recently Simon Singh won the libel case that the British Chiropractic Association (BCA) had brought against him. Singh had alleged that the BCA made unsupported claims. When the case was brought, several bloggers and sceptics then went through the claims made by UK chiropractors with a fine-tooth comb and subsequently reported around 600 of them to their regulator for violating the rules that regulate their practice.
These are serious allegations that cannot be swept under the carpet. Perusing this number of complaints in an orderly fashion will be extremely costly. The expense could turn out to be unaffordable for chiropractors and thus bankrupt their organisations.
So even as homeopaths celebrate their "awareness week", bloggers and sceptics – enthused by their success on the chiropractic front – might already be considering action against any unsubstantiated claims made by UK homeopaths. This could truly be the end of homeopathy.
Edzard Ernst is professor of complementary medicine at the Peninsula Medical School in Exeter | 1,268,276 |
Charles Dickens’s stoic response to the destruction of his Christmas turkey in a train fire has been revealed in a letter rediscovered at the National Railway Museum in York, in which the author says he “bore the loss with unbroken good humour towards the Great Western Railway Company”.
Host of Christmas past: how to serve turkey like Dickens Read more
Dickens, whose love for the seasonal bird came through in books such as A Christmas Carol, was sent the turkey in Christmas week of 1869 by the manager of his reading tours, George Dolby. Dickens was often given a turkey as a Christmas present; according to Dolby’s memoirs, this particular bird weighed 30lb. The festive package took wing from Ross-on-Wye in good time to reach the author on Christmas Eve, but Dickens sent an urgent message to Dolby that day: “WHERE IS THAT TURKEY? IT HAS NOT ARRIVED!!!!!!!!!!!”
The turkey had been moved, along with other parcels, to a horse-box carriage in Gloucester, which had subsequently caught fire. The charred remains were later offered to the people of Reading, for sixpence a portion.
According to Dolby, Dickens was initially annoyed, but later saw it as a blessing that what was left of the bird had not been wasted, said Anne McLean, an archive volunteer at the museum.
Facebook Twitter Pinterest The letter from Dickens to James Charles Kingett of the Great Western Railway, written in February 1870. Photograph: National Railway Museum
The Great Western Railway company, via superintendent James Charles Kingett of the Up Parcels Department at Paddington station in London apologised to Dickens. The author replied in February 1870 that “I have no doubt my Christmas fare was destroyed by an unavoidable accident, and that I bore the loss with unbroken good humour towards the Great Western Railway Company”.
This was Dickens’s last Christmas, as he died in June 1870.
Dickens’s reply had been printed on Kingett’s retirement in 1908 in the Great Western Railway magazine, but had been forgotten in the museum’s 3km of archive shelving, which spans 200 years. It was found during a reappraisal of the collection, and is now on display.
Lead curator Ed Bartholomew called the letter a hidden gem. “The bleak irony of this discovery is that the man who did so much to shape our Christmas experiences may himself have been left with an empty stomach on his last ever Christmas day. Hard times indeed,” he said.
“Is it likely that Dickens was able to get a replacement turkey in time for his Christmas dinner?” asked McLean. “We know from A Christmas Carol that it was possible to buy one on Christmas morning, as Mr Scrooge did for the Cratchit family, but the great Dickens might have had to make do with a humble goose.” | 1,268,277 |
ChinaFotoPress/Getty Images
Deutsche Bank is being slammed for paying out millions to departing senior managers.
A picture of two men thought to be fired Deutsche bankers went viral on Twitter, after they were photographed leaving the bank bags in hand.
It turns out they were fitting $1,800 suits for the German bank's directors, all while hundreds of staff were being fired.
Deutsche earlier this week announced a massive overhaul which would over the next few years cut 18,000 jobs.
Read more stories on Markets Insider.
Deutsche's overhaul just seems to keep getting messier.
On the morning of the announcement that 18,000 jobs were being cut, the bank's managing directors were having suits fitted worth over $1,800. Adding to the sting, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday that some executives were paid £52 million in "golden parachute" severance packages.
The Financial Times reported that the bank has spent more than €52 million on payouts to departing senior staff since May 2018. The FT said that is almost equal to the whole management board.
Gerhard Schick, head of lobby group Finance Watch Germany called the payments "inappropriate."
"Golden parachutes for failed managers while thousands of employees are losing their jobs just do not match," Schick told the Financial Times.
Suited while employees get booted
It's a "Let them eat cake" moment for the bank, which was seen as being tone deaf to the gloom of junior staff when on Tuesday Financial News reported that a viral photo of what many thought were fired employees actually were tailors fitting out lavish suits for executives.
The photo went viral on Twitter, and was used by The Financial Times, Guardian and Reuters as well as Business Insider.
Ian Fielding-Calcutt and Alex Riley, who work for Fielding & Nicholson Tailoring, had been fitting suits for senior directors unaffected by the cuts.
Fielding and Nicholson/ Twitter Fielding and Nicholson/ Twitter
Fielding-Calcutt told Financial News: "Our timing was not great," and that he had been fitting suits for managing directors at the bank for more than a decade.
He added: "Almost 30% of our business comes from investment bankers. I think a lot of the people getting laid off were traders of some sort, who don't wear suits, and so we just went ahead as normal with our clients who obviously weren't affected by the cuts."
The German bank's turbulent 14 months culminated in 18,000 jobs being cut across its offices from Sydney to New York.
Deutsche Bank's severance payments started with John Cryan, the former CEO getting nearly a €11 million pay off. After that six more board members left, cashing in on at least €41 million according to the Financial Times.
NOW WATCH: New York City is getting even more infested with rats. Here's why cities can't get rid of them. | 1,268,278 |
A prominent Cambodian political analyst known for his criticism of the government has been shot dead at a cafe in the capital Phnom Penh, police said.
The killing of Kem Ley on Sunday comes at a time of heightened political tensions between Prime Minister Hun Sen and the opposition, who accuse him of pursuing a fresh crackdown against them.
Police said Kem Ley, a popular commentator and grassroots campaigner, was gunned down as he drank coffee at a shop attached to a petrol station.
"He was shot dead at a mart just before 9am," Kirt Chantharith, national police spokesman, told the AFP news agency.
WATCH: Cambodia's News Blackmailers
A suspect was arrested nearby and confessed to killing the analyst over an unpaid debt, Kirt Chantharith said.
"But we don't believe him yet. We are working on this case," he said.
Kem Ley was critical of both the government and opposition parties, advocating for a new era of clean politics in Cambodia, which is expected to hold a general election in 2018.
But the bulk of his criticism was aimed at Hun Sen's ruling party.
As news of Kem Ley's murder spread on social media, hundreds of Cambodians descended upon the Caltex station.
Ky Sour, a local businessman, said the crowd had gathered because they were "heartbroken" over Kem Ley's death, but also because they did not "trust the police.
"They suspect the police will do something to hide the evidence [if they don't watch]," Ky Sour told Al Jazeera.
"This is the same pattern, so everyone knows who is behind it. People who have no power cannot do like that. This is the face of dictatorship."
A factory worker at the scene, who asked not to be named, citing safety concerns, said: "Sometimes we cannot talk about what we think about the government.
"We close our mouths and discuss with our family or close friends only."
Cambodia has a history of rights and labour advocates being murdered with killers rarely brought to justice.
READ MORE: New report exposes Cambodian PM's vast family wealth
Kem Ley's murder is likely to exacerbate tensions in the Southeast Asian nation, which has been dominated by Hun Sen for the past 31 years in a reign marked by accusations of corruption, electoral fraud and rights abuses.
Scores of government critics and rights workers have been arrested in recent months, while others have been tied up in ongoing legal cases.
The prime minister, a former army commander who defected from the Khmer Rouge, has held power alongside a small but powerful group of political allies who have become enormously wealthy.
A report published by Global Witness last week detailed how Hun Sen's family had amassed a multimillion-dollar business empire spanning the country's most lucrative sectors during his rule.
With reporting by Abby Seiff in Phnom Penh | 1,268,279 |
Scientists at the University of York have harnessed the therapeutic effects of carbon monoxide-releasing molecules to develop a new antibiotic which could be used to treat the sexually transmitted infection gonorrhoea.
The infection, which is caused by the bacteria Neisseria gonorrhoeae, has developed a highly drug-resistant strain in recent years with new cases reported in the north of England and Japan.
There are concerns that gonorrhoea, which is the second most common sexually transmitted infection in England, is becoming untreatable.
Almost 35,000 cases were reported in England during 2014, with most cases affecting young men and women under the age of 25. The interdisciplinary team, from the University of York's Departments of Biology and Chemistry, targeted the "engine room" of the bacteria using carbon monoxide-releasing molecules (CO-RMs).
CO is produced naturally in the body, but there is increasing evidence that carbon monoxide enhances antibiotic action with huge potential for treating bacterial infections.
The scientists found that Neisseria gonorrhoeae is more sensitive to CO-based toxicity than other model bacterial pathogens, and may serve as a viable candidate for antimicrobial therapy using CO-RMs.
The CO molecule works by binding to the bacteria, preventing them from producing energy.
Scientists believe the breakthrough, published in the journal MedChemComm, could pave the way for new treatments.
Professor Ian Fairlamb, from the University's Department of Chemistry, said: "The carbon monoxide molecule targets the engine room, stopping the bacteria from respiring. Gonorrhoea only has one enzyme that needs inhibiting and then it can't respire oxygen and it dies.
"People will be well aware that CO is a toxic molecule but that is at high concentrations. Here we are using very low concentrations which we know the bacteria are sensitive to.
"We are looking at a molecule that can be released in a safe and controlled way to where it is needed."
The team say the next stage is to develop a drug, either in the form of a pill or cream, so that the fundamental research findings can be translated on to future clinical trials.
Professor Fairlamb added: "We think our study is an important breakthrough. It isn't the final drug yet but it is pretty close to it." "People might perceive gonorrhoea as a trivial bacterial infection, but the disease is becoming more dangerous and resistant to antibiotics."
The team worked with Professor James Moir from the University's Department of Biology. He added: "Antimicrobial resistance is a massive global problem which isn't going away. We need to use many different approaches, and the development of new drugs using bioinorganic chemistry is one crucial way we can tackle this problem, to control important bacterial pathogens before the current therapies stop working."
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The study was funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC). | 1,268,280 |
The family of a mentally ill man fatally shot by police in Miami Gardens confronted local officials Wednesday in a dramatic exchange that unfolded just hours after their attorney released video of the shooting that includes audio of the victim's mother begging "please, don't hurt my child, please."
Catherine Daniels, the mother of Lavall Hall, attended the Miami Gardens city council meeting Wednesday night to demand answers, but she never got a turn to speak.
The council zipped through the public hearing option, and that's when things took an angry turn, as Daniels confronted Mayor Oliver Gilbert.
"I wanna ask you something, do you hold accountable for what your officers did?" she asked, as Gilbert appeared to walk away.
“Why are you running? I asked you do you justify your officer was in the right?” Daniels called after Gilbert.
Hall was shot and killed by officers in February after his mother called 911 for help with her son, who was schizophrenic. Former police chief Stephen Johnson said the officer opened fire after Hall attacked two officers with a broomstick.
Earlier Wednesday, the family's attorney, Glen Golberg, released chilling dash camera video of part of the deadly confrontation. Goldberg said the police dash camera video of the shooting, which was obtained by his family, contradicts the police narrative.
"It is a bombshell, it does not corroborate what the City of Miami Gardens police chief had said," Goldberg said.
In the video, Hall's mother can be heard off-camera pleading with officers for her son's safety. An officer is heard saying "he's walking with a broom and he's walking around in his underwear. Every time I go near him, he walks away" before the fatal encounter.
"I was devastated to see that it happened like that," Daniels said.
NAACP representatives pointed out that the incident was not the first time Hall's mother called police to the home, noting that Hall had been safely committed to a forced psychiatric evaluation under the Baker Act a week prior to the incident.
"This is why this mother called. She did the right thing," representatives said, as Daniels began to weep audibly. "What she called for was assistance from police never knowing that this would be the last time that she would see her son."
Miami Gardens Police said they were required to release the video to Hall's family but said they wouldn't comment further because the case remains an open investigation.
On Tuesday afternoon, Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle said in a letter to Goldberg that releasing the video could harm the criminal case involving the officers.
"Obviously our concern is that this potential contamination may compromise our common goal to seek the truth," her letter said, in part.
"It is our position that the practices and procedures employed by the City of Miami Gardens were far below the standards in our community," Goldberg said.
The family of Hall has already filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the city and police department. | 1,268,281 |
Greetings fellow liberals! In this section of the primer we discuss various organizations that support our agenda. The ACLU is our front organization which gives us credibility on the issue of free speech. We have them declare themselves non-partisan but as we all know organization that declares themselves non-partisan is lying. It is useful to us as it fools the less informed members of the country.
Free speech has always been a difficult issue for us which makes the ACLU all the more important. After all how can we be against free speech when the saintly ACLU says that all Democrats are good and all Republicans are evil. This is perfect as we do not really believe in free speech anyway. Democrats get free speech. Republicans and conservatives have the right to keep quiet and do as their told. The public has plenty of things going on with their lives and getting more information will just confuse them. All they need to know is that we are right and the other side is wrong.
Aside from the credibility boost the ACLU serves two other major functions. To channel and divide.
Channel
The first major function of the ACLU is to make sure that any free speech that is harmful to Republicans is encouraged and heard by as wide an audience as possible. Any time organizations like the KKK or anything Neo Nazi wants to hold a rally or march it is the duty of the ACLU to encourage it. If we could pay for their transport and venue we would as well. In fact we may already be doing that. Do you ever notice how the KKK only becomes relevant every 4 years and they only hold rallies in swing states that we believe we have a shot at winning? In 2016 it was in North Carolina. You would think they would do so in other more Republican states, but that’s a discussion for another time. By encouraging these groups we make sure that all the gays, jews, and women in the country feel that we are the only thing standing between them and the ovens and concentration camps. They have no chance of convincing people of their viewpoints anyway and left alone they may just wither and die. That is the last thing we want to happen.
Control
The second function of the ACLU is to control free speech. Do you ever notice that the ACLU is silent whenever figures like Shapiro, Coulter, and Milo are shut out of universities? This is by design. The only time the ACLU would speak out on it is when the issue is over and the speech has been cancelled. The last thing we want is for Republicans and conservatives who have a chance to convince other people to speak in public. The fact that these three are gay, Jewish, and a woman just complicates the issue. The last thing we want is for these communities to identify with people who think differently from Democrats. It would defeat our purpose of keeping them on edge at all times.
I hope this has made you realize the importance of the ACLU. They are just as much a part of the Democratic party as the DNC. Don’t forget to donate to them. Match me! | 1,268,282 |
According to multiple sources, the U.S. will suspend flights to Europe for the next thirty days. President Trump has announced that there will be no air travel, including cargo, will be allowed between Europe and the U.S. However, these restrictions do not include flights to the U.K.. The restrictions will go into effect on Friday, March 13, 2020, and last until Sunday, April 12, 2020. This order comes shortly after the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus, now officially known as COVID-19, a pandemic. Additionally, the president has said that the Level 4 travel restriction to China could be lifted due to a drop in cases. Currently, there are only two services that currently operate to China from the U.S. These are flights by Air China from Beijing to San Francisco via Los Angeles and Washington-Dulles via New York-JFK. Many airlines will be affected by the move including American Airlines, Delta Airlines, United Airlines, and European carriers like Lufthansa, Air France, KLM, and others. For example, Lufthansa, who has already canceled 23,000 flights, currently flies to 20 destinations in the U.S. according to Flighradar24 which will be terminated. Lufthansa has already cancelled over 20,000 flights, and they now must suspend flights to all 20 of their U.S. destinations. Credit: TheExplorerBlog | Kyle Jonas The move comes after the three largest American carriers, American, Delta, and United, announced that they would be cutting international flights by at least 15-20%. These carriers have previously announced large reductions in flights to Europe and temporary suspensions in service to Italy, a COVID-19 epicenter. Before this, SAS was using its A350 on flights to Chicago-O Hare and Washington-Dulles. Credit: TheExplorerBlog | Winston Shek What are your thoughts on the situation? Do you expect flights to the U.K., South Korea, or Japan to be banned? Leave your thoughts in the comments below. Sourced from the following: https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/trump-says-he-will-ban-all-travel-from-europe-for-30-days https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/live-blog/coronavirus-updates-live-u-s-cases-top-1-000-spread-n1155241/ncrd1155401#liveBlogHeader https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/11/world/coronavirus-news.html
Update(3/13): The travel ban has been extended to the U.K. and Ireland.
Next: Delta Airlines Reduces Capacity Due to COVID-19
Korean Air is on the Verge of Liquidation
Delta and American Suspend Flights to Milan
| 1,268,283 |
an end. During this period, and up until 1453, the Hundred Years’ War between France and England had been raging on. This had led to an increase in taxes, which greatly angered the peasants who barely made enough to survive without having to dish out sums of money to a war which ultimately made little difference to their lives. The plague also had some downsides economically. In response to the chaos, the English parliament passed the Ordinance of Labourers in 1349 and the Statute of Labourers two years later which attempted to fix wages at pre-plague levels and made illegal any attempt to break a contract or refuse work. The government also passed A Statute Concerning Diet and Apparel in 1363 which was a sumptuary law aimed at preventing the peasants from using their increased wages to purchase expensive goods. Whilst unenforceable, it marked an unprecedented shift in the government’s attitude towards the lives of the commoners. This harsh limitation on what was a great economic opportunity for English peasants was inevitably doomed to end in riot. And so it did on the 30th of May 1381, the beginning of the Peasants’ Revolt.
Richard II, King of England (1377–1399)
The revolt, led by Wat Tyler, was also caused by England’s expensive war with France which required lots of money to fund. To raise this, in addition to normal taxes often levied on the peasants, Parliament introduced the poll tax. The tax raised over £22,000 but was deeply unpopular and its successor two years later, in 1379, tried to use a sliding scale — taxing the wealthier more — to lessen its unpopularity. All this resulted in, however, was less money being raised (only £18,000 out of an ambitious £50,000 goal) due to tax evasion amongst the nobility. The English government found itself in an unwinnable situation: the wealthy had money to give but the means to avoid doing so and the poor had no way of evading tax but little to contribute. The third tax implemented in 1381 ramped up the costs on all people over 15 and was the final straw in causing the rebellion. The revolt saw no less than 1,500 people march on London as well as coinciding with other revolts in north and west England. Whilst the revolt was ultimately crushed and did not achieve its aims of ending serfdom, reducing land rent prices, and abolishing the higher clergy, it must be recognised that these aims were radical and it did result in the poll tax not being used again.
Overall, it’s clear that the life of a peasant in the 14th century was no utopia. Whilst their situation improved following the Black Death, around 1/3 to a possible 1/2 of them would have died and thus not be around to see it. Other than economic opportunity, most things remained largely unchanged, as similar hobbies, types of work, religious obligations, and daily customs remained consistent throughout the time period. | 1,268,284 |
It’s been more than a month since Maryland’s new “red flag” law went into effect, allowing all manner of people to file a complaint about the behavior of a gun owner which can then result in the police arriving to confiscate the person’s firearms. How popular has the law been? According to CBS Baltimore, police have recorded more than one hundred such requests in only the first few weeks. There is no indication as to whether or not that trend will slow down or continue to expand.
Just weeks ago, new legislation went into effect that can remove guns through protective orders from owners who may be a danger to themselves or others. The first month of the “Red Flag Law” drew more than 100 requests, with most coming from family members and spouses. In just the last five months, Maryland has endured two mass shootings that rocked the entire state. One at the Capital Gazette left five dead, and another in a Rite-Aid warehouse in Harford County left four dead.
Those requests produced 61 interim orders and 70 temporary orders for the removal of firearms by judges. In a single month. This law and others like it being passed around the country are troubling on a number of levels. There is obviously a benefit to having a rapid method of response if a disturbed individual is exhibiting clearly unsafe behavior with a weapon and in such cases, innocent lives may be saved. But keep in mind that of the 114 requests Maryland officials received, almost none of them came from licensed psychiatric professionals. The vast majority were from family members.
Perhaps some of the subjects were truly dangerous and on the verge of committing violence. But how many of them came from houses where someone who just doesn’t like guns decided to drop a dime to get rid of a lawfully owned, safely operated firearm? There’s an appeal process in place so such owners can go make their case and possibly have their property returned, but they still find themselves in a situation of being treated as guilty until they can prove themselves innocent.
This law also puts the police in a dangerous situation. We saw the results of that when the cops went to confiscate the weapon of 61-year-old Gary Willis. He wound up dead after firing a shot in the direction of the police.
I happen to agree with the people pointing out that we simply aren’t doing enough to address mental health issues in this country, and when that crisis intersects with Second Amendment rights it produces difficult, complicated situations. The dangerously mentally unstable should not have access to firearms, which should be clear to everyone. But those people need to be adjudicated as mentally ill and incapable of safely owning firearms before their rights are removed. How do we do that? I remain unsure, but these red flag laws don’t seem to be an ideal answer.
How can you perform a rapid evaluation of someone’s mental health, particularly if they’re not in the mood to cooperate? These are tough questions, but we need answers to them. | 1,268,285 |
The Muslims in Manipur are angry over the picture of Prophet Mohammad published in a school textbook. The picture has been published in a general knowledge book called 'Prime General Knowledge', meant for students of Nursery and Kindergarten. While the publisher of the book, Students Store, in Pauna Bazaar has already apologised for the mistake, the Muslim community is planning a series of agitation in the state till the book is recalled.
The photograph of the Prophet has been published in a chapter dealing with various religions and has been printed alongside pictures of Krishna and Jesus Christ under the heading 'Religious deities'.
The textbook is a private publication and is not in the course prescribed by the government. Educationists point out that using the book is optional and has so far been used by only private schools.
The proprietor of the publishing house is Nishikanta Sapam who is also the owner of The Sangai Express Manipur's largest selling newspaper. The book has been written by S Badyla Jassal who is now a teacher in Assam Valley School in Guwahati. Despite several attempts, he could not be reached for his response.
Executive member of the Pangal Students Union one of the main Muslim bodies which has already started an agitation Hayatur Rehman told The Indian Express, "We have initiated a drive to collect these textbooks. We have already burnt a batch of these books in Hatta in Imphal. We have collected as many as 200 books today. How could such a picture be published in a book when the image of the Prophet is clearly forbidden in Islam. The agitation will continue and we will decide what to do next after consulting the entire Muslim community." The principal of Mehmood English Private School in Lilong, Mohammad Anwaruddin, told The Indian Express that the book came to light only this academic year. "My school doesn't have these books though. How could they have even found an image of the Prophet when there is no such image,'' he said.
Sapam said he has already apologised for the mistake and has recalled the book. "But this issue has been completely blown out of proportion. This book was written a good four five years ago and has been published since 2009. It is not in the government syllabus and therefore only schools who have wanted to use the book have been doing so."
President of the Popular Front of India, Manipur, Mufti Arshad Hussain said the books were not available in Muslim schools till this year. "It was only in January this year that we came to know of this through some parents whose children had received the book. The book has been around for over two years but it had not come to our notice. They were being used in non-Muslim schools. This year many of our children have started going to these non-Muslim schools. Also some Muslim schools received the books. We acted on the complaint of the parents,'' he said.
Please read our terms of use before posting comments | 1,268,286 |
Let me start off by saying Mitt Romney is a Pathological Liar.
The New York Times reports that the Romney's took a $77,000.00 Tax Deduction on their dancing horse, Rafalca.
The Romneys declared a loss of $77,000 on their 2010 tax returns for the share in the care and feeding of Rafalca, which Mrs. Romney owns with Mr. Ebeling’s wife, Amy, and a family friend, Beth Meyers.
Here is an Image of 2010 Romney's $77,000 Tax Deduction for their dancing horse, courtesy of Diarist dmhlt 66. The Screen Capture of Romney's $77,731 Dancing Horse Deduction from their 2010 Income Tax Returns is on page 193 of 2010 Filed Tax Return.
Notice: Romney's 1/3 ownership of the dancing horse gave rise to a $77,000.00 Tax Deduction -- at a time when America is paying its Debt on Two Wars I don't think Americans should be subsidizing Romney's, apparently, very needy horse.
In 2008 Mitt Romney gave 12 years worth of his Tax Returns to John McCain's campaign -- so why won't Mitt give the voters a chance to look at those same Tax Returns?
Yesterday Mitt Romney would not give any details of which Tax Deductions he would eliminate to pay for his $5 Trillion Dollar Tax Cut.
SCHIEFFER: You haven’t been bashful about telling us you want to cut taxes. When are you going to tell us where you’re going to get the revenue? Which of the deductions are you going to be willing to eliminate? Which of the tax credits are you going to — when are you going to be able to tell us that? ROMNEY: Well, we’ll go through that process with Congress as to which of all the different deductions and the exemptions —
1) Romney is not a leader as Mitt has no details of how to pay for his $5 Trillion Dollar Tax Cuts.
2) Romney is relying on Government to tell him what Tax Deductions to eliminate in order to pay for his $5 Trillion Dollar Tax Cut. 3) Mr. & Ms. Voter do not get to see details of Romney's Tax Cut plan because Romney admits he has no details for his plans and he can't even figure it out the details without the help of Government, Congress.
Notice three things:How ironic, the Republicans falsely accuse Democrats of passing Bills without knowing details of the Bill -- while at the same time -- the Republicans want voters to elect Mitt Romneyknowing the details of any of Mitt's Economic Policies.
ROMNEY's IRAN OIL INVESTMENTS:
One reason Mitt Romney is not releasing his filed Tax Returns beyond 2010 is he is trying to hide the fact that he has made Millions off of Iranian Oil stock shares even though America has had sanctions against investing in Iran since 1979. | 1,268,287 |
Jur Grand Opening: a complete success for Jur’s IEO on OceanEx GO!
Jur completed the public phase of their funding with the conclusion of their IEO on OceanEx GO! As the first project selected by OceanEx to launch their platform, Jur understood the importance of developing a token model with both utility and a focus on long-term sustainability. Participation numbers vastly exceeded the target hard cap, as the community completed the 100 million JUR token target using only 25 minutes from the 4 hours allotted.
Zug, August 29th
After the debut, here it comes the grand opening.
The 28th of August saw a number of firsts: The first Initial Exchange Offering (IEO) by the OceanEx GO! Platform, the first distribution of the JUR token, and the first Legal Tech decentralized application to be launched on the market through an IEO. This represents an incredible opportunity to drive innovation in the legal sector and bring new attention to Jur’s core product offerings.
Users were able to subscribe to the IEO using either VET or OCE, with 80 million JUR allocated for the VET subscription and 20 million reserved for OCE holders. With the price set at 0.02 USD per JUR token, the $2 million subscription cap was quickly filled. Over the four hour period, the token demand exceeded the IEO hard cap by more than 5 times, with the VET Special pool finishing at 400% and the OCE special pool closing at 942%. In total, the collective amount of the subscribed funds was valued at over $10 million USD.
Jur’s CEO Alessandro Palombo was enthusiastic about the success of the IEO. He stressed the importance of this being the first of many big milestones.
“We arrived here on different boats, from different walks of life. Everyone with their own ideas, attitudes, and preferences. Now we are on the same boat and there will be one main priority: to build value that can enact positive changes. Welcome Jurers, let’s make it together!”
The JUR token will be needed for the use of the Jur Beta Platform, a disruptive blockchain-powered smart legal contract editor and dispute resolution system. The Jur Editor allows users to create and customize legal contracts that are automated using the JUR token. The Open Layer is a revolutionary approach to dispute resolution that relies on a decentralized crowd-based model to solve disputes with time and expenses reduced to a minimum.
The Jur Editor is part of the Jur Beta Platform.
With initial token distribution now complete, Jur can focus on delivering products that promise to disrupt the traditional legal justice model. The Jur Beta Platform was designed to encourage the active participation of its global community, making it one of the first working examples of the blockchain successfully integrating into traditional business processes.
The JUR token will begin trading on OceanEx on September 4th.
More information about the JUR token distribution here. | 1,268,288 |
>
&lang=<language of the operating system>
&corp=<whether the OS is a corporate OS>
&serv=<whether the OS is a server OS>
&os=<OS version>
&sp=<version of OS service pack>
&x64=<whether the OS is 32- or 64-bit> Judging by the affid parameter, Locky is distributed via an affiliate, or partnership, program. Sending list of encrypted paths.
id=<infection id>
&act=report&data=<list of paths> For each disk drive it has handled, the Trojan sends the C&C a list of all paths to all encrypted files. Sending statistics for each handled disk drive.
id=<infection id>
&act=stats&path=<path>
&encrypted=<number of files encrypted>
&failed=<number of errors>
&length=<total size of encrypted files>
It should be noted that the cybercriminal collects very detailed statistics for each infection. Other ransomware families that we analyzed earlier were not this thorough at collecting statistics.
Countermeasures
Kaspersky Lab products protect against the Locky ransomware Trojan at all stages of the attack:
The anti-spam module detects emails sent by the Trojan’s distributors;
Script loaders are detected by static and heuristic signatures of email and file antivirus with the verdicts Trojan-Downloader.MSWord.Agent, Trojan-Downloader.JS.Agent, HEUR:Trojan-Downloader.Script.Generic;
The Trojan’s executable file is detected by file antivirus signatures as Trojan-Ransom.Win32.Locky;
Unknown samples of Locky are proactively detected by the System Watcher module with the verdict PDM:Trojan.Win32.Generic.
Preventing infections
Locky is a typical ransomware Trojan, and it exhibits no major differences from other ransomware families in its internal arrangement or its principles of operation. However, it caught the attention of researchers because it was so active and so widespread. According to KSN data, Kaspersky Lab products have blocked Locky attacks in over 100 countries around the world – no other ransomware Trojan to date has attacked so many countries at once.
To protect yourself from this ransomware Trojan, follow these preventive measures:
Do not open attachments in emails from senders you don’t know;
Back up your files on a regular basis and store the backup copies on removable storage media or in cloud storages – not on your computer;
Regularly run updates for your antivirus databases, operating system and other software installed on your computer;
Create a separate network folder for each user when managing access to shared network folders.
For more detailed information about protection from ransomware Trojans, please follow this link. | 1,268,289 |
BALTIMORE (WJZ) — The search for a missing pregnant Howard County teacher who vanished days ago continues.
Police found 31-year-old Laura Wallen’s SUV not far from Wilde Lake High School in Columbia where she worked.
#WJZ Exclusive Video: Pregnant teacher Laura Wallen's SUV found but police say she's still missing @cbsbaltimore pic.twitter.com/ObxJcynCV1 — Mike Hellgren (@HellgrenWJZ) September 8, 2017
Investigators took the SUV from an apartment complex Thursday night but police have yet to find her. The license plate matches the one police were looking for.
Students remain concerned about her safety and are keeping up hope for her return.
“She told me about her pregnancy and how tired she was. She hung her sonogram up on the refrigerator and she wouldn’t tell me what she was having, but she was telling me she was excited, and she was ready for another school year,” says former student Saquan Maxwell.
Montgomery County Police are leading the investigation because Laura Wallen lived in Olney.
A neighbor says they also searched a dumpster and asked questions, knocking on doors and showing residents Wallen’s picture.
Police won’t speak on camera about the vehicle recovery, but on they spoke with WJZ on Thursday.
“At this point, do you believe any foul play was involved? What can you say about that?” asks Investigative Reporter Mike Hellgren.
“We are urging anyone with information to come forward.We’re exploring all options, talking to friends, talking to family, to fellow teachers, anyone who may have had contact with her,” says Sgt. Rebecca Innocenti, with Montgomery County Police.
Wallen is a former teacher of the year. She was four months pregnant when she disappeared. She then failed to show up for the first day of classes Tuesday at Wilde Lake High School, where she teaches history.
“I miss you, and want you to come back, because you are a really nice teacher and you mean something to me,” says student Kevin Jenkins.
Police say her last text was on Monday to her family and they describe it as troubling, prompting concern for her safety, but won’t say what she wrote.
Relatives of Wallen confirmed that she was excited about her pregnancy, never gave signs that anything was bothering her and left her dog behind.
She apparently spent days preparing her classroom for the new school year.
Students plan to meet at the school on Saturday to personally search for Wallen.
Students have posted to messages to Ms. Wallen on her classroom door. Their search starts at 3:30 p.m. Saturday afternoon.
Follow @CBSBaltimore on Twitter and like WJZ-TV | CBS Baltimore on Facebook | 1,268,290 |
2020 White House hopeful Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) announced Friday that she now supports an impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump over his phone call with the leader of Ukraine after affirming this week that the conversation fails to make a “compelling” case to oust the president.
“Up to this point, I have been opposed to pursuing impeachment because it will further divide our already badly divided country,” Gabbard said in a statement. “However, after looking carefully at the transcript of the conversation with Ukraine’s President, the whistleblower complaint, the Inspector General memo, and President Trump’s comments about the issue, unfortunately, I believe that if we do not proceed with the inquiry, it will set a very dangerous precedent.”
.@TulsiGabbard flips on impeaching Trump, now supports an inquiry. pic.twitter.com/QNJynVNMhK — Sahil Kapur (@sahilkapur) September 27, 2019
The Hawaii congresswoman urged House Democrats to run a swift and narrow impeachment probe, warning against a “long, protracted partisan circus that will further divide our country and undermine our democracy.”
Gabbard’s change of heart comes roughly 48 hours after warning against impeachment, stating the inquiry would be “terribly divisive” for the United States.
“Look, Donald Trump is corrupt — he is unfit to serve our country as president. He is unqualified to serve our country as commander-in-chief, I’m running for president to defeat him,” the lawmaker told The Hill. “I just think it’s so important for our country to be able to move forward to bridge these divides that it be the American people that make this decision.”
A so-called “whistleblower” complaint by a partisan CIA officer alleges President Trump sought to pressure Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during a July 25th call to probe Hunter Biden, the son of former Vice President and 2020 White House contender Joe Biden — however — Zelensky has denied being pressured whatsoever.
“I think you read everything. I think you read text. I’m sorry, but I don’t want to be involved to democratic open elections, elections of USA. No, sure, we had I think good phone call. It was normal. We spoke about many things, and I — so I think and you read it that nobody pushed me,” Zelensky told reporters at the United Nations in New York City.
Nonetheless, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) on Wednesday announced a formal impeachment inquiry, accusing the president of using taxpayer money to shake-down a foreign government for political purposes.
Although House Democrats are hoping for a fast impeachment probe, some credibility issues regarding the “whistleblower” and his complaint have already come to light. | 1,268,291 |
Anyone who drove the previous generation BMW M5 knew that it was only truly happy if it was converting expensive rubber into smoke. In a bid to show enthusiasts that adding all-wheel-drive hasn't changed the M5's inner idiot, BMW went out once again on Dec. 11, 2017, to set two Guinness World Records for Greatest Distance Vehicle Drift in 8 Hours and Longest Twin Vehicle Drift (Water Assisted).
If this sounds familiar, it should. BMW set an absurd drift distance record back in 2013 when Johan Schwarz, a BMW performance driving instructor slid around the Bavarian brand's Spartanburg facility for 51.278 miles. This time, Schwartz crushed his record by mercilessly shredding tires (which we can only assume were modified hockey pucks or Soviet tractor tires) for a total of 232.5 miles.
Enlarge Image BMW
That distance required some serious technology to make it possible, most notably a custom-developed mid-drift refueling device because, as you might imagine, roasting tires with a twin-turbo V8 is going to sip more than a little gas. BMW enlisted the services of Mooresville, NC-based automotive performance engineering wizards Detroit Speed to create a dry break fuel filler which works a bit like the midair refueling system on a fighter jet.
"We knew going in that if we were going to recapture the world record for longest sustained drift and set the bar as high as possible, we would need to find a way to keep the M5 going without stopping to refuel," said Johan Schwartz, performance driving instructor at BMW's Spartanburg, SC Performance Driving Center. "In the end, the refueling system worked flawlessly, and the M5 performed as expected. It was a big win all around."
The system required a second M5, this one a previous-generation F10 M5 to drift with Schwartz's car in parallel to maintain a set distance so that the excellently-named Matt Butts of Detroit Speed could straddle both vehicles at speed and complete the refueling.
Enlarge Image BMW
"Although we practiced the refueling several times before the Guinness World Records title attempt, there was very little margin for error," said Matt Butts, the head development driver for Detroit Speed. "We're excited to have played a part in Johan and BMW recapturing this record."
Once the first record was set, BMW figured that it should try and snag another one while everyone was there, you know, German efficiency and all that. Schwartz hopped back into his M5 and was joined by BMW Performance Driving Center chief instructor Matt Mullins in another M5, and they executed a one-hour water-assisted tandem drift over a length of 49.25 miles.
Schwartz and Mullins will be sharing all of their dorifto madness with the folks at CES with drift demonstrations at the top of every hour. The record-setting 2018 M5 will also be on display in the LVCC Silver Lot. | 1,268,292 |
DEERFIELD, Ill. -- Chicago Bulls guards Richard Hamilton (groin) and C.J. Watson (left elbow) are both day to day, according to Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau.
Hamilton injured his groin late in the third quarter of Friday night's game against the Los Angeles Clippers and sat out Sunday night's game against the Memphis Grizzlies. Watson strained his left elbow in Sunday night's contest and was seen at the Berto Center on Monday wearing a sling on his arm.
"Rip did a little more today so he's feeling a little bit better," Thibodeau said after Monday's practice. "C.J. is at the doctor's right now so we still don't know on him."
Thibodeau said that Hamilton would be a game-time decision Tuesday night while he admitted that Watson would probably be out for an undetermined amount of time.
"That would be my guess," he said of Watson. "It's a sprain. (Athletic trainer) Fred (Tedeschi) saw him this morning and the swelling's not too bad. But he's visiting the doctor now. It will be day to day basically. We'll go from there."
Watson's injury was hard for Bulls point guard Derrick Rose to stomach.
"It was messed up," Rose said. "It was definitely messed up. I thought it was worse than what it was. But we have other people that can come in and replace him for a little bit of time before he gets back. It's definitely going to hurt us, but there's no excuses. We still got to go out there and play these games. We know that he'll be back shortly."
Thibodeau noted that the team has confidence that Bulls backup point guard John Lucas III could come in and take over Watson's minutes.
"He's been around for a while," Thibodeau said. "He played two years in Houston. He's played overseas. We have a lot of confidence in him. He can shoot the ball, he can run the team so that's the way it is. One guy gets hurt, the next man has to step up."
As for Hamilton, he is taking a wait and see approach. He said he didn't do much during practice except shoot a little more.
"We'll see," Hamilton said. "I think we're day by day right now. It's a little better today than it was (Sunday) and the day before so that's a good sign."
Initially, Hamilton didn't even think his injury was that bad, although he admitted he has dealt with groin injuries before during his time with the Detroit Pistons.
"I thought it was just something minor," Hamilton said. "Something that maybe (I could) ice and had a day off the next day and maybe it would a lot better, but it wasn't."
Nick Friedell covers the Bulls for ESPNChicago.com. | 1,268,293 |
Government will probe the violence that erupted in Dholpur on Sunday, says Ashok Gehlot
Highlights Rajasthan Chief Minister condemned the violence by protesters in state
Sitting on railway tracks as part of protest was unethical: Ashok Gehlot
The Gujjar Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti (GASS) launched agitation on Friday
Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Sunday said that his government was ready to open talks with Gujjars, but condemned the violence and blocking of road and train traffic by protesters in the state.
"The government is ready to open discussions with the agitating community," Mr Gehlot said adding that sitting on railway tracks as part of protest was unethical.
The agitation for reservation that entered its third day on Sunday turned violent as the protesters clashed with the police personnel near Dholpur, officials said.
The police had to fire tear gas shells to disperse the protesters when they began pelting stones. Three police vehicles were also set on fire.
Five policemen were injured in the stone pelting. No arrests have been made, so far, senior police official Mohan Lal Lather said.
Three separate cases have been registered and investigations are on. Those flouting norms shall be dealt with iron hand, the police officer said.
The Chief Minister said the government would look into the issue and probe the violence that erupted in Dholpur on Sunday.
The Gujjar Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti (GASS) launched agitation on Friday and started blocking highways and traffic on the Delhi-Mumbai rail route.
They are demanding five per cent reservation in government jobs and education institutions.
Mr Lather said control rooms have been set up in the violence-hit areas of Rajasthan.
On the Gujjars' threat to intensify the agitation on Monday, Mr Lather said: "We have deputed additional forces in the violence-prone areas to tackle any untoward incident."
Early in the day, protesters tried to block the National Highway No. 3 near Dholpur, but the police intervened resulting into clashes.
On Saturday, Rajasthan Tourism Minister Vishwendra Singh and IAS officer Neeraj K. Pawan visited GASS chief, Col. Kirori Singh Bainsla (retd) near Malarna Dungar in the Sawai Madhopur district to hold negotiations. But these failed to make any headway.
While the rail traffic on the Delhi-Mumbai route remained disrupted for the third consecutive day on Sunday, the Kota Railway Division has cancelled 28 trains till February 13, and diverted 37 trains.
Around 18 trains scheduled to run on Sunday, 10 on Monday, 12 on Tuesday and 15 on Wednesday were cancelled, a Northern Railway official said.
GASS chief Mr Bainsla blamed anti-social elements, who have become a part of the protest, for the violence. | 1,268,294 |
KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Sudan has agreed to allow flights heading to Israel to cross its airspace, a military spokesman said on Wednesday, two days after Sudan’s military head of state held a surprise meeting with Israel’s prime minister.
The meeting in Uganda between Sudan’s Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu stirred controversy in Sudan after Israeli officials said it would lead to normalizing relations between the two former foes.
Tensions have risen between the military and civilian groups sharing power after last year’s overthrow of former president Omar al-Bashir. The cabinet has held two emergency meetings over the Uganda trip, about which it says it was not informed.
Sudan’s military responded with a rare political statement on Wednesday, describing Burhan’s trip to meet Netanyahu as being in “the highest interests of national security and of Sudan.”
Sudanese military spokesman Amer Mohamed al-Hassan told Al Jazeera there had been an agreement “in principle” for use of Sudan’s airspace by commercial aircraft traveling from South America to Israel, though he said technical aspects of the overflights were still being studied and Sudan had not agreed to overflights by Israeli carrier El Al.
“Sudan has not announced full normalization (with Israel), but it is exchanging interests,” he said.
Netanyahu had previously said opening Sudanese airspace to Israeli civilian planes would cut hours off flights to South America, Israel’s fourth-most important travel destination.
That African air corridor would also include Egypt and Chad, with which Israel renewed long-severed relations in 2018.
“With Sudan we are now establishing cooperative relations,” Netanyahu said in a campaign speech on Wednesday. “We will overfly Sudan.”
This week’s meeting in Uganda coincided with an announcement that Burhan had been invited to visit Washington later this year. It also came a week after Netanyahu, who faces an election on March 2, traveled to Washington for the unveiling of U.S. President Donald Trump’s Middle East peace plan.
Sudan is striving to rebuild links with the outside world after decades of isolation under Islamist Bashir, and to be removed from a U.S. list of countries considered state sponsors of terrorism.
Israeli commentators have suggested the rapprochement with Khartoum might enable the repatriation of thousands of Sudanese who make up around a fifth of illegal migrants and asylum-seekers in Israel. A senior Israeli official on Tuesday played this prospect down.
“No one consulted with me before the trip (by Netanyahu to Uganda) and no one reported to me after the trip. We are not involved in any process that I am familiar with,” Shlomo Mor Yosef, head of the Interior Ministry’s immigration authority, told Israel’s Army Radio. | 1,268,295 |
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Consider us your reliable WordPress development company to get the best functional and advanced website.
WordPress Samples Review | 1,268,296 |
On January 16, the world’s largest crypto exchange by daily volume Binance launched a crypto-to-fiat trading platform in Jersey, enabling British pound and euro trading pairs with Bitcoin.
Within less than 24 hours following the launch, Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao (CZ) has said that the exchange is already overwhelmed with registrations.
CZ said:
“Binance.je is overwhelmed with registrations. There is a backlog of KYC verifications already. More resources are allocated to reduce it. In the mean time, we appreciate your understanding and patience. The registration prize is FIFO based, no worries. Just crazy! One thing we do “well” is underestimating ourselves, and the market.”
More Competition in the European Crypto Market
Throughout the past 12 months, the Bitcoin market has experienced an 80 percent decline in valuation as the combined value of all cryptocurrencies in the market fell from $800 billion to $120 billion.
However, key players in the global cryptocurrency sector including Binance are continuously expanding, leading efforts to facilitate the mainstream adoption of cryptocurrencies.
Previously, Wei Zhou, the CFO at Binance, said that fiat-to-crypto on-ramps are critical in achieving the first level of Bitcoin adoption and awareness amongst newly emerging users.
The entrance of Binance into both the European and British cryptocurrency markets is expected to provide existing dominant companies such as Coinbase and Bitstamp a stiff competition.
Wei Zhou stated:
“Expanding the cryptocurrency exchange markets with fiat currencies in the European region is opening new economic opportunities for Europeans as well as freedom from looming Brexit uncertainty where the pound and euro are also in concern. Through Binance Jersey, we want to help bridge the crypto-fiat channel for Europe and the U.K. as part of our global expansion to support broader cryptocurrency adoption.”
Throughout the past several months, Binance has been one of many major companies in the digital asset industry to expand aggressively in an attempt to strengthen the infrastructure supporting cryptocurrencies as an asset class.
Last week, Bakkt, a cryptocurrency exchange and liquidity provider operated by ICE, the parent company of the New York Stock Exchange, completed its first acquisition as an established cryptocurrency business.
What Investors Can Expect From Europe
Europe has had a head start over most key Bitcoin markets including South Korea and Japan but its local cryptocurrency exchange market has struggled to demonstrate a rapid rate of growth.
According to CryptoCompare, as of January 17, the daily Bitcoin exchange volume of Europe only accounts for less than four percent of the global volume and is ranked behind the U.S. and Japan.
It remains to be seen whether the entrance of Binance and potentially more major cryptocurrency exchanges into the European market could translate to an increase in growth rate.
But, it will provide alternative solutions and platforms to users in Europe who have had to rely on a handful of trading platforms throughout the past two years. | 1,268,297 |
a responsible interest rate, maybe there is a place for them in our community. North Carolina banned payday lenders altogether. We’re just trying to be reasonable. We just ask the industry to follow the same rules as other lenders.”
After the state’s payday loan law went into effect in 2010, analysts with the Pew Charitable Trust studied the impact of the new regulations. It found that the amount loaned declined, as did the defaults per borrower. And while the number of payday lending stores was halved three years after the law went into effect, the number of borrowers fell only 7 percent.
MORE: A preview of Colorado’s 2018 ballot: Taxes, roads and an existential crisis for oil and gas
“Some of them simply stopped needing a loan because they got out of debt, or they chose other options like using a pawn shop or borrowing from family and friends,” said Nick Bourke, Pew’s director of consumer finance, who worked on the project. “But a decline of 7 percent means the vast majority who wanted a loan before the law changed are (still using payday loans) but they paying 42 percent less than they were under the old terms and were being more successful.”
As Bourke said in the past, Colorado’s 2010 law is a nationwide model — if the goal is to find the balance between letting short-term loan businesses exist while offering risky consumers a credit option. But if the goal is to eliminate payday lenders, then a 36 percent cap would do that effectively, he said.
“At 36 percent, there will not be payday loans in Colorado,” he said. “Colorado’s 2010 payday loan law is absolutely a model for any state that wants safe, low-installment loans available to people with low credit. … There’s really just a simple choice that voters in Colorado are being faced with: Should we have this type of small-dollar installment lending or should we not?”
An ACE Cash Express branch in Denver’s Baker neighborhood, pictures on Sunday, Oct. 21, 2018. ACE provides payday loans. (Jesse Paul, The Colorado Sun)
The bulk of the money for the campaign is coming from The Sixteen Thirty Fund, a liberal nonprofit that is active in a range of campaign in Colorado and nationally this year. That group donated all but $48,000 of the $1.6 million raised by Coloradans to Stop Predatory Payday Loans.
Most of that money was spent gathering petition signatures. Through the end of September, the group had yet to report spending on mailers or other advertising.
Colorado Springs resident and former state Rep. Douglas Bruce, the author of the Taxpayer Bill of Rights and a convicted tax evader, formed the State Ballot Issue Committee to oppose Proposition 111 and several other ballot measures.
The group hasn’t reported raising or spending any money.
More from The Colorado Sun | 1,268,298 |
VICE’s Sofia Barrett-Ibarria recently decided to take a closer look at why some people regard convicted serial killer Aileen Wuornos as a cult heroine:
The woman dubbed "the first female serial killer" has devoted fans. https://t.co/6lofCo255A — VICE (@VICE) September 19, 2019
"Her story speaks to the experience of sex workers in this country who are constantly in danger from clients, societal stigma, and the punitive state." https://t.co/6lofCo255A — VICE (@VICE) September 19, 2019
How serial killer Aileen Wuornos became a cult hero. https://t.co/6lofCo255A — VICE (@VICE) September 20, 2019
Barrett-Ibarria seems to think it’s encouraging that Wuornos is so revered. Because it “offers hope” to victims of serial sexual predators like Jeffrey Epstein and … Brett Kavanaugh?
So this @vice article… the author is saying Brett Kavanaugh DESERVES TO BE MURDERED BY A SERIAL KILLER?! Were all the responsible editors left in journalism killed in a purge night or something? https://t.co/NxIzqiy2HR pic.twitter.com/RdULPepoy2 — Mark Hemingway (@Heminator) September 20, 2019
The author may not be saying that in so many words … but it seems fair to say that she’s concluding that Brett Kavanaugh deserves to pay dearly for crimes that no one has been able to prove he committed.
Seriously, this is messed up.
At some point, VICE appended a correction, saying that “This story has been updated to correct the date Wuornos died, and to clarify the context of a quote.” Here’s their attempt at a clarification:
As reports of powerful men who abuse vulnerable women continue to surface, it’s hard to deny that survivors are craving stories of revenge—stories where victims not only live to survive the abuse, but fight back. “I think part of her appeal to me personally, in this cultural moment, is that Aileen Wuornos was a woman that men feared,” said Bailey. At a time when we are constantly inundated with stories like that of Jeffrey Epstein and Brett Kavanaugh, her story is an example of men facing repercussions for their actions. “A prostitute hunting men instead of being hunted is a deeply comforting story.”
That’s only barely an improvement over the original.
I see that the story was changed/toned down. But the change isn't really much better. It still explicitly compares him to Epstein, and repercussions is still unconscionably vague. pic.twitter.com/mMMo4uuh3Z — Mark Hemingway (@Heminator) September 20, 2019
Ugh. | 1,268,299 |
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